Whitewater Center’s winter lights exhibit connects with nature and technology

If you see a metaphor about hope in artist Meredith Connelly’s wonderland of lights at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, you’re not alone.

“From the beginning, I think the message has been there,” the Charlotte artist said of her site-specific, lighted landscape, now on view at the Whitewater Center.

For the second consecutive year, the U.S. National Whitewater Center is showcasing Connelly’s ”Lights,” a half-mile, artfully illuminated walking trail. And it’s even bigger and brighter this time around. Connelly and her team created more than 200 illuminated objects for the site in 2019. This time, they added 300 more.

The public has responded enthusiastically. Connelly said, “When you create something like this, there is that kind of hold-your-breath moment of ‘How will it be received?’ The fact that we had over 250,000 people walk through last year — it’s mind boggling.”

“Lights,” conceived as a complement to the ice skating the Whitewater Center offers in the winter, is a union of nature and ingenuity. “I’m inspired by technology,” Connelly said. “For me, lighting is a material. It can be used in a variety of ways to really connect and reach the viewer.”

The details

“Lights” is built on a massive scale, so there’s a tendency for visitors to miss the fine points.

“When people first approach it, they’re often looking at the scope of it, at the large landscape view,” the artist said. “But I’m really diligent about designing details and intricate little elements. For instance, the large mushroom — if someone looked underneath, they’d see all the gills of the mushroom. There is textural detail. Each mushroom is designed with intention … to give it that organic quality.”

Connelly began the project with a walk in the woods.

“I look at little intricate findings that I come across the natural world — even on a microscopic level. So, when I conceptualized ‘Lights,’ it really was from being on the trail and honing in on things in the natural space that were visually interesting.”

And those things have turned out to be visually interesting to others — enough so to result in repeat visitors.

“As an artist, you put work out there and leave it for others to experience,” she said. “Hearing that it’s triggering magic, wonder and joy — it’s just really special. It demonstrates the power of public art.”

Creating that magic takes time. This year, it began in late August and took about two months to complete. Fabrication is labor-intensive. Connelly said her interns and volunteers were critical to the project, adding, “Eleven people devoted their time to helping me in the fabrication.” And a team of four worked for nearly a month on installation.

A changing experience

There’s something poignant about the fleeting nature of the exhibition. It’s up for a finite amount of time — this year, through Feb. 14. Then it’s gone.

“The beauty and magic of it is that it’s not something you can always access,” Connelly said. “It’s something we have for a time, and I think there’s something really special about having an art experience that’s temporary.

“I look at this almost as a collaboration with the natural environment,” she added. “Nature is unpredictable and uncontrollable.”

The experience looks and feels different on each visit. It could be the ways the leaves have fallen or the effect a frost or rain has on the earth or, as Connelly said, “Maybe the moon isn’t as bright one night, but you’re always getting a completely different environment.”

Even its creator is amazed by the way the elements can change her art. “One thing that continues to captivate me is the way light travels when it’s not confined within four walls,” she said.

What’s next for the artist, wife and mother of two? She and Katie Causey Miller, the Mint Museum’s director of development, will soon open Ash & Ochre, an online retailer of vintage and handmade items; small-batch, high-end crafts; herb bundles; candles and more.

The shop will have “a very handmade focus and support emerging artists,” Connelly said. She and Miller hope to connect makers and buyers.

“Ultimately, my work is always about connectivity,” Connelly said. “It’s not just about putting a sculpture out into the woods. It’s about the way light transmits through the woods and shines on the environment and on the viewer. It creates an all-encompassing experience; everything is connected.”

Lights

What: U.S. National Whitewater Center showcases Lights, a half-mile walking trail of holiday lights created by artist Meredith Connelly

Where: 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy.

When: Now through Feb. 14, 6-10 p.m.

Cost: Free; parking is $6 without a parking permit

COVID-19 Safety: All guests and staff are reminded to wear face coverings and social distance from others whenever possible.

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