Art Installation In Bindy Bazaar Woods To Open To Public On June 29

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the nonprofit cultural arts organization located at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY continues its year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the greatest festival of all time with a yarn art installation, Embracing Bindy: Crocheted Connections, by renowned fiber artist Carol Hummel in the recently opened Bindy Bazaar Woods on Saturday, June 29th.

During the 1969 Woodstock festival, the Bindy Bazaar served as a grouping of 20 booths where vendors sold crafts and clothing. The area also connected two major sections of festival grounds. As part of an ongoing project dedicated to preserving and interpreting the historic site, Bethel Woods opened the wooded area on May 4th for public exploration, complete with historic, contextual annotations throughout the .25 mile loop for guests to digest.

To continue to highlight this faction of festival history and to bring to life the sense of art, craft, and joy that was fundamental to the Bindy Bazaar, Bethel Woods is commissioning a large-scale public art installation located in the historical footprint of the Bindy Bazaar Trails, in collaboration with award-winning producer Gay Rosenthal and Gay Rosenthal Productions. Carol Hummel will stitch together colorful crocheted shapes that organically wrap, hug, and embrace the trunks and branches of trees along the walking path in Bindy Woods, creating an ever-changing environment vibrating with color, light, shape and form. The project will emphasize the use of textile and color celebrated in the era, juxtaposed with a technique unique and representative of contemporary times.

"We are constantly looking for different ways to highlight why and how the decade that changed everything did just that," Bethel Woods Chief Executive Officer Darlene Fedun said. "We believe that Carol Hummel's art will enhance the journey throughout the Bindy Bazaar Trails by providing a different perspective of the celebrated era, no matter what turn a guest makes," she continued.

"Storytelling is at the heart of what we do, and we are honored to be part of keeping the story and spirit of Woodstock alive," says Gay Rosenthal of Gay Rosenthal Productions. 'Embracing Bindy: Crocheted Connections' symbolizes just that: the powerful story of embrace and connection. As artist Carol Hummel says, 'If we can come together and interweave our lives and cultures - as they did during Woodstock - we can create something of infinite beauty.'"

During the public unveiling of Hummel's work on June 29th guests will enjoy an official welcoming and ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00am and an Event Gallery talk with the artist, art activations and a scavenger hunt on the grounds to follow. This is free and open to the public. The unique expression will be an everlasting example of the ways in which past and present continue to influence one another, especially at a place that carries so much historic significance.

The presentation is reminiscent of the idea harnessed in The Museum at Bethel Woods 2019 Special Exhibit. Presented by Orange Bank and Trust, We Are Golden: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of The Woodstock Festival & Aspirations for a Peaceful Future, examines the desires of the youth of 1969, places the festival in the context of the positive societal changes it inspired and asks today's youth what THEY desire of the world now. To learn more, please visit http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/the-museum.

As stewards of a distinctive heritage site, future plans include the restoration of the Woodstock stage area and the creation of a scenic interpretative outlook at the top of the field. For more information on supporting preservation projects please visit BethelWoodsCenter.Org/Support.

Funding for preservation activities regarding the historic 1969 Woodstock festival site is provided by Bethel Woods Center for the Arts members and donors. Support for the restoration of the Bindy Bazaar Trails projects at the Woodstock site include the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation; Robyn Gerry; the Grillo family; and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a 501c3 nonprofit cultural organization that inspires, educates, and empowers individuals through the arts and humanities.