The Slocum’s River Reserve will be returning to its natural state on June 10, after the River Project art installation—a two-mile walk adorned with sculptures—is removed. The Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust held a final walk through the project on June 4.

The third iteration of the River Project—held every three years by artists nominated by DNRT members—began on June 20, 2015. DNRT development and outreach coordinator Jim Bride was joined by Jim Lawton and Matthew Hincman, two of the five artists who contributed to this project. The two explained the inspiration behind their respective installations.

Lawton's piece, made from red tile, has “tanketappin” written in a cursive font signing the earth. It's an Algonquian word meaning “where live you?”

He was interested in how history has been shaped by miscommunication across peoples of different cultures, particularly the early New England settlers and Native Americans.

“We think of art as… something that’s outside of history,” Lawton said.

When “Tanketappin” was installed a year ago, the grass had been razed to make the installation process easier and to make the piece visible. A year later, the piece has been completely overtaken by weeds and grass.

“[Art is] made and then it remains iconic. But when you work in nature, your art is like an anchor. You put it out there and nature grows around it,” Lawton said.

The beauty of the reserve is the variety of different landscapes or “rooms” it presents, Hincman said. From heavily wooded areas to expansive meadows, each setting provided artists with a unique backdrop, and showed that art is changing and can be influenced by external forces.

Hincman’s installation, “Golden Frames,” incorporates four gilded frames into the wooded landscape. The frames are filled with reflective steel which invites viewers to “contemplate humankind’s position… within the landscape,” Hincman said.

Hincman also asked the question “how do we package something so it is then art?” while he was creating his installation. Picture frames are a ubiquitous indication of artwork and by installing them in the landscape, the frame essentially “creates” art, Hincman said.

The River Project will be open until June 10. It will return to the Slocum's River Reserve in 2018.

Local artists Liz Shepherd, Isabella Matia, and Jenine Shereos also contributed to this year's installation.

The Slocum's River Reserve is located on Horseneck Road in Dartmouth, 1.4 miles south of Russell’s Mills Village. More information on The River Project can be found at slocumsriverproject.com or on Instagram, #theriverproject2015.