Sky Stage

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Title: Sky Stage
Photo Credit: Bill Adkins
Lead Artist(s):

Description:

Sky Stage transforms a boarded building shell in Frederick, MD’s downtown historic district into an interactive building-scale public art work. This pre-Revolutionary War building was damaged by a major fire in 2010 and lost its roof. In September 2016, the plywood on the doors and windows were removed to reveal Sky Stage, a center for free arts and culture. The open-air theater seats an audience of 140 people among trees. The centerpiece of Sky Stage is a two-story sculpture with ribbons of drought-resistant plants that twist and wind through a wooden lattice and the building’s doors and windows. Green roof technology has been modified to support the spiraling plants. Rainwater is collected from an adjacent roof and stored in a cistern to irrigate the plants and trees. Working with the local community, Sky Stage offers drama, music, children’s story time, art classes, dance, literature, film, pop-up gallery shows, and yoga.

PROJECT LOCATION

Performing Arts Center
Frederick, MD is a small city in the Washington D.C. metro area. Sky Stage is situated in Frederick's historic district in an old industrial part of the city.
Frederick, MD
59 South Carroll Street
Frederick, MD 21701
United States

click the map to enlarge
PROJECT TEAM

Frederick Arts Council
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Digital Structures research group
Professor Caitlin Mueller and Research Fellow Kam-Ming Mark Tam
PROJECT DETAILS

Temporary
140,000
Grant
Private
Public
Digital, Environmental Art, Installation, Sculpture, Site integrated architectural work
LED, Plant material, Wood
2016
2017