Evelyn’s Park has gone mad for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
The 5-acre green space, former home of the historic Teas Nursery, is on its delightful way down the rabbit hole with the addition of larger-than-life sculpture Move One Place On, a tribute to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.
The interactive piece is comprised of a 10-foot picnic table where visitors will be able to sit with 8-foot bronze characters including Alice, the March Hare, Cheshire Cat, Dormouse and Mad Hatter.
The creative undertaking is in the hands of local artist Bridgett Mongeon, known for mixing traditional sculpting with digital technology such as 3D printing.
“The sculpture will seat six-to-eight additional guests allowing families to bring a picnic and join the tea party,” Mongeon said in a statement.
Move One Place On will be on permanent display at the park, ensuring it will always be tea time.
Nearby the table, a second sculpture will feature a bronze storybook atop a faux stump.
Making the project all the more magical, the announcement coincides with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland's 150th Anniversary this month.
Named for a line in Alice in Wonderland in which Mad Hatter instructs tea party guests, Move One Place On will be on permanent display at the park, ensuring it will always be tea time.
The whimsical table, commissioned by The Jerry and Maury Rubenstein Foundation as a gift to Evelyn’s Park Conservancy (a nonprofit public-private partnership dedicated to the stewardship and improvement of Evelyn’s Park) is expected to be completed in late 2016. In honor of the sesquicentennial, Mongeon will incorporate a treasure hunt of sorts. Be ready to get lost in wonderland while searching for 150 different hidden elements, from a small Humpty Dumpty to the White Queen tucked into the bronze legs of the table and benches.
Until then, we’ll all go a little mad with anticipation.
Local artist Bridgett Mongeon will hide 150 different elements in the scene, including a small Humpty Dumpty.
