Chris Frost's "Colony": Final Weeks

After two years, a beloved Arlington cultural landmark is to be uninstalled on the Minuteman Bike Path, with two new works to be installed the new locations.

Artist Christopher Frost‘s “Colony” installation has been surprising and delighting travelers on the Minuteman Bike Path, at its intersection with Linwood Avenue at Spy Pond Park.

The Arlington Commission for Arts & Culture first commissioned Frost to create the site-specific sculpture for PATHWAYS: Contemporary Art on the Minuteman Bikeway in 2018. The work married the theme of birds and nature with his strong interests in architecture. Colony is a whimsical architectural folly constructed at bird scale perched on a mature tree overlooking Spy Pond. He built the sculpture using platforms that fit around the trunk like a collar; the tree’s health was protected by this design because no nails or screws were used.

Since then, neighbors have been contributing an ever-rotating menagerie of tiny animals, toy figures, and other embellishments to the sculpture’s porches and walkways, for an unexpectedly interactive experience with the artwork.

Now, due to age, weathering and the materials used, the popular sculpture is scheduled to be removed by the end of October. It will be sorely missed, but Frost has provided some consolation by installing newer, though smaller, birdhouse complexes near Spy Pond Apartments and the Spy Pond Park Playground steps.

See the ACMI TV report about Colony here