Season Four at Tippet Rise is here!
July 5, 2019
On Friday, July 5, the art center opened for its fourth summer of hiking, biking, and sculpture tours, classical music concerts, art workshops, and other events. This year, guests can also explore the first site-specific commission to be added to Tippet Rise’s collection since the art center opened in 2016: a new scenic pavilion designed by the world-renowned architect Francis Kéré.
Francis Kéré’s Xylem
Drawing inspiration from the wooden and straw toguna structures sacred in Dogon communities in West Africa, Francis Kéré designed Xylem, a 2,100-square-foot pavilion, for Tippet Rise. Nestled in a grove of aspen and cottonwood trees an easy stroll from the Olivier Music Barn, Xylem is constructed of locally and sustainably sourced ponderosa and lodgepole pine and features a canopy of vertical logs, which filters light onto the seating areas. The pavilion is now open to visitors to the art center. More information about Francis Kéré and Xylem can be found here.
Meanwhile, in Kéré’s birthplace, the village of Gando in Burkina Faso, the Tippet Rise Fund of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation is funding the construction of a new school designed by the architect. Opening in January 2020, the Naaba Belem Goumma Secondary School will accommodate approximately 1,000 students and is part of Kéré’s efforts to build environmentally sustainable and climatically appropriate schools in West Africa. More details about the school, which is named for Kéré’s father, are available here.
Sculpture Tours at Tippet Rise
The new pavilion by Francis Kéré joins other monumental sculptures and architectural structures at Tippet Rise. Tours of these works, which are nestled into valleys and placed atop knolls across the art center’s 12,000 acres, can be taken by shuttle van, or on foot or bicycle via 10.5 miles of trails. Registration via the Tippet Rise Tours page is required for all tours, including hiking and biking. For information about the art center’s collection of large-scale works, visit the Art page.
Music at Tippet Rise
The summer’s concert season begins Friday, July 12 and continues for seven weeks. The 2019 concert season brings together accomplished artists and up-and-coming stars for 23 recitals and chamber music performances spanning more than four centuries of repertoire. For information about the season, please visit the Events page. Concert tickets sold out through a randomized drawing; however, tickets that are returned to the box office will be placed for sale on the Events page the week of the ticketed concert, and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. For those who are unable to attend concerts in person, recorded performances are added regularly to the Films page and to the art center’s YouTube channel. Other happenings, such as art workshops and concerts for children, will be added to the Events page through the summer and fall.
Dining at the Art Center
For concert ticketholders and tour guests, morning pastries, coffee and tea, lunch and dinner options, as well as wine and craft beer, are available for purchase in Will’s Shed. All fare is prepared by Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Nick Goldman and Chef Wendi Reed of Wild Flower Kitchen.
Virtual Visits to the Art Center
To learn about happenings at the art center, be sure to follow Tippet Rise on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and visit this section of our website for news and other updates. Last but not least, don’t miss the Tippet Rise podcast! A new episode is released on the first Thursday of each month.
We hope to see you soon at Tippet Rise!
Photo of Patrick Dougherty’s Daydreams by Erik Petersen.