Rowdy Meadow

Rooted in Context – historical and ecological

  American arts patron Scott Mueller commissioned the investigation of 150 acres of former production orchards and steep woodlands east of Cleveland, Ohio as the site for a private homestead with public aspirations. Our work sites a new residence while shaping a contemporary sculpture collection that engages with the site, enriching its ecologies, including meadows long known as habitat for ground-nesting bobolinks — hailed by Emily Dickinson as "the rowdy of the meadow". Realized over a decade, the design shapes new experiences of the land’s diverse character, and seasonal phenomena, initiating a striking dialogue between art and place.

  The design for Rowdy Meadow is grounded in conservation goals developed early on with ecologists to identify areas of high ecological value, establish restoration priorities, and define criteria for siting art in consonance with restoration efforts. Additions of roads, trails, and installations of larger sculptures were made incrementally in order to maintain critical habitat during the transformation.

An exploration of style through pattern and form

Mueller challenged the team to explore Czech Cubism as inspiration for both house and garden. Through horticultural, material, and spatial means, we explored the prismatic qualities of Cubism across the garden precinct, from gate handles to patterning of terraces to planting expression. Chief among these garden elements is the Ribbon embankment, a sculptural landform that bounds the domestic precinct against the meadow below. Bands of amsonia, boxwood, spirea, and fragrant sumac enrich a series of faceted landform planes with strong seasonal character. The Ribbon defines level terraces around the house, including a kitchen garden and dining terrace, and frames the edge of the pool terrace. In the arrival garden, a birch walk created in homage to Warren Manning’s nearby Stan Hywett Hall, leads on one end to a belvedere overlooking the Pepper/Luce Creek; at the other Tom Friedman’s Outdoor Open Box frames views out to the larger landscape. From the house, multiple itineraries lead to sculpture walks throughout the property.

Art and Place

An extensive network of trails through the 150-acres of woodlands and meadows traverses the renewed ecology and mature woodlands, revealing the extraordinary collection of contemporary sculpture. Several site-specific sculptures respond to our investigations, recommendations, and design studies. Throughout the process, we collaborated closely with the owner, artists, and contractor to site many of the works. In one example, necessary improvements to water management infrastructure create an opportunity for a new pond near the house and inform a site-specific commission for Andy Goldsworthy’s Stone Dam at the historic farm pond.

Stewarding for the Future

The design is supported by a management and maintenance plan provided to the owners, enabling their stewardship of the landscape to maturity over the coming decades while expanding their collection and improving accessibility. The team is preparing the site with its living and sculptural collections as an endowed gift to an internationally renowned arts institution, where conversations between art and ecology will continue in the form of a public sculpture park.