WEST SPRINGFIELD — Leading up to the 250th inaugural celebration of West Springfield, two sculpture Installations Everest and High Five by artist Harold Grinspoon, have been placed at the corner of Park and Elm Street near the Veteran’s Memorial. Everest is comprised of over 200 glass floats from the Asian fishing industry. Grinspoon found the floats at the Brimfield Antique Flea Market, where he often goes for inspirational objects. He enjoyed the challenge of making this stable, solid pyramid structure. Everest includes a large pyramid with a river of spheres leading to a smaller pyramid. This past summer, Everest was featured in the SculptureNow 2023 exhibition at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Historic Home and Studio in Lenox, Massachusetts. The High Five sculpture is created using reflective steel spheres that are separated by brightly colored acrylic tubes around flexible fiberglass that allows for motion with the wind. Grinspoon desires the sculptures to bring joy to viewers as they interact with the pieces.
Born in 1929 in Newton, MA, Harold Grinspoon has had a long, fruitful career in business, especially in real estate. After beating the odds and surviving cancer 30 years ago, he felt a yearning to expand his horizons and began to focus on giving back. Grinspoon and his wife, Diane Troderman, are best known locally for their generous contributions to Baystate Medical Center and programs that support early childhood literacy, vibrant Jewish community, energy conservation, and the recognition of the Pioneer Valley’s teachers and farmers.
In 2014 at the age of 84, he had another personal awakening, and began a third career as an artist. Something as simple as a large tree falling in his backyard shifted his perception of beauty, and form. Rather than remove the cherry tree, he transformed it into a work of art. The Beauty of Nature became his first sculpture, propelling him along an unstoppable path of creativity. It is currently on exhibition at Look Memorial Park in Florence, MA.
In the years since, now a 94-year-old artist, Grinspoon has produced over 160 sculptures. Many of the outdoor sculptures are large-scale, exterior works made from reclaimed trees, branches, and driftwood, inspiring him to experiment with form, movement, and color. More recent sculptures include working with amber, reflective steel and glass spheres, acrylic and steel rods, and other objects. Several are now installed in public spaces across Massachusetts and nationally. His work with materials that were once alive are now being given a new life and being appreciated in new ways.
For more information please contact Madeline Calabrese, Curator at madeline@hgf.org .
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