Art on the Mountain

Blackberry Mountain’s superpower is delivering the unexpected. 

A guest’s experience on the Mountain transcends relaxing or rejuvenating and becomes transformative. Experiencing a sunset from the mountaintop Firetower, morning coffee by a crackling fire in the cottage’s massive fireplace or renewing the mind during woodlands meditation. None of it is typical. All of it is healing. 

Wellness and inspiration are baked into the backbone of the 5,200 acres of mountaintop resort and nowhere is this more evident than the thoughtful and purposeful curation of the Mountain’s art installations. 

They aren’t just pretty to look at. They make you think. Maybe even feel. 

Imagine the joy of ending a 30-minute hike into the woods by stumbling upon a 22-foot troll made entirely of wood sitting in a lotus position meditating at his spectacular view. 

Leo the Enlightened, or “Leo” as he’s known on the Mountain, took Danish artist Thomas Dambo and the team at Blackberry weeks to create. But beyond his construction and the initial awe once he’s discovered, it’s Leo’s intention that sparks reaction. He inspires his visitors to join him. To sit and take in the view. Maybe ponder the land and who came to this spot before. Maybe think about nothing for a minute. 

Blackberry proprietor Mary Celeste Beall said there’s intentionality fueling the element of surprise in the nature art installations.

“We knew people would see the Firetower and that anyone could get there by car, but then we really wanted to have these surprise moments and have these unexpected elements in the woods because Blackberry Mountain is a beautiful, special place, and it can be special for someone that only sees it by vehicle. But for the people that can get into the woods and explore by foot, I think having a surprise moment can have a unique impact.”

It evolved into a strategy to encourage guests to see parts of the Mountain they might not see otherwise. And giving the younger guests a bit of a challenge, a destination, a scavenger hunt of sorts, helps make hiking a family-friendly activity. 

Mary Celeste said getting her children, who ranged in age from 6 to 21 at the time the Mountain was coming to life, to do the same activity was not always easy. 

“We thought if we have these elements of surprise in the woods, families will go do this,” she said. “My teenagers were happy to have an Instagram moment, and my 6-year-old was just happy with the surprise.” And of course, Mary Celeste was happy to be in the wilderness with her family and maybe reawaken their sense of wonder. 

“I love the wonder that we've been able to create. How in the world did this troll end up on this ridge? How did they pick the location? How did they construct it?”

Joining Leo on the Mountain are two other unique art installments that create an invitation to connect to the beauty of the land on the Mountain and provide an opportunity for reflection and solitude or play. Both of which get pushed aside as life gets busier. 

Bivouac was designed and built by environmental artist Patrick Dougherty, who visited the Mountain and spent some time on the exact spot where his creation would live. 

The result is seven elements shaped to reflect the line of the mountains that house it, made from willow from Quebec, Canada, and local red maple. The structure reaches 16 feet tall and beckons hikers to enter, to explore. A traditional bivouac is used as a shelter in nature. Blackberry’s Bivouac is a conduit between reality of life and the beautiful connection with nature. 

Like Leo, Bivouac requires some exploration, since neither are located on any of the property’s trail maps.

“We wanted to capture people’s imagination and spark in them feelings about the natural world,” Patrick said. “It dovetails with the walks that people take there and the intentions they have about getting into nature and having a sense of freedom that's out there.”

Mary Celeste added that growing up in a home full of artists stirred in her soul that art is an interesting way to bring an idea to life in a different way. “Art also gives people perspective on something they may not have even thought they needed perspective on.”

The Labyrinth, named “Time of Love” by artist Thea Alvin, although more easily visible than its counterparts, evokes the same invitation for exploration and discovery. Made from 1,000 feet of stone, the mysterious spiraling structure takes its inspiration from a clock and became a symbol of remembrance. An invitation to take your own spiritual journey, not knowing what will be found at the end.

Visitors can enter the labyrinth and get lost in its maze of almost medieval hallways. But the structure can also reawaken a childlike sense of play. 

“The natural instinct for enjoying a labyrinth is to walk it in solitude and to really quiet your mind and make it very meditative,” Mary Celeste said. “And that is certainly a way that we would encourage people to enjoy it. But I've also seen kids there, and they're like running through it and making all this noise on the gravel path.” 

Both experiences, Mary Celeste said, are healing. 

“That's the beauty of these pieces is that everyone can have their unique experience, and even as an individual, you can have multiple different experiences each time you visit them,” she said.

Each artist’s creation was designed to marry with the land, to enhance it rather than harm it, utilizing as much locally-sourced material as possible. The result elevates a hike through the woods into an experience with nature.

“Each piece is infused with the artist's experience on the mountain,” Mary Celeste said. “You realize when you walk upon each one, that the artist also walked upon this space and took away something from their time there, which I think adds more to the experience of the art and to the Mountain itself.”