Amherst’s poetical heritage is outstanding among small towns in America. Wildwood Cemetery is a key holder of community memory in perpetuity and so the trustees are pleased to honor this heritage while providing a scenic venue for small assemblages.
The parcel of Wildwood land on the hillside on the south side of Strong Street across from the main entrance to the greater part of the cemetery has not heretofore been used for graves nor been developed by the cemetery for any other purpose. It features southerly and westerly views across the town and the valley to the prominence of the Holyoke Range in the distance.
The cemetery will now dedicate a portion of this land for a small stage and concentric courses of stone benches comprising a natural amphitheater as a venue for poetry readings, memorials, musical performances, and spiritual gatherings. The installation will be of modest size and low profile to fit harmoniously into the landscape and is intended to be of service to Wildwood as well as the greater community.
The amphitheater will serve as a memorial to notable poets who resided in Amherst for all or some of their lives and here created some or all of their enduring opus. Only deceased poets have been considered for the inauguration of the memorial. Honorees, here presented in alphabetical order, are: James Baldwin, Emily Dickinson, Deborah Digges, Eugene Field, Robert Francis, Robert Frost, Jack Gilbert, Linda Gregg, Anne Halley, Helen Hunt Jackson, Joseph Langland, Archibald MacLeish, Andrew Salkey, Pat Schneider, James Tate, and Richard Wilbur.
The installation will feature a stage and benches designed to take advantage of the contour of the terrain and the view over the town to the Holyoke Range while blending unobtrusively into the landscape. They will be constructed of stone from local quarries with granite slab capstones for safe standing on the stage and rustically comfortable seating on the benches. All structures will be discreetly reinforced with cement for stability and longevity.
The stage will meet the grade at the front of the naturally sloping site so as to be accessible for stepping or rolling on. Benches will be installed on the hillside that slopes down towards the stage in a fan-shaped arrangement facing the mountain view behind the stage. The contour of the land will permit a natural rake for comfortable sight-lines to the stage and the view from the seating area. It is estimated that 60-75 people will be accommodated for events which could be augmented with the provision of portable chairs.
The benches will be adorned with engraved bronze plaques dedicated to each honored poet including their dates of birth and death and an excerpt of their poetry.
The installation will be harmoniously aligned with the main Wildwood entrance across the street and designed for complementarity between the stone wall fronting that entrance and the stonework components of the amphitheater. The low profile of all the structures and the set-back from the road will allow it to blend into the landscape.
In addition to Wildwood’s own interests, community groups, schools, non-profit organizations, and individuals are welcome to inquire about usage of the amphitheater for poetry readings, educational programs, ceremonial events, small ensemble musical performances, and other occasions for which a modest sized seasonal outdoor venue is desired.
Assistance with design is being provided by architect John Kuhn and UMass landscape design graduate student Olivia Ahner under the guidance of Michael Davidsohn, UMass school of Landcape Design Senior Lecturer and Associate of Science Program Coordinator. Stonework will be constructed by local artisan Barry Kuzmeskus.
This project is being funded by a grant from Jonathan Klate in memory of his son, Ozzy, who died in 1994 at the age of 17 having written two novels, a thousand pages of poetry, and dozens of songs and been voted by his fellow Amherst Regional High School as “most likely to become famous” in the senior class.
The parcel of Wildwood land on the hillside on the south side of Strong Street across from the main entrance to the greater part of the cemetery has not heretofore been used for graves nor been developed by the cemetery for any other purpose. It features southerly and westerly views across the town and the valley to the prominence of the Holyoke Range in the distance.
The cemetery will now dedicate a portion of this land for a small stage and concentric courses of stone benches comprising a natural amphitheater as a venue for poetry readings, memorials, musical performances, and spiritual gatherings. The installation will be of modest size and low profile to fit harmoniously into the landscape and is intended to be of service to Wildwood as well as the greater community.
The amphitheater will serve as a memorial to notable poets who resided in Amherst for all or some of their lives and here created some or all of their enduring opus. Only deceased poets have been considered for the inauguration of the memorial. Honorees, here presented in alphabetical order, are: James Baldwin, Emily Dickinson, Deborah Digges, Eugene Field, Robert Francis, Robert Frost, Jack Gilbert, Linda Gregg, Anne Halley, Helen Hunt Jackson, Joseph Langland, Archibald MacLeish, Andrew Salkey, Pat Schneider, James Tate, and Richard Wilbur.
The installation will feature a stage and benches designed to take advantage of the contour of the terrain and the view over the town to the Holyoke Range while blending unobtrusively into the landscape. They will be constructed of stone from local quarries with granite slab capstones for safe standing on the stage and rustically comfortable seating on the benches. All structures will be discreetly reinforced with cement for stability and longevity.
The stage will meet the grade at the front of the naturally sloping site so as to be accessible for stepping or rolling on. Benches will be installed on the hillside that slopes down towards the stage in a fan-shaped arrangement facing the mountain view behind the stage. The contour of the land will permit a natural rake for comfortable sight-lines to the stage and the view from the seating area. It is estimated that 60-75 people will be accommodated for events which could be augmented with the provision of portable chairs.
The benches will be adorned with engraved bronze plaques dedicated to each honored poet including their dates of birth and death and an excerpt of their poetry.
The installation will be harmoniously aligned with the main Wildwood entrance across the street and designed for complementarity between the stone wall fronting that entrance and the stonework components of the amphitheater. The low profile of all the structures and the set-back from the road will allow it to blend into the landscape.
In addition to Wildwood’s own interests, community groups, schools, non-profit organizations, and individuals are welcome to inquire about usage of the amphitheater for poetry readings, educational programs, ceremonial events, small ensemble musical performances, and other occasions for which a modest sized seasonal outdoor venue is desired.
Assistance with design is being provided by architect John Kuhn and UMass landscape design graduate student Olivia Ahner under the guidance of Michael Davidsohn, UMass school of Landcape Design Senior Lecturer and Associate of Science Program Coordinator. Stonework will be constructed by local artisan Barry Kuzmeskus.
This project is being funded by a grant from Jonathan Klate in memory of his son, Ozzy, who died in 1994 at the age of 17 having written two novels, a thousand pages of poetry, and dozens of songs and been voted by his fellow Amherst Regional High School as “most likely to become famous” in the senior class.
