With Appleton Farms’ storied history and current ecological and agricultural activities, Jean Shin’s Perch will explore temporality (ecological and agricultural time) and regeneration. At Appleton, bobolinks—songbirds who make the long migratory journey from the southern hemisphere and whose populations are in decline—are the primary birds that use the grasslands and hayfields as their nesting site.

Marking sites where the Trustees’ ecology team monitors the bobolink population, Shin will create sculptural platforms made from fallen and dead trees found throughout Appleton that visitors can engage with, as they ultimately become participants in this critical monitoring throughout the project’s run. Within the nesting area, Shin will create sculptural perches made from fallen trees and salvaged copper in which male bobolinks can perch to search for mates and mark their territory.

Moreover, Jean Shin’s Perch will integrate into the landscape and support the agroecological work at the farm and is intended to visualize, amplify, and raise awareness around this critical species and its habitat as well as the important endeavors at Appleton Farms.