“The Squirt” by Mags Harries/Lajos Héder (left), “Water for All” by Laura Baring-Gould ( right)

For many months of the pandemic, these drinking fountains were shut down (sometimes covered over) sadly signaling limits on ordinary routines and extraordinary art experiences. When the fountains around Fresh Pond became available again, I wanted to honor their functional and creative qualities. I began to see circles as useful frames for water and also design elements in art, as the artists must have from the start.

Laura Baring-Gould “Water for All”

FRESH POND RESERVATION PATHWAY ( NEAR GOLF COURSE) Bronze, 2013

“Baring-Gould spends a lot of time researching, teaching, and living with nature in places like the Fresh Pond Reservation, where you can find a lush oasis of plants, animals, and water right here in Cambridge. The artist fuses the simple act of quenching one’s thirst with an imaginative encounter with the small animals and plants that one might see in the reservation.” ( quote excerpt from Public Art Tour Card Inspect a Cantabrigian Creature)

Laura Baring-Gould, “Water for All”

FRESH POND RESERVATION PATHWAY (NEAR MAHER PARK COMMUNITY GARDENS OFF CONCORD AVENUE) Bronze, 2013

 Mag Harries & Lajos Héder, “Drawn Water”

“The sculptural drinking fountain, the Squirt, sits along the heavily used path around the Fresh Pond Reservoir. A  partially revealed section of  42-inch iron pipe (the same kind used by the Water Department) connects the fountain to the Water Department building where the water is processed. The Viewing Fence set in line with the Squirt creates a window to the reservoir, connecting viewers to their water supply and to the water processing system.” ( Quote from artists’ descriptions of the Drawn Water at Fresh Pond Reservoir Cambridge. )

“A circular opening in the fence around the pond focuses views of the water intake. A drinking fountain in the form of a squirting arc offers water to users of the path.” ( excerpt quote from Mags Harries & Lajos Héder, Public Art Tour Map 3)

KEY RESOURCES: Public Works Baring-Gould Bronze Works, for more about public art by Laura Baring-Gould

Mags Harries & Lajos Heder, Drawn Water gives context for fountain, fence and all significant parts of the project

Cambridge Public Art Cards List and links for fourteen themed cards noting public art in Cambridge