Public Art

Chestertown Public Arts Master Plan

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Broad Reach

Artist David Hess’s Broad Reach, the contemporary children’s playscape selected as the inaugural sculpture in Chestertown’s Public Arts Master Plan, will be installed in Wilmer Park next May in honor of local artist and architect Alejandro “Alex” Castro.  Castro, who will be moving to Sarasota, Fla., at the end of the year, is being lauded for the many contributions he has made to the Chestertown arts scene during his seven years in the community.

Broad Reach will be installed next to the entrance of Wilmer Park and will consist of a curling wave and a billowing sail constructed of brushed stainless steel. Hess designed the sculptural work to be inviting and safe for children to play and slide on.  Seed funding for the project was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Program.

Castro lent his talents to a variety of local causes, including the creation of the Public Arts Master Plan, the launch of the Arts & Entertainment District, and the design of the Sultana Education Center building.  At Washington College, he lectured in art and served several years as interim director of the Kohl Gallery, hosting high-profile exhibitions — often contemporary — aimed at broadening the campus gallery’s reputation and appeal. And with start-up funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, he founded SANDBOX, an environmental-art initiative that supports creative collaborations between the arts and sciences. Through SANDBOX, he encouraged professors and students to work together across departmental boundaries, hosted distinguished artists for creative projects and talks, and opened a Cross Street storefront to forge a stronger connection between the College and the Town.

“In addition to being one of the most creative and unique individuals I have ever met, Alex Castro has been a wonderful ambassador for Washington College,” says the school’s board chair emeritus Jay Griswold, who serves on the SANDBOX advisory board.  “He and his wife, Kelly, have contributed immensely to the vibrancy of life in both College and Town. We will miss them a great deal and hope they return often.”

Before moving to Chestertown in 2009, Alex Castro built a distinguished career in Baltimore as an artist and designer specializing in museum and exhibit design. His legacy there includes the design of the Visionary Art Museum, the renovated Charles and Senator Theaters, a national interior-design magazine (nest), and the Immigration Memorial and Liberty Garden. He used his connections to increase Chestertown’s arts profile and reputation throughout Maryland and beyond.  “As a member of the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland Commission on Public Art, he introduced many of his colleagues to the virtues of his new hometown,” says Arts & Entertainment District manager Kay MacIntosh. “And through SANDBOX and the Kohl Gallery, he brought a broad array of exciting, often challenging, visual and performing artists to Chestertown.”

A group calling itself “Friends of Alex Castro,” led by Griswold and gallery owner Carla Massoni, have already raised more than $75,000 of the total $139,000 needed to manufacture, transport, and install the sculpture. A public campaign is being launched to complete the funding.

“The playscape is such a perfect tribute to Alex, who sailed into our wonderful town and immediately saw the potential for how we could leverage our arts resources to boost the economy and enhance the quality of life for everyone,” says Massoni, owner of the Massoni Gallery and a partner in Create. “He championed the Public Arts Master Plan and served on the jury that selected David Hess’s sculpture as the first installation. Jay and I agreed that we could not let Alex leave without thanking him in a very public, lasting way for his contributions.”

Broad Reach Donors

Names marked with an asterisk (*) indicate members of the Chestertown Class of 1967 who made gifts to Broad Reach as part of their 50^th reunion.

(If your donation is not noted or is noted incorrectly, please email kay.chestertown@gmail.com.)