The Cayuga Nation commissioned sculptures and signage for installation along the Frank J. Ludovico Sculpture Trail in Seneca Falls.
The walking trail is located along the southern bank of the Seneca River, which was originally a towpath for the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and a rail bed for the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The founder of the trail, Wilhelmina Pusmucans, arrived in Seneca Falls in 1991. Her passion for the arts and a vision for a dedicated space to showcase sculpture in celebration of the arts fueled her efforts to transform her dream into reality. The 0.9-mile trail opened in 1999, to provide scenic hiking and biking paths while providing artists a platform to create and display sculptures that explore historic and contemporary social issues.
The Cayuga Nation commissioned Penn Yan’s Sam Castner, owner of IronVine Studios, to create five unique metal sculptures to represent the Nation’s five clans; snipe, bear, wolf, turtle, and heron. These sculptures, as well as signage for all sculptures along the trail, are the Nation’s contribution to furthering the founder’s dream of a trail that showcases local artists in an area rich with cultural heritage.
The sculptures were installed along the trail by the artist on the morning of October 16, and several citizens of the Cayuga Nation were in attendance. The signage will be installed in the near future, weather permitting. The trail is open year-round for walkers and bikers.
