Art in the Park at Riverside is a multi-year program of large-scale public art installations in Haverhill’s Riverside Park.
Art in the Park at Riverside, created in tandem with Creative Haverhill and SJ Arts Consulting, and greatly supported by the City of Haverhill, has been conceived as a dynamic outdoor space filled with sculptures and public artwork. Existing Art in the Park art work includes an eye-catching 14-foot-tall bright red kinetic sculpture by Waldo Evan Jespersen entitled A Divvied Dadaism Emoted; and the Riverside Eco-Labyrinth Garden, created by regional artist Maia Mattson with Haverhill High School Art Department students. Visitors are welcomed to enter the eco-labyrinth through the handmade pergola by local woodworker Adrian Scholes.
Additional sculptures will be added in the coming years, depending upon funding and resources.
Art in the Park at Riverside has been funded by a generous donation from the Pentucket Bank Charitable Foundation, as well as grants from the Haverhill Cultural Council, (a local agency which is supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency) and Haverhill Public Schools. The project team will be conducting additional fundraising in the years to come to support new projects.
Art in the Park Installations
A Divvied Dadaism Emoted
The acquisition of Waldo Evan Jesperson’s kinetic sculpture titled “A Divvied Dadaism Emoted” was made possible through a state earmark by Representative Andy Vargas and was selected in partnership with Ryan Kelley of Wire by Ryan.
Jesperson is a Merrimack Valley-based sculptor, working in a variety of mediums to “elegantly resolve challenging situations,” through his artmaking. His work has been shown around the world, and we are excited that this brilliant red, kinetic sculpture will be among the first to be installed as part of the Riverside Art in the Park project. We look forward to how this sculpture, which was made to explore balance and movement, will help us to experience the weather systems along the Merrimack River as it moves and changes with the wind. More of Jesperson’s work can be found at his website.
Riverside Eco-Labyrinth Garden
The Riverside Eco-Labyrinth Garden, created by regional artist Maia Mattson with Haverhill High School Art Department students, features large-scale, naturally dyed tapestries displayed through double sided plexiglass and integrated with bench seating. Native perennial flowers, grasses, and ornamental shrubbery border mulched pathways.
The textile tapestries featured in the Riverside Park Eco Labyrinth were created through a collaborative partnership between artist Maia and students from the Haverhill High School Art Department as part of an artist residency program. Throughout the spring of 2025, Maia engaged with students through a series of in-class workshops focused on the principles of public art, the use of native plant materials in sculptural work, and natural fabric dyeing techniques. Through this hands-on learning experience, students explored the intersections of art, ecology, and community, contributing creatively to the development of the final works.
The residency culminated in the creation of the series of vibrant, hand-dyed fabric tapestries now thoughtfully integrated into the park’s seating installations. These collaborative pieces celebrate both artistic expression and environmental awareness, serving as a lasting reflection of the students’ participation in shaping public art in Haverhill.
The garden as a whole honors the life and contributions of long-time Haverhill art teacher Sheila Jameson. Her family will mark the garden entrance with a pergola created by local woodworker Adrian Scholes.
Riverside Art in the Park – The Origin Story
Riverside Art in the Park and Edible Avenue stems from an idea proposed at Team Haverhill’s 2021 Possible Dreams event. Originally known as the Bradford Rail Trail Extension Art Walk and Edible Avenue, the two-part plan included the installation of permanent sculptures, and an “Edible Avenue” garden of indigenous edible plants to be installed along the trail. In 2024 the project was moved to its current location at Riverside Park thanks to City support.
Questions? Email us at: info@TeamHaverhill.org