About 2026 Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lecture: Ella Mahoney, May Babcock, and Posey Moulton
Join us for the 2026 Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lecture, featuring the three artists behind the original commissions for Art & the Landscape: The Land Tells Our Stories, opening across multiple Trustees properties in June 2026. This special program introduces the artists and the distinct landscapes that will host their site-responsive works, offering an early look into how each project reflects personal histories, ecological narratives, and place-based storytelling.
Ella Mahoney (Aquinnah Wampanoag) will draw on her connection to her ancestral homelands in Massachusetts through an installation at Rock House Reservation in West Brookfield, grounding her work in Wampanoag relationships to land, memory, and presence. May Babcock, known for using natural materials to explore themes of displacement and belonging, will create a new work for Moose Hill Farm in Sharon that reflects on our relationship with current day landscapes with their future ecologies. Posey Moulton will transform discarded materials from the fishing industry into a large-scale sculptural environment at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, magnifying the fragile micro-worlds these industries depend on.
Together, these artists ask a powerful question at the heart of this year’s lecture: Can art create an ecology?
deCordova’s programs are designed to welcome a wide range of ages and abilities. Please contact mnelson@thetrustees.org to discuss reasonable adaptations to benefit anyone in your group.
Pre-ticketing is required in order to anticipate capacity. Your ticket includes admission to deCordova’s campus, so please feel free to explore the grounds before or after the program. You’re welcome to picnic in the Park. Bring your own picnic or pick up a bite to eat at the Twisted Tree Café, and stop by The Store for a gift or souvenir.
Cancellation Policy: In the event The Trustees cancels a program due to severe weather, low enrollment, or other circumstances, we will notify registrants by email and issue a full refund or transfer to another scheduled program within two weeks of the cancellation. To cancel a reservation, please contact the Old Manse 7 days prior to the start of the program to receive a full refund. Refunds and transfers will not be granted for cancellations placed fewer than 7 days before the start of the program. As a general policy, The Trustees does not issue refunds for weather-shortened programs, in keeping with our standard approach to outdoor programs and the unpredictability of New England weather.
Questions? Want to become a Trustees member and enjoy free and/or discounted programs? Contact mnelson@thetrustees.org.
Register