CHESTNUT HILL, MA (September 2025) – Chestnut Hill Square has partnered with Newton’s New Art Center to display, Florent, a sculpture created by Donald Longley. Suspended against a patinaed steel field, the work captures tension between precision and decay, clarity, and erosion. The subject, a Mayflower, is recognizable yet reduced to line, shape, and shadow—its scale exaggerated, its context abstracted.
The sculpture rests quietly on the brick wall by Anthropologie. Its surface shifts throughout the day, catching sunlight, echoing passing clouds, inviting momentary stillness. It is both ornament and anchor—a fixed point amidst the movement of cars, commerce, and conversation. The flower, abstracted and enlarged, ceases to be just a flower. It becomes a gesture. A memory. A marker of place.
“As an artist, I’m interested in how simple forms can hold weight—and how symbols evolve as they’re reimagined in new materials, scales, and environments. In this piece, I’ve taken a single Mayflower and stretched it beyond its natural size, inviting it to occupy space in a new way,” explains Donald Longley.
“Hand-cut from stainless steel, the form is deliberate and reflective, interacting with the viewer and the elements in real time. The patinaed background holds contrast—stillness, weather, age. The pairing of the two surfaces speaks to themes I return to often: permanence and impermanence, clarity and rust, memory and presence. This sculpture is not meant to recreate nature. It’s meant to distill it—into something that invites pause, reflection, and recognition.”
“We are pleased to continue our partnership with New Art Center to bring unique installations created by artists to the center. Art has a unique way of enriching our community and creating connection. With Florent, visitors are invited to take a pause within the bustle of daily life, reflect on the beauty of transformation, and experience how art can shape not just a space, but a shared sense of place” says Rebekah Macchia, Marketing Director for Chestnut Hill Square.
Donald Longley
Donald Longley is a veteran metal artist with over 20 years of experience creating large-scale outdoor sculptures from reclaimed steel and other salvaged materials. His work blends craftsmanship, creativity, and a deep respect for nature, resulting in site-specific pieces that engage communities and spark conversation. Based in Belchertown, MA, Longley has permanent installations across Massachusetts and Connecticut, including works in town commons, cultural centers, and public parks. Through his studio, Hercworx, he continues to design and fabricate sculptures that connect people to places while also supporting community initiatives, such as the Warriors Art Room, a nonprofit serving veterans and their families through art. For more information, visit Hercworx.com.
New Art Center
The New Art Center is a community art education space which offers everyone, at all levels of ability, exceptional opportunities to make, exhibit, view, think about and talk about art. Since 1977, New Art has built community by lowering barriers to participation in the arts and integrating the experience of art into everyday life. New Art believes that art and creative experiences cultivate self-expression, expand minds, foster well-being, inspire joy, and build inclusive communities. For more information, visit NewArtCenter.org.
Chestnut Hill Square
Chestnut Hill Square is an exciting lifestyle destination on Route 9 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that features popular shops such as Massachusetts’ first Serena & Lily, Anthropologie/BHLDN, Free People, Athleta, and more. Dining selections include Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, sweetgreen, Starbucks, CAVA and Lab 13 Handroll Bar. Wegmans and Wegmans Wine, Liquor & Beer provide customers with the area’s best grocery shopping, while Equinox, Precision Running Lab by Equinox, SoulCycle, Glowbar and Lunette Optic offer sought-after fitness and health options. Chestnut Hill Square’s Medical Office Building includes Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare-Chestnut Hill, Beth Israel Lahey Health Urgent Care and eight medical offices. Chestnut Hill Square is a New England Development shopping destination. For more information, visit ChestnutHillSquare.com.
New England Development
For over 50 years, New England Development has taken a creative, entrepreneurial approach to real estate development and management, delivering and sustaining successful projects across a wide range of property types. The company’s national portfolio includes mixed-use developments that combine retail, residential, office, lab and hotel use, outlet centers, high-end and street-front retail, airport retail, hotels, golf courses, restaurants, and marinas. New England Development’s diverse portfolio includes CambridgeSide in Cambridge, MA, Allston Yards in Allston, MA, Chestnut Hill Square in Chestnut Hill, MA, Outlets of Des Moines in Altoona, IA, Clarksburg Premium Outlets in Clarksburg, MD, Newburyport Development and White Elephant Resorts, among others. For more information, visit NEDevelopment.com.
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