Andy Goldsworthy, East Coast Cairn, 2001

Andy Goldsworthy, East Coast Cairn, 2001
from the Three Cairns Project 2001-03, limestone, Collection Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, SUNY, Museum purchase with funds from the Roy R. Neuberger Endowment Fund, the Klein Family Foundation, Sherry and Joel Mallin, Douglas F. Maxwell, and other private donations, EL 04.2001.01

East Coast Cairn is a site-specific sculpture by British artist Andy Goldsworthy and part of his ambitious Three Cairns project. This initiative, begun in 2001, connects three monumental cairns across the United States—East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast—highlighting geological and cultural links between these regions.

Standing eight feet tall with a 21-foot circumference, the East Coast cairn is located outside the Neuberger Museum of Art on the Purchase College campus. Its egg-shaped form features subtle impressions of oceanic creatures, reflecting Goldsworthy’s careful attention to natural detail. The sculpture’s clean, modernist lines recall the work of architects Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier. Complementing the central cairn are three thick limestone walls, also built without mortar, emphasizing skilled masonry and architectural craft.

The other two cairns in the project are:

- West Coast Cairn: outside the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, California
- Midwest Cairn: in Greenwood Park behind the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa

Together, the Three Cairns invite viewers to reflect on the relationship between nature, art, and place, embodying Goldsworthy’s commitment to creating work that engages both visually and emotionally.