DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum plans Andy Goldsworthy sculpture project

Forget what they say about "a snowball's chance in hell."

British environmental sculptor Andy Goldsworthy plans to encase a 9-foot snowball in a granite vault he'll build into the grounds of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and then, when summer comes, the doors will be opened to let it melt.

Beyond building an underground igloo of stone, Goldsworthy has fashioned a script involving staff and local residents that seems simple yet carries within it curious ritualistic echoes like ancient rites of the winter solstice and summer renewal.

Once "Snow House" is built, every winter staff and volunteers will fill it with a monumental snowball which will remain in the granite womb for the season, as if hibernating. With the arrival of summer, the doors will be opened allowing the snowball to slowly melt, a dripping barometer of impermanence and replenishment.

So, long into the future at the Lincoln museum, people will use a colossal snowball to enact a seasonal ritual as old as Stonehenge and as cool the New England winter.

Goldsworthy's plans are the subject of "Andy Goldsworthy: Snow," a collection of drawings, photos, a video and research about ice harvesting that provide an artistic context for an exhibit that reflects the deCordova's new vision of its mission.

And though it's only on the planning board and money must be raised to build it, curator Nick Capasso can't wait to pull on his wool socks and start packing snow.

"This is going to be a major outdoor installation," said the museum's deputy director of curatorial affairs. "This will be the only outdoor Andy Goldsworthy installation in a public collection in New England."

Over the last 30 years, Capasso said Goldsworthy has created original iconic sculptures, installations and videos that express his explorations of the connections between humans and their environment within the cycle of decay and rebirth.

Capasso said Goldsworthy will build the proposed work, "Snow House," from stacked granite based on the design of pre-industrial era ice houses into sloping earth near Flint Pond "as soon as we can raise the money."

Though declining to specify expenses, he said the deCordova will "begin aggressively raising money" for the project expected to cost "in the upper six figures."

If things go well, Capasso said, construction of the 15-foot wide "Snow House" could begin next summer.

Commissioning the internationally renowned Goldsworthy for a site-specific installation with layers of complex meanings is one giant step in director Dennis Kois' announced plans to make the deCordova into "one of the nation's premier sculpture parks by 2020."

In 2009, after Kois took over the museum, it changed its name to the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum -- switching "Sculpture Park" and "Museum" -- to stress its new emphasis on public works in its spacious, 35-acre grounds.

"To work with Andy Goldsworthy, one of the world's most beloved sculptors, is a transformative opportunity for the deCordova. Not only would 'Snow House' secure deCordova's place as a leader in sculpture, but it would also give a unique gift to the community at large: the possibility of experiencing this landmark project for generations to come," said Kois.

As part of Kois' plans, the museum acquired its first work by an international artist, Antony Gormley's "Reflection II," now installed by the front door. Dan Graham's recently purchased glass-and-steel outdoor pavilion, "Crazy Spheroid -- Two Entrances," will be installed this summer.

The exhibit, "Andy Goldsworthy: Snow," lets visitors see Goldsworthy's plans for "Snow House" and photos of several other snow-themed installations.

But none appear as ambitious or multi-dimensional as his new vision for the deCordova.

Like old New England ice houses, Capasso said Goldsworthy's "Snow House" will use elemental materials, granite and crystaline water that becomes snow, to fashion "a sort of recurring performance" that marks changing seasons for as long as the deCordova survives.

"Never before has (Goldsworthy) entrusted crucial ongoing aspects of a project to an institution. This is an artwork that must be tended, annually, in perpetuity. Each winter, deCordova will ensure and document the creation of a colossal snowball and its magical re-emergence each summer. Only by partnering so closely with (the deCordova) can Goldsworthy so profoundly and simultaneously mark seasonal, historical and experimental time."

Goldsworthy's big snowball just might be a sure thing.

THE ESSENTIALS:

WHAT: "Andy Goldsworthy: Snow"

WHEN: Through Dec. 31

WHERE: DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and select Mondays

ADMISSION: From July 5 to Sept. 2, there is no admission fee Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including extended Thursday hours to 8 p.m.

Regular fees apply Saturday and Sunday: $12 adults; $8 senior citizens, students, youth ages 6 to 12 years old; free for children under 5, Lincoln residents and active duty military personnel and their dependents

INFO: 781-259-8355, www.decordova.org