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Sky Stage: Artist transforms burned building into living art and a temporary theatre

Most buildings that suffer from a major fire very rarely recover. So it came as a pleasant surprise when artist Heather Clark decided to transform a boarded-up property in Frederick, Maryland into an interactive living artwork. Something that the entire local community could visit and enjoy.

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Aerial view of Sky Stage showing a wooden lattice structure with climbing green plants inside a roofless historic brick building, with wooden seating visible and a street with parked cars beyond.

Working in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Digital Structures research group, Sky Stage is only a temporary venture. Based in a pre-revolutionary war building that was damaged by a blaze in 2010, the structure has no roof but is now a centre for arts and culture, able to seat an audience of 140 people among trees.

The centrepiece of Sky Stage is a digitally-designed two-story living sculpture with ribbons of drought-resistant plants that twist and wind through a wooden lattice and the building’s doors and windows. State of the art green roof technology has been modified to support the spiralling plants, and rainwater is collected from an adjacent roof to be stored in a cistern to irrigate the plants and trees.

Frederick Arts Council is overseeing the day-to-day operations of the theatre in partnership with AmeriCorps. Together, they are facilitating local residents and community groups to run creative shows and events within the historic shell. Open through to July 2017, Sky Stage is offering up a wonderful feast of drama, music, children’s storytime, art classes, dance, history, literature, and film. Discover more at www.SkyStageFrederick.com or follow the venture on Facebook.

Firefighters spray water on a massive blaze erupting from a stone building with a "Gene Engineering" sign during a training exercise
Damaged brick buildings with boarded windows and a missing roof under clear blue sky, with yellow caution tape visible in Frederick, Maryland
Stone building with green-shuttered windows and yellow doors, transformed into Sky Stage theatre with planted vegetation growing through the structure's openings and lattice framework
Roofless brick building with two large arched entrances, empty windows and construction materials inside, part of the Sky Stage temporary theatre installation in Frederick, Maryland
Ruined stone building with empty window openings framed by dark wooden beams against a cloudy sky, showing the historic structure transformed into Sky Stage theatre
Person on motorcycle passes the historic stone and cream-coloured buildings of Sky Stage, a temporary open-air theatre and arts venue in Frederick, Maryland
Sky Stage sign mounted on the stone facade of the historic building in Frederick, Maryland
Sky Stage sign in chrome lettering mounted on the stone facade of the historic Frederick, Maryland building that now serves as a temporary open-air theatre and arts venue
View through open black mesh doors into Sky Stage's interior, revealing wooden lattice scaffolding with climbing drought-resistant plants and trees
A stone building with wooden scaffolding and lattice structures supporting green plants and vines climbing across its facade under a blue sky
Wooden lattice structure with spiralling drought-resistant plants cascading through a boarded-up historic building at Sky Stage, with green foliage and blue sky visible above
Sky Stage's wooden seating area with living plant sculpture and lattice framework framed by industrial beams, with trees and a historic stone building visible in afternoon sunlight
Spectators seated among wooden lattice scaffolding and green vegetation watch a performance at Sky Stage in Frederick, Maryland
Visitors gather in the open-air Sky Stage venue, surrounded by wooden lattice structures entwined with green plants and moss-covered surfaces, with a historic stone building visible in the background.
White illuminated "Sky Stage" lettering on a brick building façade above a crowd of visitors standing at a railing at dusk
Aerial view at dusk of Sky Stage, a roofless historic brick building in Frederick, Maryland with living plant sculptures, surrounded by lit street lamps and residential buildings under a sunset sky
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