CHAUTAUQUA — Chautauqua Institution will unveil a new augmented reality art installation to coincide with its inaugural CHQ Mud Day on Saturday.

The installation, created by artists Leslie Calimeri and John Stow, follows a previous interactive installment at the CHQ Trail focused on play and exploration in 2022. The public unveiling will take place at 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the CHQ Trailhead located behind the Chautauqua Golf Club Learning Center, 4731 West Lake Road, Chautauqua.

The current phase of Calimeri and Stow’s collaboration builds on their previous work and adds a new layer of interactivity. Stow has created two new sculptures, a doe and her fawn, and Calimeri has digitized her artwork and brought it into an augmented reality space, allowing her sculptures to become animated and virtually interact with Stow’s sculptures.

Stow is a sculptor and blacksmith who resides and works in Stow. His forged and carved sculptures are both beautiful and functional, allowing viewers to directly interact and engage with his pieces. His wooden animal sculptures have an animated and playful aesthetic that engages and delights viewers of all ages. The sculptures subtly compel viewers, and especially children, to create a narrative around his work, giving individuals a personal and ever-expanding connection to his pieces.

Calimeri has been a commercial and fine artist for nearly 20 years. Her work highlights a variety of landscapes and natural objects in Chautauqua County, calling out the colors, shapes, and spaces that inform the common environment we share. Her work asks viewers to rediscover our environment and objects worthy of attention. Calimeri lives in Jamestown, where she owns Chautauqua Art Gallery.

The inaugural CHQ Mud Day will include a non-traditional 5k run over a course filled with hand-crafted obstacles. Attendees can expect to run, walk, crawl, slip and slide as they navigate the course. Additional information and pre-registration for CHQ Mud Day is available at runsignup.com/Race/NY/Chautauqua/CHQMudDay5K. Registration costs $60 and proceeds from the event will be used for ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the CHQ Trail, a free community resource to the residents and visitors of the greater Chautauqua County area. Onsite registration will be available from 9 to 10 a.m.

Calimeri and Stow’s collaboration is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program.