Grounded Past

Immerse yourself in a multi-sensory journey through time at MAAM with an activation of Katie Paterson’s scent-based artwork To Burn, Forest, Fire followed by a slow listening sound session composed by Maria Finkelmeier, founder of MF Dynamics, with Denver Nuckolls.

To Burn, Forest, Fire involves the burning of two incense sticks–one evoking the scents of the earth’s earliest forest and the other imagining the aroma of the last forest. 

Offered as a moment of calm and reflection, this experience seeks to remind us of humanity’s role in increasing levels of extinction around the globe. 

Maria Finkelmeier 

mfdynamics.com | @mfdynamics | @mariafinkelmeier

Named a “one-woman dynamo” by the Boston Globe, Maria is a percussionist, composer, new media artist, and Associate Professor of Creative Entrepreneurship at Berklee College of Music. Whether it’s scoring conceptual art films or serving as director, composer, and performer in multi-sensory experiences, her work continually transcends both genre and medium. 

Empowered by sonic exploration and obsessed with making noise, she transformed Fenway Park into a percussive playground and turned the Roebling Bridge into a sound and light instrument. She's used AI to investigate gender bias through music and poetry, flipped a bus into a mobile electronic bucket drumming program, and performed at iconic global venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian, and Théatre des Champs-Elysées. Along with her projects at MF Dynamics, she's played with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Silkroad Ensemble, and Baltic Sea Philharmonic. Her cutting-edge work has been featured in the Boston Globe, National Parks Magazine, Boston Magazine, Vulture, SunSentinel, I Care if you Listen and on WGBH, WBUR, and CBS. 

Maria received a Bachelor of Music degree from The Ohio State University and a Master of Music degree from Eastman School of Music, where she was granted a Performer’s Certificate in recognition of her artistic achievements and Arts Leadership Certificate. Maria is a Yamaha Performing Artist. 

Denver Nuckolls

denvernuckollsmusic.com | @denvernuckollsmusic

Denver Nuckolls is a performer, composer, audio engineer, and educator based in the Boston, MA area. Raised in a musical family, he inherited an overarching and undiscriminating appreciation for music, regardless of style or aesthetic. He prides himself on being a musical shapeshifter, able just as easily to excel as a solo electronics act as in an orchestral percussion section.

His performances and compositions have activated spaces and events including NICE, A Fest [Boston, MA; 2024], Jazz in July [Salem, VA; 2024] the Museum of Science [Boston, MA; 2023], MG Space [Beijing, China; 2023], the Taubman Museum of Art [Roanoke, VA; 2023], and the Jefferson Center [Roanoke, VA; 2022]. Some notable accomplishments include being selected as an artist-in-residence at Stove Work [Chattanooga, TN; 2025], being awarded an exclusive fellowship for the Virtual Percussion Music Festival [2021], and winning the Percussive Arts Society’s collegiate chamber ensemble competition as a member of the Virginia Tech Percussion Ensemble [Indianapolis, IN; 2018]. Since 2022, he has released solo projects it comes in waves, dead account, and 3 Days in June. His most recent solo endeavor, morals, is out now via Idolatrous Sound Research [Cambridge, MA].

Sensory experience Notice

This event will feature the burning of incense and is not recommended for individuals with scent sensitivities. 

Ticketing Notice

This event is free with advance registration. MAAM may accommodate unregistered walk-up guests on the evening of this event only as capacity allows; walk-up tickets on the evening of the event are not guaranteed. Evening events often sell out; plan ahead and register in advance. 

Documentation Notice  

Photos and/or videos will be taken at this event. By attending this event, you acknowledge and agree that your likeness may be included in photos and videos of the event and that those photos and videos may be used by MassArt in connection with MassArt and MassArt Art Museum communications. If you do not agree with this usage, please notify a staff member upon arrival to receive a no-photo sticker. 

Access

MassArt Art Museum is committed to creating a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environment during in-person and virtual programs and events. To request an access or disability-related accommodation, please contact MassArt Art Museum at maam@massart.edu at least two weeks before the date of the event.

Free

Advance REGISTRATION Required