The 19th-century French immigrant portrait photographer Emile Brunel churned clumps of concrete in preparation for his Indigenous-inspired sculptures, influenced by his time traveling through the western states. After immigrating to the United States in 1904 in search of frontier adventure, Brunel supported himself as a nomadic artist and later a commercial photographer, documenting the lives of Native Americans and embracing an artistic vision dedicated to the magnificence of nature.
Brunel, like all artists, wondered how long his legacy—and that of the people native to the Catskills—would last, never imagining it would one day be immortalized and reimagined by current founders, Cynthia and Evgeny Nikitin.
Brunel Park is a four-acre sculpture garden located on the former site of Brunel’s home and hotel, Le Chalet Indien, off DeSilva Road in Boiceville. During its heyday in the 1920s through the 1950s, the site became a well-known roadside attraction for motorists on Route 28 and hosted a long list of notable visitors, including Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Enrico Caruso, and Harold Pinter.
Brunel built 14 sculptures between 1921 and 1939 by constructing wire mesh frames filled with stone and cedar logs before applying concrete to the exterior, sculpting the figures by hand. Anchored with steel pipes plunged 10 feet into the ground, the largest works—including “Natache,” “Moon Haw Haw,” and “Great White Spirit”—still tower above the landscape. His final sculpture, “Great White Spirit,” a 30-foot tree adorned with eight carved faces representing spiritual dualities, contains Brunel’s ashes at the top.
In 2018, the group entrusted with the Brunel Sculpture Garden, the Friends of Brunel Park, officially became a nonprofit organization. Since then, they have worked to expand on Brunel’s original vision, grounding it more explicitly in respect for the Lenni-Lenape people, who are Indigenous to the land the park occupies. They transformed the sculpture garden into a public cultural site, a community learning center, and wildlife conservancy.
“It seemed that he was someone who was honoring Native Americans, honoring the land of Lenape, the people that had walked this land first, who had been, in the 30s and 40s, being shoved into residential schools,” said Cynthia Nikitin, one of the current founders and stewards of Brunel Park. “We would like to be a home for them. We sort of want to be a stopping, a resting place for people of Indigenous cultures.”
Since the reopening of the park under the Nikitins and the Friends of Brunel Park, the space has hosted solstice celebrations, drumming performances, and even created a moon lodge, with plans to launch lectures and new sound installations. Moon lodges are traditionally spaces where women gather during menstruation, or their “moon time.”
“There are a lot of folks of Indigenous backgrounds spread throughout the valley and the Catskills. As far as a consolidated presence, you have to go further upstate to find robust, established Native communities,” said Pina Russell, an emeritus board member and poet. “Downstate is a place where there is this kind of sorrowful absence.”
In a town short on public gathering spaces, the Nikitins hope the park fosters connection. “We’re just trying to let people know that they’re more than welcome,” they said.
Cynthia Nikitin added, “It’s history that is quickly disappearing. It’s not really celebrated or really talked about in our town. We want to be that kind of welcoming community public space, because we need the community to love this place so they can help us take care of it, everything from helping us with garden days, garden cleanup days, donating, funds.”
With renewed programming and a growing public presence, Brunel Park’s caretakers are now focused on building long-term sustainability. That means expanding their volunteer base and organizational capacity to carry Brunel’s vision forward for generations to come.
The Brunel Park Board of Trustees is seeking new members to support grant writing, fundraising, and communications, and is always looking for volunteers. Most projects are funded by the Nikitins, with support from visitor donations and fundraising events.
Their hope is that Brunel’s ethos, which they share, continues well beyond their stewardship.
Plans are underway to modify the small cabin on DeSilva Road into a combined visitor center and museum to house and display archival materials and new merchandise, including T-shirts. It will continue to be an artist in residency space.
Brittany Longhetano, a new Catskills resident and first-time visitor at Brunel Park, explained that she had passed the park before and decided it was time to stop.
“This time we were admiring it from afar and debating if today was the day, when we were waved over by a friendly face. It was meant to be,” she said, referring to Cynthia Nikitin. “Realizing some of the sculptures were nearly a century old added an extra layer of appreciation.”
She described the park as a “beautiful little experience” and “clearly well-loved.”
The grounds feature native flora and occasional plantings of the “three sisters” crops—squash, beans, and corn—interwoven into the landscaping in reverence of Indigenous agricultural traditions. Russell and the Nikitins believe the land itself will offer direction.
About the artist, Russell said, “His portrayal of Indigenous folks playing with their kids, hunting, cooking, doing day-to-day stuff. That piece of art, above all of them, I believe, conveys a sensibility of warmth, that human beings lived here. Do not forget it.”
Upcoming Events at Brunel Park:
- Community Cleanup Day: Scheduled for June, exact date to be announced
- Sound Installation: Expected in July, with details forthcoming
- Illustrated Lecture – “Emile Brunel: The Man, The Land, The Art,” presented by Cynthia Nikitin: Saturday, Aug. 16 at 11:30 a.m. at the Ulster County Historical Society, Stone Ridge
Mia Quick is an intern and contributing reporter. You can reach her at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.