As part of a broader $16 million investment into Quincy’s historic Pine Hill Cemetery, Ryan Ackerman was brought in as Artistic Director to shape the project’s symbolic and aesthetic direction. One of the earliest—and most impactful—artistic interventions was a sculptural water feature designed to physically & emotionally anchor the cemetery with sound, movement, and meaning.

Working closely with the City of Quincy and the project’s landscape architect, Ackerman helped ensure that upgrades across the grounds felt unified, intentional, and rooted in place. The fountain was never meant to be simply ornamental—it was conceived as both emotional focal point and spatial centerpiece.

Rooted in the core principles of design—mass, form, line, texture, and color—the piece uses locally quarried New England granite for both its geological integrity and symbolic resonance. The natural palette draws from Quincy, Stony Creek, and Chelmsford granites—delivering hues of gray, rose, and light blue—tones that echo the changing New England seasons and surrounding gravestones.

These materials provided the mass. In contrast, flowing water, subtle monuments, signage, and seating add form and rhythm. The finishes remain purposefully unpolished—thermaled and rock-faced—celebrating the authenticity and gravity of stone in its natural state.

The site was carefully selected: a grassy knoll near Chickatawbut Road, where the fountain introduces more than a visual presence, but an auditory one. The gentle noise of running water buffers traffic from nearby Willard Street, creating a calm, immersive space that invites reflection and softens the energy of the surrounding world, enhancing the contemplative potential of the site.

At the heart of the fountain is a system of nine monumental granite blocks, carved and placed with both sculptural intent and functional clarity. Water flows over hand-shaped channels, free of mortar joints—ensuring structural longevity and reinforcing the seamlessness of form and feeling. Surrounding native plantings help bridge the manicured cemetery interior with the wild natural landscape beyond its stone walls.

A subtle yet powerful detail defines the centerpiece: a delicately carved Eastern Timber Rattlesnake, etched in soft relief along the central basin. Its form is subtle—suggestive rather than literal. Sacred to the region and endangered in New England, the snake represents transformation, vigilance, and the cycle of life and death—perfectly attuned to the cemetery’s deeper meaning.

More than a fountain, this is a piece of public sculpture that listens before it speaks—allowing material, environment, and memory to shape the experience. It communicates not through narrative, but through gesture. In a space that holds countless personal stories, the fountain stands as a quiet, enduring gesture of collective memory and renewal.