Minimalist artist Carl Andre was hired by the city of Hartford to create an outdoor work of art. He arranged boulders in parallel rows, reminiscent of New England's geological past and meant to complement the Ancient Burying Ground. Andre also drew inspiration from the megalithic monuments of England. The thirty-six rocks are arranged in eight parallel rows of increasing length on a 290’x53’ lawn. The boulders of sandstone, brownstone, granite, schist, gneiss, basalt and serpentine are carefully arranged so that no two adjacent stones are of the same color and texture.
Stone Fields (1977) created significant controversy in the city over the question of "What is Art?" with many residents expressing shock over the artist's fee, although it is now regarded as an innovative and pioneering masterpiece, as well as Andre's only public outdoor sculpture.
