All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
On Oct. 2, "Spear Lodge Man," a tree carving by the late artist Eddie Running Wolf, was removed by arborist Josh Morin and volunteers from the Niwot Business Association and taken to a nearby workshop for preservation work.
Josh Morin works with volunteers to prepare Spear Lodge Man for transporting.
Within days of Eddie Running Wolf's death in the summer of 2020, a caterpillar found in Laura Bloom's garden next to his tree carvings became this beautiful black swallowtail butterfly.
Josh Mornin performed the cutting of the long dead willow's trunk.
Work to preserve the tree carvings by Arapaho Nation artist Eddie Running Wolf began on Oct. 2.
Plans to preserve and repair the deteriorating tree carvings along Niwot Road have been under consideration for years, but after the untimely death of artist Eddie Running Wolf in the summer of 2020, the project took on new urgency. Now, 14 months later, those efforts are officially underway. On Oct. 2, a group of volunteers from the Niwot Business Association moved the oldest and most damaged of the three, "Biitoheinen (Spear Lodge Man)", from its roadside location to a nearby workshop where it will spend the next several months under repair.
"This is a really exciting project, and I'm really excited to be a part of it," local resident Jeff Wolcott said after the 13-foot long carving had been safely delivered to his property east of Niwot. Last year, Wolcott contacted Chuck Klueber of the NBA's streetscapes committee about a potential fix for the degrading art work, and then ended up volunteering to see it through. "I saw the tree sculptures were rotting, and I knew of a product that you can soak wood in, and it reestablishes the wood. And I was just going to tell Chuck about it, and he said, 'Well, this will make us a committee of two'."
The committee of two expanded to a committee of four on Saturday morning as the first phase of the months-long process began in earnest. Joining Wolcott and Klueber were Russ Callas, who lent both his forklift and his skills to the job, and Josh Morin of We Love Trees, a Niwot resident and longtime arborist who planned and performed the cutting.
Morin and the team began by padding the sculpture, and then wrapping it in cellophane, to prevent any loose pieces from falling off or becoming further damaged during the removal. Unfortunately, that happened anyway, as part of Spear Lodge Man's arm detached, and the team ended up cutting off the inscription at the carving's base. But the rest of it survived the process intact, much to Morin's relief.
"I thought we'd need to dismantle the sculpture itself," he said afterwards. "Taking it in one piece made it much easier."
Once secured, Morin used chainsaws to cut the willow tree at the base, and even entered its hollow center to help widen the cut. Then, using Callas' forklift, the now unrecognizable Spear Lodge Man was lifted free, and moved onto Wolcott's trailer. There was one scary moment when the sling straps unexpectedly slipped and the carving nearly toppled, but the team quickly moved it back into position, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. A few minutes later, Spear Lodge Man was on its way to a new temporary home. In total, the removal lasted about 90 minutes.
Laura Bloom, whose backyard is just over the fence from the carvings, had mixed emotions as she watched the Spear Lodge Man ride away. Since moving to Cottonwood Park West five years ago, she has come to regard the sculptures as "part of my identity."
"Selfishly, it's sad that that's gone, but I'm really glad that they're doing everything they can to preserve it and bring it back to the new life somehow," Bloom said. "I look forward to seeing what ends up happening."
The next phase of the process involves drying the wood, and treating any insect or fungus infestations that may still be inside. Ironically, Morin said, after a tree dies is when it becomes most alive, in a manner of speaking.
"In the tree world, we have a saying that when trees are alive, they're 90% dead, because a lot of the tissue that's inside a tree isn't technically living. But when a tree dies, we say that it's 90% alive, because there's just a whole new ecosystem that moves into a tree. They still move liquid, fungi, bacteria, insects, animals, all become parts of dead trees. I think we have an opportunity, especially in this day and age, to see the beauty and the value in trees that have changed their form."
After drying is complete, which could take up to six months, Spear Lodge Man will be treated with an epoxy that will harden the remaining wood. Wolcott has also enlisted the help of local Native American artist Bryan Valdez Redmoon, who will closely examine the piece and then assist in repairing and restoring damage to the artwork.
"He's been doing this for 40 years," Wolcott said. "He's going to be helping us with the pieces that have fallen apart, with blocking and maybe recarving."
Though the damage looks extensive, Wolcott continued, the structure of the piece is much more "substantial" than he assumed, and the internal decay isn't quite as bad as he feared.
It is still an open question whether this process will be successful, but if it is, the other two carvings, "Cheyenne Holy Man" and "The Eagle Catcher" will undergo the same process. After that, the three will find a new weatherproof home somewhere in Niwot.
The Niwot Cultural Arts Association is working to raise funds for the preservation project, and donations have started to come in. Tax-deductible donations can be made to the NCAA at P.O. Box 733, Niwot, CO 80544 or online at http://www.niwotarts.org.
Reader Comments(0)