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EDGEWOOD
COLLEGE PROJECT
Historic Tree Sculpture
for Edgewood College, Madison, Wisconsin.
Record of a work in progress.
MARCH 2006
Sometime in the early 19th century, a squirrel buried
a Burr Oak acorn next to an eagle-shaped mound, an earth work created by
the "ancient ones". The squirrel forgot about the acorn and the
tree took root next to the eagle mound not far from a small duck-filled
lake in an area known always to the
Ho Chunk people as Dejope, which means four lakes in their language.
Sculptor Harry Whitehorse and Edgewood
College Student Carly Garfield look over the tree on March 2,
2006. |
Edgewood College's oldest tree, March 2,
2006. |
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The Burr Oak
slowly grew in a quiet natural rhythm, silently witnessing the contacts
between the Ho Chunk people and the American settlers. One of these
early settlers was a Dominican Missionary named
Father Samuel Mazzuchelli who is considered to be the founder of
Madison, Wisconsin's Edgewood College,
home of the Eagle-Mound Burr Oak. |
In 2006, the Eagle-Mound Burr-Oak, which was the
oldest tree on the Edgewood campus, had to be removed because of root rot.
Students and staff at Edgewood asked Harry Whitehorse to create a sculpture
the tree that will honor the history, present, and future of Dejope's
indigenous people, the HoChunk.
Harry has chosen to create an eagle from the tree and it will be installed
at the Edgewood College Library. Please scroll down to see the record of
this work in progress.
MARCH 24, 2006
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Harry and Tim Andrew, landscape and grounds coordinator for Edgewood
College, look over the
remains of the Burr Oak. |
Harry chooses the wood. |
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Later that day, Harry gets ready to create a sculpture.
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APRIL 27, 2006
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Because wood has a tendency to split, warp, and crack, Harry tries to
coax the wood into complacency by hollowing out the sculpture and
reinforcing it with fiberglass. This half of the eagle is ready for the
hollowing out process. |
Can you see the basic form of the eagle? |
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Making sawdust and woodchips.
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MAY 7, 2006
The eagle is taking shape.
NOVEMBER 4, 2006
Harry has attached the eagle to the base and started the detailing
process.
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