Sculpture in the Wild hosting series of park tours for local businesses, workers

Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild will be hosting a series of two-hour tours next week in hopes of increasing local knowledge about the sculpture park, the artwork there and how it benefits the community.

"As a board, we've been talking about this for quite some time, that we need to figure out a way to let as many people in Lincoln as we can - business owners and their employees - know more about Sculpture in the Wild. Just to have them tour it and let them know it's not 'our' Sculpture in the Wild, its everyone's Sculpture in the Wild," BPSW board President Becky Garland said.

Although the sculpture park has had generally broad community support since its inception, the BPSW board of directors recognize that there are still a plenty of local residents with questions about the park and the artwork on display there and what the point of it all is. They also saw that many of the people who work full time, part time, or even multiple part-time jobs in the bars, restaurants or stores in town and may not have had the time or the inclination to use their free time to go out to the park and learn more about it.

"What I want it to do is have the people who don't know about it and want to know about it , learn about it through a board member, to understand the ins and outs of it.," Garland said. "I would imagine there are a lot of people who are the face of Lincoln, helping people, waiting on people, working with the public all the time, who don't know the history. "Some of them are going to like it and some of them aren't, but I think the ones who will like it, when they're asked what there is to do on Lincoln, will tell people how cool it is and that they need to go see it."

To that end, Garland and the board opted to offer a daily two-hour tour, at different times every day, for a full week. The first tour of the week is set for Sunday June 9 and they wrap up Saturday, June 15. (See the full schedule below)

"Hopefully we can meet a good portion of the people's time frames," Garland said.

Each tour will be led by two members of the BPSW board who can explain the history of the park as well as some of the inspiration and symbolism behind the different works of art there.

Wheel Inn owner and Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce President Laurie Richards agreed that knowledge of the Sculpture in the Wild is important for people in Lincoln who work with the public.

"I think the sculpture park is a huge attraction and something to be proud of, but it's one thing to tell people to go there, it's another thing to explain to them what it's about," she said, adding she thinks such outreach efforts by other organizations would benefit the community as well.

The gap in knowledge about Sculpture in the Wild also relates to a belief - brought up to the Chamber of Commerce during a 'Sled the Burn' meeting last year - that the community would benefit if local employees who deal firsthand with visitors were better versed on local activities and attractions.

Garland said the tours are focused primarily on businesses, their employees and members of other local organizations, but they are open to anyone who wants to learn more about Sculpture in the Wild.

Garland and the BPSW board accept that not everyone will appreciate the large scale, modern sculpture or some of the messages they're trying to to convey, but they hope the people who take part in the tours will come away understanding that Sculpture in the Wild isn't trying to be 'holier than thou" in some way.

"I don't think Sculpture in the Wild is out there to do anything more than just add something really interesting (to Lincoln)," Garland said.