Sculpture in the Wild ready for 'sculpture season' next month

Sculpture season returns to Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild in September, featuring an artist originally slated to be here in 2020 and the return of an artists who was last here in 2019.

Following a two-year delay, Northern Cheyenne artist Bently Spang will be here to create an installation reflecting his Native American culture.

"We're real excited about him," said BPSW president Becky Garland.

Spang was originally scheduled to create an installation during the planned 2020 residency that end-ed up being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was then slated to be here for the 2021 residency.

"Last year he was so far behind and we had other people who could come," Garland said. "We are so thrilled to have him here finally."

She said he's working on the design for his piece and expects Sculpture in the Wild will see some-thing special.

Spang, spent some time here in June of 2021 for a site visit and spoke to the BVD.

Hailing from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana, Spang had a need to get to know the environment he'll be working in.

'The thing with site specific work, its spending some time on the site and kind of visualizing it," he said. "The Northern Cheyenne Reservation, we know that homeland pretty well. It's a historical place for us. So when I come to a new kind of natural setting its always kind of interesting to check out, I gotta get to know kind of the plants, what kind of trees you have, the lay of the land."

Considering the indigenous people who used the area and their historical knowledge of it is also an important factor for him.

Spang said he has been working with a form based on old Native American war shirts, including large scale sculptures based on that form, incorporating digital video screens.

"The sort of work I do is in the interior space, the gallery space. Once in a while you get a chance to do a site specific piece. So as I'm working out here in the natural setting. I'm reminded of the long rela-tionship we've had with the natural world and what is that all about; what needs to be said in this space with that in mind, he said. "The space is really going to dictate what happens here. I'm just trying to listen and hear what needs to happen here, and kind of feel what needs to happen."

This year also marks the return of Stuart Frost, who was a resident artist here in 2019. His installation "A place is a place is a place," has the dimensions of the historic Roberts Cabin at the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society's interpretive center by Hi Country, but is formed out of rows of wooden planks shaped like old cross-cut saw blades.

Garland said Frost's wife is doing a residency at the University of Missoula in September and he offered to return to Lincoln to create another installation for the sculpture park.

"Marshall (Bullis) will be working with him," she said. He's got a couple different ideas they're working through."

This year's residency will be scaled down a little bit from years past, Garland said. She said they opt-ed not to have a fundraiser this year and Philip Aaberg, who was on tap to return as musician-in-residence this year, had a change of circumstance that forced him to bow out. Instead, he will return next year to help celebrate the 10th year of Sculpture in the Wild.

"I think its just a great situation we have," she said. Kevin O'Dwyer plans to return to create another installation and Mark Jacobs and Sam Clayton, who created 'East-West Passage" in 2015, will also be back. "It'll be fun."

O'Dwyer, who helped found Sculpture in the Wild with Rick Dunkerley in 2014 will also return next year. He has been an annual fixture in Lincoln every September but won't be here this year. He stepped down as artistic director at the end of last year and Garland said his efforts during the last two years, combined with Spang having to push back his residency, left BPSW in a position to move ahead with this year's residency without much difficulty.

Garland said a BPSW committee began the search for a new Artistic Director earlier this year and have been working to narrow down the candidates. She said they had a diverse slate of candidate and hope to be able to announce their selection before the residency begins Sept. 5.

2023 should also see Sculpture in the Wild gain more space for future installations. For the past few years they have been working with the Lincoln Ranger District to secure a special use permit for five acres of the 15 acre parcel just to the east of the sculpture park.

"I just talked to the (Lincoln District) Ranger, Mr. Gump," Garland said. "We are going to by golly get that thing nailed down by the end of October. We're hoping to get all the verbiage correct in the special use permit. We'll be getting that nailed down and looking forward to getting a few more acres on the east side."

The ranger district has been working to complete a trail through the same property. Although the trail will provide access to the BPSW permit area, it was developed using Recreational Trails Program Grant form Montana State parks as a part of the Envision Lincoln In-town Trail Plan.

"It's a very nice walk," Garland said "I'm thankful for all those who have worked on that."

This year's Sculpture in the Wild residency starts Sept 5 and runs through Sept 23, with the new installation launch slated for Sept. 24 at noon.

The annual education program will run four days a week from Sept 12 through Sept. 22.

"The small schools will come and meet the artists and work on their own work and learn about sculpture outside," Garland said.