Girls Day Out at Sculptures in the Wild

My sister Carol, my niece's mother-in-law Marlene and I went to see a 26-acre sculpture park located in Lincoln Montana.  Sculptures in the Wild began in 2014 with 5 artists creating works inspired by the rich environmental and industrial legacy of the surroundung Blackfoot Valley. These innovative pieces are constructed using natural and industrial materials. 

Today the park features 18 permanent sculptures from local and internationally acclaimed artists. 

I'll share a few of our favorites.

Picture Frame by Jaakko Pernu of Finland 2014

Tree Circus by Patrick Dougherty of USA 2017

Inside the Tree Circus 

Size perspective 

Hill & Valley by Steven Siegel of USA 2014

This one really piqued our interest. Its an ongoing community project composed of 28 lodge poles, 400 pounds of nails and 30,000 pounds of newspaper. New layers of newspaper are nailed onto the top each year. 

Close up of newspapers. 

Size perspective. 

Montana Memory moved to park by Kevin O'Dwyer of Ireland 2014-2015

This structure was originally part of the Delaney & Sons sawmill located at Landers Fork in the Upper Blackfoot Valley.  The sawmill closed in 1971 and its machinery was removed. The TeePee Burner (pictured above) was left on the landscape.

In 2014 it was dismantled and moved into the sculpture park as part of a Montana Memory project celebrating the industrial heritage of the area.

In 2015, black and white archival images were mounted on the interior of the TeePee Burner telling the story of the logging industry in  the Upper Blackfoot Valley. The interior space is available to the local community and visitors for education and performance opportunities.

Size perspective. 

Ponderosa Whirlpool by Chris Drury of UK 2016

A panoramic for size perspective.

All in all, after a cold and rainy start to the day in Great Falls, it turned into a gorgeous day to explore new places, eat great burgers and sweet potato fries, and drive through beautiful northwestern Montana.