Description
I collaborated in the design and fabrication of this sculpture with the welding program of Ignacio High School, a small rural town which is also the Government seat for the Southern Ute Tribe. Ignacio is just down the road from the LaPlata county airport in southwestern Colorado, where the sculpture will hang in the newly expanded terminal building. I am friends with the superintendent of the Ignacio school district and I knew he would be very interested in a project that shines a light on their community and provides an opportunity for the students to be involved in a large prominently displayed artwork. A turtle was chosen as the main theme because it represents a Native American creation story about the earth coming into existence on the back of a turtle. The interior of the shell also provides a beautiful space for having a balanced mobile that features the students celestial objects, one of my favorites being the Tipi comet created by 2 of the students. The shell interior is lit with blue light and the juniper wood legs of the sculpture have been burned black to represent the forest fires that are a common occurrence in our area.
