(KIWA Staff Photo)
Okoboji, Iowa (RI) — A project in Okoboji encouraging people to convert the standing trunks of dead trees into sculptures has reached a milestone.
Spirit of Okoboji set a goal four years ago to have the largest collection of sculpted trees in the United States in the communities around the Iowa Great Lakes. Six new sculptures had been added this year, bringing the total to 26. Carrie Meyer, the project’s artistic director, says one of the sculptures is called Boji Bear and it’s in the Arnolds Park Amusement Park.
Some sculptures are on private property, including a large anchor along boat canal, a hawk on Okoboji’s Lakeshore Drive, and a standing bear near a street corner in Spirit Lake.
Meyer says residents who have or notice a dead tree in the Iowa Great Lakes area are encouraged to contact Spirit of Okoboji, which sponsors the “OkoboTree” project.
If the tree is on private property, the owner chooses the artist and pays that fee. Spirit of Okoboji handles cleanup and provides ongoing maintenance, such as refreshing paint or adding protective sealant.
Meyer says up to eight more trees are scheduled for sculpting, and the group has created a map for people who want to go on a tree-sculpture hunt along the Great Lakes.
Biloxi, Mississippi, currently has 45 sculpted trees — the Guinness World Record Spirit of Okoboji hopes to beat.
