Walk on the wild side at Sculpture in the Wild in Lincoln

UK sculptors Sam Clayton and Mark Jacobs returned recently to Sculpture in the Wild and posed for a photograph with “East West Passage,” a 4 1/2-foot-deep, zigzag trench lined with log-cabin-like walls with neatly joined overlapping log corners.

Artistic Director Kevin O'Dwyer looks up at the Teepee Burner that he installed during the first year of the Sculpture in the Wild park in this 2018 file photo.

Sam Clayton puts the finishing touches on their new installation "East West Passage" at Sculpture in the Wild in 2015.

Sculptor Steven Siegel's "Hill and Valley," constructed in part with thousands of pounds of old newspapers, could be interpreted as a comment on the daily events through time in this photo from December 2015.

For a very special walk in the woods, check out Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild this coming month.

Now in its 10th year, Sculpture in the Wild offers a host of events this September, including artist residencies by three returning sculptors who are creating new works in this unique sculpture park on the outskirts of Lincoln.

The Wilbur Rehmann Quartet kicks off the month with a jazz concert 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, in the TeePeeBurner.

Returning UK sculptors Sam Clayton and Mark Jacobs, who are collaborating on a work, and sculptor and metalsmith Kevin O’Dwyer, the former Sculpture in the Wild artistic director and curator, begin their artist residencies Sept. 5.

They will be creating new works on a new addition to BPSW, a 15-acre piece of Forest Service land that adjoins the original 23-acre site on DNRC land. Both parcels are accessed off Highway 200, directly across the road from the Lincoln Ranger District office.

BPSW launched in 2014 and is now home to 22 art installations.

That first autumn, work was at times brutally cold, with blistering winds and blasts of icy snow, as international artists worked side by side with an impressive team of volunteers, including heavy equipment operators, loggers, citizens and local artists.

There was an array of front-end loaders and forklifts on the move, and folks wielding chainsaws, with others on ladders helping to stack thousands of newspapers to create a rock-wall-like installation called “Hill and Valley.”

It was a-hum with activity the day this writer visited in 2014. The enthusiasm and excitement sparked across the frosty air.

A few of the sculptures going up that year were “House of Sky,” a small mirrored house perched on 21-foot-high poles reaching into the sky, reflecting the clouds and the surrounding pines; and “TeePee Burner,” a reclaimed teepee burner that O’Dwyer installed as an artwork, transforming it into a gallery and acoustically amazing performance space.

Each year since then, two or three sculptures join the mix, such as “Tree Circus,” a collection of swirly, whimsical “houses” woven out of forest materials; and “The Bridge,” a fantasy bridge of mobile-like floating pieces that could be either growing together or perhaps breaking apart.

Clayton and Jacobs are keeping this year’s creation under wraps until they arrive in early September. They give an artist talk 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14.

What: Sculpture in the Wild Auction Fundraiser

When: 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Where: Lincoln Community Hall, 404 Main St.

Info: Hors d’ oeuvres, no host bar

Meet and greet the artists, music by Steven Gores and company

Auction includes an original silver piece made by Kevin O’Dwyer, original art, a weekend at McDonald Lake and more.

Space limited: RSVP to Becky Garland [email protected] or call 406-431-0325

In 2015, they collaborated to create “East West Passage,” a 4 1/2-foot-deep, zigzag trench lined with log-cabin-like walls with neatly joined overlapping log corners.

Its design was inspired by local mining cabins and journals from the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Visitors experience the piece by walking down into it and peering out ground- squirrel like at the surrounding landscape.

Irish artist O’Dwyer returns to Lincoln to create his new work, “Creativity – Collaboration – Community,” which celebrates the key components that have made Sculpture in the Wild an “art destination” in Montana, O’Dwyer wrote in an email.

His installation will combine a fabricated steel armature and native wood, creating an architectural form that cuts into the landscape and draws visitors into the park’s new addition.

“It is a large monumental piece that’s fitting for the celebration of the 10th anniversary,” wrote O’Dwyer.

“For me, its components are the ‘holy trinity’ concerning the development of the park. Artists came to Lincoln with their creativity/story-telling and collaborated with the community to create this wonderful art park that is free for all to enjoy. Community members have worked with the artists throughout the 10 years – giving their time, machinery and manpower to create some really special sculpture installations.

“This is a living park i.e., we invited artists to come to Lincoln, engage with the community and its story, and create new works of art on site during our residency programme. We have also delivered a wonderful education programme that facilitated Lincoln schools as well as rural schools in the … area. And the wonderful music in the TeePee Burner has been a great community success.”

O’Dwyer’s artist talk is 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12.

Wilbur Rehmann Quartet: 4 to 6 p.m., Sept. 2

Artists-in-residence creating works: Sept. 5-22

- Public welcome to stop in and watch, talk to artists

Artist Talks:

Unveiling new sculptures, artist talks, celebration: Noon, Saturday, Sept. 23

*All located at Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild, 1500 MT-200, Lincoln

“I’m looking forward to coming back, as Lincoln has become a ‘second home’ over the years as I co-initiated and directed the programme,” he writes.

Sculpture in the Wild has also had a profound impact on Sam Clayton, who works collaboratively with artist Mark Jacobs.

Known internationally for their installation work, Clayton and Jacobs have worked with acclaimed environmental artists Andy Goldsworthy and David Nash on major arts installations around the world.

Clayton wrote in an email that “being invited back to Sculpture in the Wild was absolutely unexpected and an amazing honour for us. When we left 8 years ago, we hoped to return one day to see how our work had settled in, maybe in a passing visit but to be invited back to make another work was beyond anything we imagined.

“Our time in Lincoln 8 years ago was the most incredible and intense 3 weeks of making sculpture and one of our proudest artistic achievements.

“We took the opportunity of our return to bring our families to see the sculpture park, meet our friends and then see more of Montana. I … got married at the sculpture park to my partner of 26 years Antonella Giomarelli.”

“This art park is not just about art, but about community,” said board chair Becky Garland.

Not only have she and other Lincoln residents formed strong friendships with the visiting artists, but there’s also been a profound impact on the community, she said.

BPSW attracts an estimated 45,000 to 55,000 visitors per year.

And it’s brought in something perhaps more intangible, an appreciation of the beauty of the landscape, the cultural history of the area and the realization that world-class art doesn’t just live in museums.

Marga Lincoln is an author and former regional and education reporter for the Independent Record. She has covered the Your Time beat as a reporter and freelancer for 15 years.

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