Scupltor Gary Keenan carving Valor I during his campus visit in 2013.
Beginning Monday, March 4, sculptor Gary Keenan will use chainsaws to carve a white oak tree trunk on the UCA campus into a life-sized bear. The sculpture will be located in front of Wingo Hall, welcoming visitors and students to campus.
Keenan expects to begin carving around midday on March 4 and will carve all day on March 5 and 6. He plans to complete the carving by the end of the day on Thursday, March 7.
School classes and community members are invited to attend and watch Keenan. Bleacher seating will be available on the lawn near Wingo Hall, and hot cocoa will be provided.
“Thanks to the generosity of several donors, we are able to replace the much-loved Valor with a more disease-, weather- and bug-resistant sculpture,” said UCA President Houston Davis. “We are excited to invite local school groups and the community to join us for this unique experience.”
“Valor II” replaces the original “Valor I” bear sculpture that was erected in front of Wingo Hall in the spring of 2013. Valor I was carved from one of UCA’s World War II red oak Memorial Trees that had to be cut due to disease and rot. Unfortunately, the sculpture continued to deteriorate to a point that remediation could not be done. Valor I was retired in 2017 and removed from campus to mitigate safety issues with the structure.
Keenan, an accomplished artist from Des Moines, Iowa, has carved animals, people, plants, and objects for individuals and groups throughout the United States and in Europe. In 2007, he was invited to participate in the “Sculptree” at the Festival of the Tree in England. Only 20 wood sculptors were invited, and Keenan was the only American. For more information about Keenan, visit carvingbykeenan.com.
See a time-lapse video of Keenan carving Valor I here.
RSVP to visit campus during the carving by contacting Amanda Hoelzeman, director of media relations, at (501) 852-2659 or ahoelzeman@uca.edu.
