CONWAY—The University of Central Arkansas will dedicate two sculptures that were carved from a diseased oak tree at 3 p.m. Wednesday, October 2 in the Board of Trustees Conference Room.
Gary Keenan, a tree sculptor from Des Moines, Iowa, carved a life-sized bear from the base of the tree. The sculpture sits outside Wingo Hall. Ring of Peace was carved from an eight-foot section cut from the top of the oak tree. Professor Bryan Massey carved the sculpture which will be displayed in Wingo Hall next to the UCA Board of Trustees room.
The dedication and following reception in Wingo Hall are free and open to the public. Members of the Board of Trustees have been invited.
The dedication of the two sculptures is part of ArtsFest, Conway’s annual festival of music, art, theatre, dance, creative writing and film.
“The University is pleased to include the dedication ceremony of these two memorial sculptures in ArtsFest’s week-long community celebration of the arts,” said Dr. Gayle Seymour, professor of art and associate dean of UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication. “We hope the Bear Memorial and Ring of Peace will remind visitors that art can serve many functions, including the solemn remembrance of fallen UCA alumni in World War II.”
ArtsFest begins at 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 27, 2013 in Simon Park in downtown Conway and run through October 5.