Sculpture Renovation Completed

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

The lines and shadows of the twisted metal sculpture near the corner of Farwell and Eau Claire Street have always intrigued Chippewa Valley Symphony Executive Director Mark Blaskey, but years of wear and tear had taken its toll on the piece. Rather than see it fall into a heap of scrap metal, Blaskey chose to bring it back to its former glory by renovating it himself.

The sculpture was donated anonymously to the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council back in the 1970's. In 2006, a UWEC student by the name of Theo Howard attempted to restore the rusting piece, however the fix was temporary and, before long, a full renovation was needed. Blaskey, whose office is in the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center, took on the challenge. His experience with welding and metal-working made the challenge achievable and a winning bid from Jeremy Harrison and Lori Bica Harrison at the annual ECRAC Jubilee fundraising event provided the money needed to complete it.

On Monday, November 28, after one year and more than eighty hours of work by Blaskey, the sculpture was dedicated in the name of the Harrison's children, Julian and Calder Harrison. Blaskey stated he was "…proud to be a part of this event. Art in whatever form is an important part of any community."