Following the speech by Pagosa Mayor Shari Pierce at the dedication of the Tennyson Memorial Sculpture Park and Garden on June 22, we heard from County Commissioners Veronica Medina and Warren Brown from the new performance stage located in the southeast corner of the garden.
Then the park’s patron, Evelyn Tennyson, invited the artists to step up to the microphone and share some thoughts about the pieces they had created. (She gave them a limit of 5 minutes each, thankfully. We know how artists love to talk about their work.) I’m sharing a few pertinent excerpts from each artist.
As mentioned before, the park is dedicated to those who have gone before, and especially to Mike Tennyson, Evelyn’s husband, who passed in 2017.
First up to the microphone was James Ferrari, who shows his work at the Ferrari Gallery in Dallas, Texas.
“I’m the sculptor of ‘Seasons’ Shed’ — the large antler that we have over here…
“The sculpture itself is made out of aluminum, and it’s hand-done… I used some old-school techniques to shape the metal… All my welds are grinded away to give it a natural appearance. But what I’m kind of known for — my branding is, I incorporate authentic Ferrari parts into my sculptures, whether I’m doing something abstract or representational… so this didn’t require a lot of mechanical parts to get the point across, but I did find space and a position to include three Testarossa Ferrari valve covers down the side…”
The Ferrari Testarossa is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. Mr. Ferrari inserted the three valve covers near the ‘base’ of the antler.
“But the meaning is more important. It’s entitled ‘Seasons’ Shed’… An antler is meant to be shed. They fall off every winter, and they grow back every summer. They are all one-of-a-kind. This is symbolic of the seasons of our lives. The nature of life is constant change. We meet this change with grace and wisdom, living life to the fullest — for a new season is upon us, and it’s time to grow again.
“So I hope everyone remembers that when they come and visit the park…
“People travel from all around the world to our beautiful town of Pagosa Springs, and Evelyn created the opportunity to have this special place…”
The next artist to approach the microphone was Ross Barrable.
“Thank you everybody for showing up and participating in this dedication today.
“This park… I’ve been here 30 years, and this park is a profound game-changer for the arts scene in Pagosa Springs… Thank you, Evelyn, for everything you went through to create this space…
“I’m the creator of three pieces in the park. One is the titanium bell that’s over on the left side as you enter the park…
“The second piece is the wind harp over here, which was perfectly located by Kate [Yoklavich, the landscape designer]. An amazing location. It catches the wind that’s coming right off the river; it’s like a wind corridor through here…
“Then there’s a titanium gong that’s behind it. Now the theme for me, at this point, as a sculptor, is creating acoustic sculptures out of titanium… a metal that’s relatively new on the planet; we’ve only had the technology to work with it for the past 60 or 70 years. And it has an incredibly resonate harmonic tone to it…
“The gong, which I’d like to play after I speak for a moment, has not been played in the garden yet…”
Mr. Barrable noted that visitors will be able to request the use of the gong mallets from the Two Old Crows gallery across the street.
“From my perspective as a ‘sound sculptor’, the purpose of art is to uplift the spirit and expand our understanding of who we are as spiritual beings…
“We know this is a temporary visit on this planet.” He indicated his body with his hands. “This is not who we are. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. And sound is the medium of spiritual transcendence. When I listen to certain harmonic tones, they inspire me to go within — and up — and commune with that spiritual identity which is the truth of who we all are…”
Following his speech, Mr. Barrable made his way off the stage and over to the titanium gong in the southwest corner of the park. The gong had a gold-colored ram’s head inscribed on its surface — a symbol that has special meaning to Ms. Tennyson, as we heard later. Mr. Barrable drew some unusual harmonic tones from the sculpture, using furry mallets and also using what looked like a white plastic ball. The sonic effect would have fit perfectly, I thought, in the soundtrack of a movie about space travel.
The performance elicited a round of applause from the audience.
The third artist to take the stage was Dave LaMure Jr. from Kimberley, Idaho.
“I’m grateful and honored to be here. And the spark started for me with Mike’s love for fishing, and then it grew through Evelyn’s vision.
“So I’m the sculptor of the San Juan Cutthroat trout. It’s titled ‘Native’. And I want to start with a quick story…”
“My wife of 40 years, she cooked me fish quite a bit. She knew that would feed me for a day. But she knew, if she could teach me to fish, I’d be gone for for a whole week.”
Polite laughter from the crowd.
“A few block from where we’re standing, back in 1874, a gentleman [Charles Aikens] caught two native San Juan Cutthroat trout. And he had the wherewithal to send them to the museum. That was before the railroad came. And it’s a fascinating story, because… we owe a lot to the biologists who make us aware of what we have, and what we get to keep and not lose…
“So if you guys can imagine this place… as your body, and all these waters and streams are your lifeblood. And then your lifeblood being vital and healthy. And these fish have been swimming in that lifeblood, in our bodies, in the San Juans, for tens of thousands of years.
“We had almost lost that health, of a system. So the San Juan Cutthroat represents that health. And ‘Native’ is the name of the sculpture.”
“What would this place be, if we don’t continue to value and keep what we have? This is yours. This is yours to protect, and to hold, and to honor.
“So enjoy the fish, and enjoy what you have here in this incredible, magical place…”