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Wood carvings distributed throughout county |
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Written by Publisher
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Tuesday, 30 October 2007 |
 This life-size bear carving, created by Benezett's Bob Huff, sits in the Jay Township Municipal building. A total of six carvings were distributed throughout Elk County by the Appalachian Art Studio and ECCOTA in 2006 and 2007.
By Amy Cherry
Daily Press Staff
"The Spirit Lives On" in Bennetts Valley, as signified in a life-size
wooden bear carving recently presented to Jay Township as part of a countywide project sponsored by the Appalachian Art Studio in Ridgway.
Currently housed at the Jay Township Municipal Building, the massive carving "bears" the words, "The Spirit Lives On" on a shield-shaped sign on the front of the carving and "Bennetts Valley" on the back.
According to Liz Boni, project coordinator at the studio, the facility received a $10,000 grant through the National Endowment for the Arts. Working in conjunction with the Elk County Counsel on the Arts (ECCOTA), both organizations commissioned artists to create wildlife carvings for each of the county's six municipalities.
"We chose carvers we knew would be around at the time while attending Ridgway's annual Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous," Boni said. "We allowed them to carve their choice of any indigenous wildlife found in Pennsylvania."
Benezette carver Bob Huff created the bear donated to Jay Township, while Japan's Hiromu Kurita carved an eagle for St. Marys, donated last summer and on display at Memorial Park.
Other carvings include a Fox Township wolf by Bret McLain of New Jersey, a Wilcox owl by Angie Polglaze of Australia, a Sandy Beach (Ridgway) bear by Rodney Holland of Scotland and a forest scene in Johnsonburg at the Community Center carved by Bonnie Zoe of Ridgway.
As part of the second round of the project, the six carvings were all distributed in 2006 and 2007. Boni said the first phase of the project took place in 2003 when carvers designs centered around an "Enchanted Woodlands" theme. These carvings were dispersed to Ridgway businesses that provided matching funds for the pieces.
The 12 carvings were distributed at the conclusion of Ridgway's annual Summers Ends Festival.
"We're hoping to expand the program through the entire PA Wilds region," Boni said.
The PA Wilds area stretches as far south as Philipsburg, east to Williamsburg, west to Foxburg and north to the Bradford/Youngsville area.
During the third phase of the project Boni added that they are looking to distribute carvings to all the parks throughout the Pa Wilds area. So far the studio and ECCOTA have once again applied for funding through the NEA and The Lumber Heritage Region. They are expecting to find out in the fall if their funding requests were approved.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 31 October 2007 )
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