LINCOLN — It may not look like it, but winter is the perfect kind of day for a well-dressed stroll through the park here in Lincoln at the one-of-a-kind art installation, Sculpture in the Wild.
Located just east of downtown, the almost decade-old destination showcases truly unique pieces of art from artists all over the world.
And even though it’s beautiful at any time of the year, board president Beck Garland thinks it’s even more breathtaking right now – and not just because of the temperature.
“We are here at one of my favorite times of the year," Sculpture in the Wild Board President Becky Garland told MTN. "If you can brave the winter here, we try and make sure the trails are groomed, if you want to walk or ski or snowshoe through it.”
Becoming a reality in 2014, the park is the brainchild of Rick Dunkerley Kevin O’Dwyer, and the ball really got rolling around this iconic piece.
“The day that Kevin saw the Delaney Sawmill TeePee Burner, that was up on the Lander’s Fork of the Blackfoot," a bundled-up Garland said. "And he went, ‘that’s the icon we need to start this park.’ It gives it, it’s history, industrial history. It’s where we have all of our events in the summer. We have music events on Saturday afternoons, and that was kind of the beginning of it.”
The first year they had five artists from across the globe, and every year since two new artists call Lincoln home allowing them to invest themselves in the town.
This year Bently Spang and Stuart Frost are the new additions. With the new artists, new people are making the trip to Lincoln.
“For 2020, 53-thousand people and this year I believe we’ll probably have 48-thousand people at the end," said Garland. "So, it’s important for telling the story. It’s important for a small part of our economy. But I think the greatest thing is bringing Lincoln together, either telling their story about what they remember of a teepee burner or coming to volunteer, because volunteers are so important to us.”
And this distinctly Montana art exhibit is important to Lincoln as well.