Beauty from the Ash

Design Statement

We have watched sadly as the ash trees have been silently evaded by the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle. We have tried to save a few ourselves, hoping to reverse the damage. Some have survived. Others have been able to hang in there for a few more years. And some have fallen. Whatever their end, their testimony is inspiring as they don’t seem to give up easily. The words on my spire are about the Ash Tree and the damage the Ash Bore has done to them, but it has many other meanings as well…the grace my mother-in-law shared as cancer gradually took her life; the inspirational effort of loved ones who fight the hidden pain of mental illness; the beauty in my elderly friend as she deals with the effects of aging. The nails used reflect the common treatment used to save the trees, injecting insecticide into small holes drilled into the bark. And the string is a metaphor of how everything is connected and effected. The few green leaves growing off the trunk are the last bits of beauty shared as the ash tree continues to share its beauty until the very end.

Materials:  Acrylic paint, wood stain, nails, string

Dimensions: 5″ x 5″ x 50″

Map/Spire Number: 22

Location: Kunkel Park

Address: King George Road, Pennington