Staff Of Life

Rural Electric Cooperatives across South and North Dakota have contributed funds, labor and materials toward the Granary Rural Cultural Center's first major component in the "Walk with Dakota" Interpretive Landscape and Sculpture Garden.

"Staff of Life," is the first of eight sculptures to make its debut in "Walk with Dakota." It will be located at the central focal point of the Granary's campus in the Reconciliation Center. It will consist of a 48-foot wooden power pole centered in a 27.5-foot Reconciliation Circle. The pole is surrounded by a series of spiraling metal strips and pipe, patterned like grains and tall native grasses. Four granite benches around the base represent the four seasons and four directions offering visitors a place for contemplating all the common challenges that face peoples of our region.

"Walk with Dakota" will tell the story of Native American peoples that live in the Dakotas and the fortitude of families that came later with hopes for the future. It will include a towering structure that will draw attention to the importance of reconciliation among Dakota people.

Dennis Hagny, former General Manager of Northern Electric Cooperative, Bath, said the Granary is a great place to tell the story of early life in the region through fine art.

"The center, including gallery, presentation hall and its annual festivals, provides a unique and fitting setting for recognition and appreciation for the work of current artists in South and North Dakota," he said. "It also honors the contribution to the arts made by artists and craftsman among the rural people who settled this region."

Aberdeen artist Rebecca Mulvaney formulated the design concept for "Staff of Life." She said the inspiration behind it came when installing the "Walk with Dakota" Sculpture Exhibition in June 2001. "I was intrigued by the work of former Sioux Falls sculptor Tom Rickers," she said. "Most of his work consisted of tall, thin, upright poles, balanced over cone and ball shapes. They seemed to float and move in subtle ways, reminding me of grass growing and not just the sanded and shaped fence posts that they were created from. I wanted to try to capture that elegance and simplicity in a design of my own." "I chose 'Staff of Life' as a title because bread is often known as such," she said. "The pole form also serves as a staff of support, both literally when used for tepees and figuratively when used as for life-enhancing power lines. The power supplied by the poles supports the farmers who plow the land, and the grain gives life to a nation."

Drawing: Aberdeen artist Rebecca Mulvaney formulated the design concept for "Staff of Life."

LaVerne Gerling, a sculptor and artist from Ellendale, ND, has been chosen to design "Staff of Life" out of metal He describes the project as "more than a body of work. "It's been a 'happening,' " he said.

"It's made me appreciate the works of other artists who have done large-scale sculptures," Gerling said. "It has given me a whole new perspective on the process."

He said the sculpture, set to be finished by the end of April, 2002, is a part of the life on the prairie and the starting point of much of our region's history.

"To the Native Americans it was part of their life because the prairie grasses supported them; it was part of their existence.

"To the European settlers grasses that were taller than the average man overwhelmed them and provided them with new challenges," he said.

Mulvaney agrees with Gerling's philosophy behind the sculpture's meaning. "I want visitors to be able to see a concrete expression of the world that is always around them," she said.

"As in Jeff Morrison's installations for his 'Harvesting a Ritual' agricultural exhibition in July 2000, we want visitors to contemplate how life begins on the land and that the land provides sustenance for us all," Mulvaney said.

She said she feels "Staff of Life," along with the other artistic works that will be part of "Walk with Dakota," can present real evidence of the need for artistic expression of our lives. "These permanent sculptural installations will offer a record of how we feel about our culture and environment," she said.

Hagny said the sculpture is a great tribute to rural cooperatives as well.

"The artists' theme for 'Staff of Life' is an appropriate acknowledgment to a way of life including the creation and work of rural electric cooperatives to improve the quality of life which helped establish and influence growth and development the Dakotas," he said.

The formal dedication was Saturday, May 4, 2002.