In 2014 I began working on a project for the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to create a sculpture for Dogwood Park in Natomas. The idea for this sculpture originated when I saw that Dogwood Park had used a Native American theme for the playground structures.  I thought it would make sense to create a sculpture which could tie into this theme.  During my research for this project I came across Stephen Power's 1877 report, The Tribes of California which contained a captivating image of Acorn Granaries in a Miwok Village. I decided to use this image as inspiration for creating an abstraction of a Miwok Acorn Granary.   Inside the structure of the sculpture is a woven metal wire basket which holds 188 hand blown glass pieces shaped like acorns.  This basket is suspended inside of a larger basket made out of stainless steel rod designed to resemble tree branches.  The baskets are suspended 8 feet above the ground on two cross beams supported by four columns. The sculpture was placed on a walking path inside the park so that people can interact with it by walking underneath and viewing it from below.  All of the metal used in this sculpture is stainless steel. The sculpture was installed in Dogwood Park in August 2015.

Illustration of Acorn Granaries in a Miwok Village in 1877

Blown glass acorns

Dogwood Park, 3075 Macon Drive, Sacramento, California

Granary – 2015, 12’x7’x5’- stainless steel, blown glass

Granary - detail

Granary - detail

Granary - detail

Granary