Mere 10-year-olds are no match for the latest addition to the grounds at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Forged from 10,000 years of inspiration, Snowmastodon commemorates the largest accumulation of the bones of its actual ancestors, the American Mastodon.
"I thought it was pretty cool," said Hayden Taylor. "It's big, too," his twin sister, Lindsey added.
The 5,000 pound monument had hardly come to rest on its foundation before the elated twins scampered up its base.
"The first two kids to ever touch it," the twins, who had accompanied their father to work, exclaimed.
That excitement was precisely the reactionKent Ullberg, its sculptor, was hoping for.
"I think there's nothing more wonderful than bronze polished by kids' butts," chuckled Ullberg affably.
One of the world's foremost and prolific wildlife sculptors, many a backside has touched his internationally acclaimed works.
Funded by the Dea Family Foundation, this 19-foot bronze behemoth is Ullberg's largest freestanding mammal to date. The physiologically accurate sculpture is informed by the 2010 discovery of the Snowmass Village fossil site and the guidance of University of Michigan mastodon expert Dr. Daniel Fisher, as well as Museum paleontologists Dr. Ian Miller and Dr. Kirk Johnson.
While its relative, the wooly mammoth, has been found completely frozen in the Siberian Tundra, no such discovery has been made for the American Mastodon. That left room for artistic license.
"I had the freedom to do the soft tissue, the face, the eyes, to make him look kind, or you know, benevolent," Ullberg said during a visit to his Loveland studio when Snowmastodon was a work-in-progress.
His interest and respect for science and art is deep seated.
"I love nature. It's my passion and I want my work to speak about my fascination and love for nature," Ullberg said.
While this project began with scientific inquiry it concluded with a 4 a.m. transport. In between, Ullberg scouted the drive and collaborated with state and city highway departments to determine the best travel route.
Tipped trunk down on the trailer the mastodon was reduced to a diminutive 14-feet tall. An eight-person installation team trucked the piece fromArt Castings of Colorado in Loveland, Colorado 50 miles to its final destination at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Once on site, they saw to its meticulous lifting, by crane, onto its base.
There were a few close calls during its migration south.
"I was right behind it all the time, holding my breath on every underpass. … And sometimes [the sculpture] kind of looked a bit scared to," quipped Ullberg.
Michael Mayo, who's driven more than 30 of Ullberg's works across the United States, agreed "it gets pretty intense," but is overall undeterred by the challenges.
"Its been fun over the years, dealing with an artist of Kent's class," Mayo said. "They don't come any better. And you can see that in this piece, the detail is second to none."
The sculpture's landscaping, which replicate its Ice Age environs, is remarkable too.
Rocky Mountain Maple and Aspen trees, plus several perennials surround Snowmastodon. The flora are variant species of seeds found, preserved, at the excavation site, explained the Architerra Group's Mark Taylor.
With the finished piece, set to be publicly dedicated Oct. 23 outside the museum's northwest corner, Ullberg feels his career has come full circle.
"My favorite place in the whole world, when I was a little kid, was my Natural History Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden," Ullberg recalled. "I spent every minute there I could and then I studied there. So now I can pass it on."
Arts District is a collaboration of KUNC, RMPBS, and KUVO.
