Verena Schwippert’s Von Menschenhand now at Home in Walla Walla – March/Apr 2008- Sept/Oct 2006

On July the 16th, last summer, a truck owned by Walla Walla Community College arrived at my doorstep in Arlington, WA. They were there to collect the three finished, six ton hands and to whisk them over the passes to their new home.

I had also hired the local cement company’s crane truck, which arrived shortly after to lift the boulders onto the long lowboy trailer. Tracy Powell had already carefully cinched the lifting straps around each hand. What would I have done without Tracy on this commission? He was an indefatigable worker and carver, doing much of the seemingly unending fretting and chisel work.

The hands got tied down tightly and off they went over the mountains and through the valleys. Heading out myself, I stopped to collect Leon White (the super buddy) and we took off in pursuit of those three boulders.

Early next morning we drove to the campus and located the truck with its precious cargo still aboard. By the time we waited around for the forklift and some helpers to show up, the temperature was at 105 degrees. This was not an ideal temperature in which to do the difficult work of installing heavy granite, but we pitched in and did it anyway. During the two hours it took, we gathered a few spectators and a video was made by the College’s media dept, recording sweat and all.

Months later on October 11th came the joyous day of dedication. The night before I had a dinner at a Walla Walla restaurant with fourteen of my friends; a fact that was really touching to me. Amongst them were Karl and Sally Hufbauer and Petra Brambrink with her family. And a great feast it was.

The dedication next day was a little scant in relation to the art, in spite of a great number of dignitaries being there, including Christine Gregoire, our governor. They were there mainly for the dedication of the building, though a photo was taken with the Gov. and me in front of my art where she said to me, “I really like your sculptures.” Isn’t that nice.

After writing a few final reports for the Washington State Arts Commission, my contract is now fulfilled. Their agent told me that this particular project was an exceptionally smooth process. The ease seems to lie in the simplicity of concept and the kind of plop down installation.

Ed note: Next time you are in Walla Walla, check out Verena’s granite hands by dropping by the WWCC campus. It’s at 500 Tausick Way, a couple miles south of the airport.