Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
BURLINGTON — Shop owners, tourists and locals spilled onto Main Street near Pine Street on Wednesday, called by the percussion instruments penetrating the quiet morning and a parade of dreamlike geese puppets floating overhead.
The procession was to celebrate the installation of “Lakebone,” a sculpture of a black locust tree about the length of a school bus.
First arriving by rail, the tree was then loaded onto a truck and escorted by enthusiastic civilians up Battery Street. The sculpture found its resting place on Main Street, just adjacent to North Star Sports. The tree is hoisted 12 feet in the air, supported by stands beneath the left and right sides of the trunk.
Designed by artist Nancy Winship Milliken, the piece was commissioned by the City of Burlington as part of the ongoing Great Streets Main Street makeover. The construction, which has disrupted downtown for months, is nearly wrapped up.
“It’s joyous for Burlington,” Milliken said. “It’s a celebration of nature and the natural elements of Burlington.”
Milliken began creating the piece in 2023 using a black locust tree from the historic Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte. The tree was already slated to be removed.
In order to preserve and sculpt the tree, it was shaped down to its essential elements. Precarious limbs were removed, and the roots were carved to promote water drainage. A patina was also applied to the wood’s surface, giving the sculpture its eye-catching white appearance.
“It’s just amazing. The fact that that’s a real tree, and that it’s preserved the way it is,” said Sarah Russell, who heard about the art piece on social media.
“There are so many artists who need places like this to put their work,” she continued. “Maybe that’s part of why Vermont is special. That’s one reason I live here.”
“Lakebone” has many layered meanings that developed over the creation of the sculpture. The piece began as an ode to trees and how they maintain the health of the Champlain Valley. As a site-specific artist, Milliken’s work often explores the joyful relationships between humans and nature.
“I prefer to highlight the positive aspects — the conservation groups doing great work, the beauty of trees and all the things trees can do for a community,” she said.
The black locust tree was originally selected for the piece because of its durability.
“It will resist rot and be just as hard 30 years from now as it is today,” said Colin Storrs, the public art manager at Burlington City Arts.
Black locusts are also steeped in Vermont history, having been used for fence posts by sheep farmers in the 1800s. The sculpture calls back to Burlington’s history as a major lumber hub in the mid-19th century when companies distributed their product by rail.
Milliken and BCA partnered with Vermont Rail System for the project. “The black locust appeared, and then we thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we should reverse the historical journey and bring the tree back into the city by rail,” Milliken said.
Lying horizontally, the tree’s white limbs and roots stretch out above the sidewalk. The visual mimics logs floating on Lake Champlain and harkens to the piece’s title, “Lakebone,” Milliken’s term for driftwood. Underneath the trunk is a planter bed, which was created in collaboration with Bee the Change, a Vermont organization that promotes the planting of pollinator gardens including in solar fields. The bed will feature pollinator plants, which also reduce water runoff.
“It’s a really wild-looking thing to put in the city. And it’s a nice idea to put something wild-looking,” onlooker Steve Russo said.
Fellow passerby Trevor Hawk agreed.
“Think about how many tourists are going to walk by it and how many locals are going to walk by and say, ‘What the heck is that?’” he said.
Hawk and his wife, who were downtown to eat breakfast, first assumed the road closure was due to construction. But their bewilderment didn’t last long.
“We saw it was this giant piece of driftwood, and we were just excited,” he said.
The couple’s enthusiasm only grew as they saw the parade that accompanied the artwork. Local drummers greeted attendees at the corner of Main and Battery streets and led the procession of the sculpture with their various rhythmic tunes. Both Milliken and BCA wanted the installation of the piece to be a shared experience.
“This piece is for the community,” Storrs said. “It’s not for the artist, BCA or the city. It’s meant for everybody to come out and enjoy, love and participate in.”
For Nancy Stetson, who works in the city’s planning department, the near-end of construction on Main Street was cause for celebration.
“The community struggled with putting together Main Street and all the construction. But I think it’s a nice way to sort of clear the air and remind us that we did make the street better,” she said.
As the drumming died down and the crowd dispersed, the sculpture’s striking white figure remained. Milliken said she hopes people find inspiration in the piece.
“I really want the community to embrace it and get something from it—enjoy it, find new meaning about the environment when they look at it,” she said.