From the moment Oliver was placed in his spot at the southeast corner of Evergreen Parkway and Stagecoach Blvd, he became a popular community icon. Carefully woven from wire and painted to withstand the elements, Oliver was created by Jeff Best of Devil’s Rope Studio in Clare, Michigan (www.devilsropestudio.com).
In 2016, Jeff Best received a call from a gentleman who had seen his barbed wire draft horses on display in the city of Mt Pleasant, Michigan for an art competition. The gentleman asked if Jeff could make a full-size Friesian that looked like his wife’s horse Oliver to give to her as a Christmas present. With that, Oliver was born. With their permission to use the name Oliver, Jeff created a brother Oliver who traveled 1400 miles in the Spring of 2018 to his new home for the year in Evergreen, Colorado.
Not long after, Oliver’s popularity reached back to Jeff in Michigan. Jeff explains, “In the fall of 2018, I was competing in an art competition in Grand Rapids Michigan called Art Prize 10. This is an international art competition that attracts hundreds of thousands of art enthusiasts from all over the country. I typically stay with my piece during the three-week exhibition, so I talk to many, many people during my stay. One particular day I was talking to a person that asked me if I made anything but wildlife. I responded that I indeed did and had a large Friesian horse in Evergreen, Colorado. Just at that moment a lady just happened by and overheard the conversation. She said… ‘is that horse you speak of named Oliver?’ I responded with I’m sure a perplexed look, ‘why yes, it is’. She continued, ‘I’m from Evergreen and I drive by Oliver every day as I head to work’. What are the chances that this lady would be walking by me just as I talked about a horse sculpture I made in Evergreen and then know the sculptures name while being 1400 miles from home? It was a pretty amazing event for me and warmed my heart thinking of the wide influence Oliver has had in such a short period of time.“
According to Dale Glover of Sculpture Evergreen, Oliver was originally brought to Evergreen as one of the temporary pieces for Sculpture Evergreen’s annual sculpture walk. Most temporary pieces stay in place for one year, from June 1st to June 1st. Since 2019 is the 25th anniversary year of Sculpture Evergreen, they had a goal of increasing awareness of the organization in the Evergreen community. They picked Oliver as the symbol of the anniversary celebration because of his prominent location.
Next the fundraising effort was kicked off in January 2019 to purchase Oliver and add him to the permanent collection, now at 37 pieces around Evergreen. The fundraising effort for Oliver was a little too successful and didn’t allow much time for promotion, raising the funds in about 3 weeks! In addition to the purchase of Oliver, they budgeted for the improvement of the site that will be completed in late June.
In order to continue the promotion of Sculpture Evergreen and celebrate their 25th year, Jeff Best delivered a Baby Oliver to Evergreen the first weekend of June. This new 6′ tall Baby Oliver (the original Oliver is 8’) will be raffled off by Sculpture Evergreen throughout the summer at the Lake Concerts, Evergreen Rodeo, Summerfest, Evergreen Fine Arts Festival and a few other events. Baby Oliver will be at each of those events, so people can stop by their booth, check him out, and buy tickets! Tickets are $25 or 5 for $100. The drawing will be held at the Boogie at the Barn October 25th, but ticket buyers do not need to be present to win. Funds raised will be used to continue expanding the collection of outdoor sculpture throughout the Evergreen community. You can also contact Dale Glover directly for tickets at dalehglover@yahoo.com or call 425-260-9399.
Oliver is just one of the many sculptures around town that is a part of the Sculpture Walk created by Sculpture Evergreen in 1999. This yearly competition brings a lively diversity of high-quality sculpture to the mountain area. Artwork is selected from many submissions and then loaned to Sculpture Evergreen for a year. Each of the artists whose work is selected is paid an honorarium and awards are given to those voted by the public as the favorites.
A trail map showing the locations of the permanent sculptures and Sculpture Walk art is produced each year and widely distributed throughout the greater Evergreen area. A map of the sculptures is also available at www.sculptureevergreen.org. The “Guide by Cell” feature enables viewers to use their cell phone for a self-guided tour. Each sculpture has a plaque with the Guide by Cell number (303-562-0435), and the sculptures unique number. The tour provides a narrative about each sculpture, the artist’s inspiration, what to look for and why.
Each of the sculptures is for sale, and some have become part of the permanent collection, thanks to donations from individuals, grants from the (SCFD) and Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) and others. Sculpture Evergreen is also indebted to the generous property owners who allow sculptures to be placed in accessible and scenic locations throughout the community. Oliver found his prominent spot when Andrew McWilliams, Managing Broker and part owner of RE/MAX Alliance Evergreen and Conifer recognized the potential of the location and contacted Sculpture Evergreen about using it for an installation.
In addition to Baby Oliver, Jeff Best delivered a Bugling Elk that is now located at the Lutheran Church on Meadow Drive. He stated, “I’m so blessed to be selected to come back to Evergreen once again this year. Bringing Baby Oliver and well as a large Bugling Elk. Evergreen has been very good for me and my work at Devils Rope Studio. I’m a truly blessed man.”
Look for opportunities throughout the summer to buy tickets and own your own Oliver!
Heather McWilliams © 2019
