Emeritus, a massive sculpture by John Grade (American, born in 1970 in Minneapolis, MN), is inspired by the form of a missing tree. Emeritus, suspended in the heart of Oregon State University’s Giant Sequoias, lets viewers glance vertically into the hollow, ghostly realm of an imagined fourth trunk, composed of tens of thousands of cast and carved pieces that reference the species’ cones, needles, and branches.  John collaborates with his studio team to create immersive large-scale, site-specific installations that are inspired by changing geological and biological shapes and processes in the natural world.  Kinetics, impermanence, and chance are frequently emphasized in … Continue reading A Kinetic Sculpture that Highlights the Delicate Relationship Between Trees and Wildfires: John Grade’s Emeritus