In May 2017, a violent storm toppled a 180-year-old bur oak onto the front yard of a lakeside home at 2217 E Lake of the Isles Parkway. Rather than haul it away, homeowners John and Amy Higgins enlisted wood sculptor Curtis Ingvoldstad to transform the remaining 20‑foot, 32‑inch diameter snag into an enormous yellow No. 2 pencil, complete with a ferrule and pink eraser, preserving its legacy as living art in a nod to the region’s oak‑savanna roots.
Crafted in spring 2022, the giant pencil stands as a playful symbolic object, evoking nostalgia and potential – echoing Minneapolis’s history of oversized everyday sculptures like Spoonbridge and Cherry.
Each June, the community gathers for its annual “sharpening”: a ceremonial trimming of the tip using a custom-built gigantic sharpener, overseen by Ingvoldstad, drawing a large crowd of pencil lovers. The event features a pep band, DJ, ice cream, T‑shirt slingshots, storytelling, and even alphorn music.
A living sculpture in the truest sense, the pencil changes subtly each year through the ritual, embracing transformation and the acceptance of change as time passes. It’s fun and quirky, yet profoundly rooted in environmental and cultural reflection.
