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2015 December 19
by Kasia Ozga

Arbor Vitae is a publicly accessible sculpture that re-uses locally sourced industrial materials to address a theme important to Nebraska City's history and culture; man’s relationship to nature. The plastic white tree with black and grey accents, was made by assembling together differently-sized pipes, used in electricity, sewers, and construction. These "man-made" materials may seem completely different from the "natural" wood found in the nearby Arbor Day Farm, but in fact, both materials have been manipulated by humans to respond to our needs. The sculpture is located on the site of a former row of crab apple trees that were destroyed due to blight. Materials were donated by Crown-Line Plastics, and the project was supported by the Kimmel Harding Nelson Residency in Nebraska City, NE.