Are We Walking to Alaska

Are We Walking to Alaska
Are We Walking to Alaska - A True Story

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunsweep

These three sculptures were done by artist David Barr - made of polished Canadian Granite, he  installed markers at three sites along the Canadian/United States border.  All three locations are in the United States - but access to all three is only through Canada - you must cross into Canada, travel a distance and then cross back into the US to get to the sculptures.


The sculptures were made and donated by David Barr in 1985. 
The Western sculpture is in Point Roberts, Washington, accessed through British Columbia.  The photos of that sculpture were taken on a trip we made to Point Roberts.  There are four border  crossings to complete this trip.

A pair of sculptures are located about half-way between the end sculptures, at Lake-of-the-Woods, Minnesota, an island accessible only by boat -  a short trip through Canada to reach the US property  

The eastern sculpture is on Ragged Point - on Campobello Island - near President Franklin Roosevelt's summer home, again accessed by crossing into Canada and then back into US territory. 

Because the long border between Canada and the US lies under the path of the sun as it moves from east to west, Barr’s work is called Sunsweep. 

The arch-shaped stones, each about five feet high, are the ends of a conceptual arch, set on each coast. In between, in Minnesota, are two wedge-shaped pieces that complete the arch.  The arch is aligned to the North Star, the Equinoxes and Solstice.

We have only visited the arch in Pt. Roberts Washington - the other photos are from Wikipedia.

9 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love the name JoAnn - brilliant explanation.

Small City Scenes said...

Interesting. The one in Point Roberts looks wet the sunshine on the rest. Of course what does one expect from Washington. LOL---spoken like a true native. MB

Jeanne said...

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that.

Pamela Gordon said...

Wow, that is so interesting! If I ever get to Campobello Island again I will try to remember to look for it there. Thanks for visiting and your comment. The storm is very bad. Sigh.... Have a good week. Pamela

Kay said...

The Pt. Roberts one looks as if it was broken and repaired...or was that the way it was meant to be?

Lorrie said...

This is fascinating, JoAnn, I learn so much from other bloggers.

greenthumb said...

A very interesting post.

Julie Fukuda said...

How interesting that you need to go through Canada to see them. I have relatives with a summer cabin at Lake-of-the-Woods.

J said...

I've never heard of these and really enjoyed the story. They have such an aura of mystery about them!