Josh writes:

In June of 2017, I enjoyed 2 weeks as the Artist in Residence at the Calumet Artist Residency in Gary, IN. One of the highlights of this residency was a new iteration of the EAB sculpture. With close proximity to Detroit (the point of entry for the EAB in the US) the ash trees of Northwest Indiana were an early target for infestation. The Gary sculpture is meant to be a memorial for the lost trees of this area, but also to promote awareness about other native / invasive plants and pests in this fragile national lakeshore ecosystem. The Sculpture is located in Marquette Park, a public park that connects the national park's black oak savanna & the lagoons of the calumet river to a a popular public beach that looks out to the vastness of Lake Michigan. The sculpture will be a feature of a new native-plant educational garden in the park. Unlike the Minnesota sculptures, this iteration doubles as a planter spouting native species from the trunk of the memorialized concrete ash. In my experience, Gary has a wealth of passionate people working hard for positive change. With this sculpture, there is an element of rebirth or growth from decay, that reflects the optimism of the natural world and the people of Gary.