title: The Emigrant

description:
The Emigrant (brass, steel, copper, concrete) is a permanent, outdoor sculpture designed and built by Bart Woodstrup and Andy Baack in 1998.

The plow blade is the “Emigrant.” We named it “The Emigrant” after learning about an actual plow blade built in this area with that name. Currently the main degradation of this Midwest soil is, arguably, the “urban sprawl” that is surrounding small farm communities like Sycamore. So it seemed fitting to name it something that dealt with the migration of people to this town, and had a historical tie to the area. The shape is an abstract of both a plow shape and the shape of a wave. Symbolizing the wave of new people, new technology that is developing Sycamore.

Local farmer Warren Pearson, had a farm on the north side of Sycamore. Each year, the Boy Scouts would have a campout in his woods. I remember waking up early on the second day of the campout in order to look for arrowheads that were being uncovered by Warren’s plow. I never found one, but many others did. There were plenty to find, and probably still are. This made quite an impression on me. I always wondered what happened to all those Native Americans. I sometimes wonder what our sons and daughters are going to say about what we’re doing to their land. We’re killing the land. I wish those Native Americans were still around to teach us a thing or two. The arrowheads are their ghosts. Every time we turn the soil and find an arrowhead, we are reminded of their story.

The Emigrant is located in front of the Sycamore Public Library, at State St. and Main St., Sycamore, Illinois - a small farming community on the edge of the Chicago suburbs. The project was partially funded through the "1% for art" commission, which was awarded in coordination with the annexation of the library in 1996.

format: copper, steel, brass, sculpture

exhibitions:

1998 - permanent
Sycamore Public Library, Sycamore, IL