Thousands of melting crayons ignite wildfire education
On the heels of the devastating 2011 wildfire season in Texas, Herb Williams of Nashville, Tennessee, created this outdoor sculpture exhibit titled Unwanted Visitor: Portrait of Wildfire. Displayed last fall at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas, Williams’s sculptures stood up to eight feet tall and were covered in tens of thousands of Crayola crayons.
Just as fire transforms a landscape, the crayon sculptures themselves transformed throughout the exhibition by melting in the hot, dry, and windy Texas weather. In addition, educational programs for all ages on the causes and effects of wildfires and the purposes of prescribed burning took place in conjunction with the exhibit.
Williams, one of the few individuals in the world having an account with Crayola, is currently working on a wave sculpture for a new project dealing with water conservation and creative solutions to extended droughts.
For more on his work, visit www.herbwilliamsart.com. See more photos from the Lubbock exhibit here.
