Vermont Rail System began the official journey for the installation of Lakebone, a monumental new public sculpture on Burlington’s Main St. by local artist Nancy Winship Milliken, to it’s new permanent home in Burlington, VT.
Through coordination with the Burlington City Arts, the 48-foot Black Locust tree was moved by rail to the lakefront rail yard of VRS, and will then be transloaded and trucked through downtown Burlington in a celebratory procession led by local musicians and community partners on June 3. The journey will begin near Main and Battery Streets and end at its permanent location at 100-110 Main Street, just east of Pine Street.
Envisioned by Milliken, Lakebone links Burlington’s past and future through wood, water, and ecological health. It draws on the city’s history as a lumber and rail center while underscoring the importance of forests, floodplains, and watershed stewardship throughout the Lake Champlain Basin.
By bringing a tree back to the city by rail, the artist reverses the historic movement of timber out of Burlington. Once installed, the work will hang above a pollinator meadow created with Bee the Change, encouraging reflection on the systems that support both urban and natural environments.
