For more than 25 years, the Emerald Ash Borer has devastated ash trees throughout Michigan and much of the Midwest. Most of the trees that don’t survive simply end up as stumps. But one—a century-old white ash that stood on the grounds of ODC—has ended up in an international art festival, instead. 

ODC Network’s Vice President of Operations, Mike Oosting, salvaged the tree and let it season in his studio for seven years. Then, he spent about 1,000 hours carving. The result is Peace Dance, a sculpture in which a group of cranes emerges from the hollowed trunk, caught mid-dance. It’s now on view at ArtPrize through Saturday, October 3 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, standing as proof that ecological loss still leaves behind something worth saving.

The piece is also a natural extension of Mike’s career. A former log-home builder with a background in landscape architecture, he founded ODC’s nature play division. His presence can be seen throughout West Michigan in the nature-based play spaces where children are free to explore—balancing on logs, climbing over boulders, and digging in the dirt. More than 50 of these projects now exist in our community, and they exist because someone believed that children (and adults) deserve to touch, climb, and explore the natural world—not just look at it.

Peace Dance invites that same exploration. Mike carved the hollow trunk as an interactive space—a sanctuary of light and shadow that invites viewers to look through and into the wood. 

See Peace Dance at ArtPrize through October 3—and don’t forget to vote! 

Your first vote must be cast within the ArtPrize event boundaries. Voting ends on Friday, October 2. 

You can learn more about Mike’s art at michael-oosting.art.