Ed Galloway’s fabled Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, will be the center of a lecture series and workshops in August.
Artist Erin Turner is designing the “Totem as Monument and Archive” programming to offer a historical and contemporary context for the park, which is three miles off Route 66 on Highway 28A.
Totem Pole Park remains a popular side trip for many Route 66 travelers.
Turner played a big role in the big totem pole’s restoration a few years ago. She recently was interviewed by Tulsa People magazine about her work.
According to the Claremore Daily Progress:
Through this series, participants will examine the function and role of monumentality, consider how the archive functions in the restoration of historic structures, how tourism on Route 66 has shaped this site, and look at similar artist-built environments in the area.
At the base of all these inquiries, we will look at the intricacies of cultural appropriation both at the time that the Totem Pole Park was constructed, as well as presently, with the intention of continuing to interpret the park as an art site with criticality and from multiple perspectives. Participants will have the opportunity to learn restoration techniques through hands-on work and propose complementary projects that contribute to the park’s long-term goals.
The workshops will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park on Aug. 1-4 and Aug. 16-19. There is a fee for the workshops; you can reserve a spot by applying here.
The free lectures will be at other locations.
One lecture at 3 p.m. on Aug. 6 will be at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum Auditorium in Claremore. The other will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 20 at The Center for Public Secrets in Tulsa,
Galloway built the main totem pole between 1937 and 1948, though other structures were built at the park.
The Rogers County Historical Society owns the property, and Totem Pole Park eventually was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Image of Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma, by Pom’ via Flickr)