The man who built the Arc of History

The man who built the Arc of History

The artist speaks about Durango’s most controversial artwork
Tom Holmes stands with his Arc of History shortly after its installation in August 2014 at the U.S. Highway 550/160 intersection. The sculpture was vandalized this year, and Holmes plans to make repairs early next year.
Tom Holmes cuts stone for the Arc of History. “The stones themselves will speak forever, plangent as they wash up on the beach as sand,” he wrote in an email to the Herald.
Tom Holmes up close. “There is no separation between who I am and what I make or do,” he wrote in an email to the Herald.

The man who built the Arc of History

Tom Holmes stands with his Arc of History shortly after its installation in August 2014 at the U.S. Highway 550/160 intersection. The sculpture was vandalized this year, and Holmes plans to make repairs early next year.
Tom Holmes cuts stone for the Arc of History. “The stones themselves will speak forever, plangent as they wash up on the beach as sand,” he wrote in an email to the Herald.
Tom Holmes up close. “There is no separation between who I am and what I make or do,” he wrote in an email to the Herald.
Timeline

August 2014: Arc of History is erected.
October 2014: Dinosaur head appears on sculpture.
November 2014: Teen bandits pilfer the head, and then turn it over to police.
November 2014: Dino head artist Benjamin Foisel contacts Durango Police Department to claim his artwork.
November 2014: Karen Zink bids $5,000 on dino head in auction to give to husband, Jerry Zink. Money is donated to Durango Arts Center.
February 2015: Chinese dragon head appears on sculpture.
February 2015: Harsh winds topple Chinese dragon head. Police recover it with plans to throw it out.
March 2015: Replica “arcs” appear alongside original sculpture.
April 2015: Egg nest appears beneath Arc.
May 2015: Baby dinos appear to have hatched.
July 2015: Unidentified vandals desecrate sculpture.
August 2015: Durango Public Art Commission agrees to restore Arc.
Spring 2016: Scheduled restoration of the Arc and surveillance camera installation.

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