The Artist

Aaron Nicholson has lived in Muncie for over a decade moving here from Indianapolis in 2012.  In 2023 he began to share his idea for placing a monumental sculpture of Bear Lodge Butte somewhere in Muncie to highlight its connection to the Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming via the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  As a sculptor Nicholson is concerned with the relationship that humans have with the natural world and the earth’s relationship to the universe.  The idea of honoring a natural geological formation by erecting a permanent iron sculpture is consistent with his worldview.  It is especially appropriate in Muncie Indiana which already has several large public sculptures of Native Americans from the American West placed prominently that have become closely tied to the city’s identity. It would be a significant addition to Muncie’s stellar collection of public sculptures and the first to honor the unique landscape of the American West so important to the Native Americans depicted in Muncie’s public sculptures, while at the same time tie Muncie’s identity to American popular culture.

Nicholson obtained Three-Dimensional scans of Bear Lodge from the National Park Service and completed a 12 inch tall iron maquette. He traveled to the Devil’s Tower National Monument and met with staff to obtain more detailed scans necessary to scale it up to 12 feet.  Keeping production of the sculpture within Indiana is very important to Nicholson.  He has identified a corporation in nearby Decatur Indiana which makes precision molds using 3-D printers for engine blocks and machine parts.  He has identified a foundry in New Castle Indiana where the entire mold can be assembled.  The iron will be heated in large ladles and poured continuously until the entire 12 foot mold is filled.  This process could take several days and will be a spectacular site to witness.