Natick Chainsaw Massacre: Artists Wanted For Stump

NATICK, MA — Natick is searching for an artist who can help create a sculpture that will be carved with perhaps the bluntest of all artistic tools.

After cutting down a maple tree to make way for the Erica Ball Community Garden, the stump was kept in place to be turned into a sculpture. Now the town needs design ideas that will be used to carve up the stump with a chainsaw.

The town will accept design submissions for the 100-inch-tall stump through March 1. The chosen artist will get a $500 stipend. The actual chainsaw work will be handled by Michael Legassey, owner of Wood Wizards Carvings.

The Erica Ball Community Garden, located at 72 South Main St., is expected to open in May. The garden will offer 40 plots to residents, with priority going to low-income residents. In 1975, Erica "Ricky" Ball became the first woman to win a seat on the Natick Select Board (then called the Board of Selectmen), but had long been active in political activism before that.

The Erica Ball garden was funded by a Metropolitan Area Planning Council grant "to build resilience to climate change, by reducing food insecurity and increasing social resilience among vulnerable populations," according to the town.

To learn more about submitting designs for the stump, read this document.