Aza, the 10-foot-tall mosaic sculpture overlooking Basin Park, has a new perch following Herculean work done Sunday, Dec. 8, by about 20 volunteers to save the 3,000-lb. sculpture some refer to as the Basin Park goddess.
Aza was built about seven years ago on private property next to the walking path on the south side of Basin Park. The new owner of that property told the artist, Bruce Anderson, that she had religious objections to the statue and felt people were worshipping her. But the property owner gave permission for the statue be moved.
Initially plans were to move Aza to the Farm, a concert venue located northwest of Eureka Springs. But when volunteers started to move the sculpture, it quickly became apparent that the sculpture was too heavy and fragile to be moved so far.
“Lifting her up the wall, it became clear that were not going to be able to move her all the way to the Farm,” said KD Schade, who helped organize the rescue effort. “Fuzzy had a dream the night before that Aza would be sitting at the top of the steps at Basin Park on his property. This allows her to continue to look out over Basin Park and the city as intended. It felt like the best answer for everybody. You can see her better. It is beautiful. I think Fuzzy will work on lighting her, and the artist, Bruce, will make any minor repairs necessary.”
The work was coordinated by Latigo Treuer and his crew with Ozark Construction Company, which helped build a ramp to move the statue. Ropes were attached and people power used to pull the weighty artwork up the steep hill.
“It was insane the amount of pulling it took,” Schade said. “We had to do it in increments. It was quite a feat. It was amazing.”
Schade said the property owner was very kind and supportive of moving Aza to a safe space.
“I want to thank her for allowing us on her property and trusting us to follow through on the outlandish plan I brought to her,” Schade said. “Everyone has their own walk of life and should feel safe in their own space. Also, I’m grateful to my mother, Lorna, for pointing out the sculpture was in danger. We couldn’t have done it without Latigo and his crew, and the community that showed up to the call for action. We also appreciate Richard Quick for documenting the move and to Fuzzy for giving her a new home and allowing us access to his land.”
Treuer said he met with Anderson this past week to discuss the process. The statue held a want that had to be removed. That will be replaced. Although challenging, Treuer said it was a fun project.
“We built a ramp and a cradle and then we moved it up to Fuzzy’s property pretty much just by hand,” Treuer said. “We had a lot of people to help us. The Farm was a player in planning this because they created the buzz saying where it was supposed to go. Hill Country helped us out. They gave us a lot of lumber and building materials to make it happen. Kd did the communication between volunteers and the owner of the statue.”
He said the hardest part about the entire project was when he had to meet with the artist who made the statue and help him understand why someone wouldn’t want that statue.
“It is hard looking at an artist and telling him his art wasn’t appreciated,” Treuer said.
Treuer gave big credit to his crew.
“They really busted butt,” Treuer said. “We were only allowed two days to be on the property and we could have used more time. If I ever say, ‘On the count of 1,2,3’ or hear ‘1,2,3,’ I’ll always think about that day. And I’m pretty sure everyone there will also have the same thought.”