Wild Westerly Winds Expose Local Artist's Creation

The effects of high winds on Green Bay were quite evident yesterday as water receded from the shoreline throughout the day. By noon, areas were left high and dry that have been covered with water for over two years. This effect, called a seiche (pronounced say-sh) emptied hundreds of millions of gallons of water through a process much like blowing on a hot bowl of soup. Because of the opening at "Death's Door", this water was allowed to flow out of the Bay and into the larger body of water, Lake Michigan. The water level dropped nearly two feet overnight and as winds continued throughout the day, more and more lake bed was exposed.

This brought artist, Tony C. Saladino, back to his creation just after noon. He spent several hours adding to the work. He also spent time repairing storm damage and the effects of waves on his creation. Saladino recognizes it as an homage to Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty that was constructed in the Great Salt Lake. That piece is based on a spiral as well, but this newer work looks more like a nautilus shell, ever expanding to represent spiritual growth over time that the artist believes is critical to human life. The difference between myself and Smithson is that he marshaled hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire diesel trucks, their drivers, a quarry and their massive machines, in effect making a huge carbon footprint as well as a sculpture. "Ever since I saw the movie about the construction of Spiral Jetty, I have wanted to do a work that would be a counterpoint to it." says Saladino This work, which remains unnamed, has been completely created with human energy and on-site materials. "Ten years ago, when I started to work on this piece, it took over 140 hours of work before I could recognize it as a spiral from shore" Now with over 500 hours of harvesting fist size and larger stones from the lake bed, he has created a work that is visible from satellite. The last time Saladino measured it, the spiral measured about sixty by one-hundred and sixty feet. "It is substantially larger than my city lot." he said.

He has created dozens of environmental pieces around both Green Bay and other places in which he has lived. Several have been on the campus of UWGB, where he has studied art. His largest piece filled the area between the library and the Weidner center for the Performing Arts. That piece was created using over three hundred large circles cut from felt that was cast off from a paper mill. The pink felt was set off by the vibrant green of the lawns that Spring. Saladino got some photos of his work from the eighth floor of the library. His art was almost immediately removed because it was deemed a "hazard" by grounds crews. It is hard to find a five acre site to exhibit that kind of work, but Saladino continues to create exceptionally large pieces just the same.

"What I love most about my spiral in the bay, is that when the water is high, the gulls and pelicans stand on the rocks. Then it becomes a living sculpture defined by the white birds." Tony said. The homeowners who live adjacent to the spiral pile of rocks have enjoyed it for years and wonder at what motivates Saladino to create such large works. his answer, "The little knoll of sandbar that it sits on called to me one day. I imagined the hundreds of thousands of stones littering the lake bed cleared away so that the sandy bottom would be inviting for wading children. I also thought that by working with nature's energies, I could enhance the habitat for creatures while making a statement about the spiritual need for humans to relate to the planet." Some folks were sad to see it retreat below the waves since the low water levels that led to it's creation were only temporary, but Saladino loves the fact that even submerged, the art is visible with the help of local birds.

Like the mound builders from ancient cultures Saladino says that his life is given perspective by these creations and his actions honor eternal energies and spiritual factors that are with us every day. "I have yet to build an eagle mound or a serpent mound" he says, "but I have visited some of them many times and in many places. The energies that they reflect is honored in my work too." Saladino sees our self imposed rift between humankind and nature as a pathology. "In our current culture we rush to find cures for cancer, but have no problem using products that cause the disease." The good news is that people are slowly becoming aware of our need to depend on the health of the planet for our own health. If it takes another thousand years, Saladino believes, we will one day live in harmony with the planet.