Minneapolis Ritual Sharpens Giant Pencil Sculpture Annually

Over 2,000 residents gathered in a scenic Minneapolis neighborhood Saturday for one of the city’s most unusual traditions—the ceremonial sharpening of a 20-foot-tall wooden pencil sculpture that has become a beloved community spectacle.

The fourth annual Lake of the Isles Pencil Sharpening drew crowds to the historic Bull Higgins house, where artist Curtis Ingvoldstad’s towering No. 2 pencil sculpture received its yearly maintenance in a celebration filled with music, dance, and community spirit.

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From Storm Damage to Community Art

The unusual sculpture originated from tragedy when fierce winds twisted the crown off a beloved mammoth oak tree at John and Amy Higgins’ home near Lake of the Isles. Rather than simply removing the damaged tree, the couple envisioned transforming it into whimsical public art that everyone could recognize and appreciate.

Artist Curtis Ingvoldstad shaped the 32-inch diameter oak trunk into the iconic yellow pencil in 2022, complete with a pink eraser and metal ferrule. According to Associated Press, the couple chose a pencil design because “everybody uses a pencil” and it represents something universally accessible and meaningful.

Elaborate Sharpening Ceremony

This year’s sharpening ceremony featured particularly spectacular entertainment, including nine dancers dressed as No. 2 pencils performing to Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U” before setting off purple smoke bombs. The celebration honored what would have been Prince’s 67th birthday by distributing commemorative purple pencils to attendees.

Swiss alphorn players provided musical accompaniment as Ingvoldstad and his team hoisted a custom-made 4-foot wooden pencil sharpener onto scaffolding to reach the sculpture’s tip. The crowd cheered as wood shavings were ceremonially thrown to spectators below, creating a shower of symbolic offerings.

Philosophy of Impermanence

The annual sharpening embodies themes of sacrifice, community, and the passage of time. Each year, the pencil loses 3 to 10 inches of height, gradually shrinking from its original majesty. Ingvoldstad views this deterioration as essential to the artwork’s meaning and impact on the community.

“Like any ritual, you’ve got to sacrifice something,” Ingvoldstad explained. “So we’re sacrificing part of the monumentality of the pencil, so that we can give that to the audience that comes, and say, ‘This is our offering to you, and in goodwill to all the things that you’ve done this year.'” The artist embraces the sculpture’s eventual reduction to a stub as part of its natural lifecycle.

Community Response and Growth

The event has grown dramatically from its modest beginnings, with this year’s attendance temporarily blocking traffic for nearly an hour as thousands of people gathered to witness the spectacle. Families brought children, grandparents attended with multiple generations, and social media documentation has spread awareness far beyond Minneapolis.

According to Star Tribune, first-time attendee Mallory Snyder described the event as “really lighthearted” and appreciated the ceremonial aspect of the community gathering. The celebration has become a summer tradition that brings neighbors together around shared absurdity and joy.

Artistic Context and Legacy

The pencil sculpture joins Minneapolis’s tradition of prominent public art featuring oversized everyday objects, including works by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. The Lake of the Isles area already features Oldenburg’s “Floating Peel” sculpture, a giant half-peeled banana installed in 2003.

The pencil’s location near one of Minnesota’s most popular attractions—Lake of the Isles sees over five million visitors annually—ensures continued public engagement with the artwork. The historic setting adds gravitas to what might otherwise be dismissed as simple novelty art.

Future Uncertainty and Acceptance

Unlike permanent installations made of durable materials, the wooden pencil embraces transience as a core element of its artistic statement. The Higgins family and Ingvoldstad have accepted that they may eventually reduce the sculpture to an unusable stub, viewing this potential outcome as part of the artwork’s natural evolution.

Plans exist to potentially relocate the pencil for permanent display when it becomes too small for effective sharpening ceremonies. The creators emphasize that uncertainty about the sculpture’s future reflects broader themes about accepting change and finding meaning in temporary experiences that bring communities together.

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