ROGERS, Ark. — They say after every tragedy there is at least one positive to come from it. The Memorial Day weekend tornado outbreak in Northwest Arkansas this year is no exception.
Two local artists have found a silver lining from that day, taking damage and debris from that horrible weekend and turned it into a work of art.
Tom Flynn and Michael Pantzer spent the entire summer gathering items that were damaged from the tornadoes, including 500 springs from trampolines that were thrown around.
After months of hard work, their sculpture is complete.
"This is what I call found object metal sculpture, and as much of we could as we could, we used debris from the storm," Flynn said.
"When I saw all the damage, the damages and the devastation the next day on TV, I came to the conclusion, you know, there should be some type of a sculpture as a symbol, as a memorial, for the community," Pantzer added.
Each trampoline spring had to be soaked in vinegar, then put in the forge and stretched and put into the shape needed for the piece.
Pantzer said they collected enough items to be transformed into what he calls a presentation of a natural disaster that anyone can see.
"We collected sheet metal from siding and roofing sections, and then we had also other materials in they decided to have a town and, you know, so I kind of took it up on me to, you know, form houses out of sheet metal, make the church and what scrap metal pieces we can use," Pantzer said.
Both men said it was a project they simply had to do.
"The sculpture was driving us. It was no longer, when do we want to work on this? It was like, this needs to be done. And it was literally on a day-by-day basis of where we discussed what needs to happen tomorrow. And it seemed, it almost seemed like the sculpture had a soul and was pushing us to get finished," Pantzer said.
"The sculpture is supposed to help with grieving. What I've been saying is that Arkansans are a tough lot, and they don't grieve like normal people. The fact that this [piece] has the 12 tiny little trampolines. It's a little bit funny, and I think that this can cause help people with their grief," Flynn added.
Now that the project is finally finished, the two said they are looking for a home or a buyer for their masterpiece.
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