5th Annual Sharpening | Lake of the Isles Pencil
The public is invited from 1:00 to 2:30 pm for Sharpening Festivities.
As the Pencil is a “living” installation, it is sharpened annually with fanfare. Sharpening events showcase community figures, artists, and innovators. Over the years, the sculpture changes and evolves, just as the pencil in the hand of a student during the school year does.
The program includes storytelling about the project and comments by the artist. David Rees, the Number One #2 Pencil Sharpener in the world, will oversee the sharpening and add his wit to the program. DJ Jake Rudh will serve as house DJ during the festivities. Expect t-shirt giveaways, the University of Minnesota Pep Band, ice cream and music.
In the Spring of 2022, Curtis Ingvoldstad shaped a 20-foot-tall, 32-inch diameter wind-damaged bur oak snag on the lawn of a prominent Minneapolis Lakes home into an enormous No. 2 Pencil. Every year on the first Saturday in June, the Minneapolis community comes together to watch the pencil be sharpened.
