Sculptures now greet visitors

Metal sculptures on Highway 195 tell motorists of Uniontown’s past as an agricultural community and its present as an art place. On the north, in the field between Dahmen Barn and the highway, a larger-than-life cow moves her head in the wind, and at the south entry to town, a tractor made of parts from antique agricultural equipment pulls a wagon that features seasonal decorations and announcements of community events.

The sculptures were created by Lewiston artist John Bergen whose jumping fish can be seen at the east entry to Clarkston. Julie Hartwig, board member of the Uniontown Community Development Association and also the proprietor of The Shop at the Dahmen Barn, coordinated the project and assisted Bergen in collecting metal parts from area farmers. The sculptures were funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town program.

Bergen studied cow structure and drew full sized mock ups from every angle before beginning the piece. The skeleton of the cow showed a perfect structure before he covered it with metal plates and small gears and wheels. He fashioned a swivel system for the cow’s head with her ears catching the wind to turn it side to side.

Dahmen Barn, built in 1935 to accommodate a commercial dairy, was donated by Steve and Junette Dahmen who purchased the property from his uncle Jack in 1953. The barn sat vacant until 2004 when they donated it to the Uniontown community.

A contest to name the cow sculpture brought in nearly 100 suggestions. Junette decided on Wheeletta. A board member suggested her last name be Wholesteel, so she is now known as Wheeletta Wholesteel. Bergen is working on a cat to sit below the cow’s large udder. It will be named Dahmen Doodles.

Uniontown Community Development Association is a non-profit, volunteer run organization that began in 2001. Past projects have been restoring the building occupied by Sage Baking Co., Dahmen Barn’s transformation into a regional creativity center and current work to bring the Vollmer Building back to life.