Dragon takes flight in Girdwood

Craig Schubert, known as Schubie, installs dragon “scales” at Glacier City Hall. (Photo by Soren Wuerth)

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

While a new public art piece was under construction this summer just outside Glacier City Hall, many people stopped by to talk to the artists and ask questions about it. According to Tommy O’Malley, one of the organizers of the project and better known in Girdwood as Tommy Salami, the most common question they’ve received from passersby is, “What is it?”

The short answer: the 28-foot-long undulating wooden sculpture is the body of a dragon. But the long answer is even more complex.

There has long been public art in Girdwood Park near the playground. In the early 2000s a community mural was installed. One year kids would paint one side of the mural, and then the next year kids would paint the other. Each image would stay up for two years, and it was an interactive art piece despite knowing that each image would eventually disappear. Mr. Salami says, “Kids art is temporary, because kids grow up and move on.”

The original community mural was built using untreated lumber, and after several years it fell apart.

The next iteration of interactive art at the playground was the First Amendment Chalkboard. This was made of treated lumber with sheet metal for the other side. This project was supported by the Rotary Club. The premise of the First Amendment Chalkboard was that children (or any members of the public) could write or draw whatever they wanted without fear of censorship.

The dragon’s body installed at Girdwood Park with the First Amendment Chalkboards underneath as seen on Sep. 4. (Photo by Chase Berenson)

 Mr. Salami said, “People were concerned that we would get bad messages, but it was mostly people writing ‘I was here.’” Girdwood resident Carolyn Seramur took on the task of erasing the board every so often so that new drawings could be added, and an anonymous Girdwood resident donated chalk so artists always have supplies to add more art.

This dragon is part of a new iteration of the First Amendment Chalkboard, meant to be longer-lasting and a more indelible part of Girdwood Park. Mr. Salami approached general contractor and woodworker Craig Schubert, better known in Girdwood as Schubie, and requested his assistance with construction of a roof that would protect the First Amendment Chalkboard. After learning more about the project, Schubie asked if it would be OK to build a dragon instead of a more typical and less elaborate roof.

To sum up the decision-making process, Mr. Salami said, “Schubie always wanted to do a dragon, and the chalkboard needed a roof.”

Since that initial decision, Schubie has donated hundreds of hours to work on the project. For most of the summer, the dragon was built at ground level in the parking lot on the north side of the Glacier City Hall. The “scales” on the dragon’s back were all created by cedar shingles, which have all been individually shaped to match their exact location.

The shingles come in two-foot lengths, and the first step is cutting them in half. The second step is the cut a semi-circle or half-moon shape into one end of the “scale,” and then these shingles are stacked up and ready to use. But as each individual shingle is ready to be attached, Schubie will often modify the cuts slightly so ensure it fits perfectly in its spot on the dragon’s back. All of this woodwork is done by hand. Despite the high level of manual labor,  Schubie told Turnagain News, “This is one of the funnest projects I’ve ever worked on.”

This has been a community project, bringing many people together to help. Lions Club came out and helped shape shingles, and when curious members of the public stop to ask questions they often get offered to shape shingles. This adds time to the project, but it gets people involved and helps increase the feeling of community ownership of the art project.

In addition to Schubie’s volunteer hours, there have been significant contributions from other members of the public. Richard Evenhouse had donated $10,000 to the Girdwood Fine Arts Camp as an unrestricted donation, and he approved a quarter of it being used for this project. Mr. Salami donated approximately $500. The project was a $10,000 Beyond the Beige grant from the Municipality of Anchorage and the Anchorage Community Development Authority.

The Beyond the Beige grants fund public art in the Municipality, and there was interest in funding a project outside the Anchorage Bowl. ACDA Executive Director Mike Robbins said ACDA supports the grants because, “Great public spaces help create great communities.” Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance described the program by saying, “The Beyond the Beige … projects will help turn everyday spaces and infrastructure into points of civic pride that brighten our community."​

Schubie said, “I feel pretty honored that [the community] supported me in this project.”

The fundraising so far accounts for approximately $13,000, and there are estimates that approximately $3,000 more will be needed.

Tommy Salami cuts shingles while Schubie installs them on the dragon’s body at Glacier City Hall on Aug. 29. (Photo by Chase Berenson)

Additional assistance has come in other non-monetary forms as well. For example, during the grant application process there were bureaucratic needs that the community jumped in quickly to resolve. A letter of support was needed on short notice from Kyle Kelley, the Glacier Valley Service Area Manager, and he jumped in and got it submitted the same day it was requested. Mr. Salami said, “This quick response was vital to some of the paperwork processes.”

Steel pipes were driven deep into the ground to hold 6” diameter powder-coated metal posts, which are colorful and seven feet tall. The posts support the dragon’s body high above the First Amendment Chalkboard installation and protect it from rain and snow. Three chalkboards are attached to posts under the dragon’s body. Two chalkboards are at typical heights, but one is lower to ensure that even younger children get to participate.

Viewers of the dragon this winter might notice that it seems to be incomplete; this is only a dragon body! The dragon’s head and tail will also be carved from wood, and that work will occur this winter. Another supporter of the project, Carol Makar, has donated space in her garage so the woodworking can be done inside during the depths of Girdwood’s winter. The plan is for the head and tail to be installed next June before the next Forest Fair.

Looking ahead to the completed artwork, Schubie says, “It’ll be awesome for Girdwood, and I’ll be super happy to have it here in Girdwood Park.”