Local artists give new life to destroyed Bienville Square oak trees

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - About a year and a half ago Hurricane Sally leveled Bienville Square leaving several trees destroyed. But the Mobile Arts Council stepped in to give new life to the trees.

“The oaks were so historical to the city and such a beautiful landmark and I believe it was Mayor Stimpson that actually said using these will preserve that history In a beautiful way,” said Program Coordinator Sydney Cramer.

Last year, around 50 artists showed up to collect pieces of the historic oak trees to turn into different pieces of art.

“You just had all these artists come out who were really wanting to put their own spin on this story,” added Cramer.

Now some of the artists are bringing their work back to the Mobile Arts Council to be displayed in the gallery.

“I feel like it was really special to work on something I see as A piece of Mobile history,” said Wanda Sullivan. “It’s my favorite thing about Mobile is the oak trees.”

Wanda Sullivan made this table with some help from a local carpenter.

“Brandon put a really beautiful joint on the side to keep it stable so I just kind of incorporated that and I just painted the edges of it,” added Sullivan.

It’s a project she takes a lot of pride in even showing it off to her students at Springhill College

“I’ve been bringing them in to show it to them and calling it my precious because the wood is just so beautiful,” said Sullivan.

Now Sullivan’s excited to have her work displayed next to the other artists

“I can’t wait to see what everyone else has done. I love being part of an arts community,” said Sullivan.

If you want to check out the collection for yourself, the official launch date for the collection is Friday, March 11th at the Mobile Arts Council.

Copyright 2022 WALA. All rights reserved.