BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KTHV) - Most of us have heard the legends of Bigfoot: the giant, hairy Sasquatch that some people swear lives among the trees, even here in Arkansas.
But one native Arkansan is bringing a new, more sassy Sasquatch to life with a creative twist.
Amanda Wilshire is the artist behind the newest art installation to be installed near Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. “Sassy” is an 11-foot Sasquatch sculpture, made out of steel and recycled bike chains.
“When I was growing up I always loved to spend time in the woods, fishing, building forts, playing with my friends,” she said. “We would always tell stories about Bigfoot. Trying to spook each other with scary stories. So I just thought it would be kinda cool to make a giant Bigfoot.”
Wilshire built the large frame out of steel. She then collected hundreds of old bike chains to create “Sassy’s” fur.
“It makes a lot of people do a double-take. It’s a really cool material,” she said.
Wilshire says she has done over 10,000 welds during the six-month building process. The Sasquatch features solar panels on the back of her head, which will allow her eyes to glow bright blue at night.
This is Wilshire’s second art installation to go up near Crystal Bridges. Visitors can also see “The Monarch and the Dandelions.” The outdoor piece is also made of recycled bicycle and car parts.
“Just to know that so many people like my art in that area, it’s an honor to me to have my art so close to such a cool museum,” she said.
Sassy the Sasquatch will be installed this week at the intersection of Tiger Boulevard and A Street in Bentonville. It was transported on a Walmart truck in three sections from Wilshire’s workshop in Denver, Colorado.
To learn more about Wilshire and her artwork, click here.