After eight years on view, the Seattle Art Museum’s (SAM) iconic large-scale tree sculpture is about to get chopped down. Not literally, but it is leaving the lobby.
Molded after a 150-year-old western hemlock tree from the Cascade Mountains, “Middle Fork” by Seattle-based artist John Grade truly took a whole village — over 3,000 volunteers to be exact — to assemble and install.
The collaborative aspect of this 105-ft tree, comprised of ~1 million reclaimed cedar segments, is a testament to the interconnectedness of Seattle’s arts scene + widespread appreciation of the PNW’s natural beauty.
The sculpture’s last day on view will be Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. A new installation will take the place of “Middle Fork” in SAM’s Brotman Forum starting June 2025. Exact details for the new work have yet to be released.
