RFP Bid Solicitation - Rock Oyster Pole

Official Release Date: April 7, 2022

*Re-Carving of the Rock Oyster Pole for installation the Saxman's Totem Row Park*

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) relocated the Giant Rock Oyster Pole from a village in Southeast Alaska to the newly established Saxman Totem Park.

In the 1961 volume, The Wolf and the Raven, anthropologist Viola Garfield and architect Linn Forrest describe the visual characteristics of the Giant Rock Oyster Pole:

"On the Giant Rock Oyster pole are carved the emblems of four related house groups of the Nexadi clan, descendants of Eagle Claw House, whose crest appears at the top of the pole. The human body with claws instead of feet symbolizes the members of Eagle Claw House as distinct from other Eagle clansman.

The beaver below the eagle is the crest of the Beaver Dam House, while the second beaver is the emblem of Beaver Tail House.

The face at the base of the pole symbolizes Giant Rock Oyster House.

All three of these house groups are offshoots of subdivisions of the parent Eagle Claw House.

This pole is a kind of genealogical record of the relationship of the four house groups to each other and was dedicated as a memorial to deceased members.

The man whose hand is caught in the oyster recalls the tragedy that gave his relatives their name.

The Giant Rock Oyster totem was brought from Cape Fox in 1938, where it stood in Front of the Eagle Claw House.

Two very unusually carved corner posts from this House were brought to the Saxman workshop for preservation. Each was carved to represent the foreleg of the eagle with the "knee" resting on the ground and the claws supporting the end of the back, and the decoration occurs only on the section of the post that would be visible inside the house. These eagle-leg posts are, however, carved in the round. The selection of the leg as a design is also very unusual. In the great majority of carvings the whole body was used, even through distorted and rearranged to conform to the highly formalized conventions of the art style."

Proposal Submissions:

Should include examples of the Artist's previous art projects, references, a projected timeline, a rough plan of how the carver would procure the log, and a description of paint colors. A brief narrative along with a description of the Artist's general style and what inspires them to create this pole. The review process will be closed to the public so the carver should submit any document, narrative or drawing they believe would be important in the Council's decision-making process.

The artist should put 4 identical proposals in a sealed envelope and mail or hand deliver to the Saxman City Hall.

*If proposal is mailed it must be postmarked by 4:00PM on July 7, 2023*

Hard copies of this RFP Bid Solicitation can be found at the Saxman City Hall. For more information on technical specifications and scope of work please contact the Saxman City Hall at (907) 225-4166.

**Online Fillable Form can be found below**

RFP Bid Solicitation - Rock Oyster Pole