In 2016 Art Omi commissioned a new piece, “Squirrel Gang” consisting of 75 bronze squirrels permanently installed in their outdoor sculpture garden. This piece speaks to the larger socialization of human society. Squirrels in many ways lead a parallel existence to our civilization, co-existing alongside humanity. They operate in a community-based enterprise, much in the ways that we do. Upon close examination, each of the squirrels becomes a unique creature. They hold nuts in their mouths, fruit in their hands or balance indigenous flowers. Some of them are on the gallery building, peering down at onlookers. Most of them, however, are sprawled out on the field in a 100-foot-long procession, shuffling along in their own world, forging their path with or without our participation. I have used this gathering to speak to our own human tendency toward collectivism—either as spiritualism or nationalism.
charley friedman, copyright