In 2016 Art Omi commissioned a new piece, Squirrel Gang consisting of 75 bronze squirrels permanently installed in their outdoor sculpture garden. Upon close examination, each of the squirrels becomes a unique creature. They offer ceremonial acorns, mushrooms, carrots and strawberries in their hands and mouths 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 to an undisclosed location. They harken to a deeper understanding between humans and our animal counterparts as equal creatures, partners on our planet.
charley friedman, copyright