John Higgins likes to think of the six-metre-tall pencil on his front lawn as a piece of pop art.
“When you think of pop art, you think Andy Warhol or Claes Odenberg. I mean, these are these iconic artists. They take a simple object in bold shape and colours, and it’s fascinating how humans relate to it, ” he told As It Happens guest host Stephanie Skenderis.
“That’s exactly what this is.”
Once a year, the massive piece of pop art becomes an interactive community art installation. Hundreds — or sometimes even thousands — of people make their way to Higgins’ house in Minneapolis to watch the giant pencil get sharpened with a giant pencil sharpener.
“It’s fun. It’s joyful. There’s no agenda. It’s not a commercial event. There’s not a ticket or anything,” Higgins said. “But through word of mouth, I think, people come and they really have fun.”
The giant pencil was once a giant tree
Saturday marked the fourth …