Chris Navarro Mammoth Sculpture

WORLAND, WYOMING -- While parents cringe at the "some assembly required" phrase on kids' presents, the Washakie Museum staff was jumping for joy as its some-assembly-required mammoth arrived in Worland.

"Chris Navarro, our bronzist, arrived with the mammoth bronze in pieces today," said Kent Richins, Newell B. Sargent Foundation director, on Wednesday. "Essentially it came with the main body part (visible on trailer) and the four legs that are all separate, the two tusks and the trunk that are separate."

The 20-foot high, 25-foot long, 6,000 pound sculpture will adorn the entrance of the new museum -- as soon as it is assembled, a concrete pad built to fit the mammoth's huge feet, and a crane moves it onto the permanent pad.

Crane operator Matt Earl of 3J's welding moved the mammoth body off the trailer and then tipped it onto its side so artisan David Richardson could begin grinding the rough edges where pieces fit together. Richardson said the mammoth body will be hauled upright again by the crane for the legs to be welded into place. Navarro expected the assembling of the mammoth to only take four days. Richins said the mammoth's now gold-tinted body will get a new, darker patina, "which means that (Navarro) fire glazes it, colors it darker."

Richins joked, as the many pieces of the mammoth puzzle arrived at the museum parking lot, that the Foundation had decided to do the eye-catching entrance sculpture "on the cheap," purchasing a piece of the body as they could afford it.

In actuality, the sculpture and new museum were paid for by the Newell Sargent Foundation, which will gift the entire project to the local museum board when it is complete.

Navarro began work on the sculpture in May 2009. When the mammoth is assembled, Richins joked that it will be "hidden away" in the parking lot until it is unveiled in mid-September.

"I know that it is an interest and people will go look," Richins said of the gigantic work. "And that's OK. We just hope at the dedication, people will come back."

Richins added that he hopes the northeast corner of the museum lot -- "what we're calling Newell's Half Acre" -- will also be nearing completion by the time of the dedication.

Once the mammoth assembly is finished, CTA architects of Billings, Mont., will design the pad the mammoth will sit on by the northeast corner of the building.

"The architect will measure the legs out, their distance apart, and design the pedestal on which it sits." Richins said seeing it all come together is very exciting for the Foundation and the museum.

"It's nice to be able to wrap this project up," Richins said. "I've very much appreciated the support of the community so far. We're very pleased with the community and their response to this whole project because really, that's what it's for, the community. I'm sure Newell would be proud."