Chakaia Booker is back!

Summary

Constructed from reclaimed rubber tires, meticulously cut and fastened to a stainless-steel framework, the artwork draws its strength and beauty from the cast-offs of everyday life—tires salvaged from auto shops and dumping grounds.

We are thrilled to welcome Booker back to Bentonville for the installation of a new monumental work: Shaved Portions.

 

In 2024, Osage Park weathered the powerful impact of a tornado that affected much of the region. In the spirit of renewal and resilience, we are honored to welcome Chakaia Booker back to Bentonville in 2025 for the installation of a monumental new work: Shaved Portions.

This extraordinary sculpture marks a significant milestone—not only is it the largest piece Chakaia Booker has ever created, but it is also the most ambitious installation ever undertaken by the OZ Art NWA team. Towering at 36 feet tall and stretching 75 feet wide, Shaved Portions is a commanding presence composed of familiar, yet unexpectedly transformed, materials. Constructed from reclaimed rubber tires, meticulously cut and fastened to a stainless-steel framework, the piece draws its strength and beauty from the cast-offs of everyday life—tires salvaged from auto shops and dumping grounds.

Booker, widely regarded as one of America’s preeminent contemporary sculptors, has long explored themes of resilience, transformation, and interconnectedness. Of her work, she says, “It is about beauty, rhythm, and a common humanity. It is about how we create to connect to one another.” Her early practice began with wearable sculpture made from fabric—an influence still evident in the way Shaved Portions softens the hard, industrial material of rubber into something that appears tactile, fluid, and almost textile-like. “Like a painter having a palette,” Booker once said, “my palette is the textures of the treads, the fibers from discarded materials, and tires that I use to create varied effects.” (Chakaia Booker, artist interview, 2015).

We invite you to experience this powerful new addition to Bentonville’s public art landscape. Shaved Portions can be found at the east entrance of Osage Park, accessible from SW 16th Street.

Shaved Portions

Chakaia Booker

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

Shaved Portions

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