Dolphin Sculpture
Gives Damaged
Tree New Life
In 2017, Hurricane Irma ended the life of a
more than 150-year-old oak tree just beyond
the patio of the River House. Two years later,
Chad Gainey used his chainsaws to resurrect
the tree’s 20-foot tall, distinctive remains.
Gainey, a Husqvarna global ambassador and
world-renowned artist, turned the tree into
a trio of Jacksonville University-branded
dolphins. The sculpture capped off Week
of Welcome activities for students in
the fall of 2019, with Gainey "signing"
his carving during the first ever JAX
Future Fest at the River House.
“Both Mark (Swope, JU Grounds
Manager) and I possess a love for trees
and preservation. After we both arrived at
JU in the fall of 2018, it did not take long for
both of us to see the potential opportunity of
turning what most people see as a dead tree
into a piece of art,” said Brendan McCarthy,
General Manager for Aramark at JU. “Given
the location at the River House and our
vision of dolphins being carved, we started
our research on how to get this done. We
both have had working relationships with
Husqvarna in our pasts and know what their
service capabilities are.”
Using about a dozen chainsaws of various
size, Gainey transformed the stump into
a work of art and an Instagram-worthy
backdrop for selfies.
The sculpture was just one of the activities
featured at Future Fest. More than 700
members of the JU community joined the
celebration of the kickoff to the 2019-2020
academic year, which also featured: electro-
acoustic music performed by JU faculty and
students, an interactive string art installation,
experiential photo booths, a virtual reality
experience, future first food and drink, the
unveiling of the new JU Dive Into Your Future
video featuring students, and an alumni-
painted mural on the patio of the River House
Pub by Cody Edwards ’17 / ’19.
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NEWS