Yesterday the meeting described below occurred to mediate how to deal with the issues around the statue Scaffold, that was being installed at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.  The link to this blog post describes that meeting, and announces the ceremonial deconstruction of the sculpture that will occur tomorrow. https://healingmnstories.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/please-attend-ceremonial-deconstruction-of-scaffold-at-the-walker-sculpture-garden-friday-at-2-p-m/

From the Walker Art Center:

On Wednesday, May 31, representatives including Dakota Spiritual and Traditional Elders, representatives from the four federally recognized Dakota tribes, the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and the artist Sam Durant issued the following statement. This results from the mediation process voluntarily facilitated by Stephanie Hope Smith, a Minnesota registered neutral mediator who specializes in sacred sites.

This is a report regarding the mediation process that has taken place to address the Scaffold structure.

The artist Sam Durant has committed to never create the Dakota gallows again. He commits to transferring the intellectual property rights of this work to the Dakota Oyate (people).

The Walker Art Center agrees that it does not intend to construct this artwork again. Collectively the work will be dismantled during a ceremony beginning Friday, June 2 at 2 pm led by the Dakota Spiritual Leaders and Elders. It takes at least four days to remove the wood. It will be removed by a native construction company, and the wood will be placed in a fire pile near the remaining steel understructure with signage explaining the mutually agreed upon process until the wood is removed. This native construction company is donating their services, and in exchange the Walker has agreed to match that value to support travel for elders to the ceremony.

The wood will be removed and taken to the Fort Snelling area, because of the historical significance of this site to the Dakota Oyate, where they will ceremonially burn the wood. The location logistics will be determined in a meeting with Steve Elliot, executive director of the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Spiritual and Traditional Dakota Elders The date of this ceremony will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.

http://blogs.walkerart.org/centerpoints/2017/05/31/a-mediation-agreement-on-scaffold/