After many years, the Gear Head Project is complete. Whitefish High School and Stumptown Art Studio held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday to celebrate that the gears are finally ‘up’ on the permanent art installation located at the high school.

“Our mission was to engage students in interdisciplinary learning that communicates the concept of connection to share knowledge,” said Stumptown Art Studio Executive Director Melanie Drown.

The project now stands as a permanent “reminder that when we think together and exchange ideas, something more powerful results,” said Whitefish High School Principal Kerry Drown. 

From thousands of pounds of concrete, to safely engineering a complex structure, to welding and polishing materials — the artwork stands as a true testament to problem solving. 

Since its beginnings in 2020, and after being revived after the Covid pandemic, Melanie Drown said she is “thankful for the people who came together to make this project happen because it did take a team. Thank you to all of the people who donated their time, materials and grants.” 

And while the project may have concluded for now, the potential for future work is always there. 

“There’s space at the bottom where we could spill more gears onto… more classes could make their mark,” Kerry Drown said. 

“After we retire,” the crowd joked in a nod to the extensiveness of the project.