BEMIDJI 鈥� When Molly Wiste isn鈥檛 teaching art, she鈥檚 busy creating some of her own, many times while wielding a chainsaw.
Wiste's latest creation is one of 10 new pieces on the 2025 Bemidji Sculpture Walk. Her colorful 鈥淕irl with Fox鈥� carving is displayed in front of Patterson鈥檚 Clothing at Third Street and Beltrami Avenue. Nine other sculptures adorn the sidewalks of downtown Bemidji, along with many others that remain from previous years. It鈥檚 a proud tradition that began in 1999 that offers townfolk and visitors an opportunity to stop and admire unique creations.
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Sculpture Walk maps are available at the Tourist Information Center, downtown businesses, restaurants and hotels. Maps can also be downloaded at
Wiste, who teaches art at Bemidji Middle 歪歪漫画, has had other pieces on the Sculpture Walk over the years. She grew up in Winona, Minn., and earned her education degree at Winona State University. She moved to northern Minnesota for her first teaching job at Pequot Lakes before landing in Bemidji.
A chainsaw wood carving event in Hackensack got Wiste interested in the art, and she has never looked back. It has become more than a passing hobby. She now takes part in chainsaw carving competitions throughout the country, and in 2017, she took a week off from teaching to compete in Australia.
Wiste also has been invited to be a judge at the U.S. Open Chainsaw Carving Competition next month in Watertown, N.Y.
Meanwhile, folks can admire her work in her hometown. 鈥淕irl with Fox鈥� took her about 30 hours to complete, starting with a chainsaw on a large piece of white pine.
鈥淚 just love doing stuff with nature and the outdoors,鈥� Wiste said. 鈥淏eing outside is very healing, this piece is just about the girl connecting with nature.鈥�
She said she doesn鈥檛 keep track of how much time she spends on each of her sculptures. 鈥淏ecause I work full-time, too, so I can just work on it here and there.鈥�
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Molly and her husband, Erik, have two children. Their son Ian has gotten into chainsaw carving, and daughter Nora helps paint and finish some of the carvings.
Bemidji artist Tim Nelsen, a regular on the Sculpture Walk, has two new pieces on display this year. His 鈥淪prout鈥� sculpture at the southeast corner of Third Street and Minnesota Avenue pays tribute to his affinity for mushrooms, and his 鈥淧atent Pending鈥� outside the Tara Bemidji restaurant at 401 Beltrami features a collection of gears and other industrial hardware.
鈥淭hat's the kind of stuff that appeals to me,鈥� said Dave Close, Sculpture Walk committee chairman. 鈥淵ou know, digging around in the junkyard and finding these ancient parts for old machinery. I always like Tim Nelsen's pieces just because they're interesting to me.鈥�
There鈥檚 a new feature to this year鈥檚 Sculpture Walk. A piece by Oregon artist Josh Daily is being raffled off to raise money for the Walk. Titled 鈥淗ula Hooping Hopper,鈥� it is on display in front of Golden State Equity Partners (formerly the Wells Fargo Bank drive-thru) at 141 Third St. NW.
The raffle will be conducted online, and tickets can be purchased by scanning a QR code on the sculpture or the or Tickets are $10 each or three for $20.
They may also be purchased at the Watermark Art Festival, July 19-20. Close and Sculpture Walk founder Al Belleveau will be doing welding demonstrations during the festival. The winner will be chosen on July 31.
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