Meet UNI alum Gary Keenan, chainsaw artist at the Iowa State Fair
Meet UNI alum Gary Keenan, chainsaw artist at the Iowa State Fair
Arguably the world’s most famous fair, the Iowa State Fair has many connections to the University of Northern Iowa — especially when it comes to sculpting. You may already know Sarah Pratt and her family, the talented team behind the iconic Butter Cow. But UNI also lays claim to another unique fair tradition — chainsaw carving — thanks to alum Gary Keenan.
Keenan, a 1979 UNI graduate originally from Grinnell, has been carving wood for more than 25 years. What started as a weekend hobby has turned into a fairtime fixture, with Keenan serving as the lead carver for one of the fair’s most crowd-pleasing attractions.
“I stumbled into it 25 years ago,” Keenan said. “All my life I’ve appreciated sculpture, and thought that would be easy to do. A friend described chainsaw carving to me after seeing it here at the fair, and I thought, ‘That sounds really cool, I think I could do that.’ I started playing around with it on weekends and it just took off from there.”
While most tools he uses are standard chainsaws, for detailed work Keenan has smaller saws with custom components better suited for shaping and detail.
Though chainsaw carving is a far cry from his college coursework — Keenan graduated with a business degree — he says that education still comes in handy. “I’m still using it to this day. Hopefully, it helps me keep records and connect business in a very positive way.”
Keenan and his crew put on four live carving shows each day — 10 a.m., noon, 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. — transforming logs into eagles, bears, owls and other creations in just a few hours. Most medium-sized carvings take two to three hours from start to finish, and over the course of the fair, they’ll complete about 44 pieces.
Every carving is auctioned off at the end of the fair, with all proceeds benefiting the Blue Ribbon Foundation, which funds improvements for the fairgrounds.
Keenan has been part of the Iowa State Fair for 14 years, but he’s scaled back his carving schedule slightly in recent years to spend more time interacting with visitors. “It’s grown so much,” he said. “I brought in two other carvers, and I’m considered the lead carver, but I’ve reduced my role so I can enjoy the fair more and engage with the public.”
While it’s been a few years since Keenan last visited Cedar Falls, UNI is never far from his thoughts. “I was there from 1975 to 1979 — that’s when the UNI-Dome was being built,” he recalled. “I’m always amazed at how much the campus changes. I’ll certainly try to get back — it’s great to visit.”
