Jackson artist Ben Roth is undertaking an ambitious project to create a 70-foot-long whale sculpture entirely from Wyoming tumbleweeds for the new Central Wyoming College campus currently under construction in Jackson. The massive "Tumblewhale" will be suspended from the ceiling of the main building, where it will appear to swim through the air above students and visitors. Roth has been commissioned for this unique project through the Wyoming Arts Council's Art in Public Buildings Program and is currently collecting the 300 pounds of tumbleweeds needed to bring his vision to life.

The innovative sculpture will be interactive, featuring a marionette-like system that allows viewers to manipulate the whale's movement. "I plan to make it interactive," Roth explained to Cowboy State Daily. "A viewer can come up and pull some handles, and when they do, the whale will swim like a giant marionette." This interactive element sets the Tumblewhale apart from traditional static sculptures and promises to engage visitors in a unique way.

For Roth, this project represents both his most ambitious work to date and a rare opportunity to create permanent public art in his hometown. "There are lots of moving parts, figuratively speaking, with public art," he noted. "I enjoy creating public art, but it is challenging to get those jobs. Getting to build this piece in Jackson is delightful." The artist has extensive experience creating lifelike animal sculptures from unconventional materials, including welded plants, a bike chain owl, and various creatures made from steel screen.

Roth has previously worked with tumbleweeds on smaller projects, including a Christmas tree for Hotel Terra Jackson Hole and a hovering cloud sculpture that still hangs in a local physical therapist's office. The concept of a full-sized tumblewhale has been in development for years, beginning with a 10-foot miniature version created for Moonshot 5x5, a 2023 Jackson event challenging artists to create unconventional sculptures promoting environmental awareness. When one of the architects of the new CWC building reached out about creating a full-sized whale for the facility, Roth proposed two ideas to the Wyoming Arts Council, with the tumblewhale being selected.

While a whale sculpture might seem unusual for Wyoming, Roth believes it carries deep symbolic meaning. "I've always loved whales, and I've always loved the ocean," he explained. "The rocks across Wyoming tell us that our state was an inland sea in the past, and it looked a lot different a long time ago. And I see what's happening to our oceans today, and it worries me." The sculpture serves as both a nod to Wyoming's geological history as an ancient seabed and a reminder of current environmental concerns facing marine ecosystems.

Tumbleweed proves to be an ideal medium for the sculpture due to its unique properties and symbolic significance. "The inside of the tumbleweed is sort of like Styrofoam," Roth described. "I can slide the stem onto a pin covered with epoxy, and it glues really well. The shape creates volume, but it's very light and renewable, and it's invasive, so no one minds if you collect them." Roth is currently scrambling to collect his materials before Jackson's winter snow arrives, as tumbleweeds can develop mold when buried under snow.

The construction process involves attaching the tumbleweeds to a skeleton made from thin-gauge steel rod, which will be bent into a whale-like shape that provides optimal structural support. Roth is studying actual whale skeletons to achieve the most lifelike form possible. The steel framework will be painted the same color as the tumbleweeds, making it nearly invisible and creating the illusion that "the entire whale was grown as a giant plant." Surprisingly, the primary tool for shaping the sculpture is a simple pair of scissors, which Roth uses to trim the tumbleweed branches to achieve the desired contours.

Roth has been instructed to be ready for installation in July 2026, with the assembly taking place inside the new CWC building. He plans to begin serious work on the project in January, starting with a newspaper template laid out on the building floor to determine the optimal scale. The on-site construction is expected to take four to five days, with building engineers assisting in anchoring the rigging system needed to suspend the 400-pound sculpture safely.

The completed Tumblewhale will measure between 60 and 70 feet in length and weigh approximately 400 pounds, likely making it the world's lightest whale sculpture. An unexpected benefit of the project is that Roth's studio is located less than a mile from the construction site, which he says will "keep my carbon footprint small," aligning with the environmental message he hopes to communicate. "There will be very little waste in this project," Roth emphasized. "The whole thing is elegant in its simplicity." The sculpture promises to become a distinctive centerpiece for the new campus, combining artistic innovation with environmental consciousness in a uniquely Wyoming creation.