My Spot: Nome man creates art on the sea ice

As soon as the sea ice is stable in front of town, movable shacks and community projects use the ice as a platform. Some are practical such as temporary gold mining camps; some are quirky like the Nome National Forest – and some are mysterious.
Nomeites may have noticed a strange set of poles assembled for the last 25 years on the ice in front of the Polar Café. Some years, it’s a series of triangles, locked together into a formation. Some years it’s a set of poles sticking out of the ice. Right now, it’s three poles lashed together to form a tripod just above head height, with a center pole rising high above, flying a blue tarp as a flag.
The sculpture has garnered plenty of questions.
Who built it? What is its mysterious purpose? What does it mean?
Keith Andrews holds the answers to most of those questions. He started building the sculpture in 2001. Andrews was a member of the “BS Table” at the Polar Café and spent many a long hour in front of the windows looking out on the ice. “What else is there to do? It’s the middle of winter. It’s cold and dark and you’re sitting there drinking coffee,” he said. “I was looking at the window. If put something on that spot of ice over there, it’d be kind of neat. Give me something to do.”
Andrews doesn’t have a name for the sculpture other than “My Spot.” Its construction is simple – thaw pipes tied or welded together, usually forming some kind of triangle. He’s never really talked about “My Spot,” but he’s been waiting for someone to ask. “For years and years and years, I’ve been not telling people what I do out there, just to hear what they think and to explore ideas and realms,” he said.
“My Spot” isn’t just about having something to look at. Andrews has an unlikely passion – he’s flying kites. He likes to head out to the sculpture and fly a kite. “It’s the middle of winter, nothing else to do, and I like to stand around and fly kites,” he said. “It’s a good excuse to go out there.”
The blue tarp affixed to the top of “My Spot” serves as a wind gauge that tells him how strong and from what direction the wind is blowing. The structure itself provides a spot to gather and fly his kite from, a piece of homemade playground equipment. “It’s kind of a kite toy. It’s a jungle gym,” he said. “When there’s nothing out in front of you, it’s boring. You do the same five different moves million times. But when there’s something that’s challenging, it just makes it more fun.”
Andrews has a fondness for flight. He’s dabbled in ultralight aircraft, one to two-seater flight contraptions that are lightweight and have limited fuel capacity. “I always knew that I was going to fly something,” he said.
In November 1987, he crashed an ultralight into Chicken Hill and made the front page of The Nome Nugget. “Ultralight pilot has bad day,” read the article by Sandra Medearis in the November 26 edition. “If you’re gonna crash, do it slow,” he was quoted in the story.
Andrews loves his flying machines, but they take a beating in the weather. One of his goals is to fix up a homemade hanger for his next ultralight. And one of the best shapes to use in building is a triangle, just like the ones at “My Spot.”
He figures that his spot on the ice is great practice. “Anything that’s worth doing, is worth doing well, or it’s worth finding out what not to do,” he said. “All of this stuff out of the ice is practice for building a hangar.”
That, and it’s a bit of a philosophical experiment of sorts. Twice, the spot has floated away with during spring breakup.
Last year, the ice broke off in February and took “My Spot” with it, along with some of Andrews’ tools. He’s philosophical about the loss. “It’s your rent. It’s a reminder by the universe that you’re not in control as much,” he said.
Standing next to “My Spot,” town and the windows of the Polar Café look awfully far away. The distance puts things in perspective. The real point of the sculpture? “Try to enjoy life and give people something to talk about,” he said.