Collegiate Times

Funerals typically boast somber colors and the loudest of sobs; they leave attendees shaken and vulnerable. Yet this past weekend on the Virginia Tech campus, local artist Kurt Steger led a procession filled with smiles and optimism.

Related: Kurt Steger talks Burden Boat

The ceremony revolved around "The Burden Boat," a 12-foot-long sculpture made primarily of wood. It's been on display alongside other Steger works in the Squires Perspective Gallery since mid-September.

When introducing the project, Steger invited gallery visitors to engage the piece: Write your burdens on slips of paper, crumple them and place them in the boat's ceramic "deck." Out-of-town burdens were sent by mail, and Steger added them to the mound of woes.

Strung over the paper burdens was a canopy of "burden bags." The 14 sacks, representing our collective afflictions, were filled with dirt retrieved near the Tech horticulture garden.

"They've been holding the energy of the burdens throughout the month of the show," Steger said.

On Sunday, it was time to purge the many ailments riding "The Burden Boat." Steger said it often takes more courage to confront the troubles; stockpiling them can be easier, comfortable.

"Releasing the burden creates a space in our lives for something else to come in," Steger said.

The event, which combined the practices of cremation and burial, took place on the lawn between Squires Student Center and Henderson Hall. Approximately 30 people gathered beforehand in the Perspective Gallery to talk with Steger and add last-minute burden notes.

Jeff Sturgeon, of Roanoke, was one of four men designated to move the sculpture outside. He was accompanied by his two daughters, Emily, 7, and Hannah, 11. Sturgeon saw "The Burden Boat" as a teaching tool, discussing with his daughters the meaning of burdens and the symbolism of letting them go.

It was far different from their normal weekend activities of frolicking in the park or watching television.

"I'm glad they're being exposed to something novel and spiritual," Sturgeon said.

A steady line filed down the stairs and out the glass doors behind "The Burden Boat," which was carried much like a casket. Once in the grass, it was placed directly over a foot-deep hole that Steger himself shoveled, the burden bags swaying to a standstill. The crowd shuffled to form a loose circle.

Steger completed a couple preparatory measures. Having lit a candle, he held a bundle of sage plant over the flame until its fragrance smoked forth. He circumnavigated the audience, gently wafting the scent to encourage mental clarity.

Then with a watering can, Steger soaked an oval around "The Burden Boat." The gesture was meant to help direct the burning burdens upward. The can itself had another purpose.

"They also told me I need to have a fire extinguisher on hand," Steger said with a grin. "So, it's here."

He then approached the burdens and set them ablaze with one match.

The fire quickly spread, the rising flames severing the hemp strings of the burden bags and they landed in the ground with thuds of permanence.

With ashes the only remains, Steger explained they would be recycled into the next burden bags as he hopes "The Burden Boat" can serve other communities.

Before parting ways, friend of Steger John Forster, of Roanoke, rallied everyone to hold hands for a moment of reflection. Look at those around you, he requested, look into someone else's eyes.

"Honor the diversity," Forster said. "Honor the possibility."

From Catholics swaying incense at high mass to simply singing "Happy Birthday," Forster said the notion of ritual is very valuable.

"It's a wonderful way to connect and make a difference," he said.

After moving to Virginia from California just two years ago, Steger was pleased with the culmination of his first solo show on the East Coast.

"It was meaningful," he said, "and it was beautiful."