By MARGARET SHUSTER

Herald-Citizen Staff

COOKEVILLE -- What started as an artist's quest for a rare African wood is now a completed documentary and is WCTE's first international project, one which might get the small PBS station and a group of creative Cookevillians national recognition.

"Tree Safari: A Sculptural Journey" follows wood artist Brad Sells of Cookeville on a journey to South Africa to obtain the exotic wood pink ivory (berchemia zeyheri). The show then tracks Sells' progress with the wood when he returns home, finally receives the shipment and uses it to prepare an exhibit for SOFA, Chicago's famous Sculptural Objects and Functional Art show.

Joining him on the adventure are local writer/producer Todd Jarrell and British videographer Rob Hawthorne, along with Sells' assistant, Steven Flatt.

The half-hour program will have its first public screening 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Leslie Town Centre, with a chance to meet and talk with Sells and Jarrell beginning at 4:30 and following the film.

According to Sells, pink ivory is a very exotic, sought-after wood native to South Africa.

"It's just one of those woods that has a lot of character and a brilliant pink color," he said. "I've seen beautiful pieces and I've always wanted to work with it in its rawest form. Now I've realized this dream."

Why go to Africa instead of having the wood shipped here?

"I can't get the woods the way I want them in a green state, a fresh state (when they're shipped here)," said Sells. "It has to be refined if it's shipped here."

To have the wood "refined," or cut down to the rough sculptural forms Sells needed for his sculptures, would require that he go to Africa and do it himself. The wood is also very expensive -- about $250 for a small block -- and Sells said he can get it cheaper by going to the source.

When several collectors expressed interest in partially funding Sells' quest for the wood, the idea began to take shape. Sells was working with WCTE Station Manager Becky Magura in early 2004 on another program for local broadcast when he mentioned the trip to her. She promptly contacted Todd Jarrell, who has written extensively about his own travels, to produce a documentary of Sells' pending journey.

"It was a wonderful opportunity, she thought, to produce a program that not only fulfilled WCTE's local mission, but also had national appeal as well," said Donna Castle, WCTE's program/promotion director.

The program reflects the many obstacles Sells and crew had to overcome to get the wood from Africa in near-raw form to the finished pieces that would be shown in Chicago.

"Brad had to meet with Zulu tribesmen before he could acquire any of the wood to sculpt," said Castle. "He traveled by truck into the African bush in search of dying trees to transform into works of art."

Timing was a definite issue.

"The first week was very stressful -- we had very little wood," said Sells. "We discovered what's known as Africa time, which isn't like the time in this country. One source finally called us two days before we left and said he could meet us, but it was too late. But we found other sources of wood -- some very good sources."

Sells' shipment of the pink ivory and five other African hardwoods was late arriving in Cookeville, leaving him only five weeks to get all the pieces ready for show.

"Because it took so long to get the container back, we had about a third of the time we really needed to prepare for that show," said Sells, who worked many long nights to complete his pieces for the show.

But there's a happy ending. Jarrell and Magura accompanied him to the SOFA exhibit in Chicago and documented some of the critics' and spectators' rave reviews of Sells' work.

After the program airs locally, it will be offered to PBS for use by other stations throughout the country.

"We will be submitting to PBS network's home office to see if they'll pick it up as a national feed, and if for some reason they don't, we have other avenues for getting it on PBS," said Magura. "We certainly think it's worthy of a national feed."

Added Jarrell, "It was a really aggressive move for WCTE to send a camera team to Africa and bring photographers in from England and hire a very expensive post house in Nashville to bring the production this kind of quality look. This is like anything you'd see on Discovery or PBS."

"Tree Safari: A Sculptural Journey," a co-production of WCTE and Jarrell, was made possible by the financial support of several individuals from the Upper Cumberland, a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and a generous donation from Averitt, with local underwriting secured through SunTrust.

The soundtrack for the documentary is performed by Ethan Ballinger and his band, Little Sarah's Orchestra. Individuals may order copies of the program by sending $19.89, payable by check, money order or charge card, to WCTE, P.O. Box 2040, Cookeville, TN 38502, or by calling 1-800-282-9293.

Published January 13, 2006 2:18 PM CST