Inspired by the stunning California landscape, Peter Toth, a young sculptor, began a project that became his life's work. Toth, who escaped the Soviet invasion of Hungary with his family, noted similarities between the plight of the Magyar people and the struggle of Native Americans. As a gift to his adopted country, he carved a giant log into a sculpted head in every single state to honor our Native American past. Collectively these are known as the "Trail of the Whispering Giants." Beginning in 1971, Toth traveled the nation erecting his monuments to the American Indian. Today his work is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution art inventories as a significant body of work by a living artist.
There are 74 Whispering Giants, at least one in every of the 50 United States. I finally tracked down my first of these sculptures while we were staying in the Porkies. Michigan has 2, and one of them is in the little town of Wakefield, just minutes from the southwestern border of the park. The carving is 27 feet tall and was raised on September 29, 1988. Nee-Gaw-Nee-Gaw-Bow was carved from a 350 year old white pine.
For those passing through Florida, Peter Wolf Toth's art gallery is reportedly on the SW corner of Arther Avenue and US 1 in Edgewater, Florida. Please feel free to correct me if this information has changed!
I didn't plan on starting my "collection" in Michigan, it was just a happy accident...a very happy one! Now that I've started, the hunt will be on for the rest of them. Apparently there is one in Cherokee, North Carolina that I somehow missed on our visit there last April....good thing we plan to visit the Smokies again! Wikipedia has a list of their locations for anyone else who is interested in joining me on my hunt!
Very fascinating. I learned something new today. Artists can certainly surprise us. I'll be interested to see others you find.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's very interesting. I'll have to see where the one in Oregon is located.
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