The Mona Lisa, made from Legos, at the Toy and Plastic Brick Museum in Bellaire, Ohio.
The “Toy and Plastic Brick Museum” in Bellaire, Ohio houses the world’s largest collection of Lego building sets. So, why isn’t it called the Lego Museum? Ask a lawyer. Apparently, Lego didn’t appreciate anybody else using its name for profit.
Sure, you can go to Legoland in California or see great Lego displays at Disneyland or Walt Disney World but that would be mundane. Why not spend just 10% of the price to get into Disneyland and see a bunch of old Lego building sets!? Uh, maybe you shouldn’t consider that value proposition too closely…
I think Legos were my favorite toy as a kid. How about you? What was your Lego masterpiece?
Looking like something out of a 1950’s “B” horror movie, W’eel is a giant turtle statue situated comfortably near the Turtle Mountains in Dunseith, North Dakota. It was erected in 1982 by George Gottbreht to draw people to his nearby store. It’s made entirely of wheel rims, welded together and the head is mounted on a pivot so it can bob up and down.
What can you do to make an ugly desert God just plopped down in Imperial County, California look nice? Pile up some junk and clay then paint it, of course! And, Leonard Night is doing just that so we don’t have to look at the ugly desert anymore.
Salvation Mountain is Leonard’s tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message: “God Is Love.” Leonard’s passion has lovingly created this brilliant “outsider art” masterpiece resplendent with not only biblical and religious scripture such as the Lord’s Prayer, John 3:16, and the Sinner’s Prayer, but also including flowers, trees, waterfalls, suns, bluebirds, and many other fascinating and colorful objects.
Leonard became a Christian in 1967, on a Wednesday, at 10:30 in the morning while sitting in his van. He was 35 years old and had held various odd jobs including fighting the Korean War for 10 days. Leonard went around to various churches trying to enlighten them on how to properly worship Jesus but for some reason met resistance. Moving on, he was then inspired to make a hot air balloon to help spread the Lord’s message and began collecting bits of fabric and sewing them together. That occupied Leonard for the next 14 years but apparently it wasn’t God’s will to have Leonard fly in his balloon to spread the Word as it (the balloon, not the Word) kept collapsing on itself when he tried to inflate it. Although he persisted, eventually the balloon began to rot and Leonard looked for other ways to spread the Word.
Leonard decided to leave California but wanted to spend one extra week in the area to make a small memorial with a half bag of concrete he had lying around. Weeks begat months begat years and after tons of junk, sand, concrete and paint were assembled, Leonard had the 50-foot high creation he was after! Until it collapsed on itself.
Undaunted, Leonard rebuilt the mountain, this time using native adobe clay and straw. He applied paint liberally to keep the elements from washing away his work. Over the years, Leonard has applied well over 100,000 gallons of paint to his mountain of clay and debris as (he hopes) a lasting tribute to God.
The Dover Speedway in Delaware is known as the Monster Mile so what better mascot than Miles the Monster? In 2000, the management decided to build a giant monster breaking out of the racetrack and grabbing a car. It’s a great photo op and that’s why you only see the top half of Miles; if the entire creature were erected he would have been too tall to photograph well! Miles also has his own comic book; he’s quite the celeb.
Miles cost $6m, is 48 feet tall and weighs 20 tons. He’s hollow so it’s actually possible to go inside him, climb up to the car and sit in it! It must be one heck of a view but unfortunately it’s not open to the public. Whether you like NASCAR or not, it’s worth a visit to Dover Speedway to see Miles!
Situated between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming, is a giant, bronze head of Lincoln. Built by Robert Russin (an art professor and Lincoln fanboy) for Lincoln’s 150th birthday, the head is a fascinating piece of artwork right there on I-80. You can’t miss it.
Oh, and while you’re there, say “hi” to old Bob, his remains are interred in the thing. How’s that for a grave marker!?
“Point 7” is the official name of “The Castle” in Wilson Park, Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was designed and built by Frank Williams in 1979, after Williams was given the contract as one of several public art displays commissioned by the Arkansas Arts Council. Since that time, The Castle (as most of the locals know it) is a traditional site of graduation and wedding photos.
The existing concrete structure over the spring was reminiscent of small play fort. It was used by the local kids for just that purpose and I thought what better solution to this challenge then a fantasy play castle sculpture garden; in this case to be a little more interesting then the existing situation.
In concept my idea originally for the grotto design to the west of here, and then in the subsequent Point 7 designs was to replicate an architectural relic of the sort you might see in Europe or Asia.
The city was forced to give Williams some land in Wilson Park but they made it clear they didn’t want to have to maintain a work of art, beyond mowing the lawn around it (insert your favorite Redneck art joke here). Williams had other obstacles in his path:
I had no idea how difficult it would be to motivate much less train 5 inexperienced 16 to 21 year old kids; who just needed a job! All were from varying backgrounds, unemployed and none processed labor-intensive construction work experience; which is initially what we had to do.
With few exceptions neither did they have much concern, about what I wanted to do artistically. Most of it at that point was in my head anyway! That was how I approached this project. It’s how I approached my art back then and to some extent even now!
Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Castle in Fayetteville wasn’t fully appreciated in its day. But now, just try to take either one away–neither city would be the same!
Tinkertown is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s a collection of animated carvings that bring an Old West town to life through fun and humorous scenes. Some of the creations require a quarter to operate but most of them are worth it.
It took Ross Ward over 40 years to carve, collect, and lovingly construct what is now Tinkertown Museum. His miniature wood-carved figures were first part of a traveling exhibit, driven to county fairs and carnivals in the 1960s and ’70s. Today over 50,000 glass bottles form rambling walls that surround a 22-room museum. Wagon wheels, old fashioned store fronts, and wacky western memorabilia make Tinkertown’s exterior as much as a museum as the wonders within.
Ave Maria Grotto, in Cullman, Alabama, is the life’s work of Brother Joseph Zoettl. The Grotto is comprised of models of buildings, primarily religious ones, made with concrete, seashells, stones, costume jewelry and other miscellaneous trinkets. The buildings aren’t to scale nor are they particularly accurate or proportional. Still, it’s rather interesting to see.
The builder of the miniatures at the Ave Maria Grotto was a Benedictine Monk–Brother Joseph Zoettl, O.S.B. Born in Landshut, Bavaria in 1878, he was maimed in an accident that gave him a hunchback, but luckily it did not hurt his ability to bend over and build the miniatures. He came to Saint Bernard Abbey in 1892. After becoming a Brother in the Benedictine Order, he was appointed to the power plant for the Abbey, and while there he developed his hobby of building miniature shrines.
What do you get when you cross a spherical water tower with 50 gallons of orange paint (in 20 different shades)? The Gaffney South Carolina Peachoid, of course. Apparently, South Carolina is offended that Georgia is called the “Peach State” when South Carolina grows more peaches. Built in 1981, the Peachoid has stood the test of time although rumor has it the paint was redone so it looked less like a giant butt and more like a giant peach. Oh, that big leaf? It weighs seven tons.
Reportedly the second largest tourist attraction in all of Catoosa, Oklahoma, the Blue Whale was built by Hugh Davis in the early 1970s as a gift for his wife, a collector of whale figurines. The whale sits on a small pond and when the locals started coming around for a swim, Hugh added a sand beach and a few picnic tables. Soon, it became another quirky little attraction on Route 66. Although Hugh is long gone, the Blue Whale is still maintained and may or may not be open for a tour when you get there, depending on whether or not the caretaker is available!
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