Whirligigs, Victorian robots and dragons: Yard art in Kansas a grassroots movement (+video)

It should not come as a surprise to anyone traveling the back roads of Kansas that this state is a mecca for grassroots art.

“My hypothesis is that when pioneer people moved to Kansas, they were open-minded, independent, free spirits – and that is still pervasive today,” said Rosslyn Schultz, director of the Grassroots Art Center in Lucas. “When people own their own property, they collect junk, and then they have time in their retirement to create.”

Called “folk art,” “grassroots art,” “trash art” and even “raw art,” the artwork these people are making is often collectible, Schultz said.

Quirky Kansas artists are people who create – who carve things out of limestone using a butter knife or sculpt with concrete or shape dragons from sheet metal and whirligigs from spare parts.

Consider the artwork of S.P. Dinsmoor, creator of the concrete “Garden of Eden” in Lucas. In 1907, Dinsmoor – a Civil War veteran – began creating what would become nearly two decades’ worth of concrete sculptures on his property.

Inez Marshall of Portis sculpted native limestone into detailed creations such as a car, “The Last Supper” and a team of horses pulling a covered wagon.

For years, Florence Deeble of Lucas filled her backyard with hand-shaped miniature versions of such scenes as Estes Park, Colo.; Oak Creek Canyon, Ariz.; and Mount Rushmore.

And for nearly three decades, M.T. Liggett, a folk artist from Mullinville, has been taking potshots at politicians through colorful, whirling roadside sculptures.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Kansas Grassroots Art Association was headquartered in Lawrence, and members then helped document Kansas as one of the top three states in the nation for yard art ornamentation.

By the time the association disbanded in the 1990s, the members – after lengthy research of art in other states – had named Kansas one of the top three places in the nation for the unique artwork, after California and Wisconsin.

Members of the group were instrumental in restoring and getting Dinsmoor’s “Garden of Eden” listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Schultz said. The Grassroots Art Center in Lucas is a place where outdoor environmental artists – people who like to create artwork in their backyards – have a chance to display their work. The center, started in 1994, is in three renovated 1890s limestone buildings in downtown Lucas.

Besides preserving the history of Kansas grassroots artists of the past, the center functions as a place to encourage self-taught artists who are working within their own art forms.

“We have a lot of people in rural communities where there are less regulations,” Schultz said. “In neighborhoods with covenants, these would not be allowed. And in Kansas, we often have larger yards, which means you have more room to have ornaments.”

The Grassroots Art Center has a legal-sized cabinet of five drawers filled with the documentation of grassroots artists throughout the state, Schultz said.

Schultz’s own yard in Lucas contains some of the artwork.

“We have a lot of other people’s funky art in our yard – people we have interviewed,” Schultz said. “Thanks to my husband, Steve, he suggests we ought to buy one of these things. So we have three of M.T. Liggett’s pieces, a barbed-wire eagle, and inside the house there are 20 pieces of artwork from various artists. It is addictive once you meet the artists. They create strictly to make their soul feel good, and that’s very contagious.”

Because of the nature of grassroots art, Schultz said, the artwork is often difficult to preserve and usually dismantled when the artist dies. Her job is to help document their work.

The artists – usually with no formal training – work intuitively and at their own pace.

Artists’ influence

Kansas may be one of the most prolific states in grassroots art, in part because of S.P. Dinsmoor, who seemed to have spawned the creative juices of other would-be artists, Schultz said. Within 40 miles of Lucas, there are more than six yard art environments – with original artwork designed by artists who taught themselves and filled every nook and cranny of their homes and yards.

As a girl growing up in Lucas, Florence Deeble, now deceased, watched Dinsmoor create sculptures. Her first concrete sculpture came from a task assigned by her mother to fill in the family’s fish pond so neighborhood children wouldn’t accidentally drown. She began creating scenes.

Inez Marshall, also deceased, started carving Kansas limestone in the late 1930s while recuperating from a broken back. She continued carving while working as an auto mechanic, truck driver and traveling evangelist. More than 500 of Marshall’s sculptures exist. Nationally known, her sculptures include depictions of animals, politicians and scenes from small-town life.

Ed Root, a farmer from Lucas who died in 1960, sculpted nearly 300 figures out of concrete, also using crushed Milk of Magnesia bottles and his wife’s best china. Several pieces of his work were moved by the family when Lake Wilson was constructed, but many others were submerged by the lake.

Other artists include Ray Smith of Longford, who created a 23-foot-long, 61-ton concrete buffalo, complete with lightning rods, in his pasture north of Abilene.

Schultz said the artists fit a profile: Usually they are retired, are work-oriented and have an independent spirit.

Steampunk style

One of the newest grassroots artists is Gary Pendergrass, whose steampunk-style artwork is prominently featured in the 3800 block of West 17th Street in Wichita.

Dragons, Abe Lincoln, the Statue of Liberty, an intergalactic marshal, a bird of hope, steam engines and more decorate the property where his Victorian-towered garage dominates the south side of the street.

In the past three years, he has created between 60 and 100 pieces of artwork – some made to stay indoors, others to weather gracefully outdoors.

Pendergrass’ career was home remodeling. When he retired, he came across a steampunk hat created by Jack Kellogg of Hatman Jack’s, and something resonated with him.

He tells people to look up steampunk on the Internet. It’s science-fiction fantasy set in 19th-century Victorian times.

“I was always able to sketch but went through life trying to earn a living which didn’t include much of that,” Pendergrass said.

His medium is wood, sheet metal, Styrofoam, plastic, nuts, bolts, ladders and paint – anything that is handy.

“I had made so many pieces and put them in the house, the wife was sort of discouraging me from putting anything more in it,” Pendergrass said. “I decided I would do some outdoor stuff. It had to be weather tolerable. My concern was if people would want this in their neighborhood. I thought of Lucas and I thought the ‘Garden of Eden’ was an example where people did that and got by with it. So I tried. I put out a couple of pieces; people seemed to like it. The more I put out there, the more enthusiasm was generated in the community.”

Imagination, creativity

Other grassroots artists in the Wichita area include Phil Brinkley near Rose Hill, whose “Jurassic Art” dinosaurs are of all shapes and sizes; Larry Richardson’s re-creation in Mulvane of the Golden Gate bridge; “Hubble’s Rubble” by Jerry Hubble in Howard; and John Gaeddert’s wood sculptures in Newton.

Dan Beck at 225 N. Poplar in Wichita has created a paradise from castoff limestone found from two quarries in south-central Kansas. He cuts, saws and carves the limestone, adding splashes of color.

He’s in the process of redesigning much of his work because two of his oldest trees were recently removed.

The 66-year-old has been an artist all his life and said he likes creating artworks that “create a spirit and place.”

“Hubble’s Rubble” is on the east edge of Howard, off K-99, close to Toot’s Drive-In.

Jerry Hubble started learning to weld in 1980 and, as he puts in, one thing led to another. He learned to weld because he was farming.

“I learned to weld to repair my breakdowns,” the 80-year-old Hubble said. “It just happened. I would gather up junk. Every farmer has a junk pile somewhere. I let my imagination get away from me.”

He created patio furniture, a barbecue smoker and benches. And then his grandsons had ideas. Two of his grandsons liked dinosaurs.

“They were experts,” Hubble said. “So I built them a dinosaur.”

Then one of his grandsons was crazy for Batman. So he built a Batman on a motorcycle.

In 2001, Hubble suffered a heart attack and has since stopped welding and doing his artwork.

“I wear a defibrillator, so they won’t let me use a welder,” Hubble said.

Phil Brinkley of Rose Hill has made all sorts of metal sculptures.

“I make anything from 6 inches tall to 16 feet tall,” he said.

He started creating sculptures in 1998.

“I have to keep my hands busy,” the 63-year-old retired Cessna worker said.

His artwork is at 256 W. Rosewood on the edge of Rose Hill on 63rd Street South, north of the water tower.

Each of the artists has a unique style and personality. They create art for the sake of creation.

“The art is very valuable to the person who makes it,” Schultz said. “They typically don’t like putting prices on it. I had a guy from Cawker City tell me, ‘If I sold it all and go out and see nothing in the yard, what fun would that be?’ ”

This story was originally published December 25, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Whirligigs, Victorian robots and dragons: Yard art in Kansas a grassroots movement (+video)."