Archive for the 'Parks' Category
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
Organ Mountains Fire
A fire, apparently arson, started today about 5:30 on the Las Cruces side of the Organ Mountains. The origin was evidently just south of Dripping Springs.
By late evening about 400 acres had been burned. Several homes were evacuated. The old sanatorium ruins at Dripping Springs are evidently not at risk.
June 17 — The fire is basically out. Fire fighters from as far away as Lincon and Silver City helped fight it.
Friday, October 27th, 2006
Peter Wolf Toth
Las Cruces has one of Peter Wolf Toth’s Whispering Giants, as noted here.
Since yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, this is a good time to review his book on his sculptures and life, Indian Giver.
Indian Giver was published in 1980. It begins with his childhood in Hungary. He was born in 1947, the seventh child in a family that eventually numbered 11 kids.
Conditions under the communists were brutally harsh, and got even worse when what little property his father had was taken and given to a party member. They were left with a dirt-floored house in which the only furniture was a table and 13 chairs.
When the people of Hungary revolted against the Russians, it appeared at first they had succeeded. The Russians even agreed to negotiate — but it was a ruse. They returned with a huge force, mercilessly crushing all opposition. Mass arrests and executions followed.
Two of Toth’s brothers escaped to the West, and Toth’s parents decided they would follow. For a short period of time the Yugoslavian border was open because the United States was paying Yugoslavia a bounty for every Hungarian that was permitted to leave Hungary.
After a dangerous escape and two years in refugee camps in Europe, Toth and his family came to the United States as sponsored immigrants.
Following his account of his life, Toth describes how he carved his first sculpture in a rock cliff, motivated by a compelling image he saw in the stone. That was 1972.
After carving a second sculpture in wood, he decided he would carve one for each state in the country, taking nothing for his work.
The difficulties and rewards of the first 27 “Whispering Giants” are described, and pictured. These sculptures are not “works” created in a studio — they are his life, requiring months of travel searching for the appropriate tree and location, and months of carving.
In releasing the image he sees in each unique piece of wood, he satisfies something deep in himself. But he also makes it clear the work itself is a physical pleasure — the outdoors, the textures, the fragrances — even scrubbing pitch out of his hair.
This is a wonderful, exuberant book. It is no longer in print, so see if you can find a used copy.
Tags: Indian Giver, Peter Wolf Toth, Trail of the Whispering Giants
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
The Whispering Giant
Apodaca Park at Solano and Madrid in Las Cruces has one of the 67 remarkable sculptures in “The Trail of the Whispering Giants.”
These monumental sculptures are the life work of Peter Wolf Toth.
Mr. Toth was born in Hungary and escaped to the United States during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
In 1972 at the age of 24, with no prior sculpting experience, he carved an American Indian sculpture at Wind and Sea Beach in La Jolla, California. Shortly thereafter, he decided to dedicate however long it took to create 50 such sculptures, one for each state.
He didn’t stop at 50 and has now created 67, one or more in each state and the rest in other countries, including Canada.
The sculptures honor Native Peoples and are called as a group The Trail of the Whispering Giants.
Each sculpture is a gift to its location. He accepts nothing for them. He supports himself with other work while doing the carving.
The sculpture given to New Mexico is called “Dineh” and was finished and mounted in the park in 1986.
“Dineh” is a native word for “human beings.”
Another view:
Here’s a partial index of the Giants.
Tags: Trail of the Whispering Giants, Dineh, Peter Wolf Toth, Apodaca Park, Las Cruces
