Poised migrates to Kansas City Missouri

Gray-suited and stodgy, frayed but grand, the Great Blue Heron is no bright flash. Elegantly poised, it stands perfectly still, nested in among the tall pine trees. ‘Poised,’ this 25 ft tall sapling and wire sculpture that has stood on the Christian Science Plaza in Boston for the past 6 months as part of Convergence: The Boston Sculptors Gallery 20th anniversary exhibit is heading South for the winter. The Myth Makers: Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein have sold this sculpture to a private collector in Kansas City Missouri and recently sited it on private property at the corner of Ward Parkway and Huntington Ave. Although technically only a partial migrant, this great blue heron will be making a one way trip to live in a warmer climate. The Myth Makers are a collaborative team of sculptors who enjoy the physical and philosophical challenges of working together.

Update: The Kansas City Star ran a profile on 8/29/14 about Steve Abend and his art collection, that mentions our piece, Poised,  "Architect Steve Abend builds an artful outdoor oasis" by Alice Thorson.

The Chorus of the Cicada

For many people, there is something particularly fascinating, and even horrifying about the life cycle of the giant cicada.

Photo courtesy Erin X. Smithers

The bug lives a solitary lifestyle underground for 17 years and then emerges in a blur of wings and mating songs with billions of other bugs to reproduce and spawn another generation of cicadas.

Photo courtesy Erin X. Smithers

2013 was the year of the cicada. On August 24, 2013 the Myth Makers brought this bug to life!

Photo courtesy Tom Lincoln

Do you know the legend about cicadas? They say they are the souls of poets who cannot keep quiet because, when they were alive, they never wrote the poems they wanted to.

- John Berger

Photo courtesy Erin X. Smithers

Update: Emily Yen captured the performance on video.

Wayland 375

2013-2014 marks the 375th anniversary of the town of Wayland, Massachusetts. We were invited to create a fire sculpture for two events celebrating this remarkable occasion, and our research led us to create an icon of what was present 375 years ago that was no longer there, for the first event on June 13, 2013.

The sculpture of a Northern Leopard Frog, once plentiful throughout Wayland but now endangered, is designed and created by The Myth Makers specifically for Wayland 375. Stay tuned for the second act of this celebration that will take place on June 14, 2014!

Thank you Erin Smithers for your fabulous photos!

Poised

Gray-suited and stodgy, frayed but grand, the Great Blue Heron is no bright flash. Standing perfectly still, forever patiently waiting for the fish to swim through it's legs -- elegantly poised.

Myth Makers: Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein, Poised, 20 ft tall, saplings, wire ties, 2013 will be part of CONVERGENCE: BOSTON SCULPTORS GALLERY EXHIBITS AT THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PLAZA, May 1-October 31, 2013.

The Black Mountain Walrus

The Jackson NH Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Snow Sculpting event at Black Mountain. Last weekend, Andy Moerlein and I went up to make sculptures in the snow along with 15 other teams. Each team starts with a block of snow, 8 ft tall, 4 ft diameter, and 48 h to sculpt. We decided to create the Black Mountain Walrus this year. Check out the photos and myth below.

Black Mountain Walrus, 8 ft, snow 2013
Photo Credit: Keith Trexler 2013.

The Black Mountain Walrus

Fleeing melting ice in search of a sub zero landscape, the Black Mountain Walrus has brought her child to the ski slopes above Jackson NH. Seeking the familiar temperatures of the deep arctic, she was drawn to this frosty frontier.  Mother Walrus has known a lifetime of ice and frigid wind and has settled into Jackson like a second home.

Black Mountain Walrus, 8 ft, snow sculpture 2013
Photo credit: The Myth Makers

The Myth Makers

Andy Moerlein & Donna Dodson

The Myth Makers: Andy Moerlein and Donna Dodson
Photo Credit: Keith Trexler 2013.

Update: Channel 8 covered this story, see the video here. The Union Leader covered this story, read the full article here. Boston.com covered this story, read it here.