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USA
Midwest
Fred Smith's Wisconsin Concrete Park
N8236 State Highway 13
Phillips, WI
715-339-6475 or 715-339-6371 or 800 269-4505
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Phillips, WI
Wisconsin Concrete Park - Fred Smith
Folk Art Site, Concrete environment
Site Status: open to public
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Information:
"Nobody knows why I made them... Not even me."
(Stone, Lisa and Zanzi, Jim. Sacred Spaces and Other Places. Chicago, IL: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Press, 1993, p. 106.)
Built: 1948 - 1964
Fred Smith found his yard to be fertile ground for the creation of his "Wisconsin Concrete Park" (c. 1950-1964) in rural northern Wisconsin. Smith, a retired lumberjack and farmer, spent 15 years developing an environment of over 200 life-size and over-life-size concrete sculptures embedded with glass shards. Eventually, he covered three acres of land, blending legend, history, and his imagination. His subjects ranged from teams of draft horses, woodland animals, farmers, and Native Americans to individuals of historic importance such as Sun Yat-sen, Abraham Lincoln, and Sacajawea (sic) as well as legendary figures such as Paul Bunyan.
Preservation of this site is handled by The Friends Of Fred Smith, Price County Forestry Dept., 104 South Eyder Street, Phillips WI 54555, (715) 339-6371 or (800) 269-4505. This is a non-profit organization. Tax deductable memberships are available, with a newsletter being sent to members. Call or write for an application.
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Bibliography:
"Detour Art—Outsider, Folk Art, and Visionary Folk Art Environments Coast to Coast, Art and Photographs from the Collection of Kelly Ludwig" by Kelly Ludwig, Kansas City Star Books, 2007.
"Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations" (the book), by Randy Mason, Michael Murphy and Don Mayberger, Kansas City Star Publishing, 2002.
On DVD - Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations, "Takin' it to the Lakes," KCPT, Kansas City Public Television, 1997-2001.
"Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists" by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, New York, 1990.
"Sacred Spaces & Other Places: A Guide to Grottos & Sculptural Environments in the Upper Midwest" by Lisa Stone and Jim Zanzi, Chicago, IL: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Press, 1993.
"20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art" by Betty-Carol Sellen, Cynthia J. Johnson, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York, 1993.
"Self-Made Worlds: Visionary Environments" by Roger Manley and Mark Sloan, Aperture, New York, 1997.
"Sublime Spaces & Visionary Worlds: Built Environments of Vernacular Artists," by Leslie Umberger, Erika Doss, Ruth DeYoung Kohler, Lisa Stone, and Jane Bianco, published by John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Princeton Architectural Press, 2007.
"Self Taught, Outsider, and Folk Art—A guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources" by Betty-Carol Sellen with Cynthia J. Johnson, McFarland & Company, 2000.
"Raw Creation: Outsider Art and Beyond" by John Maizels, 1996.
"Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations Coast to Coast Travel-o-Pedia" by Randy Mason, et. al., Kansas City Star Books, 2009.
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Driving Directions:
north-central Wisconsin, south of Phillips,
State Highway 13, just south of Park Falls in Price County
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Road rules:
Please remember to always be respectful of private property, use common courtesy and treat people with kindness. If the location is private, never enter without the owner’s permission.
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