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The Power of the Bull Inside the Head of Sculptor Wayne Porter The Story of Porter Sculpture Park
Paperback
Biographies GeneralTravel GeneralGeneral Art
Publisher: Sue Speck Books
Published: Jun 15 2026
Pages: 124
Weight: 0.46
Height: 0.32 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
A compelling and inspiring look at the audacity and tenacity it took for small town, self-taught sculptor Wayne Porter to propel himself from obscurity to national and international attention as a metal artist by planting his massive sculptures on the South Dakota prairie.
How did he get the grit to overcome the odds to create his own sculpture park with a bull centerpiece as big as the faces on Mount Rushmore and be listed as one of the top roadside attractions in America?
Wayne reveals everything from his art to his influences, his business planning, his struggles and how he first had to overcome himself before he could accept and realize his dream of creating Porter Sculpture Park. The stories behind the sculptures range from funny to thought-provoking and movingly poignant.
A contemporary artist living in the 20th and 21st century, the metal sculptor's welded work has been described as folk art, outsider art, and surreal assemblage art. The book details how he built his large-scale sculptures, often using found materials such as scrap metal, discarded household items and farm equipment. It also examines some of Wayne Porter's poetry, which features both lighthearted themes and deeply emotional poems about the co-existence of joy and pain, creativity and reality, and life and death and eternity.
The Power of the Bull is an inspirational story of creative genius and indefatigable perseverance.
Current and captivating, this non-fiction book is an authorized biography filled with stunning art and photography written with inside insight by a journalist, photographer and artist who returned to her roots and wrote a book about a talent she's known since pre-school.
With 50 artful photos, it's a visual feast for art lovers, a how-to/can-do motivational example for aspiring art entrepreneurs, and an encouraging narrative for anyone who's ever had a dream. The book includes a sculpture index to easily find the story behind each work of art and can serve as a source for a self-guided tour for tourists at this outdoor South Dakota art museum along Interstate 90.
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