Trail of the Whispering Giants - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Here stands a piece of art that is an an example of what can be done with a lot of hard work as a wood carver. It is very detailed for such a large piece of wood. It is hard to believe it weighs over 40 tons! I seen these piece the first time I came to Valdez back in the early 1990's I enjoy coming here each time I come to Valdez justto see how it has weathered. It has a nice headdress and the feathers on the back with the hair are huge. The weather here is usually very rainy but you have to get out and see this up close to really appreciate the details. I was very suprised to learn that it was listed in the Smithsonian. So enjoy this piece of art.

From the Smithsonian details:

Artist: Toth, Peter, 1947- , sculptor.

Title: (Indian), (sculpture).

Other Titles: Trail of the Whispering Giants, (sculpture).

Dates: Nov.-Dec. 1981.

Medium: Sculpture: Sitka spruce; Base: concrete.

Dimensions: Sculpture: approx. H. 25 ft. x W. 10 ft. x Diam. 7 ft.; Base: approx. H. 3 ft. x W. 10 1/2 ft. x Diam. 7 ft.

Inscription: unsigned

Description: Colossal-sized head of a long-haired, mustached Indian wearing an elaborate headdress. There are four smoothly carved faces around the headband, the face in front being the most ornate with a fanning headdress. The eyes are squinting and the nose is prominent. Feathered ornamentation appears at the back of the figure's head. The sculpture represents tribes native to southeast Alaska.

Subject: Figure male -- Head
Ethnic -- Indian -- Eskimo
Ethnic -- Indian -- Aleut
Ethnic -- Indian -- Athapaskans
Ethnic -- Indian -- Tlingit
Ethnic -- Indian -- Haida
Ethnic -- Indian -- Tsimshian

Object Type: Outdoor Sculpture -- Alaska -- Valdez
Sculpture

Owner: Administered by University of Alaska, Department of Maintenance, 303 Lowe, Valdez, Alaska 99686
Located Prince William Sound Community College, 129 Pioneer Street, Residential Quad, Valdez, Alaska

Remarks: Title supplied by Inventory cataloger.
Gift of the artist in honor of the American Indian tribes of southeast Alaska. This sculpture is one of several the artist has executed throughout the United States as part of his "Trail of Whispering Giants," a project in which a sculpture representative of Native tribes of a state is installed in that state. The objective is have at least one sculpture in each of the fifty states. The log was donated by Alaska Lumber and Pulp. The City of Valdez did the concrete work. IAS files include the text of a nearby commemorative plaque and sketches of site plans.

Condition: Surveyed 1994 August. Well maintained.

References: Save Outdoor Sculpture, Alaska survey, 1994.

Illustration: Image on file.

Note: The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Repository: Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number: IAS AK000201

TITLE: #40 Whispering Giant ARTIST(S): Peter Toth DATE: October 1981 MEDIUM: wood CONTROL NUMBER: IAS AK000201 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: It is located on the north side of Pioneer Drive, between Meals Ave and Chenega Ave. Between the resident dorms of Prince William Sound (PWS) Community College. 129 Pioneer Drive DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: no changes description is adequate.

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