Montrose artist restores vandalized sculpture park, welcomes visitors for new season

Jun. 21—MONTROSE, S.D. — After vandalism ruined some pieces at the start of last season, a local artist has restored and continued to create, ready to entertain tourists once again this season.

Porter Sculpture Park, a roadside attraction along I-90 in Montrose, fell victim to vandalism last year. The incident occurred during the off-season, sometime before the park's scheduled opening day on May 10, 2023. The vandalism caused significant damage, undoing years of work by the park's creators, Wayne Porter.

"It was heartbreaking to see my life's work so senselessly destroyed," Porter said.

The iconic "Bull and Guardians" sculpture, clearly visible from the interstate, suffered the most severe damage in the incident. The four human-sized skeleton guardian figures that flanked the bull sculpture were decapitated, with their heads removed. Additionally, the base of the bull sculpture itself was defaced with spray paint messages proclaiming religious sentiments.

"This was more than just a random act," Porter said. "The guardian heads were completely gone and the graffiti on the bull was disturbing."

Other vandalized pieces included an Irish Monks sculpture and a piece depicting Porter's brother.

This was not the first instance of vandalism at the sculpture park, but previous incidents were limited to minor spray-painting issues. The extensive damage inflicted last year posed a far greater challenge.

"I can repaint. But this — this is different," Porter said. "The missing heads may take years to recreate."

Undeterred by the setback, Porter has reopened the park this year with a mix of repaired and temporary solutions. Plastic replacements from Amazon for the stolen heads now stand in place, a practical solution until more permanent repairs can be made.

"You can't really tell the difference from a distance," Porter said.

Since inspiration for his sculptures can strike at any moment, often unexpectedly, Porter felt he had no choice but to keep working and creating without pause. His brother offered to work on sculpting new heads for the figures.

As the creative force behind Porter Sculpture Park, Porter is a self-taught artist who never received formal training.

Porter's artistic journey began in his father's blacksmith shop in the small town of St. Lawrence, South Dakota, where he learned welding at the age of 12 and crafted his first sculpture — a small bull's head — when he was just 10 years old.

Despite studying political science and history at South Dakota State University, Porter's true passion remained in the realm of art. After a brief stint raising sheep, he dedicated himself fully to sculpting, drawing inspiration from his rural upbringing and the surrounding prairie landscapes.

Porter's first large-scale sculpture was the "Magic Dragon," also known as the "Red Dragon," created in the early 1980s. The once movable dragon sculpture, with a body large enough for an adult to fit inside and control the movements of the arms and head, earned its name because couples would get engaged beneath it at its original location in his hometown.

Porter's sculptures are a unique blend of styles, reflecting his diverse interests and experiences. From the neo-Egyptian influences in his iconic 60-foot bull's head to the historical references woven throughout his pieces, each work showcases his boundless creativity and keen eye for detail.

One striking example of creating by sight is the colossal horse sculpture prominently visible to motorists on the interstate.

"The horse sculpture frame was so huge in my hometown that it spanned blocks," Porter said. "Unable to see the whole, I'd walk blocks away, give Cinnamon the horse a carrot, memorize her lines, then return to sculpt by sight."

Porter's untraditional artistic process involves constructing towering sculptures without diagrams, equations, or detailed plans. Instead, he allows his natural instincts and creative vision to lead the way. The creation of the bull's head sculpture serves as a prime example. This massive work was assembled in two colossal parts, and rather than meticulously measuring and calculating to ensure a perfect fit, Porter trusted his artistic intuition that the two components would seamlessly come together as one.

"I was always just looking and duplicating. That's how I learned," Porter said. "I had to look at things and try to get the balance and everything right just by looking. I can't draw anything, but I can make those things I can't draw out of steel."

Much like his traditional blacksmithing techniques, the equipment used by this skilled artisan is also quite old-fashioned and vintage. His grinding pedestal is an impressive 120 years old. In addition to this antique machine, he also utilizes anvils that are well over a century old. Rounding out his collection of time-honored tools is a trip hammer which is also more than a hundred years old. The sculptures themselves are usually crafted from recycled materials such as scrap metal, discarded farm machinery, and railroad ties.

"My favorite material to work with is one-eighth inch thick steel," Porter said. "A bullet will bounce off of it. I shoot it with a hammer. It moves and it stays where I put it."

Despite the setback caused by last year's vandalism incident, Porter intends to regularly add new sculptures to the 10-acre park, which already features over 50 of his works.

Porter recently completed his latest creation — a 25-foot-tall white rabbit sculpture covered in intricate mathematical equations. Inspired by "Alice in Wonderland," the whimsical rabbit will be moved to join his other works as soon as he can arrange the necessary equipment.

Porter Sculpture Park is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. now through October 15. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 13 to 17. Children 12 and under are free.