Porter Sculpture Park is located just off Interstate 90 in Montrose, South Dakota (about 25 miles west of Sioux Falls, on the eastern edge of McCook County). It is on the South Dakota Drift Prairie, only 1/4 of a mile off of the interstate. There are over 60 sculptures in the Park which is situated on 10 acres of tall grass prairie.. Many of the sculptures, in the style of industrial art, were made with scrap metal, old farm equipment, or railroad tie plates. The largest sculpture in the park is a 60-foot-tall (18 m) bull head. This sculpture took three years to build, weighs 25 tons, and is equal in size to the heads of Mount Rushmore. Every sculpture in the park was made by Sculptor Wayne Porter. The Park is open May 15 - October 15 annually. Admission is $10 per adult, $5 ages 13–17, and free for ages 12 and under.
History of the Artist and Porter Sculpture Park
Artist: Wayne Porter is a sculptor who grew up in rural South Dakota and learned to weld as a child in his father's blacksmith shop. He has never taken an art class. He made his first small sculpture at the age of 10. After graduating from South Dakota State University in Brookings with degrees in political science and history, he was a sheep rancher for a few years and worked on sculptures when he had free time.
Art: Many of his sculptures are large and most of the early pieces are made from junk/found metal, including the bumper of an old family car, an antique water heater from the local dump, and pieces of old farm machinery. He has written and displays poetry that accompany many of the sculptures. The sculptures are majestic, whimsical, thought provoking, and readily display the influences of the South Dakota prairies he grew up on. They reflect his quick wit, humor, and diverse influences.
Sculpture Park: Wayne Porter opened the park in the fall of 2000. He had been ranching and creating sculptures for several years and the art piled up outside of his Dad's blacksmith shop. Over time, cars and buses would come off the highway that runs through the small town of St. Lawrence, SD (pop. 200)to see his sculptures and want to pay him. He realized that sheep ranching is really hard work and he could make a living doing what he loved. He looked for land near Interstate 90 to have better access for tourists and was able to move his sculptures to the current location and open Porter Sculpture Park. The artist continues to make new art in the blacksmith shop where he learned to weld during the offseason and moves the sculptures to the park when they are finished.
Prairie: Wayne has been working to restore the prairie to a native South Dakota tall grass prairie. His farmer friend's cows are in the park in the spring before the park opens to give birth to their calves and eat the grass. Healthy prairies require this or an annual burn. It took a few years to see native flowers and grasses returning, and the restoration continues to be a work in progress.
