Feb 14, 2006

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Sculptor Jim Gary Memorial Fund — and early tributes
   — Kafi Benz

Jim Gary died on January 14, 2006 following a massive cerebral hemorrhage suffered in December.

A memorial service was held on January 22 and the Sculptor Jim Gary Memorial Fund, has been established to facilitate placing his traveling exhibition, Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs, into appropriate museums and institutions — as he requested.

To send condolences, to share memories of Jim, to pledge donations to the memorial fund, or to make suggestions regarding placement of the signature sculptures of Jim Gary that have traveled the world as an exhibition for decades, please use the e-mail device at the bottom of the lead page on this site or inquire at jim.gary.tcd at gmail.com.

A tribute to Jim Gary was featured by ABC News on This Week with George Stefanopoulos on Sunday, January 22, 2006. A statement by Jim about his work, said on the video clip they aired, is now displayed on their site as a quote. The section remaining is identified as, In Memoriam — Lives of Note — This Week Remembers Those We Have Lost in 2006 .

Time Magazine dated January 30, 2006 noted the death of the "globally popular artist," Jim Gary, among the notebook milestones on page 21 and published a photograph of one of his dinosaur sculptures which "...delighted kids as well as curators, including those at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, where he had an acclaimed solo show..."

Obituaries have been published all over the world and are continuing to appear, coming in from as far away as Japan, India, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

After the first few days of release on-line, newspapers often require a registration to read the full obituaries and sometimes, require purchase. Later, we will be providing links to the obituaries of papers that allow us a permanent link.

Some web sites have posted obituaries, tributes, and personal statements because of their respect for sculptor Jim Gary. This recognition often is posted by people who grew up admiring his work after seeing it at exhibitions, in schools, on television, movies, and videos, or in a range of publications including textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, and newspapers. Matt Celeskey posted his personal tribute to sculptor Jim Gary on the Hairy Museum of Natural History site shortly after Jim's death. Links or quotes from other sites will be included in a separate article planned for this site. Jim Gary touched the minds and hearts of generations of people through both his fine and whimsical sculpture. Those who were privileged to meet him will never forget his quiet, generous, and gentle nature.

Both the New York Times and the Washington Post published significant obituaries for Jim Gary. Another full feature appeared in the Los Angles Times on January 24 where they noted that "some critics compared [Jim Gary's] scrap-metal creatures with Picasso's famous bull's head made from a bicycle seat and handlebars."

Steve Miller of the New York Sun published the first obituary as breaking news on January 17. In that article he noted that "...it was an exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia in 1979 that brought [Jim Gary] national attention." The Asbury Park Press published a more detailed local obituary, but it is not retained in their Internet archives. In their tribute on January 29, 2006 the Dallas Morning News, published a 1994 photograph of Jim Gary published in an article about an exhibition of Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs at the Dallas Museum of Natural History at Fair Park.

In the United Kingdom, The Guardian published their novel tribute to artist Jim Gary on February 14, 2006, coining the term "Garysauruses" in the article. The best photographs available on the internet showing a wide variety of those Jim Gary sculptures that inspired that name, shown as they await shipment to a booking where they would be displayed with their footings in the ground, are on Jim Gary's Dinosaurs.

Most of the obituaries have some errors, as are likely to occur when deadlines loom. Unfortunately, these errors are passed along in the research for following articles. As the official obituary, we can provide the release we issued to the wires, media, and newspapers so that the most accurate information is available.

Special thanks to Jonathan Talbot for participation in, and representation at, the memorial service for Jim Gary, as well as, providing photographs and audio. Jonathan always has been a highly supportive friend and an unparalleled professional peer as a painter, printmaker, and collage artist.

Thanks for all of the continuing warm responses, personal recollections, and donations to the fund to honor Jim Gary's request to keep his traveling exhibition available to the public.

A charming video tribute to Jim Gary is posted on the Internet at garfum that reflects a sincere admiration for his works. It and the vestige of the NJN videos noted in the lead article are three videos currently available on the Internet about Jim Gary and his sculpture that are neither pirated from the copyright works of others without their permission, nor accompanied by unauthorized and inaccurate statements.

Some unauthorized and inaccurate publications imply that they originate from this site, Jim Gary, his estate, or the studio director by using similar names, please note the deceptive differences. All authorized uses of his professional, proprietary, and personal materials are acknowledged on this site and permission for any authorized use is obtained through the studio director of Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs.

Please return to the home page of this site to select the other articles on sculptor Jim Gary.