Last updated: December 1, 2020
Place
Young George Washington Carver Statue
NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
Diamond, Missouri
Significance:
Statue at George Washington Carver National Monument
Amenities
30 listed
Accessible Sites, Assistive Listening Systems, Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Benches/Seating, Braille, Captioned Media, Cellular Signal, Elevator, Fire Extinguisher, First Aid Kit Available, Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Internet/WiFi Available, Parking - Auto, Picnic Table, Recycling, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Telephone, Theater/Auditorium, Toilet - Flush, Trailhead, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Drinking/Potable, Wheelchair Accessible, Wheelchairs Available
Robert Amendola sculpted this tribute to young George Washington Carver in 1961 and entitled it “Boy Carver Statue.” The statue depicts George tenderly cradling a plant in his left hand, illustrating his love and respect for nature. It shows why, as a young child, he was called “The Plant Doctor.”
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER AS A BOY:
George Washington Carver National Monument
Diamond, Missouri
The concept of this sculpture was inspired by the extraordinary prayer of a young boy-George Washington Carver. From early youth, believing that the creator has made all things in nature for the good of mankind but had left to man the challenging tasks of discovering the potential and appropriate use of each, he was impelled by a burning curiosity to daily set aside time for a walk alone in the woods seeking out and contemplating some facts of nature while communing with its creator-a practice he continued throughout his long life.
It is one such moment in his boyhood this sculpture means to commemorate:
Following through deeps woods the gravelly windings of a nearly dry seasonal stream the young boy’s thoughtful progress is arrested by a captivating obstruction-a 10 foot pinnacle of deeply eroded ledge-rock fallen from an undercut outcropping in the side of a ancient river bank to land point up in the middle of the stream which has shaped it. Now a small muddy island hugged its base from which three kinds of wild vine straggled up the rock while various other plants had taken root in the crannies and pockets of its water-sculptured contours.
Excitedly the clambered up its crappy bulk and, finding a precarious perch at its peak, sits balanced-boy fashion-watch a family of lizards emerge from a crevice to bask in the sun. An odd and lovely plant in a stone pocket just below his rough seat has caught his eye and gently loosening it (to add to his “secret garden”) he cups it, earth and roots, in one hand, earnestly studying it.
Finally he turns his face toward heaven and his heart to the plants’ creator in wonder and thanksgiving. For me the plant is also a symbol of George Washington Carver’s multipetalled genius growing and flowering among adverse conditions where it seen nothing could ever take root.
Robert Amendola, Sculptor, May 26, 1981
“Recognizing Carver’s many and varied talents, one visitor asked, ‘How have you been able to do so many things?’”
“Would it surprise you,” Dr. Carver replied gently, “if I told you that I have been doing only one thing? The artist-his writings, his weaving, his music, his paintings are just the expressions of his soul in his search for truth.
Quote from an article entitled, George Washington Carver as Artist by Georgia B. Skaggs.
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER AS A BOY:
George Washington Carver National Monument
Diamond, Missouri
The concept of this sculpture was inspired by the extraordinary prayer of a young boy-George Washington Carver. From early youth, believing that the creator has made all things in nature for the good of mankind but had left to man the challenging tasks of discovering the potential and appropriate use of each, he was impelled by a burning curiosity to daily set aside time for a walk alone in the woods seeking out and contemplating some facts of nature while communing with its creator-a practice he continued throughout his long life.
It is one such moment in his boyhood this sculpture means to commemorate:
Following through deeps woods the gravelly windings of a nearly dry seasonal stream the young boy’s thoughtful progress is arrested by a captivating obstruction-a 10 foot pinnacle of deeply eroded ledge-rock fallen from an undercut outcropping in the side of a ancient river bank to land point up in the middle of the stream which has shaped it. Now a small muddy island hugged its base from which three kinds of wild vine straggled up the rock while various other plants had taken root in the crannies and pockets of its water-sculptured contours.
Excitedly the clambered up its crappy bulk and, finding a precarious perch at its peak, sits balanced-boy fashion-watch a family of lizards emerge from a crevice to bask in the sun. An odd and lovely plant in a stone pocket just below his rough seat has caught his eye and gently loosening it (to add to his “secret garden”) he cups it, earth and roots, in one hand, earnestly studying it.
Finally he turns his face toward heaven and his heart to the plants’ creator in wonder and thanksgiving. For me the plant is also a symbol of George Washington Carver’s multipetalled genius growing and flowering among adverse conditions where it seen nothing could ever take root.
Robert Amendola, Sculptor, May 26, 1981
“Recognizing Carver’s many and varied talents, one visitor asked, ‘How have you been able to do so many things?’”
“Would it surprise you,” Dr. Carver replied gently, “if I told you that I have been doing only one thing? The artist-his writings, his weaving, his music, his paintings are just the expressions of his soul in his search for truth.
Quote from an article entitled, George Washington Carver as Artist by Georgia B. Skaggs.