For most people, a period of enforced rest would mean little more than boredom. Austrian-born Wisconsin dairy farmer Nick Engelbert, however, is said to have begun an artistic project while recovering from a sprained ankle in the 1930s. He made his first concrete sculpture while recuperating, and over the next 15 years transformed the grounds of his farm near Hollandale into a landscape filled with more than 40 sculptures.
According to the Kohler Foundation, what began as a personal pastime eventually became Grandview, an unusual folk-art environment combining concrete, gardens, architecture and found materials. Engelbert covered much of his farmhouse with concrete decorated with stones, shells, glass shards, beads, buttons and pieces of ceramic tableware. His creations drew on history, mythology, patriotism, fairy tales and everyday life.
