Continental Sculpture HallInez Marshall (1907 - 1984)
Status
Relocated (incl. Museums)
Original Location
Portis, Kansas
Address
213 S. Main St., Lucas, Kansas, 67648, United States
Built
late 1930s to 1980s
Visiting Information
Many of Marshall's sculptures are on display at the Grassroots Art Center in Lucas, KS. Check their website for current hours.
Website
About the Artist/Site
Inez Marshall was born in Burr Oak, Kansas in 1907, and started carving Kansas limestone in the late 1930s while recuperating from a broken back. She continued carving while working as an auto mechanic, truck driver, and traveling evangelist.
Marshall's sculptures include animals, politicians, scenes from small town life, a one-fifth size Model T Ford, and the wheel and battery of an uncompleted full-size Harley Davidson motorcycle. She exhibited her work in her Continental Sculpture Hall in Portis, Kansas, until 1968 when it was moved to a hall in Abilene, but she was not happy there and returned to Portis.
She had a stroke and lapsed into a coma in 1984; her sculptures and other assets were sold at an auction. Marshall said, "I get inspiration from a voice. When I first touch a piece of stone, I don't even know what I'm gonna create. I stew on it. I wait for the voice. I get inspired. Then it comes. The voice comes. There is an eagle in that rock, get it out!"
The Grassroots Arts Center in Lucas, Kansas, acquired many of Marshall's sculptures and they are currently on display.
Narrative courtesy of the Grassroots Art Center.
Contributors
Materials
limestone, paint
Map & Site Information
213 S. Main St.
Lucas, Kansas, 67648
us
Latitude/Longitude: 39.0575503 / -98.5383288
Nearby Environments
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Comments
Cynthia Briscoe March 7, 2024
So happy to find her work preserved right where she wanted it. Such fond memories of visiting her and having a cool glass of tea served by her dear friend. Somewhere I have a beautiful black and white photo of her. If I can find it, I’ll forward a copy.