Three new troll sculptures by internationally renowned recycle artist, Thomas Dambo, have arrived in Rhode Island, completing the “Rhode Island Troll Trail.” The new residents are Young Boulder who lives in Richmond at Browning Mill Pond in the Arcadia Management Area, Iver Mudslider who resides in North Kingstown’s Ryan Park and Mrs. Skipper who greets Bay travelers in East Providence.
“I am super happy to be back in Rhode Island and to add three more sculptures to my Thunderstone saga. All three locations are absolutely amazing, with stunning nature and beautiful wonders, so it is a real pleasure to be back to expand the exhibition,” says artist, Thomas Dambo.
The new trolls join Erik Rock and Greta Granit who have called Ninigret Park in Charlestown home since last year. The three latest trolls will be unveiled with a ribbon cutting at each location on Sunday, August 24th. Dambo will hold an artist talk at East Providence High School auditorium from 5-6PM on Sunday, August 24th. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here: https://bit.ly/DamboArtistTalk.
Louise Bishop, President and CEO of South County Tourism Council, initiated bringing Thomas Dambo and his famous trolls to Rhode Island. With the support of Commerce RI, place making grants, and the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Bishop succeeded in bringing Dambo back to the state to complete the troll trail.
“We’re excited that these works of art will greet visitors to the state and guide them from north to south to explore all that Rhode Island has to offer,” says Louise Bishop. “It takes a village to raise a troll and we’re grateful for the assistance from RI Commerce, DEM and our partners in North Kingstown and Blackstone Valley for helping us complete the troll trail. And a special thank you to all the volunteers who helped do the actual building.”
DEM Director Terry Gray says, “We’re happy to welcome Young Boulder to the forests of Arcadia Management Area. This inspiring installation by Thomas Dambo perfectly aligns with DEM’s mission as Rhode Island’s lead environmental steward. His message about sustainability and creative reuse helps amplify our ongoing commitment to reducing waste and protecting the environment, all while getting outside and enjoying one of our beautiful management areas.”
Iver Mudslider was commissioned by the town of North Kingstown after seeing the success of the first two RI trolls. “I was inspired by the Ninigret sculptures to bring a troll to North Kingstown. The sense of community in the build, and the magic of the trolls’ stories was a unique opportunity to offer to our community. We are very excited to be a part of this project and the RI Troll Trail and thrilled to have Iver Mudslider as a part of North Kingstown. We hope that families find magic in Iver living in the trails of Ryan Park for years to come,” says Chelsea Dumas-Gibbs, Recreation Director, Town of North Kingstown.
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council bringing Mrs. Skipper to the northern part of the state was key in completing the troll trail. "Working with Dambo's team has been a unique and eye-opening experience. Blackstone Valley Tourism Council sees this installation as another major positive change in the City of East Providence. The art piece that Thomas and his team created is astonishing! It is one more exciting feature in the city that residents can truly be proud of. We welcome travelers from near and far to come and find "Mrs. Skipper" making her best attempt to hide along the East Providence shore," says Executive Director of Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, James Toomey.
“The City of East Providence could not be more ecstatic about the opportunity to be the home of Thomas Dambo’s newest creation Mrs.Skipper,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. "This is a fun art project that places East Providence on the map, the 'Troll Map' and will drive visitors from around the world to our city. I am grateful to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and South County Tourism Council for their support of this project," DaSilva added.
The trolls are not only pieces of art but help spread Dambo’s message to be good stewards of our planet by reusing and recycling what we can to cut down waste. Trash is treasure to Dambo and his art strives to share that philosophy with the world.
Thomas Dambo is the world’s leading recycle artist. His art is in more than 20 countries on 5 continents, including the USA, China, Brazil, Australia, GB, Germany, France, South Korea, Chile, and Puerto Rico. There are 125 Thomas Dambo trolls in the world, and 44 of those are in the USA.
About Thomas Dambo
Thomas Dambo (Odense, Denmark; 1979) is the world's leading recycling artist. Since 2014 he has produced artwork with discarded materials in more than 20 countries on 5 continents, including the USA, China, Brazil, Australia, GB, Germany, France, South Korea, Chile, and Puerto Rico.
To learn more about Thomas Dambo and his work visit: https://www.thomasdambo.com/
“My mission is Waste No More: our world is drowning in trash, while we are running out of natural resources. I spend my life showing the world that beautiful things can be made from trash. I give new life to discarded materials by turning them into large-scale artworks. My aim now is to build 1,000 Trolls using recycled materials all over the world,” states Thomas Dambo.
About South County Tourism Council
The South County Tourism Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the towns of Charlestown, Coventry, East Greenwich, Exeter, Hopkinton, Narragansett, North Kingstown, Richmond, South Kingstown, West Greenwich and Westerly as a single leisure travel destination known as “South County”. For more information, please visit southcountyri.com.
