All--

The New Yorker has an article on Charles Ray, an American sculptor.  OF note for those on this site is a piece titled "Huck and Jim" that he's been working on for 6 years.  Originally planned for the new Whitney museum in New York, it was ultimately by the museum.  Other plans to install it are in limbo.  

Here's a link to copy and paste; the description of "Huck and Jim" starts in the 4th paragraph:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/11/meaning-machines

Ray calls Twain "our Homer," and AHF the "American Ulysses." The sculpture is inspired by Huck and Jim's discussion about the stars, specifically Jim's idea that the moon laid them, which Huck finds plausible because he'd seen frogs lay eggs in large batches.  The sculpture poses the two as Huck collects frog's eggs with Jim leaning over him.  

Although Ray gets a detail wrong in his praise of the "I'll go to hell" passage--Aunt Polly wasn't Jim's owner, nor was she Huck's aunt--it's clear that the book has had a deep impact on him.  

Don't know if we'll ever see the sculpture publicly displayed.  Perhaps someone here has connections to a contemporary art institution that might be interested.


--LH

Larry Howe
Professor of English
Department of Literature and Languages
Roosevelt University

Fulbright Distinguished Chair in American Studies, Syddansk Universitet--Odense, 2014-15