About the Artist
David Harry Grodzinsky-Rogers was born in Long Island, New York in 1960. At age 13, he began by learning to weld and then building abstract steel sculptures using salvaged car parts and scrap metal. A few years later, David started using forest materials such as branches to make his sculptures. In his early years, David also spent some time working as an apprentice to a builder and restorer of wooden sailboats, as a carpenter, and other various jobs.
By 1990, David was working on building a series of dinosaur sculptures made from branches and saplings. He was motivated to make the dinosaur sculptures while staying on a cousin’s farm in Vermont where he saw a maple sapling that had been bent over from an ice storm. David was inspired by the curvature and posture of the tree and wished to give it a new life. The dinosaur sculptures morphed into what would later become the Big Bug exhibit. By 1993, David had created the first 10 sculptures of the Big Bug exhibit, which included four different subjects. The subjects included ants, praying mantis, spider and web, and dragonfly. Today, David Rogers’ exhibit includes 40 sculptures and 14 different subjects.
By 1990, David was working on building a series of dinosaur sculptures made from branches and saplings. He was motivated to make the dinosaur sculptures while staying on a cousin’s farm in Vermont where he saw a maple sapling that had been bent over from an ice storm. David was inspired by the curvature and posture of the tree and wished to give it a new life. The dinosaur sculptures morphed into what would later become the Big Bug exhibit. By 1993, David had created the first 10 sculptures of the Big Bug exhibit, which included four different subjects. The subjects included ants, praying mantis, spider and web, and dragonfly. Today, David Rogers’ exhibit includes 40 sculptures and 14 different subjects.