If you go to the Web site of Erik Lindbergh (yes, that Lindbergh), you discover that this is a man who has faced daunting challenges and overcome tremendous obstacles.
Lindbergh doesn’t lead on about exactly what those were. There is some mention of debilitating arthritis but no details. That’s called the marketing tease.
And we really do want to know. Because here’s a man with such an incredible lineage and with such an incredible resume that we want to know more.
Well, we’ll have a chance to find out.
Lindbergh is the grandson of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. He is the guest speaker on Thursday as the Arts Council of Snohomish County continues its exhibit “The Art of Flight.”
The arts council wanted an exhibit based on flight to celebrate the debut of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, whose maiden flight has been delayed but is supposed to occur before the end of the year.
The “Art of Flight” includes a fabulous collection of art based on all things aeronautic, and displays of artists’ perceptions about planes, spaceships, wings, kinetics and birds. The exhibit opened Sept. 6 and continues through Oct. 25 at the Historic Monte Cristo building in downtown Everett.
The art depicts all aspects of flying, from the whimsical to the out-of-this-world and features work by more than two dozen artists, including aviation sculptures by Erik Lindbergh.
One of the Lindbergh sculptures on display is a carved, velvet-lined floatplane “cradle” that was inspired by the “Tingmissartoq” that Erik Lindbergh’s grandparents flew. Children visiting the exhibit can take turns sitting inside the plane. Other works by Lindbergh include his little bronze flame-fin rocketships and a blue marble replica of the Lancair Columbia.
Such notables as “Tonight” host Jay Leno, former NASA administrator Dan Goldin, astronaut Mike Melvill and aerospace designer Burt Rutan own Lindbergh’s original and limited-edition sculptures, according to the arts council.
During his talk Thursday, Lindbergh plans on taking visitors on a journey through the past, present and future of flight. But visitors will also learn about Lindbergh’s personal journey
On his Web site, Lindbergh writes about the summer of 2000 when he was creating a sculpture of his grandfather’s Spirit of St. Louis. At the time, Lindbergh, a former flight instructor sidelined by crippling rheumatoid arthritis, wondered if he could re-create the Spirit’s famous flight from San Diego to Paris, which included the 3,600-mile nonstop journey over the North Atlantic.
On May 2, 2002, Lindbergh landed the New Spirit of St. Louis at Le Bourget Airport to mark the 75th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s accomplishment. Millions watched as Lindbergh received worldwide attention and congratulations from President Bush, the Web site said.
That solo flight to Paris, documented by the History Channel, raised more than $1 million for three charities and garnered lots and lots of publicity for the X Prize Foundation, a nonprofit institute that designs and manages public competitions in the name of benefiting humanity.
Lindbergh is on the board of this foundation and recently helped to launch the new Google Lunar X Prize. This $30 million prize will challenge private enterprise to achieve this feat: soft-landing a robotic craft on the moon and roving the surface.
In addition, Lindbergh is on the board of the Lindbergh Foundation, a nonprofit that balances technology and environmental preservation.
He also works in public relations for Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing and is a founding board member of the Aviation High School in Des Moines, south of Seattle. Lindbergh built and lives in an energy-efficient straw bale house in the Pacific Northwest.
Lindbergh has been a professional speaker for clients such as the Mayo Clinic, Microsoft and the National Air and Space Museum.
Aside from all this, Lindbergh creates unique art and pieces of furniture, benches, chairs and tables all carved from wood, such as locust, maple, mahogany, dogwood and cedar. His designs have been featured in People magazine, Sculptural Pursuit, the History Channel and NASA.
Of his work with wood, Lindbergh said on his Web site that he identifies with gnarled trees.
“Our twisted trunks, knots and burls are a visible testament to the struggles we have lived through, and the more ‘character’ we develop, the more interesting we become,” Lindbergh wrote in his artists statement. “Perhaps this kinship is what lights the creative fire in my belly and draws me into this wildwood world.”
Reporter Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424 or goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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