A Heart of Stone from Victoria Zegler on Vimeo.
Dennis Christy grew up in Mid-Michigan loving art. His grandmother was a basket maker, and he used to sit with her carving things from wood.
After graduating from high school, Christy went to Santa Fe, New Mexico to study art at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He learned watching some of the best Native American carvers. He returned to Michigan and his Saginaw Chippewa culture for inspiration. He introduced and taught stone carving. The tribe has been very supportive of their artisans and stone sculptors are flourishing.
He is recognized as an elder and teacher. His work can be found in galleries from Tucson to Detroit. His pieces are on display in such places as Grand Rapids, Michigan Public Museum, the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and the Museum of Indian and Western Art in Indianapolis. Christy uses a variety of stone, from alabaster to marble. The rock he works with most often comes from quarries in the Upper Peninsula and also pink alabaster from Utah. He also enjoys doing monumental size outdoor sculpture and has several large cast bronze pieces on display. He is presently working on large pieces for the Soaring Eagle Casino and Hotel in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
