Kansas artist spent 30 years filling his 70-acre property with 600 metal totems

Image Credit: Lu Ann Stephens/KMUW A Kansas artist spent roughly three decades turning his 70-acre property in Mullinville into an outdoor gallery of metal sculptures. M.T. Liggett filled the roadside landscape with hundreds of tall totems, whirligigs and smaller pieces made from discarded metal and objects from everyday life. Many carried sharp political or social messages, while others drew on people and experiences from his own life. After Liggett died in 2017, efforts began to preserve this unique collection. The result is an art environment that still stands along the Kansas highways and continues to attract curious visitors.How did M.T. Liggett fill his 70-acre property with metal sculpturesLiggett was born in Mullinville in 1930 and did not begin making art until later in life. According to KC Studio, he was in his late 50s when he created his first sculpture, a gargoyle made after one of his horses died from poisoning. He believed the sculpture could keep away dark forces, and that first experiment eventually led to decades of metalworking.For the next 30 years, Liggett worked with an arc welder and other basic tools, turning discarded materials into sculptures. KC Studio s...