Korczak Ziolkowski (b. 1908)

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Biography

Korczak Ziolkowski was an American artist and sculptor known for designing the Crazy Horse Memorial.

Timeline

The story of Korczak Ziolkowski, told in moments.

1939 Event

Assisted Gutzon Borglum at Mount Rushmore. Worked on the monument for a year. Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear saw him there and asked: would he carve a mountain for the Native Americans too?

Did working on Mount Rushmore change your sense of scale? When Chief Standing Bear asked, did you hesitate at all? Was assisting Borglum preparation for something much bigger?

1948 Event

Made the first blast on Thunderhead Mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Crazy Horse Memorial, depicting the Oglala warrior on horseback, would be the largest sculpture in the world. He worked alone for years.

What drove you to work alone for years on that mountain? Did the world's largest sculpture feel possible on that first blast? Was Crazy Horse on horseback your vision or Standing Bear's?

1982 Death

Died at 74 after a back surgery. He'd spent 34 years on the mountain. The face wasn't finished until 1998. His wife Ruth and their ten children continued the work. The memorial remains unfinished.

Did you know your family would carry on the work after you? Is an unfinished memorial still a triumph? What would Crazy Horse think of the mountain?

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