Ken Nyberg was born in January of 1938. He grew up with very little. No telephone, electricity or running water and sometimes, barely enough food to survive. Though he grew up without all the “things of today,” life was much more interesting and in many cases downright fun. From a very early age Ken used his imagination to create things with his hands.

Nyberg, a welder and former construction foreman, creates his unique sculptures from leftover scrap metal he hauls from job sites to his workshop. “I basically make my statues from leftovers, old lawnmower blades, whatever,” Nyberg said. “I liken what I do to when a seamstress finishes a dress and from the remaining material makes another piece of clothing. It’s the same for me. Our construction projects began with large sheets of steel, and when we finished, there would be many odd-shaped pieces left. That’s what most of my statues are made of.”

In 1989, Ken used his hands to fashion a 1,240-pound iron foot. Ken worked on the 18 foot tall Big Foot in secret for over two years. “My wife didn’t even know,” he said. “I was a little afraid to say anything to anybody. Building a big foot – you gotta be crazy.” His neighbors loved Big Foot so much that they placed it in a permanent spot of honor next to the main road through town. Ken followed that up with many other large, and some smaller, iron sculptures that dot the Midwestern landscape today.