In early 2024, the Kohler Foundation gifted eight conserved sculptures by self-taught, Kansas artist M.T. Liggett to the Volland Foundation. Established in 1940 and located in Kohler, WI, the Kohler Foundation focuses on preserving art environments around the nation. In Kansas, the Kohler Foundation has contributed to projects such as S.P. Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden in Lucas, KS. The Kohler Foundation has funded and restored the M.T. Liggett Art Environment, in Mullinville, KS, as well as building a Visitors Center featuring an exhibit about Liggett’s work and a space for artist residencies.

In 2023, Dick and Gloria Anderson and Cindy and Larry Meeker donated their collections of M.T. Liggett sculptures to the Kohler Foundation. Subsequently, Kohler conserved and donated eight of the sculptures to the Volland Foundation, significantly adding to Volland's collection of outdoor sculptures.

The Volland Foundation is sincerely grateful for the generosity of all who made this possible - the Anderson's, the Meeker's, and the Kohler Foundation.

 In preparation for the reveal of these eight sculpture gifts, Volland shared four newsletters via email, providing information on M.T. Liggett’s life, the themes he explored in his work, context on visionary arts, and how his work still resonates today. They are preserved here as PDFs for reference.

The self-taught artist eventually made 600 large metal sculptures and 500+ smaller works, lining them along his property next to the highway, attracting so much attention that " no parking " signs had to be posted by the Kansas Department of Transportation. They also caught the eye of the Kansas State Tourism board which named his property an important Kansas art site. The first newsletter of this series explored Liggett’s biography and background.

In the second newsletter of the series, Volland discussed the artist’s work, including the politically charged, often humorous, and personal sculptures, totems, and whirlygigs, as well as the nonpolitical works.

The third installment discussed how artists like M.T. Liggett have been described (a hint: no one term does it all) and the larger context of grassroots art in Kansas.

Finally, Volland examined M.T. Liggett from the perspective of life in 2024. Years after his death, it is striking to see how well Liggett anticipated future happenings, whether it be a more decentralized artworld or conversations around individualism.

Learn more about M.T. Liggett through Joshua Dubois' It Started with a Horse
and the Volland Foundation's video of the unveiling