An impromptu interview with Jerry Carr, the "Dinosaur Man"

Special feature to bring a worthy cause in rural Maine
into  world view via Web cyber culture

J. Carr's artistic world launched online March 16, 2006

 

     During a visit last year to Bangor, Dr. Rodney Chang, director of this virtual museum, became familiar with the unusual art display up in Houlton.   One man's life dedication to the outdoor exhibit was brought to his attention by a resident there.  Per Truly Virtual Web Art Museum's request, Harrison Roper, a leader of Visions Gallery in Houlton, asked Jerry Carr about his outdoor display.  

"We spoke outside in the afternoon, near his pickup truck.  I wrote down his comments in pencil on a piece of cardboard, in an icy wind and light snow."  - Harrison Roper, March 16, 2006

 

About his work:

    I am a pop artist. I’m into children's’ civil rights, against killing baby seals in Canada , and against abortion in America .

    I am an artist for God –  God is the artist, and I’m just the brush.

  I took a Houlton High School art course and that sort of inspired me.

   I make things for fun. I want to make people laugh -  a jack of all trades in art.

  I have sometimes community support for my art work, from businesses for materials and expenses. They help out a bit.  A lot of businesses donate stuff they don’t want and I recycle it for pop art.

  This is a hobby, and a labor of love. I’m lazy, but I’m beginning to like this work – building an outdoor museum for kids.  I am 63 years old – one foot here, one foot in the grave. I hope to finish my museum before I die.

   I’m into UFOs – I’ve had experiences with them. They beamed me up.  They come around here once in a while. They don’t like what I’m doing. They even came here in a pickup once to talk to me. They used to come here a lot. That sort of inspired me into doing this with UFOs.

   Roper added, He said the Chamber of Commerce knows about him and has sent some people up to his place. He has had offers to take his art to museums, etc. but is not interested.

 

      Harrison Roper can be contacted at The Visions Gallery, 66 Main St. ,  Houlton , ME 04730 ;  ( telephone - 207-532-9119 ).  The gallery, located on Main Street in downtown, is a project of the Southern Aroostook Cultural Arts Project.  Jerry Carr’s CD is on sale at Visions.  Harrison Roper, a retired music professor, also has his sheet music compositions for sale there.   Vision Gallery exhibits local art and crafts done by artists of Aroostook County of Maine.  Roper can also be contacted and his music sampled at  www.playablepieces.com

     Houlton Chamber of Commerce is at 109 Maine St ., Houlton, Maine.   Tel.: 207-532-4216.
Online donations can be forwarded to continue the great outdoor sculptural project of Jerry Carr by contacting the Chamber of Commerce.  Please help Jerry continue expanding his great works for all the children of the world!  He helps promote imagination, fantasy, and creativity among the young.

    You can also contact Jerry Carr directly by writing-

His address is:

Jerry Carr, the Dinosaur Man

314 Upper Military St .

  Houlton , Maine 04730  (no phone or e-mail)

 

 

 

Dinosaur Man J. Carr's CD -

sample sounds

     

 

 
Call Vision Gallery in Maine to order -  telephone - 207-532-9119

 

All photographs of this feature courtesy of Harrison Roper. 

Houltonlive.com     Town of Houlton    Houlton.net     Houlton Chamber of Commerce     TempleTheater

Another web site on J. Carr

Truly Virtual Web Art Museum - bringing cyber culture to the Web since 1997