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Jurassic Junkyard Art

John Kearney wouldn't get angry if you called his sculptures pieces of junk. He just might agree with you! Kearney earns a living turning junk into art. His favorite material: car bumpers.

For the next three weeks, visitors to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas can get a look at Kearney's gleaming artistry. But they may get a crick in their necks! Towering over the Dallas Museum of Natural History, on the state fairgrounds, are Kearney's Chromosaurs--giant dinosaur models made entirely of chrome car bumpers. Kearney's Tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops and stegosaurus weigh a total of eight tons. They are on display to entertain fairgoers and promote the museum's new dinosaur exhibit.

Kearney and three helpers built the dinosaurs between 1988 and 1991 for a Chicago businessman. Kearney's biggest challenge: the T. rex. At 18 feet, it's the tallest of the three. He built it in two pieces and in two states: the upper half in Massachusetts, the tail end in Illinois! It is the tallest sculpture the artist has ever made.

Kearney, 74, got hooked on recycling junk into art when he was a third-grader. He discovered the beauty of bumpers by accident more than 40 years ago. The Chicago artist was searching a junkyard for interesting stuff and came up with a bunch of old chrome bumpers. "I tossed them onto the grass, and they fell into the shape of a ballet dancer."

Kearney's Chromosaurs have been exhibited in two states. Chances are they will retire at the Dallas museum when the state fair ends on October 18. Will Kearney ever retire? It depends, says the grandfather of five: "I don't know whether I'm going to run out of bumpers or steam first!"

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