A sled is one of those objects that can make an entire childhood winter return in an instant.
The sight of one can bring back snow-covered hills, heavy coats, wet gloves, cold cheeks, and the excitement of climbing back up the hill for another run.
For earlier generations, winter recreation didn’t require sophisticated equipment. A sled and a hill were enough.
That’s American Material Memory at its simplest. A manufactured object becomes a container for an entire season of childhood—one that can remain vivid long after the snow, the hill, and the sled itself are gone.
From the Artist:
I believe this is a 1950s, 36” Garton ESKIMO sled made by the Garton Toy Company.
It’s also No.2 in a series of 15 sleds I’ve challenged myself to draw. Each has its own amazing patina and funky retro graphics, and each brings back such amazing memories as a kid growing up in the little town of Algonac, Michigan, on the St. Clair River.
It’s the combination of the weathered wood, and distressed metal, and retro graphics that I love recreating with my sleds.
They’re just ultra cool to me.
A sled is one of those objects that can make an entire childhood winter return in an instant.
The sight of one can bring back snow-covered hills, heavy coats, wet gloves, cold cheeks, and the excitement of climbing back up the hill for another run.
For earlier generations, winter recreation didn’t require sophisticated equipment. A sled and a hill were enough.
That’s American Material Memory at its simplest. A manufactured object becomes a container for an entire season of childhood—one that can remain vivid long after the snow, the hill, and the sled itself are gone.
From the Artist:
I believe this is a 1950s, 36” Garton ESKIMO sled made by the Garton Toy Company.
It’s also No.2 in a series of 15 sleds I’ve challenged myself to draw. Each has its own amazing patina and funky retro graphics, and each brings back such amazing memories as a kid growing up in the little town of Algonac, Michigan, on the St. Clair River.
It’s the combination of the weathered wood, and distressed metal, and retro graphics that I love recreating with my sleds.
They’re just ultra cool to me.
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