By the Way



raveling back to Kansas City from Garden City, we stopped to talk with M.T. Liggett, a renegade artist whose painted steel totems border the highway next to Mullinville, Kansas. Using old scrap metal, "M.T." as most people call him, expounds on the strengths and foibles of human nature through his sculptures of politicians, neighbors, friends, mythical gods, dragons and whoever or whatever else strikes his fancy.

With his tousled silver hair, red bandanna, and black cowboy hat, Liggett could pass for a typical Kansas farmer or a character actor in a cowboy movie. Behind the overalls, however, is a man who takes his art and its messages seriously. "It's my way of making something perceptible of the truths I see," he said.

Besides the many passersby from across the country and the world who stop to admire or criticize Liggett's work, others also take his art seriously. Articles about him have appeared in an array of publications, from local newspapers to the New York Times.

Liggett listens and looks for truths beneath the surface, and through his artwork and in his conversation, he pushes at the boundaries of other people's everyday assumptions.

His self-portrait, entitled "Moon-Tosser," makes his mission clear. It is dedicated to artist Clyde Angel, who has helped inspire M.T. Liggett to be his own person and to speak his own mind, even amidst much local consternation. The "Moon-Tosser" (M.T.) challenges us to reconsider the nature of something we have long believed in (the moon) as we examine our circumstance and look to the future.

Tossing our assumptions and looking objectively at ourselves or our communities is not easy. In days of old, court jesters were among the few who dared publicly challenge common assumptions. But the power of the court jester, like that of the joker in a deck of cards, wields much influence.

Our communities also need Moon-Tossers to meet the challenges of the 21st century--and Garden City has had them. In the end, what really seems to set Garden City apart is its Moon-Tosser attitude. It is a community where people have found economic and cultural vitality through the presence of a difficult type of industry and an influx of immigrants. Other communities have fought such changes, while Garden City has created with them the rich mosaic of a dynamic community.

Like M.T. Liggett's sculpted figure, the leaders and citizens of Garden City appear to be enjoying the adventure. We suspect Garden Citians will more than cope with the challenges of the 21st century. They will shape them to their advantage.

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