Korczak Ziolkowski

Korczak Ziolkowski
Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear circa June 3, 1948
Born	Korczak Ziółkowski September 6, 1908 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	October 20, 1982 (aged 74) Black Hills, South Dakota, U.S.
Nationality	United States
Known for	Sculptor
Notable work	Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore Memorial
Spouse(s)	Ruth Ziolkowski (1950–1982; his death)
Website	Korczak - Storyteller in Stone

Korczak Ziolkowski (Polish: Korczak Ziółkowski; September 6, 1908 – October 20, 1982) was the American designer and sculptor of the Crazy Horse Memorial.

Ziolkowski was born September 6, 1908 in Boston to Polish parents. Orphaned at the age of one, he grew up in a series of foster homes. Although he never received any formal art training, his gifts as a sculptor began to show at an early age. After putting himself through Rindge Technical School, he became an apprentice to a Boston ship maker.

He began to carve wood and by the age of 20 had become an accomplished furniture maker. His first marble sculpture, made in 1932, honored Judge Frederick Pickering Cabot, who had inspired him as a child growing up in the rough neighborhoods of Boston.

Ziolkowski moved to New Britain, Connecticut, to begin life as a professional artist. He began to sell commissioned sculptures throughout New England and New York. In 1939, Ziolkowski was hired as a sculptor's assistant by Gutzon Borglum on his Mount Rushmore project. According to Lincoln Borglum, Gutzon's son, he was unhappy, having expected to be made the primary assistant. Instead, Lincoln was the primary assistant, and when Ziolkowski argued about his orders, Borglum fired him by telegram. A fistfight between Lincoln and Ziolkowski had to be broken up.

His sculpture of Ignacy Jan Paderewski won first prize at the New York World's Fair. The resulting fame, as well as his familiarity with the Black Hills, prompted several Lakota Chiefs to approach him about a monument honoring Crazy Horse.

Chief Henry Standing Bear of the Lakota wrote him, saying, "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too."

Ziolkowski met with the leaders shortly afterward and began planning a monument. Over the next few years, he conducted research and began planning the sculpture. He also met Ruth Ross, a young art enthusiast, who would later become his second wife. He put the project on hold when the United States entered World War II. He volunteered for service in the United States Army and was wounded in 1944 at Omaha Beach in Normandy.