The fictional and historical figurines will be unveiled at Tchotchke Palooza at 9 a.m. Saturday and will be on display daily in the garden.
“We will also continue to add tchotchkes over the coming months,” said Kevin Rose, executive director of the garden.
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“Our goal is to make every day Tchotchke Palooza,” Rose said. “With Saturday’s unveiling, we are one step closer to this goal.”
He explained the history of the tchotchkes and their rebirth:
Ben Hartman began producing the concrete figurines in his workshop and basement in the mid-1930s using similar techniques that he employed as a molder at the Springfield Machine Tool Company.
After his wife, Mary, died in 1997, many of the objects were saved and restored by a relative, George Henderson, who donated them back to the newly formed Friends of the Hartman Rock Garden in 2009.
Since then, they have been displayed in the garden only once each year during Tchotchke Palooza.
Ruth Hartman with her father's "tchotchkes" (circa 1937). Join us for Tchotchke Palooza on Saturday, July 29 to witness Ben's beloved concrete figurines in person.
Posted by Hartman Rock Garden on Sunday, July 23, 2023
In 2021, the garden friends received support from Ruth Arts, Springfield Foundation, Ohio Humanities, Ohio Arts Council, Turner Foundation and Culture Works. They partnered with artist Candace Black to continue Ben Hartman’s process of molding and casting his concrete figurines.
It resulted in new casts of many of the Hartman Rock Garden’s most iconic tchotchkes, including fictional characters like Felix the Cat, Dopey Dwarf, Lone Ranger and Pinocchio, and historical characters like boxer Joe Louis and Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull. Many of these figurines have been painted using Ben and Mary Hartman’s original color schemes, Rose explained.
”The tchotchkes were a vital part of Ben’s vision for the Hartman Rock Garden,” Rose said. ”After years of planning, we are excited to finally be able to return many of Ben’s most beloved works of art to be enjoyed by daily visitors.”
The Hartman Rock Garden, 1905 Russell Ave., attracts about 13,000 people annually.
Ben Hartman spent about 12 years of his life creating works for the garden, using inspiration from family and friends, magazines, books, radio and film. He built by hand art objects using concrete, metal, glass, stone, wood and whatever else he could find.
