The Chattahoochee Valley is blessed with an arts com-munity of enormous size and range.We have a fine public museum, excellent private and collegiate training, numerous galleries and an avid art-loving population.The visual arts know many media, some obvious, some less so. Sculpting has long been recognized as fine art, whether marble, clay or metal. Its cousin, blacksmithing, may not initially seem an art, but read on and learn about one of the Valley’s fascinating artists.

Marvin Gardner’s first career was as a high school drama teacher in Utah and Arizona. In theatre work, especially in schools and at the community theatre level, everyone involved in a production does a little bit of everything to keep costs bareboned. Gardner developed a hobby of blacksmithing, and his welding skills certainly came in handy during set construction.

He was in little town called Pine, about 90 miles from Scottsdale, making rustic installations and accessories for cabins in the area. Those customers also had fine homes in Scottsdale that needed chandeliers and elegant, sweeping custom staircases.

His avocation became a vocation and he gave up teaching after seven years His portfolio was quite impressive when he attended a family reunion in 1978 and ran into a cousin who worked in special effects for the film industry. The portfolio spoke for itself, and Gardner soon found himself in Los Angeles, where he spent 15 years in studio and location work. “You’d be surprised how much welding goes into special effects,” he said. One of his biggest projects was as a member of the team who built the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park.

A favorite memory was working with Robin Williams on Toys, which had a $4 million special effects budget...

Now that we’ve reeled you in, catch the rest of this and many other intriguing local stories and columns in the current issue of Columbus and the Valley Magazine. Click here to find a retail outlet near you, or subscribe online so you’ll never miss a word.

Phone: 706-324-6214
E-mail: contactus@columbusandthevalley.com