About

Tal was born in the Midwest in the 1930’s. He grew up in Manhattan Kansas, a small college town on the Konza Prairie. This prairie landscape, primarily made up of sky was his inspiration and playground. He moved to New York City in the 1950’s with his wife, potter Romig Streeter. There, in a heady environment he began to work as a sculptor. His large scale public sculptures are some of America’s first. He is best known for Endless Column, which stood next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art until being permanently installed at Storm King Arts Center, a 300 acre sculpture park of international reputation in Upstate New York.

In the 1970’s, Tal and family moved to Japan, then Korea, where he developed his love of all things sky and Art with both the making of large kites as well as the writing of the seminal Art of the Japanese Kite, a classic introduction to Japanese culture via the thread of kite making and kite flying.

An artist in residence in Seoul Korea in the early 70’s, Tal’s monumental sculpture Endless Smile (sounwon miso ) was the first piece of contemporary public art in South Korea. The image of Endless Smile was printed on countless tee-shirts and worn by the protestors for democracy as a symbol of their community. Tal continued to make large scale sculptures in Korea throughout his life.

Returning to the United States, Tal was a artist in residencies in various universities and environments. Notably a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT, as well as SUNY Purchase, Penland School of Craft and Queens College.

He continued to make large scale public sculpture all over the United States. His writing expanded to include books The Art of the Japanese Kite, A Kite Journey to India, The Philosophers Kite and much writing on skyart, kites and kite history. Other writing on the Indian Circus, Inventor of the Parafoil, Domina Jalbert is, as of this date, yet to be published.

The Wong-Wagner Family has built a spectacular Museum and Library to hold his archives, library and sculpture in Santa Fe, New Mexico : Dream of Flight /Friends of the Sky Foundation.