ERIK LINDBERGH

Erik R. Lindbergh Erik Lindbergh is the grandson of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Lindbergh Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering his grandparents’ vision of balancing technological advances with environmental preservation. Mr. Lindbergh also serves on the board of trustees of the X PRIZE Foundation, works in public relations for Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing, and is a founding board member of the aerospace High School in Seattle. Armed with a degree in Aeronautical Science and an inherited sense of adventure, in 2002 Erik retraced his grandfather’s solo flight from New York to Paris in a small single engine aircraft. This epic personal journey documented by the History Channel, raised over one million dollars for three charities, garnered half a billion media impressions for the XPRIZE Foundation and prompted a call from President Bush for inspiring the country after the tragedy of September 11th. His unique sculpture and furniture designs have been featured in People Magazine, Sculptural Pursuit, the History Channel, NASA, and a national advertising campaign for Amgen. Seven of his rocket ships were the first bronze sculptures ever to fly into space! A wonderful storyteller, Erik is a professional speaker with clients such as: The Mayo Clinic, Intel, Young Presidents Organization, Ace Hardware, The Arthritis Foundation, Microsoft, National Air and Space Museum, and The Explorers Club. Artist Statement “Some people see things in clouds - I see things in wood. In the beginning I saw furniture, untamed and whimsical, and yet refined. As this wildwood journey progressed, I saw Martian smoke trails blasting out of rustic rocket ships. My challenge lies in teasing the vision out of the wood. Sometimes it is easy and takes a few days or weeks. Other times it is difficult and takes years to complete a piece. I think the most difficult challenge of this work is to allow the wood to speak for itself. How does one open one’s eyes to see the depths of what happens in nature? As I contemplate my own tentative relationship with the earth, I find myself identifying with gnarled trees; our twisted trunks, knots and burls are a visible testament to the struggles we have lived through, and the more "character" we develop, the more interesting we become. Perhaps this kinship is what lights the creative fire in my belly and draws me into this wildwood world. Whether it’s an original in wood or a casting out of bronze, you can be sure that it tickled my fancy or touched my soul along the way.” -Erik R. Lindbergh