Jerry Hubbell had worked in banking before starting his own farming business in 1980.  To mend implements, he took welding lessons, and after the needed repairs were finished, he began to “experiment.”  He reshaped discarded metal scraps into a cowboy-driven stagecoach, a purple people eating dragon, Batman on a motorcycle, and many more. The stagecoach was made from a partially-buried Model A car frame Hubbell winched out of a friend’s field.  Ideas for Jerry’s sculptures come from the shapes of his recycled found materials, as well as inspirations from pop culture such as Snoopy, Batman, and a triple life-sized Tin Man.  He’s also influenced by a lifelong affinity for western culture: as a young boy he rode horses to school, and these days he cuts a tall, Stetson-topped figure in blue jeans and cowboy boots.  Located next to the town eatery Toots, “[the Rubble] is there for entertainment, especially for children to get a knee-slapping kick out of,” Jerry says.  And entertaining it is: driving into the small Kansas town, one seems to have  suddenly come upon the backlot of a prairie musical! 

Please be aware: Jerry and his delightful wife Tina live several miles away – the house on Hubbell’s Rubble property is a private residence.

Jerry Hubbell’s SPACES page

See also:

• Art Environments - Midwest | Photos by Fred Scruton