The Island Gallery : Erik Lindbergh

Erik Lindbergh's grandfather, Charles Lindbergh, flew the first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.Erik continues his grandfather's legacy through adventures in space and artistry. In 2002,he retraced his grandfather's New York to Paris flight in a small single-engine aircraft. This journey, documented by the History Channel, raised money for charity and prompted a call from the President recognizing his flight as inspiring the country after the tragedy of September 11.

Erik is vice-chairman of the Lindbergh Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering his grandparents ' vision of balancing technological advances with environmental preservation, and a trustee of the X Prize Foundation, which promotes commercial and private passenger space flight. He grew up on Bainbridge Island and lives in an environmentally-efficient straw bale house in the area.

Dreams of Flight, The Island Gallery's exhibit of Erik Lindbergh's work, reflects his twin passions of flight and art. Wood and bronze airplanes and rockets take off toward rustic satellites and planets. A unique wooden baby cradle brings these soaring dreams to a new generation. Erik notes, "Last year, Burt Rutan's Space Ship One captured the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE, inspiring the next generation of astronauts, entrepreneurs, and explorers to once again dream about our future in space. I feel like I am one step closer to a childhood dream of flying into space - a part of me did fly. Burt carried seven of my bronze sculptures into space on X2,the final XPRIZE winning flight of SpaceShipOne." One of these sculptures is exhibited in the show.

The Island Gallery exhibit coincides with both the 2005 X Prize Cup Week held in New Mexico during the first week of October and worldwide celebrations of World Space Week, marking the anniversary of SpaceShipOne,the flrst private manned winner of the Ansari X Prize in 2004,and Sputnik, the first orbital launch in 1957.

September 30 - October 31, 2005. Dreams of Flight: The Soaring Artistry of Erik Lindbergh. Erik Lindbergh’s unique wood and bronze works capture mankind’s expanding horizons of flight and space in Dreams of Flight.
(see press release)

Erik Lindbergh at work