Eagle Archives, Aug. 28, 1969: Artist

Community News Editor / Librarian

GREAT BARRINGTON — At the age of 44, Arnold Prince is one of the youngest members of the New York Sculptors Guild, a prestigious coterie of accomplished artists.

He is also assistant director of the Berkshire County Neighborhood Youth Corps, which provides job training for youths from low-income families.

A pet project of his this summer has been the shaping of a steel-reinforced, concrete tiger on the grounds of Dewey School, a bigger-than-life-size plaything for children.

Although art is his first love, Prince enjoys working with young people.

"Like most artists, I do something else for a living," he says. "Apart from art, I find this the most interesting work I can do, helping young people grow up."

In its final stage of construction, the Dewey School tiger is 30 feet long and 8 feet high at its highest point. Prince and his four youth corps helpers have carved a series of steps up the tiger's tail into the animal's abdomen, which will contain sand.

From the sand box, children will be able to crawl through the tiger's jaws, and come down again on the sliding board protruding from the animal's mouth.

A pair of teeter boards are being built on either side, and when finishing touches of masonry work are complete, the tiger will have yellow stripes painted on.

In the meantime, Prince's youth corps assistants are learning the fundamentals of masonry work.

The sculptured animal is the second Prince has done in the county. In 1967, he built an elephant 9 feet high and 20 feet long on River Street in North Adams.

When he is not teaching young people, Prince spends much of his time in his studio in Stamford, Vt. Marble is his favorite medium, and the human figure, his favorite subject.

Prince, who was born in Antigua, British West Indies, studied at the Art Students League in New York under Jose DeCreeft from 1957 to 1961. Afterwards, he worked with anti-poverty agencies in New York, where he built the first vest-pocket park. He designed and supervised construction in Harlem of five projects similar to the one at Dewey School.

This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle.

Community News Editor / Librarian