A California museum is getting its own permanent art installation by a renowned artist whose whimsical work can be found in major cities across the globe.
Danish artist Thomas Dambo, known for his massive and imaginative troll statues made of recycled materials, will be creating his first creature to reside permanently in California.
Dambo’s newest figure will make its home at the California Nature Art Museum in Solvang, formerly the Wilding Museum, located in Santa Barbara County wine country.
Dambo’s statues are made from recycled items as the celebrated artist “breathes new life into discarded resources, showcasing the boundless potential hidden within the world’s trash cans,” officials for the California Nature Art Museum said.
A large-scale troll, created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, sits on the forest floor at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. (Getty Images) 
Søren, one of five trolls recently created by artist Thomas Dambo, rests in the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine on May 11, 2021. (Getty Images) 
“Mama Mimi,” a wooden sculpture created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo is seen in Rendezvous Park on July 26, 2021 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. (Getty Images) 
A man paddles past “Mama Mimi,” a wooden sculpture created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo in Rendezvous Park on July 26, 2021 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
(Getty Images)
“Green George,” a Thomas Dambo troll statue located in the Freetown of Christiania in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Travis Schlepp/KTLA)
Dambo’s trolls can be found across Europe and in the U.S., including several in New England and the Pacific Northwest. But the largest population of the more-than 150 creatures can be found in his native Denmark.
Perhaps it’s only fitting that Dambo chose the “Danish Capital of America” to be the home of the first full-time installation in California.
A contract between the museum and Dambo has already been finalized, but a funding effort is underway to cover the cost of what museum officials hope will be a “major visitor attraction in the Santa Ynez Valley and beyond.”
So far, $120,000 has been raised with $180,000 still outstanding. Regardless of funding status, officials say the troll will be assembled in the museum’s rotunda in January 2025.
In the spirit of community and reuse, the public is asked to provide their own physical donations to make the project a reality. The project is accepting in-kind donations of wooden pallets and used wine barrels, among other materials.
Information regarding online donations can be found here. Those who donate $500 or more for the project will have their names listed on a sponsor board near the museum entrance where the troll will make its home.
