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Lynda Roscoe Hartigan Named Director of SAAM

The Smithsonian announced the appointment of Lynda Roscoe Hartigan as the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, effective September 8, 2026.

Root Monster

Miles Burkholder Carpenter, Root Monster, 1968, carved and painted tree roots, rubber, metal, and string, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.238

Miles Burkholder Carpenter, Root Monster, 1968, carved and painted tree roots, rubber, metal, and string, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.238

Miles Burkholder Carpenter, Root Monster, 1968, carved and painted tree roots, rubber, metal, and string, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.238

Miles Burkholder Carpenter, Root Monster, 1968, carved and painted tree roots, rubber, metal, and string, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.238

Copied Miles Burkholder Carpenter, Root Monster, 1968, carved and painted tree roots, rubber, metal, and string, 22 ⁵⁄₈ x 28 ⁵⁄₈ x 28 ¹⁄₄ in. (57.5 x 72.7 x 71.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.238

Artwork Details

Title: Root Monster
Artist: Miles Burkholder Carpenter
Date: 1968
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 22 ⁵⁄₈ x 28 ⁵⁄₈ x 28 ¹⁄₄ in. (57.5 x 72.7 x 71.6 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: wood
iron
rubber
roots
Mediums Description: carved and painted tree roots, rubber, metal, and string
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Fantasy — monster
Object Number: 1986.65.238