Giant trolls will be unveiled Friday in Charlestown. Where in RI will they turn up next?
Danish artist Thomas Dambo has been in Rhode Island building two giant trolls from recycled and reclaimed wood in Charlestown's Ninigret Park.
The public art will be unveiled Friday, and South County Tourism Council CEO Louise Bishop expects the mythical creatures to represent the first steps along a Rhode Island troll trail that will help draw visitors to the Ocean State and support tourism.
"I do believe it will be something Rhode Island is known for," Bishop said previously. She has envisioned a trail running north through Blackstone Valley.
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Dambo has spent some of his time in Rhode Island visiting other potential locations for his artwork, including Block Island. He met Thursday with East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva, DaSilva said in a Facebook post that included photos of him and Dambo in the city.
"Could East Providence be part of the Rhode Island troll trail," DaSilva wrote. "Conversations have started. We will have to wait and see."
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According to the South County Tourism Council, Dambo is the world's leading recycle artist. He has public art in more than 20 countries on five continents, including the United States, China, Brazil, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, France, South Korea and Chile. Some of his trolls are 35 feet tall.
Helping Dambo construct the Ninigret Park trolls are dozens of volunteers recruited by the South County Tourism Council. Dambo says his projects are made "working in and with local communities, who are co-creators of the art that I make because the mission I follow needs the involvement of everybody."
After learning about Dambo and his work, Bishop visited the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, where five of Dambo's trolls live. In 2021, after the trolls were added, the Boothbay attraction saw the number of visitors more than double, to 248,121, according to Katie Hey, the gardens' director of marketing.
“When I first saw the Thomas Dambo Trolls at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, I knew they were just what South County needed as an attraction," Bishop said. "I love that they’re eco-conscious and so unique and will be an additional economic driver for the state. They will put Rhode Island, not just South County, on the map."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Giant troll statues will soon be unveiled in Charlestown RI park