 |
|
 |
       |
|
At 22, Holand became the apprentice of master metal sculptor Travis Tuck. Tuck had created his first weathervane as a prop for the movie JAWS when it was filming on the Vineyard in 1974. Holand, a 1998 graduate of North Idaho College, had begun his college studies in art but, at the insistence of his mother, changed his major to business. The apprenticeship would lead him back to his original career choice. In 2002 Tuck proudly announced the formation of a new enterprise, Tuck & Holand Metal Sculptors, in recognition of his former protégé’s level of accomplishment and in the hopes that Holand’s talented hands would guide the studio into the next generation. Holand took the helm at Tuck and Holand when Tuck passed away later that year. Still a young man today at 33, Holand exudes a wisdom and love of craftsmanship that suggests someone older and wiser. He has already taken two apprentices under his wing. In 2006, Holand married Dawn Bellante, a Salem native who is the General Manager of MVOL. The two share the home that adjoins the studio with their Yorkshire Terriers, Jynx and Trixie. The studio delights clients and visitors alike with the imaginative weathervanes on display there. Over the years, they have included hundreds of evocative figures – some drawn from nature, some from contemporary life – that have been commissioned by private owners and businesses who appreciate this unique artistry and know they have something which will last for generations as it grows in value. Some of Holand’s recent work includes two Hell Cat airplanes on the new Nantucket Airport, a lobster weathervane that was shown at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, and a sculpture in the shape of a football that was displayed at the Super Bowl. Among Tuck and Holand’s roster of clients are Frank Biondi, Bloomingdale’s 59th Street store in New York, the Nantucket Airport (ACK), Hamilton College, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, the National Heritage Museum, Steven Spielberg, Pennsylvania State University, Carly Simon and the Vineyard Gazette. Clearly Travis Tuck selected the right protégé – a man that he was and would remain proud of. Because of Anthony Holand, the weathervanes of Tuck and Holand continue to turn in the wind above rooftops on Martha’s Vineyard, throughout the U.S. and around the world.
|
Anthony Holand, owner and master sculptor at Tuck and Holand, has the handshake of a man who can meld copper. In his studio on State Road in Vineyard Haven, Holand with grace and fire provided a tour and demonstration of his work creating the hand crafted weathervanes that are widely regarded as among the finest available anywhere today.