Fund Story
The Sculptor Isamu Noguchi Tribute Fund was established in 2019 to support efforts to bring the story of how LaPorte County residents welcomed, put him through LaPorte High School and then, led by Dr.Edward Rumely, mentored him into preparation to become a leading world sculptor.
Art and history enthusiasts wish to celebrate the important formative years that Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904 – 1988) spent in La Porte as a teen, who then went on to become an internationally celebrated sculptor, designer and artist. The group sees the importance of paying tribute to Noguchi’s life, the way La Porte and Rolling Prairie, several families, and La Porte High School influenced his life, to connect La Porte with his New York museum and to promote the value of the arts.
The fund is poised to bring attention to La Porte’s connection to Isamu Noguchi via a custom mural, attracting Noguchi enthusiasts here, distribution of Noguchi books to local libraries, schools and museums, and activities connecting La Porte County to the Noguchi Museum, located in New York. The Noguchi mural is displayed at the La Porte County Public Library in La Porte, Indiana.