A Tribute to the Oyster Tonger, A Chesapeake Waterman
1994
Bronze & Granite
Antonio Tobias Mendez
American, b. Denver, Colorado 1963
Annmarie Garden Collection
It was Francis Koenig’s wish that the first sculptural work installed at Annmarie Garden be a memorial to the people he greatly admired, oyster tongers. Antonio Tobias Mendez was selected through a national competition to design the memorial. The artist’s intent was to celebrate a people of pride, character, and integrity; to create a feeling for their space; to symbolize the elements of their existence; and, to invoke a sense of timelessness and enduring quality.
Please do not touch the Tonger. Greasy film from your hands that you cannot see will damage the bronze and add to its deterioration.
Bronze is actually very soft in comparison to other metals – and it can easily bend. Be careful never to touch or climb the statue.