Prehistoric Giants Forged from Scrap Metal on View in the Gardens April 1–October 19, 2025
Towering dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures made from recycled metal will take over the seven-acre gardens at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley as Scraposaurs, a traveling exhibition featuring sculptures made by Minnesota artist Dale Lewis, roars into the MSV from April 1 to October 19, 2025.
Having been presented in the Midwest, including in Wisconsin and Iowa, Scraposaurs is making its East Coast debut at the MSV.
Scattered throughout the garden landscape, all sculptures in the exhibition were crafted between 2017 and 2021 from scrap metal and found objects. The works range in size from Dino, a 300-pound sculpture inspired by the pet animal in The Flintstones television show, to a stainless-steel Pterodactyl with an eighteen-foot wingspan and an 1,800-pound T-Rex.
When creating his sculptures, Lewis transformed forks into rows of sharp teeth, used railroad spikes to create a dinosaur’s spiked armor, created T-Rex claws from Boeing 747 cargo door latches, and made Triceratops legs with a Chevy pick-up truck frame.
In addition to inspiring visitors to find artistic value in recycling objects, each sculpture is accompanied by an interpretive panel—with text in both English and Spanish—that details the dinosaur or prehistoric creature that inspired the sculpture, what objects Lewis used to construct the piece, and some lesser-known facts about these historical creatures.
Some of the sculptures are presented in their prehistoric life-sizes—such as dragonflies with three-foot wingspans and a six-and-and-half-foot long musk ox—while other huge Scraposaurs sculptures were made to be half the size of their real-life selves, including the 22-foot-long Spinosaurus and an 18-foot-long Stegosaurus.
A treat for dino fans and recycling enthusiasts, the exhibition is designed to be a family-friendly experience. Children are invited to sit on the Dino sculpture in the Vegetable Garden to have their picture taken and free seek-and-find family guide brochures are available at the exhibition entrance.
Families are invited to bring picnics to enjoy on the MSV grounds, and they may purchase ice cream, light snacks, and souvenirs—including dinosaur-themed books, puzzles, toys, and locally-crafted whimsical dinosaur-themed art—at a special Pop-up Shop in the gardens.
Admission to Scraposaurs—which includes admission to the MSV galleries—is $15 for adults, $10 for youth ages 13–18 and seniors, and $5 for ages 5–12. Exhibition admission is free to ages 4 and under and to MSV members. Through the Museums for All program, admission is also free to those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits. To take advantage of this offer, visitors need to present an EBT card to MSV admissions staff, and the benefit is valid for up to four family members per cardholder.
The MSV display of Scraposaurs has been made possible thanks to generous sponsorship from the Valley’s corporate community, including: iHeartMedia; LCW Construction; Love at First Bite Catering and Events; Malloy Automotive Group; Bank of Clarke; Blauch Brothers, Inc.; Espresso Bar & Café; Four Winds Tree Experts; H.N. Funkhouser & Co. and Handy Mart; HP Hood, LLC; Reader & Swartz Architects, P.C.; Shenandoah Foot & Ankle Center; The George Washington–A Wyndham Grand Hotel; TWG Insurance; and Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C.
A regional cultural center, the MSV is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV includes a galleries building with permanent and rotating exhibitions, the Glen Burnie House, seven acres of formal gardens, and The Trails at the MSV—a free-admission art park open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk. The galleries, gardens, and Scraposuars exhibition are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition is closed on Mondays. Additional details are available at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235. –END–
About Dale Lewis:
Minnesota artist Dale Lewis has gained national recognition as an award-winning sculptor. After retiring in 2010 from a career as an electrical technician and machinist, he taught himself to weld and began creating small garden ornaments. Within two years, he was crafting large-scale sculptures from found objects. His works are now held in public and private collections across the United States and have been featured in public art displays throughout the Midwest and Canada.