ADAMS CENTER, New York (WWNY) – Klaus Ebeling, a world-renowned artist who lived in the north country, died on October 20. He was 92. His family and friends remember him as a larger-than-life jack of all trades.
His home mimicked an art gallery with his work at every turn.
“Every time you walk into the house it’s like coming into a time warp. The past, present, and future are all included on the walls,” said his daughter Krista Ebeling Juczak. “Growing up there were always projects going on and things going on. The older I got, and the more I participated in things or didn’t participate in things, the larger the projects became.”
We caught up with Klaus in 1998 while he was sculpting an elephant out of snow. His work would wow people when the city celebrated Snowtown USA.
“Everybody has a good feeling about an elephant,” Ebeling said at the time.
His artwork had gone global. Ebeling competed in nearly 100 national and international events and won many medals, including bronze at the 1992 Winter Olympics in France.
“We went to 15 different countries. Japan, China, Greenland, a couple in Italy, all the Scandinavian countries. France a couple of times,” said Jerry Merrill, Ebeling’s former student and sculpting partner.
He also worked with metal, designing the sculpture at Sturtz Theatre at Jefferson Community College. Ebeling taught art at the college.
“He was just a wonderful person to be around. Really inventive, avant-garde. He was fearless,” said Tom Murray, a former student and colleague.
A man who made his mark literally and figuratively – his loved ones want him to be remembered for one thing above all else.
“People remember him as being very united, always calling for unity. And right now that’s something we’re not going to survive without,” said daughter Erika Ebeling.
In a statement to 7 News, Lucinda Barbour, Professor of Art at Jefferson Community College, wrote “Klaus definitely made a real impact on the campus and brought our students a contemporary and global view for the arts.”
Copyright 2022 WWNY. All rights reserved.
