The Bone Zone
Tammy Jean Lange | 1958- | Madrillos, NM
Found object environment | Created 1994 to present
Along the Turquoise Trail, just outside Madrid, New Mexico lurks “The Bone Zone,” the ever-evolving found object and road kill environment/miniature village by Tammy Jean Lange, also known as Tatt2 Tammy. “I resurrect the dead animals and I give them a new life,” she says. “It’s art that dies to live.” A “No Bitching” sign greets visitors and sets the tone for encountering this frenetic, yet laid-back artist. Tammy happily shows her village that includes a saloon, church, jail, and auto body shop—and the shimmering river of broken glass that runs through it. A few years ago, an art scout from the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore saw her site, and shipped Tiny Town to the museum for a temporary show. Tammy and her mother flew out for the opening, but during the event she stayed in another part of the building, “I see people when I want to see people,” she says. “I just want to make my art.”
On this day, Tammy was out assessing the damage that the particularly hard winter had wrought. Wiping tears from her eyes, she described the various buildings and their previous glory. As she went on, she grew more and more animated, envisioning the repairs and the future of The Bone Zone, with it’s miniature golf course and “bowling alley.”