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The Review April 21, 2015 STERLING
History that’s to diorama for BY ASHLEY POSKIN Special to Sauk Valley Media
STERLING – Every few years, Terry Powell combines his love of history, architecture, and building model aircraft into one art form: dioramas. The word “diorama” might bring back a few memories for you. Maybe you even made one during your school days. Powell, 81, has built three to date (among many other things, mostly model airplanes) and plans to build another. He sold the first two to local history museums, to curators much like himself, who are extremely interested in World War I and II aviation. Powell’s interest in aviation and building started a long time ago. After graduating from Sterling High School, he received a degree in architectural engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, and a master’s in industrial education from Western Illinois University in Macomb. Then he and a buddy bummed around Peoria, with no money and no plans – other than to make some cash playing pinball in the local bars. They made enough for food and beer for the month – but it was no long-term plan for life, so soon after, he enlisted in the Army. He passed his aviation test, but at that time there wasn’t a need for more pilots, so he was sent to an electronics school, then to a surveillance unit with the Army’s Special Forces.
Eventually he returned home and taught electronics at Sauk Valley Community College and, for 24 years, at Rock Falls High School. His knowledge of architecture and industrial education comes in handy when working on dioramas. Once inspiration strikes, he sketches his plans. His most recent, “1922 Midwest City July 4th Airshow,” features WWI planes and a variety of other historic details, meticulously rendered. He calls the diorama’s town square Powell Field. In it a man stands in front of the planes; he’s sort of the ring leader of the exhibition. At an exhibition back in the day, he would have been the one to get the crowd all worked up, sharing stories of the war, of the planes’ purposes, and of the heroic journeys they might have taken. There’s also a tiny cemetery, a barber shop, a hot dog vendor, and children flying kites held up in the air by tiny, thin wires. It’s truly a glimpse back in time. Powell finds the pieces he uses to build his dioramas from various vendors. He scours eBay daily, seeking out rare kits. Some antique kits he comes across wouldn’t have cost more than $5 when they were first produced, but today can command a much higher price because they are so rare. The landscaping, people, and buildings can be sourced from model
train kits. He isn’t quite sure how many hours this particular diorama has taken him over the 4 months of construction. He works on the piece for a while, then takes a break and reads a book. If he needs inspiration while working, he’ll get out and walk, or take a drive in his sporty Mini Cooper, or his Audi convertible. He sold his latest diorama to the Air Classics Museum of Aviation in Sugar Grove. He doesn’t have plans at the moment to relocate the “1922 Midwest City July 4th Airshow,” but thinks there is a good chance it will end up there, too. Powell plans to take a short break over the summer to do some travelling, and then it’s back at it. This time he plans to play around with elevation and might work up a western town set during the time of the gold rush.
Ashley Poskin/For Sauk Valley Media
Terry Powell pays meticulous attention to detail when creating his dioramas. He sold his first two to the Air Classics Museum of Aviation at the Aurora Municipal Airport, which just opened for the season on Saturday, and he suspects this piece may end up there as well.
Terry Powell (top) works on a Lysander, a WWII rescue plane that was built to be lightweight and super powerful, so it could quickly drop in to any area and rescue soldiers. In addition to his historic- and aviation-themed dioramas (shown above), the retired Rock Falls High electronics teacher also builds model airplanes in his spare time.
Take a closer look Want to see some of Terry Powell’s work? The Air Classics Museum of Aviation is at 44W546 U.S. Route 30 in Sugar Grove, in the Aurora Municipal Airport. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 22. Find it on Facebook, go to www.airclassicsmuseum.org or call 630-466-0888 for admission prices and more information.
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Penny Beelendorf
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