Taft Richardson lives in Tampa on the street where he was raised. His house is like an oasis, now close to the freeway, in the midst of industrial change. In this space, Taft works on his life's mission: to teach children, make bone sculptures, and serve God. All aspects of his work are seamlessly connected.

Richardson's sculptures are all made out of bones. The bones are even connected with a mixture of crushed bone and paste. His animals, crucifixes, and other sculptural forms are created as an act of worship. The neighborhood children, he says, are his inspiration. When asked about the use of bones as his primary medium, he replies, "I can understand the bones -- even after they have been dead for a long time." Working with bones is something that "just happened." He claims, "I follow these bones. I follow them. They lead me to peace."

The bones can come from anywhere. Some are found on farms, but mostly they come from dead animals he finds in the streets, which, he explains, "used to bother me a lot." Richardson says that there was once a time when he felt lost and then, he reports, "the bones came to me." That was right after he prayed to God to give him something useful to do. "I was at a crossroads," he explains. "I was going to college or going into the world." He decided to "go into the world [because] there was more there."

Prior to working with children in his home, Taft helped run the Moses House, an arts center, which was founded in the 1980s. While the building has closed, the mission of the organization is still strong. For Taft, providing at-risk children with positive art activities is his primary reason for living. It is slow work, but Taft feels that if he can help even a few children, it's worth it. And he has influenced many to express themselves in a positive way.

Associating himself with a snail that keeps moving in a certain direction, he claims that he is "a snail that can't be stopped." Taft Richardson wants to leave a legacy of resurrected art. But he will be remembered also for his powerful work with Tampa's youth. "All of my art is one piece," he claims.

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