Guest Column: My Own Disneyland – A Sculptor’s Ride!

My extraordinary relationship with Toqine Metalworks in Nanchang, China began with exquisite atom-bumping serendipity. During a tour of China hosted by my daughter on her own business adventures, I found myself awestruck by the sheer quantity and quality of bronze sculpture displayed at the Shanghai Art Fair. Bronze, my medium of choice, the most noble of materials, had outpriced itself in the US. What to do?? Determined to learn more, I began asking exhibitors which foundries were behind these masterful castings.

At the exhibit of a French gallery, a visiting US supplier to the industry overheard my request and casually asked, “Are you free to visit a major art foundry this weekend?” Expecting the invitation to lead to a nearby facility, I enthusiastically replied, “No plans at all!” His response: “Great—pack a bag and meet me at the Starbucks at the airport Saturday at 8 a.m.”

How does one politely decline a weekend trip with a stranger, in a foreign country, to an unnamed destination? Before I could find words, he added: “It’s an enormous complex- you need 2 days to see everything, and they’ll put us up in their guesthouse.” Curiosity triumphed—and my destiny turned on its head.

A short plane ride, and within a half-hour, we pulled into Toqine Metalworks: acres of sculpture-filled grounds—an immersive Disneyland for sculptors. After a banquet lunch with a dozen guests, dishes spinning around a massive lazy Susan, I began a two-day tour that left me breathless. Why, I wondered, would a world-class foundry doing monuments for the future be interested in my intimate works?

Fifteen years later, that question has been answered many times over. Together we have produced more than 100 sculptures—developing new patinas, problem solving in new ways, and collaborating with the same care brought to their monumental achievements (Ex: “The Statue of Unity “-182 meters high- their 500 polychrome Buddhas, and myriad historic monuments including the largest Hindu Temple in Robinson, New Jersey…) many of which I witnessed in the execution.

Today an entire team at Toqine stands ready to help realize my ambitions, including our newest endeavor: The Major Arcana Tarot Cards, in bronze, in monumental scale. Despite my very limited Chinese—"yes, no, good morning, and thank you” —we have built a seamless collaboration. In their newly expanded 800,000-square-foot facility, Toqine has asked to host a permanent exhibition of my work in their museum.

With more than 30 journeys to Nanchang I can confirm: My partnership with Toqine has been supportive, sustaining, and endlessly inspiring. As the founder retires and hands the reins to his US educated son, we are both excited to share our story at Codaworx 2026. You never know who might overhear …and trail blaze a career as I did!

About this week's guest author: 

Leah Poller is a figurative artist working in bronze. Classically trained at the prestigious Ecole Nationale Superieure de Beaux Arts of Paris where she resided for 20 years, Poller participated in a rich, multi-cultural environment, interacting with foremost members of the international arts communities of France, Spain, Italy and Latin America. Her singular approach to her subject matter was forged by this international experience. Poller’s Post Modernist approach transforms the inner thoughts of her subject into elaborate “headdresses”, heralding her expertise and and the newly revived interest in representational art. Her large-scale works and installations have been exhibited in Hong Kong, Beijing, Mexico, Miami, Providence and New York City. Poller lives and works in Harlem, dividing her time between NYC, Europe and Asia.

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