Welcome to the Official Site for The Rise of the Munes!

Frederick J. Waugh

His friends called him the Wizard.  His real name is Frederick Judd Waugh.  At one time he was the most well-known artist in America.  Instead of a wand, he used a paintbrush to make beautiful paintings of the sea that captivated people with their beauty.  In 1914, he was a judge and exhibitor in the art show held as part of the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of Captain John's Smith arrival on the island.  But instead of painting the sea, Waugh went to the woods where he was inspired by the wind swept branches of the spruce trees.  From these torn and broken tree branches he could see little figures that he called Munes.

Original illustration of Munes on Monhegan Island, ME by Waugh

We know from Waugh's original description of them that they were "ends of limbs and branches which had fallen from their sockets in a near-by spruce stump." Some original accounts of his experiences in magazines of the period describe these creatures as "an entirely new kind of American fairy unlike any found in Europe." But we also know Waugh never used the term fairy himself. He dedicated two years of his life to the Munes and our research has found that many years later he returned to the Munes again in his major self portrait that we recently discovered.  He referred to himself as the Wizard's historian regarding his writing of his lost children's book. Concerning the Munes he said "they were full of significance for him."

Frederick Waugh referred to himself as the Wizard's Historian

An actual Mune photographed recently on
Monhegan Island, ME

"Your photographs of the Munes are beautiful, inspiriting and inspiring."

Jeffrey S. Cramer, Curator of Collections
Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods

IMPORTANT UPDATE
We have recently discovered a major painting that the artist did that contains Munes! It has been stored in a crate in the basement of a museum along with his original Mune sculpture made from parts taken from Monhegan Island in 1914!   Stay tuned for this unfolding story!

2012 Video trailer for The Rise of the Munes!

Thank You Stephen Standing Owl!

I would like to thank my friend Stephen Standing Owl who is a renowned Native American flute player  Please visit his website at http://www.standingowl.com/ to hear his beautiful flute music and learn more about the meaning of his music.

The Munes of Walden Pond

Jamie showing Henry David Thoreau a Mune!

We took a trip to Walden Pond in Concord, MA to see if the Munes inhabited the place where Henry David Thoreau built his cabin.  Indeed we did find Munes all along the trails around the pond.  One of Jamie's best finds of the day was the The Great Blue Heron Mune of Walden Woods.  Thoreau loved the Blue Heron so much he wanted to make it an American citizen.

The Great Blue Heron Mune of Walden Woods

A professor at Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, Tad Beckman has the following thoughts on Thoreau in his Enviromenal Philosophy course:

"We do not see nature today. We drive through what we call "natural scenery" on our way to the mountains. When we get there, we clump about with our thick boots and fast pace, to get some air and exercise. Plants and animals cower before us. Most things we will never see; they see us long before we arrive. The great blue heron is in the air and flying away several hundreds of yards and many bends in the brushy creek before we might have spotted it, standing knee-deep and exploring the bottom for small clams. Nature, even where it still exists, unfolds to our eyes only when we take the time to merge with it, which means becoming a natural creature ourselves! This, I suggest, is the experience that Thoreau had at Walden Pond. He did not know what nature truly was until he simplified his existence to the point where he could begin to take note of it in detail."

It was sad to see today while we were looking for Munes the graffiti spray painted on trees along the trail.  We are planning a photography exhibit of the Munes of Walden Pond.  Stay tuned for updates!