Herman "Herm" Hoops
Dublin Core
Title
Herman "Herm" Hoops
Subject
Artist; Occupational; Uinta Folk-Life
Description
Profile of artist Herman Hoops
Date
May 9, 2017
Contributor
Utah Division of Arts and Museums.
Rights
Copyright All Years. Utah Division of Arts and Museums. All Rights Reserved.
Relation
William McGinnis. Whitewater Rafting. New York: Quadrangle Press/New York Times Book Co., 1975.
Person Item Type Metadata
Occupation
Military Figure Maker, River Runner
Biographical Text
Herman Hoops is a River Runner and Military Figure Maker.
Hoops began collecting military figures as a child, an interest that passed down from his father and grandfather. He began creating his own figures and dioramas in 1990. For each figure he creates, he also writes their history. While Herm used to create works for sale, it quickly became repetitive, dull, and boring, as they lacked historical exploration and narrative.
Herm’s overall collection now spans over 5,000 figures. How many he himself has created to date is hard to tell. His personal creations include over 100 Civil War displays, 15-20 Native American/Cowboy displays, and more than 12 of the British Empire.
As a young man, Hoops saw a documentary about the Grand Canyon, and became obsessed with the exploration of rivers. In 1972, he came to Salt Lake City where he bought his first serious raft. He traveled to Idaho to run rivers, where he met Ron Smith. He quit his teaching job and moved west with his wife to run every river he could. He worked for the National Park Service and became an adventure river runner and steward of the rivers and their environments.
Hoops’ notes on river ecology and white water rafting helped Bill McGinnis publish Whitewater Rafting (1975)
Hoops began collecting military figures as a child, an interest that passed down from his father and grandfather. He began creating his own figures and dioramas in 1990. For each figure he creates, he also writes their history. While Herm used to create works for sale, it quickly became repetitive, dull, and boring, as they lacked historical exploration and narrative.
Herm’s overall collection now spans over 5,000 figures. How many he himself has created to date is hard to tell. His personal creations include over 100 Civil War displays, 15-20 Native American/Cowboy displays, and more than 12 of the British Empire.
As a young man, Hoops saw a documentary about the Grand Canyon, and became obsessed with the exploration of rivers. In 1972, he came to Salt Lake City where he bought his first serious raft. He traveled to Idaho to run rivers, where he met Ron Smith. He quit his teaching job and moved west with his wife to run every river he could. He worked for the National Park Service and became an adventure river runner and steward of the rivers and their environments.
Hoops’ notes on river ecology and white water rafting helped Bill McGinnis publish Whitewater Rafting (1975)
Citation
“Herman "Herm" Hoops,” Utah Folk Arts, accessed May 6, 2024, https://utahfolkarts.omeka.net/items/show/395.