"Girl With A Tail" by Bernard "Blackie" Langlais.
Langlais Sculptures: Girl With A Tail
Skowhegan, Maine
Maine sculptor Bernard "Blackie" Langlais (1921-1977) was known for building the World's Tallest Indian in Skowhegan -- perhaps too well known. So when his widow died in 2010 she donated nearly 3,000 of his other artworks to the Kohler Foundation, which promised to conserve and exhibit them. Over 20 are now on permanent display around Skowhegan, including "Girl with a Tail," which Langlais built in his barn in 1974 out of scrap wood and rope.
The Kohler Foundation has said that it will do its best to preserve Langlais' outdoor sculptures, but noted that they're made of wood, and they're outdoors in Maine, and that to expect them to have "an infinite life" would be unrealistic. So see the Mermaid while you can.