Wyoming Arts Council

The University of Wyoming Art Museum’s “Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational” is a temporary exhibition from August 2008 through July 2009 “comprised of major works by artists of international, national, and regional reputation.”

Sculptures are arriving or being created on location around the campus and Laramie through July. The exhibition, according to UW Art Museum Director Susan Moldenhauer, “will evolve to completion over a period of time. There will be opportunities for students and volunteers to assist with some of these installations and educational opportunities will exist for students of all ages to learn about these artists, their creative process, and the behind-the-scenes view of just how these large-scale works are installed.”

The first of these works has been installed in the UW Art Museum lobby. The sculpture, “Billings” (shown above), is by internationally renowned sculptor Deborah Butterfield of Bozeman, Mont. whose life-scaled work is composed of found and welded metal. This indoor work can be seen in the museum lobby, which will remain open as an information center while the museum’s galleries are closed for renovation and upgrades.

Other participating artists include North Carolina sculptor Patrick Dougherty, who is known for his extraordinary large-scale work created from saplings. Whether free-standing or integrated with architectural structures reminiscent of hives, cocoons, huts, and haystacks, Dougherty interweaves his material into forms that appear both natural and man-made. He will be on location for three weeks in July to create a work for the university campus.

Texas artist Jesus Moroles is considering integrating granite into 30-foot-high totem created from abandoned tanks or pipeline. A proposal from Denver artist Charles Parson is to create a 40-foot-long glass and steel work suspended between two berms. New works from Colorado artists James Surls, Carl Reed, and Charmaine Locke will be on display. Locke’s work, “Open Book,” will be installed at the Albany County Public Library. And an Ursula von Rydingsvard sculpture constructed of four-by-four-inch cedar beams will be located on the Art Museum Terrace.

An opening reception for the exhibition is scheduled for Sept. 12. In April 2009, the Wyoming Arts Council and the UW Art Museum will team up for a symposium focusing on public art.
You can view more of the work featured in “Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational” at http://www.uwyo.edu/ArtMuseum/.

Photo at the top of the page shows Deborah Butterfield’s “Billings” (1996), found steel, welded, 87 x 102 x 32 inches, lent by the artist; installed inside the Art Museum Lobby.