Internationally known artist John Henry will be onsite Monday, Aug. 25, and Tuesday, Aug. 26, to install his new sculpture, "River High," near the Laramie Recreation Center on Boulder Avenue.
With a height of 55 feet, it will be visible from the surrounding valley and will signal that contemporary public art is on view in Laramie. This installation completes the University of Wyoming Art Museum exhibition of public art called "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational."
For the past 30 years, Henry has produced large-scale works of art for museums, cities and public institutions across the United States, Europe and Asia. Working in his sculpture studio complex in Chattanooga, Tenn., he has created some of the largest contemporary steel sculpture (up to 100 feet tall) in the United States. His most complex exhibition to date will open in Florida in October. "Drawing in Space: The Peninsula Project" will include seven monumental sculptures in seven cities, each with accompanying exhibitions.
Henry was a founding member of ConStruct, the artist-owned gallery that has promoted and organized large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the United States. A distinguished professor of art at Chattanooga State College, he has received the Governor's National Award in the Arts from the state of Kentucky and the Mayor's Award of Distinction in the Arts from the city of Chattanooga.
Henry's sculpture is one of 18 works that comprise the Wyoming Invitational, an exhibition of public art on the UW campus and in Laramie that has been organized by the UW Art Museum. The exhibition officially opens with a reception Friday, Sept. 12, from 4-6 p.m. at Prexy's Pasture. The exhibition continues through July 2009.
"Imagine learning from the masters" is a guiding principle of the UW Art Museum's programs. The museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie. The museum and store are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and will be open on Saturdays beginning Aug. 30. Admission is free.
For more information, call (307) 766-6622 or visit www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum or the museum's new blog, www.uwartmuseum.blogspot.com.
