Charles Parson
Colorado artist Charles Parson will install a 65-foot long sculpture May 28-30 at the University of Wyoming's Prexy's Pasture.
"Molto Allargando" is one of 15 public artworks in "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational," an exhibition organized by the UW Art Museum. The work is a long steel, glass and plastic sculpture.
"Chuck sited his sculpture on Prexy's Pasture to parallel the faculty dining room in Ross Hall," says UW Art Museum Director Susan Moldenhauer.
The sculpture stretches low to the ground from east to west with a slow rise and fall across its length, a gesture that is referenced in the title, Molto Allargando, an Italian musical term that means a slow swell, she adds.
"The horizon line so dominant in the Western landscape has been an inspiration that has grounded Chuck's work for many years," Moldenhauer says. "This, however, is the first sculpture he has constructed that plays off the horizon line at ground level rather than from an eye-level perspective."
Works in "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational" will be placed or created on location between May and July.
"The exhibition will offer extraordinary educational opportunities for students of all ages to learn about the artists, their creative process and the behind-the-scenes view of just how these large-scale works are created and placed," Moldenhauer says.
The exhibition will be on view from Aug. 1 through July 31, 2009.
Parson's work has been reviewed and the subject of many feature articles, including
in the Chicago New Art Examiner, Artspace Magazine, American Artist, Artweek, the
New York Times, and Sculptural Pursuit Magazine.
His work has received awards such as Alliance for Contemporary Arts 1999 AFKEY Award, Denver Art Museum; Innovation in the Arts Award, Colorado Federation of the Arts; and Museum Educators of the Year Award, Colorado Arts Education Association. He is the senior chair of the Art Department at the Community College of Denver, Auraria campus and also is a contract muralist/illustrator for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
The UW Art Museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 22nd and Willett Drive. Summer hours are from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free.
