August 31, 2022 |
The Platte Valley Arts Council is hosting their Grand Reveal Event on Saturday, September 3rd, at the Platte Valley Community Center.
Bigfoot99 spoke with Stacy Crimmins, Project Coordinator for this event, who said that the Platte Valley Arts Council has been planning a large art exhibit for years. Thanks to a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, they were able to give six local artists a chance to create works inspired by life in the Valley.
Lori Kostur, Sierra Smith, Jerry Wood, John Perue, Jamie Waugh, and the late Jerry Palen are the featured artists. Crimmins said that, in the future, the PVAC would like to include creators from around the globe.
The artists were given free rein over their projects.
Kostur created a bronze sculpture of a miner called, Singlejack. It will be displayed at the Grand Encampment Museum. She also made a mosaic that will be displayed in the North Platte Valley Medical Center when it is completed.
Smith built a sculpture honoring the life of Sergeant Tyler Pickett of Saratoga. Pickett was killed in Iraq from an enemy IED during combat operations. Smith’s work will be a permanent part of the Never Forget Park when it is completed. Until then, it will be on display in the Platte Valley Community Center.
Wood’s alabaster sculpture of a leaping trout is called “Two’s the Limit”. It will also be on display in the Platte Valley Community Center, where it will remain.
Perue’s piece is called “Wyoming Wind Flowers” — the kinetic sculpture incorporates stained glass and rotates in the wind. It will be shown in the courtyard of Firewater Public House, on East Main Avenue.
Waugh is working on a large mural at the Sage Motel. It is a tribute to the cowboys of the American west.
Palen will be remembered with a frame from his famous cartoon series, Flo and Elmo, painted on the fence in Harmony Park in Encampment. Designed as paint by number, people have been working to finish the project.
The Platte Valley Arts Council had to secure the individual locations for the works to be located and displayed.
Unable underwrite the entire cost of the valley-wide project with grants, the PVAC raised extra money for the exhibit. They sold kits containing a small tile, paint, and instructions. People paint the tiles and give them back to the PVAC. They will eventually be displayed on the side of The Red Wagon in Encampment. The PVAC plans to arrange them to form one large a mosaic.
The formal launch of the unveil begins at 11 a.m. at the Platte Valley Community Center. Afterwards, a free light lunch will be available. From 1 -4 p.m., the artists will be at their installations to answer questions.
The PVAC will provide maps to each of the locations for people wanting to take a self-guided tour.
