September 7, 2022 |
Saturday turned out to be a picture perfect day, ideal for the Grand Reveal Event hosted by the Platte Valley Arts Council.
The main event took place at the Platte Valley Community Center. The PVAC honored six local artists whose works represent different aspects of life in the Upper North Platte River Valley. About 100 people attended the ceremony and took self-guided tours to the individual unveilings around the Valley.
Serving as the master of ceremony, Teense Willford kicked off the festivities with songs and his trademark humor. Founder of the Platte Valley Legacy Foundation, former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, and a fourth generation rancher, Willford’s accomplishments are extensive. His take on the proceedings provided a bit of levity.
Stacy Crimmins managed nearly every aspect of the event. As the project coordinator, she wrote the grants, coordinated with the artists, and secured the installation sites for the works. In August of 2021, Crimmins reached out to the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund to help finance the exhibition.
Renee Bovee, the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Program Coordinator, says that Crimmins’ grant application stood out to the Trust Fund’s board. Requesting a maximum grant of $50,000 from the WCTF, Crimmins was able to secure required matching donations from private sources to win approval. Bovee said Crimmins made the board feel comfortable awarding the grant through her thoroughness and the public support she was able to enlist for the project.
Pictured above: The Wyoming Wind Flowers by artist John Perue is on display in the courtyard of Firewater Public House. Photo by Matthew Copeland/Bigfoot 99.
The WCTF grant was combined with local donations to make the reveal possible. The six artists had their individual unveilings. The mix of paintings and sculptures provide a showcase for the diverse range of creativity and artistic expression found in the Valley.
Sierra Smith was commissioned to build a sculpture honoring the life of Sergeant Tyler Pickett. A Saratoga native, Pickett was killed while fighting in Iraq. Not wanting to focus exclusively on Pickett’s military career, Smith’s sculpture contains aspects of his personal life.
Smith said the fallen soldier’s family wanted the monument to honor other heroes, not just Sgt. Pickett.
Many of the items used in the piece were made or donated by veterans. Titled, “Wyoming Remembers,” Smith’s work is on display outside of the Platte Valley Community Center. It will eventually become a permanent part of the yet to be built, Never Forget Park.
Lori Kostur created two different works of art for her project. The first is a recreation of her sculpture, “Singlejack”, for the Grand Encampment Museum. The original is in the National Mining Hall of Fame in Leadville, Colorado. It represents the strength and resolve of early miners.
Her second piece is a large, three-paneled mural of Lake Marie in the Snowy Range. Kostur says that she wants her triptych to feel familiar and peaceful.
Kostur’s painting, “Lake Marie,” will be displayed in the North Platte Valley Medical Center when construction is complete.
Jerry Wood produced a sculpture of two leaping trout. Made from translucent alabaster, the trout represent the Valley and its abundant natural beauty. Wood said that he doesn’t start a sculpture with anything in mind, but allows the stone to dictate what it becomes.
Wood’s piece, “Two’s the Limit,” will remain on permanent display in the Platte Valley Community Center.
John Perue used bicycle wheels donated by St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church as well as left-over pieces of stained glass he collected while replacing the windows at the First Presbyterian Church. His flower-like pieces spin freely in the Wyoming breeze. Perue says that his method of construction is exclusively his own.
Perue’s artwork, “Wyoming Wind Flowers,” is on display in the courtyard of Firewater Public House.
Jamie Waugh painted a large mural of a rancher leaning on a fence. Inspired by cowboys and the Wyoming weather, Waugh says that she wanted to create something that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Waugh’s painting, “Alone, Never Lonely,” can be seen on the back of the Sage Motel.
The late Jerry Palen was represented with a panel of his famous comic, Flo and Elmo, painted on the fence at Harmony Park in Encampment. The Platte Valley Arts Council intends to add another panel each year. Painted entirely by volunteers, Palen’s wife, Ann, feels that Jerry would approve.
Stacy Crimmins was pleased with the outcome of the reveal event. The new installations make art more accessible to the community. She said that this project benefits everyone, culturally and financially.
Saturday’s weather provided the perfect backdrop for a unique, valley-wide event, that was a first-of-its kind.
