Artist Stan Dolega (right) and Sterling Smith , UW Art Museum Chief Preparator, construct Veedauwoo Modernized at his West Laramie studio. Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum.
Laramie artist, Stan Dolega, is scheduled to install a new sculpture at Optimist Park on Thursday, Aug 21. The new artwork, Veedauwoo Modernized, is inspired by the rock formations of Veedauwoo and is a continuation of the artist’s work that references the landscape and nature.
Constructed of steel, flagstone and boulders, the sculpture measures 10 feet wide by 10 feet long by 6 ft high. Veedauwoo Modernized marks a return to creating outdoor art by the artist. Dolega is one of many artists who, during the 1970s and 1980s, created large-scale earthworks or land art. Elements of nature and natural settings formed the basis of this genre of art that was often vast in scale and commonly effected by the natural elements of daily and seasonal cycles.
Dolega has many earthworks in locations across the U. S., including Dayton, Ohio, Wenatchee, Wash., Detroit, Mich., and Montgomery County, Md. The works range in size from 64 feet long to a quarter of an acre, with varying elevations, up to 10 feet high. His largest outdoor work is in Hannah, Wyo., where he created an earthwork to serve as both a sanitary landfill and a recreation site; it is 120 acres with elevations ranging from zero to 100 feet.
Dolega is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art in Public Places grant, NEA Artist Fellowship, and Wyoming Arts council Fellowship. He is represented in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and is the owner of Wolf Ears Equipment, maker of fine hand-crafted gun leather.
Dolega’s sculpture is one of 18 works that comprise Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational, an exhibition of public art on the University of Wyoming campus and in Laramie that has been organized by the University of Wyoming Art Museum. The exhibition officially opens with a reception on Friday, Sept. 12, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Prexy’s Pasture. It 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 Dr in Laramie. The museum and Museum Store are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 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.
