Summer Artist Visits Celebrate New Jackson Hole Sculpture Trail

Tim Shinabarger, (United States, b. 1966), "Black Timber Bugler," 2007. Bronze. 112 1/2 x 64 5/8 x 116. Gift of Joy and Tony Greene. © Jim McNutt.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – June 7, 2012 – Summer visitors to Jackson Hole, Wyo., will have the opportunity to brush elbows with top wildlife sculptors as part of a series of free outdoor events at the National Museum of Wildlife Art celebrating its new multimillion-dollar Sculpture Trail. The three-quarter-mile long trail, designed by renowned landscape architect Walter Hood, was completed last fall and has already become a favorite site for outdoor events. With its June 14, 2012, kick-off of the Sculpture Trail, the National Museum of Wildlife Art joins top museums with significant outdoor art venues.

Scheduled unveilings of major sculptures on the trail will take place over the summer as follows:

• June 14: Wyoming sculptor Sandy Scott will attend the free evening unveiling of her first casting of “Presidential Eagle,” so named because another casting resides in the Clinton Presidential Library.

• July 12: British artist Simon Gudgeon will offer afternoon clay modeling workshops July 12 -14, as well as being on hand for the evening unveiling of his streamlined bird form “Isis” on July 12; events are free.

• August 9: A second Sandy Scott sculpture, “Moose Flats,” will be unveiled in a free evening event with live music.

• September 13: Richard Loffler’s 64-foot-long “Buffalo Trail” will be unveiled at a special commemorative ceremony, part of the museum’s annual Western Visions®. At 150 percent larger than life, the Canadian sculptor’s bronze bison make a dramatic statement.

As part of his concept for the museum’s Sculpture Trail, Walter Hood, known for his innovative and people-friendly designs of such high-profile public spaces as the grounds for the De Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, made best use of the museum’s spectacular Jackson Hole vantage point with minimal disruption of the land’s existing contours.

A member of the Museums West consortium and accredited by the American Association of Museums, the museum, officially designated the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States by an act of Congress in 2008, provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe. A complete schedule of exhibitions and events is available online at www.wildlifeart.org. The museum is also active on Facebook at wildlifeartjh and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Ponteir Sackrey National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5444, psackrey@wildlifeart.org.