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Some people carve their names and those of the people they love into the trunks of trees. Others etch their names into stones and rocks, or erect marble or bronze statues. It’s a way to memorialize and pay tribute to people or to a place, and their heritage. Bronze statues are particularly associated with the West. The Capitol Avenue bronze project will pay tribute to the pioneering spirit of the people of Cheyenne and Wyoming, the special place in the history of the West, and be a permanent example of dignity of classic art in public places.
The Capitol Avenue bronze project is an idea more than a decade in development. Originally conceived by Harvey Deselms, a Cheyenne gallerist and lifelong advocate of art in public places, the project will place a bronze statue on every corner of Capitol Avenue from the remodeled Union Pacific Train Depot on Lincolnway up to the Capitol building, 28 statues in total. The statues will feature western figures, people and wildlife, scenes from every day life that delight the imagination, all that honorably represent the experience of Cheyenne and Wyoming and its people.
This project is a once in a multi-generational opportunity to participate in the heritage of a great city, state, and honor its history. Individuals and their families, community organizations and companies, are invited to thoughtfully consider donating a bronze statue to the project. In an age where everything seems transitory, this is an extremely rare opportunity to make a permanent tribute to the donor’s personal or family heritage in Wyoming.
- Types of Bronze Statues. Every statue will be bronze. The figures represented, whether naturalist or abstract, will be feature scenes from the West or everyday life that evoke thought, delight, and memory. A variety of figures are appropriate to the project. We will work with individuals and their families to find the right figures for the project and the right site on Capitol Avenue.
- Paying Tribue to Families and Individuals. There are only 28 corners on Capitol Avenue and there are already more than a dozen commitments to provide statues. This is a multi-generational opportunity to honor the city and state, and pay tribute to an individual or a family. Every statute will bear a plaque bearing the name of the donor and the person or family to whom it pays tribute.
- Be a Permanent Part of History. The bronzes will form a promenade up and down Capitol Avenue where generations of citizens, tourists, school children, and others walk, learn about the city, and state, and honor its heritage with their time. Participating in this project is the rarest opportunity to find a permanent place in the history of a great city and state.
To learn more about how you can donate a bronze statue, please email [email protected]. We are happy to work with you in honoring the city, state, and your family