Last spring the Wyoming Game and Fish Department joined with the Wyoming Arts Council to provide an opportunity for artists to display their work in the department’s new regional office.
The call for art was made public in May 2017 to which 36 artists from across Wyoming responded to. Artists were required to present and explain their visions and works to a selection committee.
The call for art was ultimately pared down to four artists from Wyoming who submitted two-dimensional drawings and paintings as well as three-dimensional work. The work itself will focus on regional birds and fish; game and non-game species; and the landscape surrounding the Laramie area.
The four Wyoming artists chosen to provide artwork for the field office are Ashley Hope Carlisle of Laramie, Zach Even of Lander, Justin Hayward of Casper and Bruce Speidel of Sundance.
Artist, Ashley Hope Carlisle is a professor of sculpture and professional practices for the University of Wyoming Visual Arts Department. Carlisle has been chosen before for public works of art.
Zach Even describes himself as an avid fisherman and hunter as well as being an artist in Wyoming. He has worked with Cabella’s as an illustrator and graphic designer. His artwork was also selected by Nebraska Game and Fish to represent their habitat stamps.
Justin Hayward teaches painting at Casper College. Hayward’s artwork focuses on maintaining the realistic integrity of his subject matter as he creates realistic and hyper-realistic two-dimensional drawings and paintings. Hayward submitted a realistic charcoal drawing of a bull moose for his addition to the game and fish office.
Bruce Speidel is an artist from Sundance who specializes in wildlife painting. Speidel attended Black Hills State University after four years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Speidel has been awarded previously for conservation wildlife art and continues to be a part of several wildlife art organizations.
Art in Public Buildings was established by a Wyoming state statute in 1991 and is designed to beautify Wyoming’s public buildings and draw attention to the wealth of artistic experience within our region,” according to the Wyoming Arts Council Website.
The artwork for each project is selected by a committee specifically selected for that project. Each committee typically consists of representatives from the community in which the building is located, representatives from the user agency, artists or other representatives from the art community, and the architect for the building.
More information may be found by visiting the Wyoming Arts Council website.
