Jesus Moroles Awarded National Medal of Arts

The 2008 National Medal of ARts was awarded to Jesus Moroles and presented by President Bush on November 17, 2008 in an East Room ceremony. Moroles was honored "for his enduring achievements as a sculptor of stone. His granite monuments grace America's landscape." The National Medal of Arts is a presidential initiative managed by teh National Endowment for the Arts. Photo by James Kegley for the National Endowment for the Arts.

The National Endowment for the Arts has announced that Texas artist Jesús Moroles has been awarded the National Medal of Arts. Moroles contributed two sculptures to the University of Wyoming Art Museum’s current public art exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational. Granite Windows which is located on Prexy’s Pasture is a new work created for the exhibition and Eclipse, located at the Art Museum, is from the museum’s permanent collection.

As the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence, the National Medal of Arts was established by Congress in 1984, and is awarded by the President and managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. Nine medals were presented by the President and Mrs. Laura Bush in an East Room ceremony at the White House on Nov. 17. Award recipients are selected based on their contributions to the creation, growth, and support of the arts in the United States.

”With this honor, Jesus joins a select group of artists who have been recognized for their contributions to the creative and artistic life of our nation,” said Susan Moldenhauer, Art Museum director. “His selection for the National Medal of Arts award is well-deserved and we offer our enthusiastic congratulations to him for this achievement.”

For more than 30 years, Moroles has been creating large-scale public sculpture from granite. His studio in Rockport, Texas, is a family effort with his parents Jose and Maria, his brother Hilario, his sister Suzanna, and brother-in-law Kurt Kangas as integral parts of the Moroles Studio.

In 1982, Moroles received the prestigious Awards in the Visual Arts Fellowship for which his works were included in a two year traveling museum exhibition which originated at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Ill.

Noteworthy large-scale works by Moroles include his 22 foot tall sculpture fountain, titled Floating Mesa Fountain for the Albuquerque Museum in New Mexico, environmental installation of 45 sculptural elements and fountains for the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, Ala. made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, and Lapstrake, a 64 ton, 22 foot tall sculpture for the E.F. Hutton, CBS Plaza in New York City, located across the street from the Museum of Modern Art.

Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational has been organzied by the UW Art Museum in partnership with the University of Wyoming, Laramie Parks & Recreation, Laramie Economic Development Corporation, and the Albany County Public Library. The exhibition continues through July 2009.

Sculpture Exhibition Map and Tour Guide Available

Students enjoy a conversation from the elevated

perspective of Jesus Moroles' Granite Windows

on Prexie's Pasture recently.

Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

The long-awaited map of sculpture in Laramie and on campus is now available. The Walking & Driving Tour Guide for Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational identifies not only works in the exhibition but also includes art in public places in Laramie and at the University of Wyoming. Maps will be found at all sculpture locations for the temporary exhibition or may be downloaded by clicking here.

The tour guide includes a survey that we hope will elicit your thoughts, comments, and ideas about public art in our community.

For more information, visit the UW Art Museum webpage.

Moroles' Granite Windows Assembled on Prexy's Pasture

Jesus Moroles' Granite Windows is sited on Prexy's Pasture. Art faculty David Jones and his class arrive at the sculpture as they did a bike tour of all the works now on view in Scultpure: A Wyoming Invitational. Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

Texas artist Jesus Moroles completed the assembly of his new work, Granite Windows, located on the west end of Prexy's Pasture (opposite Half Acre Gym). Finish work will continue over the next few weeks. Moroles said he was happy with the new work. Using a tank to refer to Wyoming's mining industries, the work furthers his exploration in combining found steel objects and granite.

Granite Windows is an interactive work so that viewers may climb inside, sit atop, and/or move the work on its spindle. The "windows" offer interesting and ever changing views of Prexy's Pasture. There are interesting surprises of texture and structure to be discovered inside the scultpure.

For complete information, www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.

Press release for Jesus Moroles, click here.

Moroles on location to complete Granite Windows

Jesus Moroles, assisted by Art Museum Chief Preparator Sterling Smith, works on assembling Granite Windows Tuesday on Prexy's Pasture. Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

Texas artists Jesus Moroles returned to the University of Wyoming campus today to assemble his new work, Granite Windows, for Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational which has been organized by the University of Wyoming.

Week of June 16 Update

This is the final week for Steven Siegel to create his work on the Laramie Greenbelt. The weather is finally warming up and the site is drying out from recent flooding. Steve and his crew of interns have made great progress since last week, having worked out a system of screen, mulch, and wire assembly that forms the exterior of the sculpture.

Jesus Moroles returns tomorrow to complete his work Granite Windows on Prexy's Pasture. He will be on site Tuesday - Wednesday, June 16 - 17 to complete the assembly of granite components inside the steel tank framework of the scultpure.

On the west end of Prexy's Pasture, the third site for scultpure is in its initial preparation. Carl Reed's Braced Ring with Outlyer is scheduled for installation in July.

For complete information, www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.

Moroles Sculpture Takes Shape on Prexy's Pasture

Physical Plant staff, the University of Wyoming Art Museum exhibition preparator Sterling Smith, and the artist Jesus Moroles nudge steel tank into place to receive granite infill. Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

Texas sculptor Jesus Moroles was on location earlier this week to install his work for Sculpture: A Wyomng Invitational. Created from a found tank and lined with 10,000 lbs of red granite, Granite Windows will be an interactive sculpture that invites viewers to climb inside the work and/or take it for a spin.

To date, the floor is complete as are the cross-platforms in the work. The east and west "windows" have granite in place. Moroles will return to Laramie in the next week to complete the work.

Press release for Jesus Moroles, click here.
For complete information, www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.

Jesus Moroles On Site Next Week

Albert Haskins, UW Physical Plant, off loads granite for Moroles Sculpture on Prexy's Pasture. Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

From June 9 to 11, Texas artist Jesus Moroles will be on location creating a new work for Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational. The exhibition has been curated by Susan Moldenhauer, director and chief curator of the UW Art Museum, and organized by the Art Museum in partnership with the University of Wyoming, various agencies of the City of Laramie, and the Albany County Public Library.

Moroles has designed an interactive work that will be created from a tank found at Ace Salvage and his signature material, granite. Sited just west of Half Acre Gym, the sculpture will be assembled by Moroles with the assistance of the museum's chief preparator Sterling Smith, preparator David Jones, and the museum's interns for the project: Michael Hurley, Jamie Fritz, Jedidiah Cracco, Kara Peterson, and Bethany Reisner.

Moroles will be on location Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, June 9 - 11.

Press release on Jesus Moroles, click here.
For complete information, www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.