New public art piece promotes harmony at UNM-Gallup

GALLUP, N.M. - The University of New Mexico-Gallup installed a new statue on campus recently as part of the New Mexico Arts program Art in Public Places.

"White Deer of Autumn," by Denny Haskew, is a 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a cloaked female figure, which is finished with a patina that the artist developed to make it look like it was carved from stone. The sculpture stands in a raised landscape bed in the outdoor courtyard between Gurley Hall and Calvin Hall Center.

"I hope students, educators, and campus visitors will see this sculpture as a symbol of harmony and bring this back into their workspace, classrooms, and lives," UNM-Gallup art instructor Kristi Wilson said.

Wilson headed the selection committee that chose the sculpture, with support from fellow UNM-Gallup art instructors Dana Aldis and Cortney Yellow-Horse Metzger along with public relations specialist Richard Reyes.

Claude Smith, from New Mexico Art in Public Places, served as the main coordinator for this project. John and Alyson Kinkade provided structural engineering and safe delivery of the sculpture from JK Designs, Inc., and the National Sculptors' Guild in Colorado. UNM-Gallup Physical Plant employees and Maintenance Supervisor Ozzy Guerrero carefully completed the final installation of the statue on campus.

"It was gratifying to work with such an amazing team," Wilson said.

About the sculpture
The sculpture faces to the east and watches the sunrise every morning. It is nestled among an exterior corner of Gurley Hall, which provides a complementary backdrop to the artwork's finish.

"'White Deer of Autumn' looks at home at UNM-Gallup," Alyson Kinkade, of JK Designs, Inc., and the National Sculptors' Guild, said. "Denny's trademark patina against the rich adobe walls and clear New Mexico blue sky is just dynamic. Our team truly enjoyed working with everyone there. We hope the students and staff are enjoying the new sculpture on their campus."

The sculpture figure wears a cloak that appears to sway in the wind. Her stance and expression are meant to give the viewer a sense of strength and resolve.

"I was experimenting with planes in the design of my sculptures when I created 'White Deer of Autumn,'" Haskew said. "The layers of her headdress and clothing are abstract lines that complement the woman's quiet yet seeing spirituality. At the time, I was looking for the truth, and I remember a woman in an E.S. Curtis photograph who stood silently, hidden in the forest, listening."

The sculpture's title was inspired by excerpts from the book "Wisdomkeepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders" by Steve Wall and Harvey Arden. The collection of stories and poems by Native American spiritual elders includes the following quote by the book's editor, named White Deer of Autumn:

"Reading the word of the Wisdomkeepers, we must understand that these terms - God, Creator, and Great Spirit - have been used to convey the concept that all things are interrelated and an equal part of the whole: that we are like drops of rain which will one day return to the ocean; that we are like candles lit by the fire of the sun, forever a part of it."

Haskew also drew inspiration from a poem entitled, "Consciousness," by Chief Oren Lyons, which is also featured in "Wisdomkeepers."

A physical copy of "Wisdomkeepers" is available at UNM-Gallup's Zollinger Library. View Zollinger Library's online catalog here.

About the artist
The statue at UNM-Gallup is one of a 15-piece limited edition collection, which is complete and sold out.

The composition is part of major collections throughout the United States and has received multiple accolades, including "First Place Award" from the Eiteljorg Museum in 1998. The maquette of "White Deer of Autumn" was featured on the July 1997 cover of Southwest Art Magazine.

Haskew currently resides in Loveland, Colo., and he is a charter member of the National Sculptor's Guild. He has designed and placed more than 50 monumental public sculpture placements since 1992.

"The strength of my work ascends from the spirit of the people portrayed - Native Americans, Mayans, friends, children, people of the Great Plains and West," Haskew said. "This same spirit connects each of us with the harmony of nature and one's relationship to another."

Art in Public Places
"White Deer of Autumn" was brought to the UNM-Gallup campus through the New Mexico Arts program Art in Public Places.

Since its inception, the Art in Public Places program has placed more than 2,500 works of art in all of New Mexico's 33 counties. The goal of the program is to reflect the diversity of the arts in New Mexico, the Southwest, and the nation while building a dynamic public art collection for the State of New Mexico.

The program was established in 1986 through the Art in Public Places Act. The act declares that a portion of all state appropriations for capital expenditures be set aside for the acquisition or commissioning of works of art to be used in, upon, or around public buildings.

"The New Mexico Arts in Public Places Program is a unique and positive opportunity that provides access from a diverse selection of artists that help enrich all of New Mexico," Wilson said.

The UNM-Gallup campus features several works of art thanks to the Art in Public Places program, including sculptures, tapestries, paintings, prints and installations by renowned artists such as Hung Liu, Tom Waldron, Nocona Burgess, Patrick Marold and more.