Public Art "Deer"

These three sets of bronze sculptures of Mule Deer, which are named "Deer", are located on the Neil-Kietske roundabout and were created by local artist Michael Boyce in 2008.  Boyce is a long time resident of Nevada.  His love of art began when he was very young, and he continues to create his work based on the way we as humans are connected to our planet and wildlife.

"Drift Walk"

     My "Drift Walk" started on Arlington Ave. and Commercial Row.  I then headed in a southerly direction going a little south west then south east and back to where I began.  I went down streets, around the river, down some alleys and through some abandoned parking lots.

     The thing that really stuck out to me was all the garbage, shopping carts and even feces, human or animal?, that was in spots under and around bushes, and in the corners and hidden away parts of the abandoned parking lots.  It was obvious to me that people had spent some time there.

     One question I asked myself was; why all the garbage and feces, where people obviously spent time?  Is this how they would live in their own homes?  Is their depth of despair really that low?  So how does anyone go from that depth to any type of normalcy?  There needs to be a middle ground.

Visual Literacy

     In doing my research out of the book "A World of Art" by Henry M. Sayre.  The two pieces of artwork that I was researching were both tittled "Treaty Signing at Medicine Creek Lodge".  One was done by John Taylor and the other by Howling Wolf.  In my opinion the artwork by Taylor is representational and the work of Wolf's is abstract.  Taylor's work is a black and white drawing filling the page.  His was taken from the actual sketch he did at the scene in 1867 and then printed in a newspaper.  Wolf's is a colored drawing using pencil, crayon and ink drawn sparsely on a white background.  He created this some ten years later sometime between 1875-1878.
      Taylor's drawing depicts a more realistic appearing view of the scene with the landscape and modest sketches of people.  The view looking at the drawing is as if Taylor was sitting or standing just outside the signing ceremony.  On the other hand since Wolf's drawing is more abstract it is structured differently.  With the view looking at the drawing, as if your looking down from the sky onto the signing ceremony.  The people and the trees are more spread out over the drawing.
     I believe in Wolf's drawing that the confluence of Medicine Creek and the Arkansas are there to symbolize the two sides coming together.  The way that the people are situated in both drawing also says something to me.  In Taylor's drawing the Native Americans seem to be more confined to one particular area.  In Wolf's drawing the people are seated in a more prominent way throughout the drawing suggesting to me that the Native Americans felt they had more ownership over the land.
     In Taylor's drawing of the Native Americans they appear to all have a similar look, which I believe is what white people in those days might think the Native Americans looked like.  Also in viewing the two drawings it is clear to see that the absence of women in Taylor's drawing suggests that at that time women had little to no value.  However, in contrast, Wolf's drawing has women drawn throughout that appear to be viewing the signing ceremony.  Which suggests to me that the Native Americans did value there women or at least have a certain respect for them.