Yellow Calf from the collection of Cheyenne/Laramie County Public Art

Yellow Calf

Bronze

Location: Capitol Avenue and 20th Street Capitol Ave. & 20th St. Cheyenne, WY 82001 (Google map)

“Yellow Calf” is a part of the Capitol Avenue Bronze public art collection . . donated to the City of Cheyenne by private individuals, organizations or companies.

The bronze honoring Chief Yellow Calf (1861-1923) is subtitled “Last to Lead his People” in recognition of his role as the last chief of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. Chief Yellow Calf was born a few years before the Treaty of 1868, by which the Northern Arapaho Tribe was assigned to land in the Wind River Indian Reservation in west-central Wyoming. Chief Yellow Calf “is considered one of the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s most important and respected leaders in its history.”

Recently, a headdress worn by Chief Yellow Calf was returned to the University of Wyoming from a storage facility of the British Museum in London. Chief Yellow Calf’s great-great-granddaughter and UW law student, Alyson White Eagle-SoundingSides, was the first member of the public in 100 years to see the headdress.

This piece was created by Tanner Loren, a self-taught artist and sculptor residing in Cody, Wyoming. His image of Chief Yellow Calf is based on actual photographs. Chief Yellow Calf is depicted with a peace pipe because he was oriented toward peaceful relations with the United States government. Loren conducted extensive research regarding typical Northern Arapaho beadwork patterns, as well as the construction and appearance of headdresses made from eagle feathers. In addition, Loren interviewed several descendants of Chief Yellow Calf, many of whom still reside on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

He is depicted wearing a thick full-length blanket which was intended by Loren to convey Chief Yellow Calf’s need for protection against the elements and, perhaps, against the uncertainties of the world.

ANB Bank sponsored the statue to signify its commitment to downtown Cheyenne and the community as a whole.

To learn more about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit this link . For more information about each artist, sponsoring a bronze, or becoming a donor/supporter at any level, please contact Harvey Deselms at Deselms Fine Art, located at 303 E. 17th Street Cheyenne. Email is deslemsart@aol.com or call at 307 432 0606

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About the artist

Tanner Loren

Born in Cody Wyoming in 1984, Tanner spent his early years working cattle on a ranch owned by his aunt and uncle in Thermopolis Wy. It was this ranch life that instilled a deep love and respect for the Cowboy and western way of life, which resonate through his bronze sculptures.

Tanner was introduced to sculpture at Caleco Foundry in Cody, Wyoming in 2004. Through his fifteen years at the foundry, he worked hand-in-hand with world class artists as a welder and metal chaser. While working and being mentored by fellow artists he developed a passion for sculpting and began creating his own pieces. It was here that he developed his own style while getting a glimpse of the behind the scenes details of life as a working artist. Learning the foundry arts became a pivotal point in Loren's career. This experience also gave him the knowledge and confidence to make the move from casting other peoples art, to crafting his own. Tanner still does all his own foundry work on each of his sculptures.

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