The city of Bozeman is a college town, with a large School of Art, hence scads of resident artists. This lead to a sincere dedication to the arts by the City of Bozeman, resulting in dozens and dozens of works on display throughout the city. Certainly the largest gathering of art works is at the Bozeman Public Library, the majority of the works located in an art park behind (south of) the library,
Bozeman Sculpture Park.
A second sculpture at the west entrance of the library, this one is quite unlike its partner,
My Story. While
My Story is a highly detailed bronze figurative sculpture, Nomad is an Abstract created from a very oblong sculpted granite boulder about 3 feet (1 metre) in length, standing on a simple square steel tube support. Inset down one side of the boulder are three small highly polished bands of a darker coloured stone.
Given the overall appearance of Nomad and its title, for some reason it suggests to me a character from a Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel.
Pete Stecher
Born and raised in Germany, Pete moved to Bozeman, Montana, after living in Arizona for ten years. He has spent his life as an artist, working in a variety of mediums. His work has stretched from glass to wood, to steel and stone.
He gains inspiration from the harsh landscapes he has lived in and explored, such as the arid U.S. Southwest, Intermountain West, and recently Iceland.
Pete is an established Bozeman stone and steel sculptor, working with private buyers, as well as showing his work in public spaces. Several of his pieces can be seen in downtown Bozeman, at the Bozeman Public Library (both inside and out), at private homes in the Gallatin Valley, across the country and in Germany and Sweden.
Pete is a Gallatin Art Crossing board member, and was the 2011 recipient of the “People’s Choice Award” for Turning Stone. For more information, please visit www.petestecher.com.
When not in his studio, Pete enjoys ski mountaineering – climbing peaks with skis- and rock climbing.
From Gallatin Art Crossing
Inside Art Crossing
Mission Statement:
To place public art that enhances the cultural experience for Bozeman area residents and visitors to the Gallatin Valley.
Vision:
The Gallatin Art Crossing (G.A.C.) exhibit hosts a variety of artwork introducing viewers to many artistic approaches. The main focus of the organization is to select and place sculptures throughout the Bozeman area. All sculptures, unless noted on their plaque, are available for purchase during their tenure in the program An additional goal of the program is to add at least one piece to our permanent public collection each year. The community assists in this process by voting for their favorite sculptures online which helps the board select the People’s Choice Award winner. The winning piece, along with two to three other pieces are then voted on by the G.A.C. board for possible purchase and permanent placement.
From Gallatin Art Crossing