The UW Art Museum will host its annual summer solstice celebration Saturday, June
19. Visitors will have the chance to witness a unique architectural feature in which
a single beam of sunlight shines through a solar tube in the ceiling of the Rotunda
Gallery and, at noon, illuminates a Peace dollar that is set into the center of the
gallery’s floor. (UW Art Museum Photo)
The University of Wyoming Art Museum will host its annual summer solstice celebration
Saturday, June 19, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
The free event, which occurs yearly on or near the summer solstice, celebrates the
longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer.
This year, the UW Art Museum will have limited capacity in the Rotunda Gallery. Visitors
will be allowed into the gallery space on a first-come, first-served basis at 11:45
a.m. They will be able to witness a unique architectural feature in which a single
beam of sunlight shines through a solar tube in the ceiling of the gallery and, at
noon, illuminates the 1923 Peace dollar that is set into the center of the gallery’s
floor.
Members of the Laramie Astronomical Society and Space Observers will have telescopes
set up on the terrace for visitors to safely view the surface of the sun until 1 p.m.
The UW Art Museum also will have free, family-friendly, art-making stations on the
terrace, including cyanotype printmaking, collaborative light and shape drawing, and
a sculpture make-and-take activity inspired by artist Collin Parson’s work. Additionally,
a free smoothie bike will be available for visitors to make smoothies, using their
own leg power, on the terrace. All activities will end at 1 p.m.
While at the museum, visitors will be able to view the galleries. Summer exhibitions
include “Something’s Off: Paintings by Harold Garde and Ron Kroutel”; “Staff Selects
III from the UW Art Museum Collection”; “Seen/Scene: Celebrity Photographs from the
Collection”; “Women in Wyoming: Portraits and Interviews of Women Who Shape the West”;
“The West on Horseback: From the UW Art Museum Collection”; and new installations
in several museum spaces by Parson.
The Centennial Complex, where the UW Art Museum is located, follows current UW policy
regarding COVID-19. Face coverings and social distancing are recommended for those
who have not been vaccinated for COVID-19.
For more information about the UW Art Museum, call (307) 766-6622; visit the website
at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum; or follow the museum on Facebook and Instagram.
The UW Art Museum exhibits, preserves and interprets visual culture from around the
world to engage academic, local, state, national and global communities. The museum
is located at 2111 E. Willett Drive in Laramie. Hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays
from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.
