JACKSON, Wyo. — Remember back to 2011 when the Jackson Hole art community made a bold and lasting statement with a larger-than-life cartoon character wardrobe installation.
The “Charlie Brown Sweater” hung on Broadway—the work of SoCal transplant Suzanne Morlock—and passersby were titillated by the piece for months.
Since then, the ArtSpot has hosted other memorable installations including colorful glass tiles by John Frechette, gunpowder drawings by Danny Shervin, ravens, rocking boats on waves, and many others. For many local artists, a shot at the ‘spot’ brings visibility beyond the walls of their studios.
When the ArtSpot made a move last year, a Kickstarter campaign was launched to bring it across the road and refab the structure. The result is a brand new ArtSpot II looking better than ever.
Half sculpture, half rotating art venue, the ArtSpot was removed last fall for repairs and has found a new home just across the street. JH Public Art expressed its gratitude for the Karns family and the Town of Jackson, who, along with over 75 Kickstarter backers and the support of Jorgensen Engineering and Westwood Construction, banded together to ensure a future for this long-standing, highly-visible art installation.
The ArtSpot is a project of JH Public Art where local artists are invited to create site-specific installations that inspire moments of discovery and joy for the more than 30,000 daily drivers that pass by. This fall, the ArtSpot will be filled with messages of hope, community, and togetherness created by emerging local artists mentored by established local artists.
Jackson native, Josue Zarate, is creating the first largescale painting for the reopened ArtSpot.
“A public art project is certainly something I’ve been wanting to do,” Zarate said. “The unexpected was definitely the source of excitement and drive behind this piece. The inspiration for this, as is for most of my work, is the heart of this valley.”
