Desert Monsoon
Paul Bagley, 2024

Desert Monsoon is a work by artist Paul Bagley. The abstract work, fourteen feet in length, centered with a desert bloom, includes an interactive bird bath feature. This work can be found on the West Side pad. This artwork is made of steel and aluminum.

About the work -

“In the drylands of the wide open west, plant life takes on sculptural elements which become more so when they bloom. In the center of the sculpture is an abstract flower. When the monsoon rains arrive, the desert starts to bloom, hence the title: Desert Monsoon.

Settlers migrating west once called the short grass high plains “The Great American Desert.” The City of Laramie is on the cusp of this new world by the front range.

Not immediately recognized is that the sculpture functions as a bird bath; the horizontal cylinder has three removable galvanized water trays. 

Although it's "drive-by" art, I hope passers-by will stop to experience a closer and extended examination. Words that come to mind about the work are its Originality which can lead to Thought Provoking discoveries about its meaning which is up for interpretation. Ultimately the work should distinguish Laramie from other places; public art as a means of Place-Making.”

Snowy Range Rotating Sculpture Program is a program of the City of Laramie administered by the Laramie Public Art Coalition. Artwork was selected through a national call for artwork based on community feedback. Work is on a three-year rotation. The current cycle is 2024 to 2027.

Sculpture pads are located at 3rd Street and Harney on the East Side of the Snowy Range Bridge and on Clark Street and Snowy Range Road on the West Side.