Laramie Jubilee Days® 2025
Laramie Public Art partnered with Laramie Jubilee Days® to present local artists’ artwork on light pole banners! Learn more about each work below. The artwork was selected through an open call; members of the community and Laramie Jubilee Days representatives selected the work. Each artist submitted an already completed artwork along with a statement about the artwork’s connection to Laramie or the festival.
Artist: Alexis Zaharas
Sheep Thrills
This piece captures the fearless spirit of mutton busting at Laramie Jubilee days, where last year during the 2024 Jubilee Days I watched little riders hang on tight, tumble into the dust, and rise again to cheers from friends, family, and first time rodeo-goers. I was not only thrilled, but inspired by their early courage and determination to the sport of rodeo.
Artist: Ashley Quick
Neighbors
I completed the Wyoming Naturalist certification in 2024, and since then I have been really invested in participating in community science initiatives. The salamander migration that takes place at LaBonte Park every spring is dedicated to studying and protecting the Western Tiger Salamanders, which are a species of conservation concern. I think it's a great example of how humans can be good neighbors to the more-than-human world.
Artist: Dietlinde DuPlessis
Pronghorn
Pronghorn antelopes are iconic for the region around Laramie and Wyoming as a whole. I always look out for them when driving and never stop to be excited when I see them. I became aware of issues with fencing that hinder their migration and possible mitigations like wildlife-friendly fences and virtual fences. I collaged the pronghorn head with snippets from magazines, some of them about Wyoming. The patchwork serves to underline the different areas where they live and migrate and also symbols the fragmentation of their habitat, which is also a problem in migration. If you look closely, you can see textures like feathers, buffalo fur or plowed fields.
Artist: Killian Lemons
Steamboat Strength
In this artwork I drew the classic “steamboat” image that can be seen all around Wyoming, and paired it with a multicolored background to represent the wide amount of people in Laramie that unite around one image despite their differences, encapsulating the idea of “One Wyoming.”
Artist: Allison Pluda
Laramie Jubilee Days Bull Riding
From Mr. T's Laramie Jubilee Days Bull Riding
Artist: Matt Cunningham
Spring Moths
This work celebrates the quiet revival of spring/summer in Laramie! Jubilee Days aren't just for people -- the moths, the earth, the wild flowers all wake with the sun and persevere through the long winter!
Artist: Anna Petrey
Northern Shrike in the Sagebrush Sea
Northern shrikes are a winter Laramie resident who sometimes hang out in my neighborhood on the power lines. This piece celebrates this fierce bird found in our city and the beautiful Wyoming landscape behind it.
Artist: Allison Wagg
The Pika
Meet the Pika – a tiny mountain dweller with a mighty voice! This playful piece celebrates the greater Laramie region by spotlighting one of its most charming wild residents, famous for their signature squeaky shout.
Artist: Lisa Sherrodd
Tom and Charlie
This painting was done from a photograph taken at the Jubilee Days Parade several years ago. This team is Wyoming owned: Powder River Percherons. As Jubilee Days was started as a celebration of Wyoming, and horses were instrumental in the settling and evolution of our state and region, I feel this images is appropriate to represent the event. It can easily be cropped to a vertical format. Even higher resolution copies are available, it has been professionally photographed and scanned by Fine Print Imaging. The larger images I have are over 10 mg so will not upload to this form, but I can drop them on flash drive if needed.
Artist: Cassandra Stackis
Together
After living in several different states, there is something special about Wyoming that exudes the sense of 'home'. There is nothing better than coming together with friends and family in this great landscape and enjoying the great company of a proud community. This image of native Wyoming creatures is meant to portray a variety of people all coming together in unity. The warmth of the fire represents love and the mountains appear to hug as they are always seeming to provide a safe place to reside.
Artist: Erin Abraham
Vedauwoo at Sunset
This tapestry represents the iconic landscape of Vedauwoo, as well as one of Laramie’s fabulous sunsets, both of which celebrate this beautiful region. It is handwoven from a combination of fibers, including cotton, silk, and polyester. The black silhouette captures the rock formations so unique to Vedauwoo.
Artist: Sara Trask
Margot & Richie
Last year, we were lucky enough to host a couple of sandhill cranes at LaPrele Park. The Laramie Region is full of beautiful and majestic wildlife and I wanted to share my experience. Sandhill cranes mate for life and I wanted my painting to be a little tribute to the couple. May their lives be long together.
Art completed with acrylic paint and canvas.
Artist: Shawnay Hansen
Horse Play
Summit Pro Rodeo’s bucking stock enjoying their free time on the vast prairie behind my house. These magnificent rodeo athletes truly embody the spirit of the American West. Their raw power, agility, and spirited nature make them captivating to watch, showcasing their natural athleticism. Next time you watch them, know you are witnessing a living saga- a fusion of nature and adrenaline. So, here’s to the bucking stock— to their speed, their sparring, their spirit. May they forever gallop across our imaginations.
Artist: Franz Sidney
Feeling One with Nature
One of the great aspects of living in this county is our open skies, wonderful sunsets and the wild nature all around us. I felt that the best time of the day to contemplate the beauty of it all is often the early evening. It is worth a trip here just for that. And it's available to all, not just cowboys. What a wonderful thing.
Artist: Michelle Weschler
Quilt Block Party
I was inspired by quilt blocks and the concept of quilting as an expression of community. I wanted to capture many different aspects of the region through color, wildlife, scenery, recreation and identity and “sew” them together into a cohesive quilt of Laramie life. I hope everyone can see a piece of what they love about spring and summer in Laramie in this artwork.
Artist: Carly Valenti
Mountain Meadow
This piece represents the wildflowers covering Laramie Valley. Blooming in unexpected places, reflecting resilience, and building a community to thrive in.
Artist: Ryan Goeken
Alpine Paintbrush Meadow
The alpine (or rosy) paintbrush carpets dry meadows in the Snowies usually starting in July. Its brilliant magenta-pinkish bracts set it apart from any other plant in the alpine ecosystem, making it hard to miss. Many times it is found (as it is in this painting) with purple asters, yellow cinquefoil, and among glacier lilies that have already gone to seed. This painting represents the joy and beauty of the high country near Laramie during mid-summer, when Jubilee Days occurs.
Artist: Sarah Konrad
Cheshire Alice
Printmaking challenges me to abandon fine detail and instead capture the essence of my subject. A skier is known by the bend of an arm, the tilt of the head. An aspen tree grows knots in a particular pattern on the trunk and cannot be mistaken for a birch. Water appears blue but is filled with colorful reflections of the paddler. Carving these essential traits into linoleum or wood brings me a deeper recognition and understanding of the natural and athletic worlds around me.
Alice is a name I have used in multiple pieces to represent an outdoorsy everywoman. “Big Alice” is oversized compared to the mushrooms and berries she walks among, “Vedauwoo Alice” is a vertical dancer above the eponymous rocks, and this piece’s title, “Cheshire Alice,” reflects the large, Cheshire Cat smile on my tree climber’s face. Her wide smile exhibits the joy that we find while playing in nature, whether it be climbing trees or soaking up the summer sun. She also resembles Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat in that her shirt blends into the background the sky, making her body fade from view long before her smile.
I know quite a few Cheshire Alices in Laramie…they play in the woods at Happy Jack, walk along the Laramie River, peruse the stalls at the Downtown Farmer’s Market, and they always delight in our summer lifestyle. I think quite a few of us would recognize our joy in the Laradise summer in a Cheshire Alice Jubilee Days banner.
Artist: Paige Gustafson
Sunday Night Laundry
The Spic and Span Laundromat is my favorite building in Laramie. The mid-century design, paired with the nostalgic neon lighting, creates a sense of happiness and longing at the same time. I wanted to capture that moment in time with my choice for mid-century font in the neon sign below. It celebrates how Laramie reveres our history, cares for historical buildings, and provides a home for history, art, and culture to thrive. As I’ve shown Laramie natives this painting, I’ve heard many people state that The Spic and Span is their favorite building as well. It is iconic and a hub for people to meet as they do day to day life.
Artist: Michelle Visser
Sculpted Skyline
Laramie, nestled between the Snowy Range and the Laramie Mountains, is defined by its striking horizons and open skies. Sculpted Skyline echoes the ridge lines of Elk Mountain and Vedauwoo within this collaged relief print and watercolor. When traveling across Wyoming these recognizable ridgelines and layered rock formations are gateways to southeast Wyoming and mark my departure from and return to home.
The bold color of the sky symbolizes an openness, resilience, and creative spirit of Laramie's people. Choosing to make Laramie home requires an adaptation to an intense environment that brings joy, awe and requires courage at times. I believe the grit people invest in remaining here translates into a creative interest in contributing to the vibrancy of the community as well. The expansive open space surrounding Laramie is a beautiful metaphor for the openness of the people to be in community with one another and the environment in which our small-town is set.
Artist: Carmen Nottage
Little Pollinator
My artwork often celebrates the outdoors in Laramie and throughout Wyoming. I enjoy capturing small details and highlighting them in my printmaking work. Growing up in Laramie, I have many memories exploring our great landscapes and celebrating during Jubilee Days! The art I make is often a tribute to the beauty that I see and document through art practices like printmaking. The process I use leaves an aged or vintage look and feels like a memory frozen in the moment which is what compels me to use it in my printing. I hope you all enjoy this hardworking pollinator!
Artist: Nathanael Reitzel
Campsite
Raising my family in Laramie has given us summers filled with unforgettable outdoor experiences. One of my favorite moments is sitting by the fire under the vast night sky, especially when shared with my family. This painting captures the experience of watching a full moon emerge from behind the clouds above the gentle stream and beaver ponds near one of my favorite campsites in Vedauwoo. With an expressive style that emphasizes layers and colors, I strive to convey both the warmth of the fire and the serenity of the surrounding landscape.
Artist: Melonie Jones
Spirit
Vibrant blues and subtle pinks and yellows characterize this abstract realism depiction of a horse; "Spirit" embodies the western culture of Wyoming and the town of Laramie with a wild abandonment of being "fenced in!"
Artist: Tara Pappas
Wyoming Harmony
This piece represents the energy and excitement surrounding the ushering in of the warmer summer months and Jubilee Days festivities. Painted on a foundation of the sheet music to "Wyoming State March", the meadowlarks pay homage to the state of Wyoming, while the rock formations in the background represent the surrounding landscape in the Laramie region.