Leonardo’s Horse to Ride the American Western Frontier

The legacy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse – an epic bronze sculpture that was more than five centuries in the making – is extending to the American western frontier with placement of a new eight-foot-tall replica in Sheridan, Wyo.

Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519 without realizing his cutting-edge vision for a 24-foot-tall bronze horse sculpture in Italy. Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse, Inc. (LDVHI) – a nonprofit organization founded by the late Charles C. Dent in Allentown, Pa. – actualized that vision on Sept. 10, 1999 by placing a 24-foot-tall bronze horse in Milan, Italy, based on Leonardo’s design.

LDVHI merged in 2003 with the Discovery Center of Science and Technology, which was based in Bethlehem, Pa. The merged organization has become the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, Pa. The Da Vinci Science Center owns the intellectual and licensing rights for the Leonardo’s Horse sculpture. Additional Leonardo’s Horse replicas stand in Vinci, Italy; at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Mich.; at The Baum School of Art in Allentown, Pa.; and at the Da Vinci Science Center.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse sculpture in Sheridan, Wyo., was commissioned by the Wyoming Community Foundation on behalf of the Sheridan Public Arts Committee as part of the city’s commitment to the arts. Sponsors of the Wyoming Horse are Sheridan Media, Frackelton’s Restaurant; The Phoenix Limited Partnership; the Sheridan Johnson Community Foundation; the Wyoming Community Foundation; and Kim and Mary Kay Love.

The Da Vinci Science Center has served as Project Manager for the Wyoming Horse. Based upon master sculptor Nina Akamu’s 1999 original piece, the project was designed by Glasson Sculpture Works in Gardiner, N.Y., and fabricated by Bollinger Atelier, an art foundry in Tempe, Ariz.

“We applaud the people of Sheridan for their investment in public arts by bringing Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse to their city,” said Lin Erickson, Executive Director and CEO of the Da Vinci Science Center. “We know that this sculpture – which represents a grand fusion of art, science, curiosity, creativity, and imagination, and a willingness to try great things – will help inspire that region’s next generations of leaders in all walks of life.”

The sculpture will be placed in outside of the Downtown Sheridan Association building and will be unveiled on Aug. 20, 2015, as part of the Downtown Sheridan Association’s monthly Third Thursday Street Festival. The unveiling event will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time, or 5 p.m. Mountain time. A live videocast will be available on the web at davincisciencecenter.org/live.

QR codes will be placed at the sculpture’s base to link mobile device users to videos about the history of Leonardo’s Horse and how the sculpture was produced. Those videos will be produced for the Da Vinci Science Center by ASR Media Productions in Bethlehem, Pa.

Erickson will attend the dedication in Wyoming along with Peter C. Dent – who led LDVHI as President, CEO, and Trustee after the passing of Charles C. Dent, who was his uncle. Peter Dent, who also served as Chairman of the Da Vinci Science Center’s Board of Trustees from 2006-2010, will speak about Leonardo da Vinci and The Horse during the unveiling and related events.

While focused on inspiring kids to be interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects, the Da Vinci Science Center highlights science’s connections with areas of public interest, especially the arts, and promotes curiosity, creativity, and the qualities of greatness that have been embodied by Leonardo da Vinci and transformative men and women who have succeeded him – as adapted for 21st century life.

News Kit: Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse in Wyoming