Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Visual Arts E. L. Wiegand Gallery
160 West Liberty Street, Reno NV 89501
MEDIA CONTACT:
Megan Klein, Communications Associate
775.329.3333 ex. 263 / mklein@nevadaart.org
Amy Oppio, Deputy Director
775.329.3333 ex. 251 / oppio@nevadaart.org
Deborah Butterfield, Hawaii (Big Island), 2001, unique cast bronze, 38.5 x 144 x 69 in., Collection of the Artist.
For Immediate Release
NMA’S FEATURE GALLERY FILLED WITH LARGE SCALE HORSES
CREATED BY SCULPTOR DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD
Deborah Butterfield: Horses
June 16 through September 23, 2007
RENO, NV – Deborah Butterfield transforms pieces of scrap metal and found wood into large-scale horses—a
key figure in Western culture. The Nevada Museum of Art (NMA) presents a retrospective of Butterfield’s
artwork, from her early fragile forms to her life-size bronze sculptures. Deborah Butterfield: Horses, a unique
exhibition featuring 14 large scale sculptures depicting the horse, will be on view from June 16 through
September 23, 2007 at the Nevada Museum of Art.
The majority of the horses in the show are on loan from the Butterfield’s personal collection, and have rarely, if
ever, been seen by the public. Horses offers a comprehensive overview of Butterfield’s art, showcasing her
horse sculptures and celebrating her remarkable career.
-more-
Deborah Butterfield: Horses on Exhibit at the Nevada Museum of Art; pg. 2 Contact: Megan Klein, Communications Associate, at
775.329.3333 ex. 263 or mklein@nevadaart.org.
Deborah Butterfield first gained wide notice at the 1979 Whitney Biennial. Horses have been the single,
sustained focus of Butterfield’s work for over 20 years—a remarkably prolonged, disciplined and poetic inquiry
into our relationship with the organic world. Butterfield’s early work is made from fragile forms created from mud,
sticks and straw that evoke horses either standing or resting. Since the mid-1980s Butterfield has created fullsize horses from found objects and cast the finished sculpture in bronze.
Deborah Butterfield received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Davis in 1972, followed by
her MFA there in 1973. Butterfield’s honors and awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Individual
Artist Fellowship in 1977, a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in 1980, a National Endowment for
the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship, a Citation for Excellence Award from the UC Davis and Cal Aggie Alumni
Association in 1992 and an American Academy of Achievement – Golden Plate Award in 1993.
Butterfield’s work has been exhibited all across the United States and Europe. Her work is widely collected by
private individuals and museums, and she has been commissioned by a number of museums and public sites
including the Kentucky Derby Festival of Arts, Churchill Downs, Kentucky; the Walker Art Center Sculpture
Garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and the Denver Art Museum.
The original version of this national traveling exhibition was organized by the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings,
Montana. It was generously sponsored by The Meadowlark Fund; David Orser and Ossie Abrams; Dr. Don and
Carol Roberts; Buchanan Capital LLC; Norma and Gary Buchanan; The Greg Kucera Gallery; The Zolla/
Lieberman Gallery, Inc.; Gallery Paule Anglim; L.A. Louver Gallery; Edward Thorp Gallery; and Robert and Jana
Knight.
Deborah Butterfield: Horses will be on exhibit June 16 through September 23, 2007 at the Nevada Museum of
Art, Donald W. Reynolds Center for the Visual Arts, E. L. Wiegand Gallery located at 160 West Liberty Street in
downtown Reno. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, late on Thursdays until 8 pm;
closed Mondays and national holidays. Admission: free for NMA members; $10 adults, $8 students/seniors. For
more information, please call 775.329.3333 or visit www.nevadaart.org.
The Nevada Museum of Art is a private, non-profit organization supported by the generosity of its membership as well as by sponsorships
and grants. Through creative programming and scholarship, the NMA provides the opportunity for people to encounter, engage and enjoy a
diversity of art experiences. The NMA is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, open Thursday evenings until 8 pm. The galleries,
Museum Store and Café Musée are closed on Mondays and national holidays.
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