Statues from northern Colorado foundry installed at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Two bronze bison cast at the Art Casting Foundry in Loveland completed a roughly 1,800-mile tour and were installed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on March 19. The museum plans related exhibits opening May 7 and May 21.

Two bronze bison created at the Art Casting Foundry in Loveland have been installed in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The sculptures were made by paleoartist Gary Staab over 14 months; each statue weighs about 2,500 pounds and the taller reaches nine and a half feet. The pair completed a roughly 1,800-mile tour that included stops at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the University of Nebraska, the University of Iowa and the Field Museum in Chicago before arriving in Washington, D.C., on March 19. Representatives of the Sicangu and Oglala Lakota took part in a send-off ceremony that included a prayer, a buffalo song, and sage burning. Key details: - Created by paleoartist Gary Staab at the Art Casting Foundry in Loveland. - Each statue weighs about 2,500 pounds and the tallest stands nine and a half feet. - The tour began with a stop at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on March 11 and included the University of Nebraska, the University of Iowa and the Field Museum; the pair finished the roughly 1,800-mile trip and were installed on March 19. - Sicangu and Oglala Lakota representatives participated in ceremonial prayers, a buffalo song, and sage burning at the send-off. - The museum will open the exhibit "Bison: Standing Strong" on May 7 and the "Imagining Bison Display Cases" on May 21. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates around 445,500 Plains Bison exist in conservation and commercial herds. Summary: The paired bronze bison now flank the stairs at the museum's National Mall entrance after a multi-stop tour that highlighted their creation and cultural significance. The museum has scheduled exhibits in May to explore bison resilience and artistic and scientific depictions.