ART + DESIGN
Lopez took the Kokomo , which used to be a local bar, and put in new electricity, walls, and sheet rock, turning it into a gallery and studio. He didn’t stop there, tearing into some abandoned buildings next to it and turning them into a revitalization project that is still ongoing. The Kokomo Gallery opened in 2017, flanked by a sculpture garden to the south and the Boss Cowman Square on the north face. Inside the gallery you’ll find works like The Last Stand , a hybrid metal sculpture of two bison in a showdown.
Cast in bronze on each bison's shoulder are busts of General Custer and Sitting Bull . Lopez says the sculpture pays homage to both historical figures, as Custer came through the Lemmon area on his way to the Black Hills, and Sitting Bull grew up only an hour away from the city. The sculpture gallery contains other works, including Wolf , an ode to Northern State University’s mascot, and The Tree of Life , a cherry tree sculpture that incorporates blossoms done by artists from around the world, made possible by social media.
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