Rock Springs, WY – The Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency is pleased to announce that Helmut John Anderson’s piece, “There once was a green house on M Street,” received the People’s Choice Award in the Art Underground Gallery, located in the pedestrian underpass downtown.
John was born in Frankfurt, Germany but immigrated to Torrington, WY in 1956, where he lived for 12 years before relocating to Rock Springs. John retired one year ago as a psychotherapist for Southwest Counseling where we worked for ten years. Prior to his time at Southwest Counseling, he spent 14 years as a social worker for the State of Wyoming and 16 years at the Southwest Wyoming Rehabilitation Center.
John is a hobby artist and you can find his pieces around Rock Springs. Several years ago he completed a mural for the Rock Springs Police Department which is housed in their offices. He also has several pieces at the United Church of Christ. Prior to the reconstruction of Elk Street, his murals were also showcased on several warehouses the lined the road.
Fluent in German, John’s hobbies include both art and languages. John and his wife, Barbara, are happy to call Rock Spring their home. They have family in Utah, California, Australia and Latvia.
The Art Underground Gallery is a project of the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency.
It is designed to bring life, color and art to the pedestrian underpass while encouraging the community to get involved by adding creativity to our public spaces. Residents of all ages were invited to create individual murals that are displayed in the gallery. All artwork had to be the artist’s individual work in design and execution. All mediums and themes were welcome.
A limited number of primed canvases (2’ by 4’ plywood) were available for the community to pick up, free of charge. Because there were a limited number of canvases, they were available on a first come, first served basis.
Superior Lumber & Bloedorn Lumber donated the supplies for the project.
The art pieces will be on display in the pedestrian underpass semi-permanently.
Contributing artists include:
| NAME | Piece Title |
| Konstanz C.L. Potts | Scary Thoughts |
| Tyrell Jasperson | Tea Time |
| Autumn Smith | Untitled |
| Shawn Huber | Red Canyon |
| Andi Nations | Dark Universe |
| Amy Allen | Half Way There |
| Christina Kopp | Horizon Timeline |
| Helmut John Anderson | There Once was a Green House on M Street |
| Kaye Tyler | Jazzin’ it Up |
| Amanda Margrave | Table Rock WYO 2010 |
| Jessica Thompson | Star Flower |
| Jesica Jidas | Gears Go ‘Round |
| Kevin Harper | Desert Erosion II |
| Kevin Harper | Desert Erosion |
| Charlotte Doak | Purple Buttes |
| Alex Shannon | Out of the Looking Glass |
| Cherrie Dittman | Leaving Rock Springs |
| Debora Soule | Sand Hill Crane Family |
| Megan Velez | Rose |
| J.T. Schmidt | Light of Life |
| Bernice Shuster | Riding the Range |
| Luana Ingabrand | September Sun |
| Randi Nordin | Dear Deer |
| Kaye Tyler | Gumballs for the Team |
| Misty Dreben-Gracia | Untitled |
Artists donated over 250 hours of their time to create the pieces.
The Rock Springs Main Street/URA is charged with the redevelopment of Downtown Rock Springs. As part of their mission, there are four standing committees – Economic Restructuring, Organization, Promotions and Design. Further details about the Rock Springs Main Street/URA can be found at their website (DowntownRS.com) or by contacting them at 307-352-1434.
*Photograph: Helmut John Anderson
Photograph: “There Once was a Green House on M Street”