Helmut John Anderson wins People’s Choice Vote for the Art Underground Gallery

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.

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*Photograph: Helmut John Anderson

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Photograph: “There Once was a Green House on M Street”