Sculptor Richard Beyer was born on July 26, 1925 in Washington DC and died on April 9, 2012 in New York City. Between the years of 1968 and 2012, he created over 90 large sculptures for public areas of cities and towns, most commonly in Oregon and Washington state. All of his sculptures reflect the values and culture of the local area. He primarily used people and animals with distinct and expressive features and gestures to convey stories and interactions. Beyer utilized humor to affirm the human condition, and while his art tended to challenge ordinary assumptions, it appealed to people of all ages and backgrounds. Beyer’s widespread attraction brought his work to Western Washington University’s campus. On the library lawn sits Beyer’s work, titled “The Man Who Used to Hunt Cougar for Bounty.” When Beyer’s work was installed in 1972, Whatcom County was just beginning to see the transformation of the former Western Washington State College into the Western Washington University we know today. Regionally, Washington State witnessed large environmental events such as the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, a historic ruling affirming the Native American treaty fishing rights and the passing of the Endangered Species Act. Nationally, liberalism continued to flourish in the 1970’s and the United States saw increased efforts to protect the environment. Examples of this include the first Earth Day celebrated in America in 1970, as well as the passing of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act in 1970. The United States also became conscious of the environment and its inhabitants on a more global level, and banned whale products imported by the Interior Department. It is argued by Troy D. Paino, professor of history at Truman State University that the 1960’s “‘witnessed the forces of social change aggressively challenge authority, tradition, and the status quo.’ The specific forces examined are civil rights; the student and antiwar movements; the antipoverty “crusade”; the counterculture movement; the politics of gender, sexuality, and identity; and the environmental movement,” (Tebbe-Grossman). This notion of the changing status quo is reflected in Richard Beyer’s sculptures since his work tended to question ordinary perceptions of society.
Richard Beyer’s, “The Man Who Used to Hunt Cougar for Bounty” can be looked at in many ways. One way is that he wanted to create something that would invoke feeling and encourage thought about any one of the numerous issues and movements of the time. Carved and placed specifically in a high traffic area on campus, Beyer’s sculpture intentionally welcomes hard hitting conversation of students, faculty, alumni, and visitors alike. It’s simple aesthetic and interesting name creates an unforgettable juxtaposition.
For our project regarding this popular campus sculpture, we have decided to do video with a voiceover. We will include footage of the sculpture that we capture ourselves, as well as photographs that help explain the story behind the art piece. We will record our voices over these visuals describing the background of the piece, how it is commonly misinterpreted by students, as well as its significance on the Western Washington University campus. We chose a video with a voiceover because we believe that it will be a simple, interesting and effective way to explain the meaning of the sculpture.
Bibliography
Iverson, Hannah, and Taylor Paulson. “The Man Who Used to Hunt Cougars for Bounty – Richard Beyer.” React. Research. Execute! Public Art Collection Project, 7 Nov. 2016.
Richard Beyer Sculpture Art for the People. Richard Beyer Sculpture Copyright 2015.
Tebbe-Grossman, Jennifer. “Social History of the United States: The 1960s.” The Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 42, no. 5, 1 Oct. 2009, pp. 969–971. Western Libraries, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/
Lieb, Emily. “Bellingham-Thumbnail History.” Historylink.org, Creative Commons, 20 Aug. 2006.
“The 1970s.” History, Copyright 2018, A&E Television Networks, LLC.
“Seventies 1970-79.” Environmental history timeline, WordPress.
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