A BRONZE STATUE FOR HUGO

When someone comes to a town with the thought of possible living or working there they form an opinion of that town in a matter of minutes, even seconds. If their first impression is "What a cute, quaint little town", they will likely stay. If they feel it is not an attractive town it will take a great deal of persuasion to get them even considering staying. Main Street is the first thing they see. They look for cleanliness, occupancy of buildings, signs of activity, evidence of progress, a sense of pride in the community and without even being aware they are doing so they look for cultural development. Why do millions of Americans go to Europe every year? It is not for the mountains, valleys and plains. They go for the cultural aspects and quaintness of the old world.

A town must choose its future. Doing nothing is a choice. Doing something positive is another choice. Several folks in Hugo have decided to do something. To that end they formed an organization called the Hugo Improvement Partnership (HIP). Our organization is in the process of making a major purchase for our town (Hugo, Colorado). It is our goal to educate our current and future generations about our heritage and traditions. Our community was built by cowboys, ranchers and farmers but many of our youth today do not know their heritage or historical background. Most do not know the importance of ranching and farming nor do they see it as part of our past and a major part of our present and future. It has been said that without a historical perspective of who we are and where we came from we are ill equipped to deal with the present. We are in the process of funding a monument size bronze that will clearly be museum quality. This bronze will accomplish several things. This bronze will blend elements together to provide our youth and citizens at large an opportunity to learn about who we are. It is designed to show the importance of partnerships and by doing so will also highlight the importance of women in the west. Few ranches/farms (past, present or future) can function without the women being an integral part of the day to day operation and partnership. Our bronze can do all that while exposing the public (without them even being aware) to the beauty and importance of art. Our bronze will give us all a reason to be proud of our rural lifestyle, culture and history.

We are working with an OUTSTANDING artist from Leoti, Kansas. His name is Charlie Norton. Charlie grew up in the west and is an avid historian. He knows more history about our area than most locals. He is a stickler for details and his rendition is absolutely accurate. He has currently built the Maquette which is the clay model of the project. In January he will cast the first bronze statue of this project. It will be 18 inches tall and will be on display at various business locations around Hugo. This bronze is an exact likeness of the large bronze that will be purchased.

Our bronze is entitled the "Partners". It depicts a man and a woman caring for a calf with their trusty stock dog standing by. This scenario is repeated over and over again (during calving season) every day all over the west. The individuals depicted in the bronze are dressed in modern (western) attire. The man is wearing a cowboy hat, a slicker, neck scarf and chaps (and a moustache) and the woman is wearing chaps, a winter coat and a western style cap and has a pony tail.

There is great symbolism in this bronze. Not everyone is directly involved in agriculture but it is clearly the genesis of our community. The symbolism of the PARTNERS should be something that would relate to everyone. We are a community brought into existence by partners working together. Initially it was the railroad and the settlers. The railroad enabled homesteaders to come and start the ranches that still operate today. Within our community there are partnerships between individuals and businesses and partnerships between ranchers and farmers. Our current lifestyle is a partnership between the old ways and the new. The ranching way of life (as depicted by the bronze) requires teamwork and a partnership when handling livestock.

A project such as this is not something that can be completed in a few months. Once the artist is given clearance to start (the monument) the process will take a year. We must complete the financial arrangements before he is given the go ahead. We need to raise $100,000.00. To that end we request your support. We need philanthropic "Partners" if we are to succeed. We are a low income community but our people are digging into their pockets. To date we have raised (through donations, pledges and grants) a total of $56,740.00.

We are serious when we say that this is the single most important project that our community has seen in years and perhaps ever. Please consider giving your financial support to this project. HIP is a Non-profit organization in the State of Colorado and a 501c3 at the Federal level. We will have a bronze plaque with all donor names on the plaque (unless otherwise requested by the donor). Sometimes donations go to causes that are worthy but are not long lasting. This bronze monument will be there for our great grand children. Please consider helping us in our efforts to educate the public about history, heritage and art. We are grateful for your consideration of our request

Thank you for your consideration of this matter. If you have questions concerning any aspect of this project feel free to call Ben Orrell. (Home) 719-743-2323 (Work) 719-743-2431