BROOKLYN, NY.- A large, humorous bronze sculpture with historical references, Large Covered Wagon, by renowned artist Tom Otterness, will soon grace the grassy intersection of Prospect Street and Washington Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn’s vibrant arts community. The sculpture, which is almost 15-½ feet long and seven feet tall, depicts a smiling, pipe-puffing pioneer woman steering a covered wagon with the assistance of her yoked bull. Unveiling in DUMBO, with a celebration on April 15, 2007, Large Covered Wagon will be on view through January 4, 2009. The installation was made possible by a generous donation from the Walentas Foundation LLC and Two Trees Management Co. LLC in collaboration with the DUMBO Improvement District, the City of New York Parks & Recreation and is courtesy of Marlborough Gallery, New York.

“We wanted to enhance public art in DUMBO by installing a significant sculpture, and what would be better than a work by Tom Otterness, one of New York City’s great public artists with ties to DUMBO?” remarked Jed Walentas, a principal at Two Trees Management. The Brooklyn-based Otterness created Large Covered Wagon in his DUMBO studio where he worked for many years; the Otterness workshop has recently moved to larger space in Gowanus,

“Through our partnership with Two Trees Management, we are thrilled to bring Large Covered Wagon to DUMBO and further our efforts to make DUMBO even more culturally vital,” added Tucker Reed, Executive Director of the DUMBO Business Improvement District.

Tom Otterness has exhibited widely and completed commissions in the U.S. and abroad. His stylized bronze figures combine into sculptural ensembles that explore the range of human experience, from grand ambition to common foibles, plucking imagery and themes from popular culture and subtly transforming them into humorous commentary.

“When I conceived Covered Wagon, I saw the pioneers as your typical family – Dad is the bull, Mom is driving and the kids are fighting in the back,” said Tom Otterness about the sculpture. “I come from Norwegian stock and my ancestors were homesteaders in South Dakota, so the sculpture felt right to me. I'm happy that the covered wagon will reside in DUMBO for the next year; I’m happy to be part of the art scene there again.”

Sculptures by Mr. Otterness are in the collections of numerous museums including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; Israel Museum in Jerusalem and The IVAM Centro Julio Gonzalez, Valencia, Spain. Commissioned public art projects in New York City include an extensive installation at the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City, Life Underground in multiple areas of the MTA 14th Street A-C-E-L subway station in New York City, The Marriage of Real Estate and Money at New York City’s Roosevelt Island, and Time and Money at the Hilton Hotel in Times Square.

"Tom Otterness has become a New York icon with artwork all over the City and we are delighted to feature another in DUMBO," Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe said. "From Barretto Point Park to Snug Harbor to Marine Park, the City hosts one of the largest open air art galleries in the area. Parks is proud to have provided a home for so many works over the past 40 years.”

“We are glad to share Large Covered Wagon in a highly visited, major public space like DUMBO, a community that is inherently artistic,” added Pierre Levai, President of Marlborough Gallery.