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Volume 16, Number 30 | September 12-18, 2024
‘I played for a living’
William Morrow reflects on his legacy in art MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent
The “Insane-A-Cycle” sat in front of the Roaring Fork Co-op for seven years before getting hauled away last month. Photo by Rebecca Young, circa 2017
On Sept. 15, from 2:30 to 4:30pm, local art legend, sculptor, blacksmith, poet and second-generation Coloradan William “Bill” Morrow will address his community at the Rifle Library as part of their “Art in The Stacks” event series. The title of Morrow’s talk is “Meet the Legend.” Morrow has spent over 50 years creating largerthan-life metal sculptures, many derived from deep inspirations. These works have graced the streets of the Roaring Fork Valley and Grand Junction — where he was involved with Art on The Corner, the first outdoor sculpture program in the United States — and have been incorporated in designs in other parts of the country such as New York and even across the world. This event follows a silent auction for his most iconic works, which has been live on his official website for several weeks. The auction is currently being held with the assistance of his friend and conservator of his
legacy and work, Nancey Glass, aka “Girl-Friday.” The auction ends on Sept. 21 at 6pm. “[He] is a national treasure,” Glass wrote on the website. “His one-of-a-kind metal sculptures are the epitome of genius and ingenuity combined with his unique character and style to bring form into things that were otherwise thrown out or no longer in use. His incredible imagination brings you architect, artist and engineer all in one, with an elegance that only he brings.” Morrow, who will turn 80 in December, is auctioning off iconic pieces such as “A Split Second of Free Air,” “Running for Office,” “The Saguaro,” “Night Watchman” and the well-known “Insane-A-Cycle” which sat outside of the Roaring Fork Co-op in Carbondale from 2017 until about three weeks ago when it was moved to Rifle with assistance from friends for whom Glass and Morrow extend “deep thanks.” The idea is to leave money behind for Morrow’s two grandchildren. continued on page 19