Laramie adds new public art installation at City Hall

A new mosaic moose now greets visitors at the Ivinson entrance to Laramie City Hall, turning a former flower garden into a piece of public space that residents, workers and visitors pass every day.

The Laramie Parks and Recreation Department welcomed the large-scale installation by artist Pete Hazel as a visible addition to the front of the building. The piece, called Resting Moose, was created and installed in 2024 by Peter Hazel, according to the Laramie Public Art Coalition’s City Hall Moose page.

The installation fills a site that was previously occupied by a small flower garden near the front entry of City Hall. The original location for the work was described as about 6 feet wide by 19 feet long, a footprint that makes the sculpture part of the building’s immediate approach rather than something hidden inside a municipal hallway. That matters at City Hall, where the entrance is one of the most frequently used civic doorways in Laramie.

LPAC says public art strengthens the vitality of Laramie and Albany County by advocating for and administering art projects in the public realm. The coalition also says its mission is to cultivate belonging, joy and curiosity through public art. In practical terms, that means the moose is meant to be seen by anyone coming to the building, not only by people who already know there is an art program underway.

The city’s broader public art plan was created with the University of Wyoming, the Laramie Main Street Alliance, the Laramie Chamber Business Alliance and community members. That collaboration has also carried into downtown beautification work on Third Street, which is being stewarded by the city, LPAC and Laramie Main Street.

Placed at City Hall, the moose does more than fill a landscaped corner. It gives downtown Laramie a new public marker, frames the municipal entrance with a piece of local art and reinforces the idea that civic buildings can also be places of welcome, identity and everyday public access.