The struggle to make Laramie's Third Street corridor more appealing -- touted as a way to drive commerce by enticing travelers on I-80 to stop in Laramie -- will take a significant step forward in September with the dedication of an art installation designed in part to hide an industrial property from view.

Laramie artist Stan Dolega's Penumbra, a 200-foot-long piece of art in the northwest quadrant of the South Third Street and I-80 interchange, will be dedicated Sept. 15 from 5-5:30 p.m. The work was commissioned in December by the Laramie Beautification Committee through a call process developed by the Laramie Public Art Coalition.

Set on private land and 95 percent funded by private gifts, Penumbra is designed to help make the area more attractive to passersby.

"The Laramie Beautification Committee has had its eye on this corridor for over a decade as an area that must be improved if we want to attract visitors and businesses to our community," Beautification Committee chair Dan Furphy said in October 2015. "The timing of finding a willing private landowner, funding, and having a public art vetting process in place through the new Laramie Public Art Plan were a perfect combination for bringing this project to fruition."

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