Gary Staab’s three bison were installed in front of Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in mid- March. The Washington, DC museum commissioned the trio to celebrate the national mammal and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The towering sculptures of a bull, cow, and calf are at 125% scale (or heroic) and modeled after taxidermy specimens once exhibited at the Smithsonian between 1888 and 1957. The largest bronze bison is roughly 10-feet-tall at the shoulder, and weighs more than 2,000 pounds. The massive bovines greet visitors as they climb the museum’s marble steps.

The bison’s travels began in Loveland, CO where Staab cast the works at Art Castings of Colorado. They were strapped to a flat bed and headed east, making stops at the University of Nebraska, the University of Iowa and the Field Museum in Chicago. They completed their trek, a nearly 1,800-mile trip, in Washington, DC on March 19 and were installed in their permanent home in front of the museum over night.

“You’re creating something that will be there for generations, so as an artist, you want to create something that’s accurate, and then also, you know, exciting” says Staab. “Given the pride of placement on the National Mall, it’s kind of humbling to be involved in the project, to be honest.”

This is not Staab’s first work at the Smithsonian.  In 2019, he installed the 60-foot long, 9-foot wide Megalodon suspended from the ceiling in the museum’s cafe.