Alumni in Action

Standing sentinel outside CU Denver’s Emmanuel Gallery, Earth Mover commands attention. Created by alumnus and College of Arts & Media senior instructor Michael Brohman MArch ’95 (pictured below), the sculpture is a cast bronze and steel installation that speaks to transformation of land, labor, and the human experience.

Originally completed in 2010, Earth Mover was first featured in the Colorado Springs Art on the Streets exhibition, where Brohman’s work earned first place. The piece was cast at CU Denver’s own sculpture studio, giving it a deep connection to the campus community and its creative energy.

The tire, sourced from a salvage yard and bearing the brand name “Earth Mover,” became a potent symbol for Brohman. Its physical presence and history inspired the work’s layered meaning. It serves as a meditation on strength, wear, and the inevitable forces of change.

Artist Statement:

I found the original tire from which this cast was made while searching for materials at a salvage yard. The brand name on it was “Earth Mover.” This title is a powerful symbol of change and possibilities. Like all of my works there are nuances and multiple interpretations in understanding it. One can look at it and have an appreciation for the sheer size or the utilitarian function that it served. Some can envision the construction vehicle from which it came and the type of work it performed. Others may see the title as a metaphor for humanity and mankind’s ability to move obstacles and endure. For me, this tire becomes a human landscape and is a record of change, endurance and relationships.

In this tire I saw a history of the work that it had accomplished. It was old and worn and had deep cracks signaling its age and use. Despite its condition it was still massive and had not only a physical weight to it but also a visual weight. It still exuded strength and its roughly used condition only added to it. During the course of its use on a truck it had altered the terrains of the construction sites, changing and reshaping the features of the land. While it was serving in this role of changing the earth, it in turn was being altered itself. The rocks and the soil were ripping away at this tire. Gouges and cracks formed. Constant use and friction wore other areas away. It became a record of the landscape and the forces that shaped it. Change simultaneously became a destructive and creative force.