Oregon sculptor MacRae Wylde is seen through cut-out letters in his “Truth” sculpture in Lander on Oct. 13, 2020. The stop was part of a cross-country journey to deliver the sculpture to Indiana where it will be installed. (Katie Klingsporn/WyoFile)

Between elected-official obfuscations, social-media conspiracies and widespread evidence of mistruths, Oregon sculptor MacRae Wylde found himself at wit’s end. 

“I was very frustrated with the fact that it sort of seems like we as a nation have forgotten the importance of truth,” he said. 

That frustration was the impetus for a series of large sculptures that Wylde calls “monuments to truth.”

One such sculpture made a stop in Wyoming on Wednesday as part of a cross-country journey to its eventual installation in Indiana. Wylde parked the 600-plus-pound, 5-by-11-feet piece, which he is hauling in a trailer, next to a park in Lander, talking to passersby about the work. 

He drew the design with a marker and straight edge and cut the pieces out of steel sheets with a torch, he said, before welding them together, and grinding and etching the metal by hand. The result is a giant 3-dimensional rectangle with the word “Truth” cut out.

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Across the park from Wylde, a group was in the midst of a 40-day prayer vigil to end abortion. Wylde said he welcomed sharing the park with the group, even if perhaps they didn’t agree. 

That’s because one of the things he’s so frustrated with, he said, “is we’ve forgotten that discourse is a way to solve a problem.” 

He hopes his “Truth” pieces remind people of the value of factual and honest discourse, he said. 

“We just need to remember that it’s important,” he said. “Even if it means that you are speaking to someone who doesn’t agree with your position. If you can honestly have discourse, then you can agree to disagree. It doesn’t mean you have to be angry or vile.”

Reactions from people in Oregon, Utah and Idaho — previous stops on the sculpture’s journey — have reflected that, he said. 

“Everybody I talk to says, ‘yea, I believe in the truth. I want the truth.’ And it doesn’t really matter what party you belong to,” he said.

Katie Klingsporn reports on outdoor recreation, public lands, education and general news for WyoFile. She’s been a journalist and editor covering the American West for 20 years. Her freelance work has...

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  1. MacRae Wylde made it! Truth is now in Indiana and will be installed within the next several weeks for the 1st City Public Sculpture Exhibition (in Vincennes, Indiana). Art such as MacRae’s can be a step toward healing and a step toward living at peace with each other as a multifaceted, creative, and hard working society. The concept of Truth rises above politics. There can only be one truth, but the story of mankind has struggled with the question of Truth since time immemorial. It is a bigger question than politics and even religion. MacRae spoke fondly of the the Lander community, and I thank you for making Lander, Wyoming, a part of our story in Indiana as well. MacRae’s work is one public sculpture of seven chosen from a national search of sculptures, partially funded by the The City of Vincennes, Indiana Arts Association, Duke Energy, Futaba of America, the Art Space Vincennes, Open, Northwest Territory Art Guild and Shircliff Galleries, and individual donors.

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  2. I really would have like to see a picture of the sculpture. The attached photo is great, but doesn’t tell the whole story.

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    1. Good Morning Judy.

      I was also disappointed that it appeared there was no better picture but Katie did include a link to the artist’s website and there are pictures of his work there. Click on the blue highlighted text “series of large sculptures”.

      Reply