MOELLER BRONZE LTD
Born in 1957, Moeller was raised on a dairy farm in South Dakota, where he was able to nurture his love of horses and wildlife. Fascinated in particular with horses from a young age, Moeller paid for his first purebred Arabian with money earned as a teenager. Working with, caring for, and training horses, Moeller naturally developed an eye for every nuance of their physique and a feel for every quirk of their nature.
Inevitably influenced by his dad's hobby-work in watercolor and drawing, Moeller abandoned agriculture studies in favor of an art degree at South Dakota State University. Having seen and admired bronze equine sculptures, Moeller decided to pursue that particular medium of art. After receiving his degree in 1981, he continued his education with post graduate studies at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. to develop and perfect his foundry skills, enabling him to build and operate his own foundry business. Those skills, coupled with his well-honed artistic ability, allow Moeller to work independently to produce finished bronze sculptures of the finest quality, and to finesse his schedule to meet sometimes-tight deadlines for commission work.
Over the years, Moeller has produced more than 50 limited editions of sculpted work. While still in college, Moeller created his first sculptures, and began producing limited editions with his first commission for the West Point of the Plains Association: a cavalryman mounted on a horse. In 1982, Moeller began what has become a series of 5-inch statues of Arabian foals, the latest "Spooked' ." Many of the other limited edition pieces were developed as an alternative to commissions, bringing the price down for the animal owner, and increasing the potential for additional sales for the artist. One example is "The Knight," modeled from a world champion Percheron. Examples of Moeller's work are dislpayed in five galleries scattered throughout the country.
In 1982, Moeller was commissioned to create his first trophy awards for the Arabian Horse Fair, the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Triathalon, and the Region IV and IX Championship Shows. He has shipped over 3000 bronze trophy awards over the past twenty years to be used as awards for the two regional competitions alone.
In 1995, when VISA USA became the title sonsor for Thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown Challenge (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes), they teamed up with Triple Crown Productions and the Thoroughbred Association to innaugurate the 3-Year-Old Championship Series. In 1996,VISA awarded Moeller a commission for an artistic trophy for the innaugural event on the basis of his artistic skills as well as his ability to complete the immense project within two months. The result was a three-foot tall, 200 pound perpetual trophy on permanent display in the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame. Twelve-inch commemorative replicas of the perpetual trophy are also produced yearly to be awarded to the owner of the VISA champion thoroughbred, as well as plaques for the winning trainer and jockey.
In 1997, Moeller was commissioned by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to create a prestigious lecture award, sponsored by Pfizer Pharmeceuticals, for annual convention.. The resulting "Frank J. Milne State of the Art Lecture" award stands over 18" tall, and consists of a generic, all-breed statue of a horse atop a multi-tiered base with various symbols of the veterinarian profession, coupled with those of the mission of AAEP.
Moeller Bronze LTD
11079 476th Ave
Rosholt, SD 57260
Fax: 605-537-4442
Email: jgmoeller@venturecomm.net