Nevada Arts Council board member Ryrie Valdez, in collaboration with the Nevada Museum of Art, to honor our veterans and witness the healing power of art, presented the Take Me Home Huey Project to Reno in a five day installation program. Partake in the unveiling of the 47-foot contemporary sculpture made from a re-purposed boneyard Huey helicopter, serial #67-17174, which was shot down with two casualties in 1969 during a Medevac mission in Vietnam.
Artist Steve Maloney and then partner organization Light Horse Legacy received a warm welcome by the Nevada Museum of Art and the Reno community with a well-organized museum ceremony supported by city and government officials and local veteran service organizations.
All three elements of the project were present: The helicopter art sculpture, performance of the Take Me Home Huey song - composed and performed by Jeanie Cunningham and film screenings of the Take Me Home Huey documentary film took place at the museum movie theater.
Local Veterans organizations were invited and included in the evetns and celebrations. The Take Me Home Huey team felt honored to have veterans escort the huey sculture to and from the event location.
The project received numerous Congressional and gubernatorial recognition of the project by:
U.S Senator Dean Heller (NV),
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (NV),
U.S. Congressman Mark E. Amodei (NV-02),
Special Welcome Ceremony by Bob Crowell, Mayor of Carson City, NV U.S.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
The Nevada Museum of Art, Ryrie Valdez, to Clark/Sullivan Construction for their Exclusive Sponsorship of the event,
VVA Chapter 388, and Color guard VVA Chapter 989