Michonne Ascuaga addresses guests sitting under tent

Commemoration of the Basque Sheepherder Statue, the work of artist and Reno native Douglas Van Howd, recently donated to and installed on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, just south of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center. The statue was originally commissioned for the 1998 opening of the John Ascuaga's Nugget Casino's Basque-themed restaurant, Orozko, where it stood until donated to the University of William A. Douglass Center for Basque Studies by the current owners of the Nugget Casino, Marnell Gaming, LLC. The statue portrays the sheepherder with his dog and a lamb, and is placed surrounded by rock and trees characteristic of the region's high desert landscape. The event included Basque music, a bertsolari, a traditional Basque dance performance, remarks shared by College of Liberal Arts Dean Debra Moddelmog, CBS Director Xabier Irujo and Professor of Basque Studies Sandy Ott, and personal reflections about John and Rose Ascuaga, who had recently passed.