The Film

After seeing massive wind turbine blades being buried in a Wyoming landfill, sculptor Chris Navarro began imagining a different ending. His idea grew into an unlikely collaboration: a single retired blade, cut into 12 sections and stood in a 120-foot line across the prairie as a working snow fence. Participants from the Wyoming Rescue Mission and members of the Casper community then turned those sections into public art, painting 40 running mustangs across them. Set against wind energy's challenge of what to do with blades that are hard to recycle, this is a story about creativity, persistence, community and renewal, and about finding purpose in something that has been discarded.

Filming is underway; postproduction begins in January 2027.

The Filmmaker

Anthony Stengel is a three-time Heartland Emmy Award–winning filmmaker, director and cinematographer based in Casper. Through his production company, Stengel Media, he makes character-driven documentaries about the people, landscapes and stories of the American West. His work pairs intimate, observational storytelling with deliberate cinematic imagery, and he spends real time with his subjects so authentic moments can shape the story. His films include the Emmy-winning The Steel Sculptress, along with cinematography on feature-length documentaries and many short films about Wyoming people and culture.

Snapshots and Behind-the-Scenes Images from the Film

Funding for this Film was Provided in Part by

Supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming Legislature.

WY PBS is proud to share stories of adventure and discovery that bring our state's treasures to light. Through films like Windborne: Wall of Renewal, we connect viewers with the places and remarkable experiences that make Wyoming unique. To help us continue bringing these stories to your screen, please consider supporting WY PBS.