Meet "The Lunch Box Lady" March 24 at the Paramount Cafe

Poetry for the Ages

2012 Wyoming Poetry Out Loud contestants

Shalene Velarde sat nervously at the table while we waited for our dinners to be served. Her friends, Kayla, and Mikki, runner-up in Pathfinder High School’s Poetry Out Loud (POL) contest, tried their best to ease Shalene’s nerves. She was Pathfinder school’s POL champ, and was about to compete with ten other Wyoming high school contestants in the state POL contest at the Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne.

“Don’t worry, you’ll do fine,” they kept telling her. Shalene had the worst kind of nerves—so internalized that they could not be assuaged no matter what; nerves that would most likely get worse in the short hour until the competition would begin.

As a fellow sufferer of that plight, I commended her for just doing it. “No matter what happens, you will have this experience, and you can say, ‘I did it.’ That’s really important.” I knew of what I spoke, having let those kinds of nerves hold me back from participating in many creative endeavors.

All the students competing that evening had some degree of nerves working on them. At the dinner before the competition, the atmosphere was chatty but expectant. Teachers had brought their school’s competitor as well as assorted supporters—fellow students, parents, friends.

As coordinator of Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud program, I’d seen several years of students’ POL nerves. The competition is a unique experience, drawing on aspects of dramatic, spoken word and slam performance, speech and debate, and just plain ol’ elocution, a mostly forgotten tradition from the Victorian era, when recitation of favorite memorized romantic verses was a favorite parlor game.

Eligible ninth through twelfth grade POL competitors choose poems to memorize from the POL “canon,” a selection of a few hundred poems by well-known published poets from the 16th Century up to contemporary poets of today. Contestants only have two requirements when picking poems: that one of the three poems they choose be pre-20th Century and one be 25 lines or less. One poem can fill both of those requirements. After the selection process, the memorizing begins for the school competition. The winning student from the school comes to the state contest. Each state champion and a chaperone receives an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C., for the contestant to compete in the national finals.

The key to a good POL recitation is linking the meaning and emotion of the poem to being able to deliver the poem to the audience, and not just the audience that is sitting in chairs out front, but for the audience about whom the poem was written.

This audience, or the tribe, as I learned at the public poetry workshop put on by Jim Coppoc, a poet, spoken word artist and performer, and one of the judges for Wyoming’s 2012 POL competition, is probably the most important component. In knowing that audience, the reciter has probably studied what the poem is trying to convey, also learning something about the poet in the process. That seems to be the formula for the most successful poetry recitations. Dramatic emphasis when needed, pregnant pauses, and use of the rhythm and meter of the poem are also good indicators that the reciter has studied these elements of the poem, and practiced the poem out loud, to listeners.

This year’s winner, Sara Ellingrod from Arvada/Clearmont High Schoool, also won the 2011 state contest. Her teacher/mentor/coach, Linda Crawford has had the state winner for the past three years. State winners can keep coming back to compete in the state competition, but not if they win any one of the twelve final places at nationals.

Sara nailed several aspects of Poetry Out Loud performance criteria. Contestants are judged on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding of the poem and overall performance. Her level of performance took a definite leap from the previous year.

Casper student Hannah Hout earned the runner-up spot. She is also a returning contestant from 2011, and her performance as well reflected a studied improvement.

As it turned out, this was Shalene’s first time ever on a stage. That’s a big step, a big leap and a big responsibility, to go from a classroom setting to a formal and dramatic stage performance with only the sparest of instruction or training. As all the contestants did, Shalene walked out on that stage, forgotten phrases and all, and just did it. Taking that first step is always the hardest, and often, the most brilliant.

By Linda Coatney

Matthew Dehaemers wins public art commission for Casper project

From a Nicolaysen Art Museum press release:

After a five-month selection process that involved 86 artists from around the state, region, nation, and the globe, Matthew Dehaemers from Kansas City, Kansas, was awarded the commission for the public art project on the southwest corner of Beech and Collins St. in Casper. The public art panel, comprised of representatives from all collaborators on the project, as well as public art administrators, artists, and community residents felt that Dehaemers synthesized many aspects of life in Casper and in the region, while also creating an educational project that refers back abstractly to the landscape that surrounds us and the elements that sustain our lives.

In early 2011, a unique opportunity arose to integrate public art into a new development for affordable housing located on the eastern edge of the Casper business district and directly across the street from the Nicolaysen Art Museum. Discussions centered on creating a public art project that could be incorporated into existing open green space, and serve as a gathering place for the residents of the housing complex, the surrounding community, and businesses. The new development, the Sunshine Apartments, will utilize green design as one of many initiatives for a ground-breaking direction in affordable housing the state of Wyoming. This project was awarded funding by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of their Our Town initiative. Our Town is the NEA’s new leadership initiative focused on creative “placemaking” projects where partners from both public and private sectors come together to strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities.

Matthew Dehaemers received his BFA from Creighton University and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin. His national public art commissions include the recent work Catalyst for the Kansas City Area Transit Authority, Seven Sentinels at the Vehicle Impound Facility in Kansas City and Convergence commissioned by the Los Angeles County as well as Detour commissioned by the Missouri Department of Transportation. Currently he is working on a large scale kinetic public art piece for the Johnson County Public Works facility. Dehaemers has also continued to produce unique issue focused installations for various art center such as Project Reclamation for the Leedy-Voulkos Arts Center, Watered Down for the Creighton University Lied Center and (402)Disconnect/Reconnect for the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art among others. He has been awarded the Kansas Arts Commission Fellowship Award, the Joan Mitchell Fellowship, four Public Art Network Recognitions, an NAACP Community Contribution Award as well as numerous residencies.

Dehamer’s sundial project is entitled “Confluence of Time and Place.” His vision was inspired by “the historical periods of this region.”

Artist Statement:

All along the way life has left its mark on the rugged rocky terrain of the area in the form of bones, fossils, word and image carvings of indigenous people and pioneers. Today we mark the land by utilizing its’ rich natural resources to fuel the community including new alternative sources such as solar and wind energy. Today is just one small point on a continuum of millions of years of existence. As human beings we are use to placing time into a smaller context of years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. When we talk about the geology of the earth we are talking about a macrocosm of 4.6 billion years. It is almost unfathomable to comprehend the true reality of that span of time. This public art installation is a way to symbolically connect these two streams of time. This structure is designed to broadcast with its shadow the time of day specifically for the exact latitude and longitude of Casper. At the same time, various graphically rendered spots surrounding the installation reveal the totality of our earth’s geological history and the existence of life since the beginning of our planet.

This project would not have been possible without the collaboration of the WCDA, the Nicolaysen Art Museum, Grimshaw Investments, LLC, and the City of Casper. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works.

For interview information and photographic opportunities, please call the museum at 307.235.5247.

For high-resolution images to accompany stories about this project, visit

http://www.thenic.org/index.php?/media/C52/.

LuDel Deal Walker re-fuses refuse to create artwork you can't refuse

"Baby Fox"

From a Corridor Gallery press release:

The Corridor Gallery in downtown Casper proudly presents “Refuse”, a solo exhibit of Wyoming artist LuDel Deal Walter. LuDel is an accomplished artist that is following through with her first Corridor solo exhibit after winning “Best In Show” during a past Corridor call-for-entries show based upon the subject of religion. The public and press are invited to attend the opening reception of “Refuse” on Friday, March 30th at 7pm. The exhibit will show only through Sunday, April 1st. The Corridor Gallery appreciates your continued support for local and regional artwork.

Artist statement:

The Refuse of life remains. We Refuse to look at it. This work Re-fuses the discarded object with meaning. My work communicates the boundaries of where time passes into memory and life passes into death. How does memory hold the past captive? How does place tie into time and memory? This body of work refuses the passage of time by freezing the process of decay -- a stop-action of a very slow natural process. Memory seems to work in a similar fashion; as we recall people and events from our memories, they are frozen at a particular time like stop-action movie stills or loops of a single scene. I incorporate objects that are often ignored or overlooked to create meaning. The carcasses and the refuse of our lives are more than simple objects; they connect to the time when life and purpose was contained there. I am using recycled and found objects (hand-made paper, junk, bones, etc.) to represent the passage of time and the space between life and death. I find that by using images of actual carcasses and garbage in combination with textured papers and found objects, I have a stronger connection to the work because I'm forced to consider the feelings of disgust, shame and ambivalence surrounding the objects.  This body of work refuses the inevitability of  loss of meaning and purpose. We no longer revere life enough to consider the process of dying; because we can't embrace death, we can't fully embrace life. Every living thing has a quality that leaves the body at the time of death. Every object has a quality of memory.  What is that liminal quality?  Where is it? These pieces are intended to ask the viewer to consider the life and purpose that once inhabited these images. -- LuDel Deal Walter

Event Details

Event: “Refuse” Original Artwork by Wyoming artist LuDeal Deal Walter
Specifics: Located at The Corridor Gallery: 120 E. 2nd St. Casper, WY 82601
Tickets Cost/Avail: Free Admission
Opening Reception: Friday, March 30th at 7:00pm
Open Showing: Saturday, March 31st 10:00am to 5:00pm
Sunday, April 1st noon to 4pm
Information: For more information, please contact The Corridor Gallery at (307) 333-7035, Reed at (307) 259-8001 or visit www.thecorridorgallery.com

"Make It Plain" exhibit in Gallery 234 focuses on African-American views of history and religion

From a UW press release:

An African-American view of history and religion will be featured in Felicia Follum's exhibition "Make it Plain," March 19-April 2 in Gallery 234, room 004 in the lower level of the University of Wyoming Union.

A reception for the exhibition is scheduled Wednesday, March 28, from 6-8 p.m. Admission to both events is free and open to the public.

The exhibition promotes looking at American history through the lens of all different cultural groups involved, as well as investigating the ways we persecute members of society today.

This exhibition will be shown in conjunction with the Shepard Symposium for Social Justice , March 28-31.

Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine TV tours renovated Broadway Theater in Rock Springs

Broadway Theater set for a grand opening April 13. Get more info here.

Carbon County Library System: "Don't tell us what you're reading -- show us!"

Click now for CLICK! conference early registration

If you plan to attend CLICK! A Weekend for Wyoming Visual Artists, March 30 - April 1, you may want to register now. Early registration means lower fees for both the conference and for hotel rooms at the Hampton Inn.

The deadline is tomorrow, Thursday, March 15. You can register at the door, but fees will be higher.

Whether you register now or later, we hope to see you and many other Wyoming artists at this opportunity to share, discuss building our careers, celebrate the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship winners, and have fun!

The registration form is available here. Updates on confirmed speakers and schedule details can be found at http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/p/click-conference-details.html 

Aquila Theatre presents "bold" version of "The Importance of Being Earnest" March 23 at UW

From a UW press release:

Aquila Theatre will perform a bold interpretation of "The Importance of Being Earnest" Friday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Tickets cost $26 for the public and $23 for senior citizens and students. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.uwyo.edu/fineart_ticket/tickets.aspx or by phone at (307) 766-6666. Tickets also are available in-person at the Wyoming Union ticket office.

Oscar Wilde's most famous play is an audience favorite. It portrays razor-sharp wit in a dizzy romantic comedy. "The Importance of Being Earnest" tells the tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, both young men, who have taken to bending the truth to add excitement to their lives and to secretly escape the social expectations of the English upper class exemplified by Lady Bracknell.

Based in New York City, Aquila Theatre creates bold interpretations of classical plays for contemporary audiences. The New York Times describes the theater "as a classically trained, modern hip troupe." Aquila is the professional company-in-residence at the New York University's Center for Ancient Studies.

Aquila presents a regular season of plays in New York, performs at international festivals and tours approximately 70 American towns and cities each year. It also produces an extensive educational program on performing and producing classical plays through schools, workshops and rural and urban communities.

Photo: Aquila Theatre will perform a bold interpretation of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" at the University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences auditorium March 23.

Writer and workshop leader Page Lambert profiled in The Denver Post

One-time Wyoming resident and Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowship winner Page Lambert was profiled yesterday in The Denver Post. Read the interview here.

The Hostile Takeover Hip-Hop Tour hits Cheyenne May 14

THE TRIBE ZOO TATTOO, THE DEN and JAKE BYRD PRESENTS THE HOSTILE TAKEOVER TOUR FEATURING TECH N9NE AND MACHINE GUN KELLY!

IT WILL BE AT THE CHEYENNE ICE AND EVENT CENTER MAY 14. TOUR CONSISTS OF 91 SHOWS IN 99 DAYS MAKING IT THE BIGGEST TOUR IN HIP HOP HISTORY! TICKETS WILL BE ON SALE AT ERNIE NOVEMBERS STARTING APRIL 1ST

Military and Student discounts available for PRESALE ONLY- Must have VALID ID and present it to Ernie November's.

$26 PRE-SALE for MILITARY or STUDENT
$31 PRE-SALE for General Admission
$36 Day of show.

Get your tickets FAST cause this WILL SELL OUT! Go to http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001453619003

"It's My Story!" by Florence McEwin will be featured in Germany's NordArt 2012

"It’s My Story!" by Florence McEwin has been accepted into the NordArt 2012 show that runs June 2-Sept. 30 in Büdelsdorf,  Germany (outside of Hamburg). It's a monoprint stencil with chine collé completed last summer. McEwin teaches art at Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs. 

Soldier-poet Brian Turner is judge for 2013 WAC creative writing fellowships in poetry

Brian Turner will be the judge for the 2013 Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowships in poetry. He is a soldier-poet who is the author of two poetry collections, Phantom Noise (2010) and Here, Bullet (2005) which won the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award, the New York Times “Editor's Choice” selection, the 2006 Pen Center USA "Best in the West" award, and the 2007 Poets Prize, among others. Turner served seven years in the U.S. Army, including one year as an infantry team leader in Iraq with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Prior to that, he was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1999-2000 with the 10th Mountain Division. Turner's poetry has been published in Poetry Daily, The Georgia Review, and other journals, and in the Voices in Wartime Anthology published in conjunction with the feature-length documentary film of the same name. Turner was also featured in Operation Homecoming, a unique documentary that explores the firsthand accounts of American servicemen and women through their own words. He earned an MFA from the University of Oregon and has lived abroad in South Korea. In 2009, Turner was selected as one of 50 United States Artists Fellows.

At the Casper College Literary Conference Sept. 14-15, 2012, Brian Turner will read from his work together with the fellowship winners. He also will participate on a panel about soldier-writers with Luis Carlos Montalvan, U.S. Army Iraq War veteran and author of "Until Tuesday: The Story of a Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him."

Here’s what critics had to say about Here, Bullet:

 "In sharp, straightforward, yet lyrical language, Turner exposes the many costs of war.” — Library Journal

“The day of the first moonwalk, my father's college literature professor told his class, ‘Someday they'll send a poet, and we'll find out what it's really like.’ Turner has sent back a dispatch from a place arguably more incomprehensible than the moon—the war in Iraq—and deserves our thanks...” — New York Times Book Review

Printed fellowship applications have been mailed to those of the WAC creative writing fellowship list. Printable apps will also be available next week on the WAC blog and web site.

The postmark deadline is June 8, 2012.

For more information, contact Michael Shay, 307-777-5234 or mike.shay@wyo.gov, or visit the WAC web site at www.wyomingartscouncil.org.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day in story and song at the Paramount Cafe

"The Story of St. Patrick: Celtic harp with narration and friendly conversation" by Michael Riversong at the Paramount Cafe, 1607 Capitol Ave. Cheyenne, on Saturday, March 17, 5:30-8 p.m.

This is an informal family friendly performance by Michael Riversong. Children are especially welcomed.

FMI: Michael Riversong, Biblical Bards, http://home.earthlink.net/~mriversong

Bring your songs, stories and poems to open mic night March 28 at Laramie County Public Library

Tickets go on sale March 19 at Casper College for "Hush: An Interview with America"

Tickets for “Hush: An Interview with America” will go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 19, at the Casper College Gertrude Krampert Theatre Complex in Casper.

The play, written by James Still, tells the story of Maggie Parks, an 11 year-old who lives with her father in the small town of Hush, Kansas. ”Maggie has such a vivid imagination that she becomes famous. Eventually though, her celebrity status is so overwhelming that she nearly loses her imagination,” said Richard Burk, director.

When an enterprising news personality “discovers” Maggie, and tries to celebrate her ability, the girl is overwhelmed and nearly loses her imagination. Fortunately, through the support of a lion, lamb, and a
spirit named Eve, Maggie is able to reclaim her imagination.

For Burk, the play appeared at just the right time in his life, and provided the director with what he calls “the assuring project of hope.” The character of Maggie “is young, idealistic, and her future is only filled with potential. She has the ability to be at home in her imagination.”

”Hush: An Interview with America” will be performed on the McMurry Mainstage. The family-friendly play will run March 22 through 24 and March 28 through 31 each night beginning at 7:30. A matinee will be held on Sunday, April 1 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students ages 5 to 18. Tickets can be purchased at the Krampert Theatre Complex box office between 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday-Friday, by phone at 268-2500, or one hour before each performance, for that performance only.

"Pure Pigment" show at WOW in Laramie opens March 24 with hands-on demo