Call for proposals: Flagstaff Cultural Parners

Joe Cornett of Flagstaff (Ariz.) Cultural Partners sends this:

Flagstaff Cultural Partners (FCP) in Northern Arizona is now accepting proposals for 2010 and 2011 for special opportunities to curate exhibitions at the Coconino Center for the Arts.

We offer a 4,000 square foot gallery accompanied by a smaller "Jewel Gallery" that is 270 square feet. The proposal can include opportunities for single artists, small or large group shows, invitational and/or juried shows. As a benefit to this partnership, FCP will provide the venue, staff assistance, installation, on-site insurance, and marketing for the show. Successful proposals will meet the criteria, complement FCP’s mission, and be a collaborative endeavor with Flagstaff Cultural Partners.

Located just minutes from downtown Flagstaff and nestled in the Ponderosa pines, the Coconino Center for the Arts saw around 20,000 visitors last year, with that number increasing every year. For details please click the link below to read the prospectus located on our website.

Postmark deadline for proposals is June 27, 2009.

http://www.culturalpartners.org/exhibits.htm

Public invited to attend WAC board events in Newcastle June 4-5

The Wyoming Arts Council will hold its quarterly board meeting in Newcastle June 4-5.

The meeting will be held at the USDA Service Center, 1225 Washington Blvd., Newcastle. Agenda items include the decisions on FY10 Grants to Organizations and Art Works for Wyoming grants, review of WAC budgets, long-range planning, schedules for the next statewide Arts Summit and Governor’s Arts Awards, and advocacy issues.

The board invites individuals and organizational representatives to attend any part of the meeting to observe the board process, and to address the board during the public comment session at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 4. Comments about the agency's policies, funding priorities, on-line granting system, and other arts-related topics are welcomed. For a detailed agenda, please contact the Wyoming Arts Council office at 307-777-7742.

At the conclusion of Thursday’s session, a public reception for members of the community will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. at the home of Diane and Doug Baird Hudson at 1801 McArthur.

The mission of the Wyoming Arts Council is to enhance the quality of life for the people of Wyoming by providing resources to sustain, promote and cultivate the arts.

FMI: Camellia El-Antably, WAC, 307-777-7742 or celant@state.wy.us.

"Modern Day Mountain Man' single released

Carol Williamson, V.P. of marketing for WYOGA Records, sends this press release about Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Bryan Ragsdale:

RCI, a major music distribution company in Tennessee, released Wyoming singer and songwriter Bryan Ragsdale’s first single, "Modern Day Mountain Man," nationwide on Tuesday, May 19, to all voting country, Americana, and college radio stations.

"Modern Day Mountain Man," is a song about all those searching for the freedom the outdoors has to offer. It combines bluegrass, country, folk, and Americana to create a very unique sound that is infecting thousands around the world. "Mountain Man" is already being played across the U.S, Europe and South America.

Ragsdale was born in Wyoming. He is a U.S. military veteran, and father of three children. He is an avid outdoorsman, fisherman, hunter, and backpacker.

Bryan Ragsdale began his music career at the tender age of four. Now 32, Bryan has performed across the U.S., playing at ranches, schools, concert halls, libraries, resorts, and festivals. Known for painting pictures with his profoundly simple lyrics and infectious melodies, Bryan writes music about living life under a big blue sky.

His music reflects the values he was raised with, the values he teaches his own children, values that are often overlooked in mainstream music today. Bryan earns high praise for his classes on songwriting and his performances "leave a piece of nature in everyone" that hears him.

There have already been "Mountain Man" sightings all across the nation. Keep your ears open and get Bryan's new CD if you have not already at www.bryanragsdale.com before it is in stores. If you buy before July 1, Bryan will autograph it.

FMI: Coral Williamson, 307-371-4944

Add "Big Al" to your summer reading list

From a UW press release:

Young readers can learn all about Big Al, the most complete dinosaur ever found in Wyoming, by reading a new book about this Allosaurus that roamed Wyoming 145 million years ago.

"The Story of Big Al: Saving a Dinosaur for the Future" is an illustrated 71-page book released by the University of Wyoming Geological Museum and the Museum of the Rockies. Copies cost $10 each.

It includes pictures designed especially for this book plus never-before-seen photos of Big Al's excavation, says Brent Breithaupt, UW Geological Museum director.

"This book presents a picture of the life and times of an important dinosaur and walks young readers through every aspect of the dinosaur discovery, collection, research, storage and display," Breithaupt says.

It shows some of the state-of-the-art research techniques done on Big Al and explains how the dinosaur, found on public lands, was saved for future generations by the Bureau of Land Management and a team of paleontologists, students and volunteers.

The long-awaited book has been in production for more than 10 years, says Breithaupt, and comes out 18 years after Big Al was discovered near Shell. Breithaupt and Pat Leiggi were the lead paleontologists in the excavation, made famous when it was featured on the BBC's "Walking with Dinosaurs."

A cast of Big Al can be seen at the UW Geological Museum, and several new Big Al displays are scheduled for this year.

The museum is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

To purchase a copy of "The Story of Big Al: Saving a Dinosaur for the Future," call Matt Friess at (307) 766-2286, go online at http://www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/sales/ or visit the Geological Survey Building located just east of the UW Geological Museum.

"The Life Atomic" opens Monday in Evanston

"The Life Atomic: Growing Up in the Shadow of the A-Bomb" traveling exhibit opens on Monday, June 1, at the Uinta County Museum in Evanston. “The Life Atomic” shows the many ways the bomb influenced life in the 1950s and early 1960s. Exhibit panels focus on the development of the bomb, early atomic testing in the American Southwest, civil defense preparations, fallout shelters, the influence of the bomb on movies and television, “atomic” toys and games, and the impact of the bomb on home décor.

FMI: 307-789-8248 or http://wy-uinta2.civicplus.com/index.asp?nid=488

Apply now for Headlands Center residencies

Apply by June 5 for the one- to six-month Artist-in-Residence Program at Headlands Center for the Arts. The center is located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area outside San Francisco. It provides "a supportive working environment for artists in all media," including visual, literary, performance, interdisciplinary, music, audio, film, video, and digital areas.

Live-in residents are provided with a studio, shared housing, and five meals a week; live-out residents receive a studio and dinner twice weekly. Stipends of up to $500 per month are available pending funding secured each year.

Applications should ideally be submitted through the online portal, and include a resume, letter of interest, list of three references, documentation of recent work, and the $35 processing fee. Full details regarding on-site facilities and work sample formats are available on the web site.

Call for entries: Grand Canyon artist residency

Rene Westbrook sends this announcement:

Grand Canyon National Park announces our new year-round artist-in-residence program at the South Rim in conjunction with the well-established seasonal artist-in-residency program at the North Rim.

Guidelines for the 2009-2010 South Rim AIR can be found at www.nps.gov/GRCA/supportyourpark/air.htm.

Artists (writers, composers, visual and performing artists) must submit their applications for the South Rim postmarked by July 31. Selected participants will be notified by mid-August.

FMI: Rene Westbrook at 928-638-7090 or Rene_Westbrook@nps.gov.

Doug Russell busy during fellowship year

Doug Russell, an artist and assistant professor teaching drawing in the UW art department, sent the accompanying info as part of his final report for his 2008 Wyoming Arts Council visual arts fellowship. You'll be able to see Doug's work as well as the five other 2008-2009 visual arts fellowship winners at the biennial exhibit which opens Nov. 5 at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne.

The main creative project in my life for the past year and a half has been a solo exhibition at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show was entitled "Entangled Worlds." [The photograph above shows the exhibit's opening reception.] I created four drawings specifically for the space -- each drawing growing to nearly 20 feet long. I flew to Grand Rapids and spent a week installing the show and putting final touches on the drawings. Funds from the Fellowship were used to purchase paper, drawing supplies, ship the work to and from UICA, buy the roundtrip flight and pay for expenses while in Grand Rapids. Portions of this show may be included in future solo shows at Western Wyoming Community College and CSU in Fort Collins. Funds from the Fellowship were also used to ship work to and from several juried exhibitions.

Tuesday Night Book Club revs up June 16

This release comes from Troy Rumpf at the Laramie County Public Library:

Take some time to enjoy a great discussion and join the Tuesday Night Book Club, sponsored by the Laramie County Library System and Starbucks.

A book club open to the entire community, the group meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday monthly at Starbucks, 3610 Dell Range Blvd. in Cheyenne. Participants are welcome to take part in any or all of the monthly sessions.

The library has some copies of the book for the community to borrow. If none are available, participants are encouraged to place a request on the book at the library or locate a copy elsewhere.

Upcoming sessions include:
· June 16: “Stones from the River” by Ursula Hegi
· July 21: “The Friday Night Knitting Club” by Kate Jacobs
· Aug. 18: “The Shack” by William Young
· Sep. 15: “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy

Now in its eighth year, the Tuesday Night Book Club has received national recognition as an excellent example of how libraries and businesses can work together to benefit the community.

This program also utilizes book club kits, which are available for checkout from the library.

FMI: 307-634-3561, or visit www.LCLSonline.org.

Fun performance

In a blog post just a couple back, I talked about spontaneous performance that looks like people in any given place just burst into song and/or dance. Here's a great video that says it all. While looking spontanous, there's definitely some practice involved in a production like this, but there's also the spirit of bringing the arts to eye level, no matter where the audience is.
http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/04.09/antwerp.html

Celebrating the art of the horse in Rock Springs

The Wild Horse and Western Art Show and Sale will take place July 10-11 at the SCM Parish Center, 624 Bridger Ave., Rock Springs. The venue is next door to Bunning Park where Rock Springs International Day festivities will be held on Saturday, July 11.

Equine and western artists, as well as the general public, are encouraged to attend this emerging art show, now in its seventh year.

Started in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management's Wild Horse and Burro Show, the Wild Horse & Western Art Show & Sale continues to grow as artists and art collectors come together to celebrate the beauty of the horse.

Artists who entered the competition (the deadline was April 22) are vying for more than $4,000 in prize money in five categories: Best of the Wild Horse, Best of Show, Best Sculpture/3D, Spirit of the West, and People's Choice. Contest judge is Robert seaback of Laramie.

There is also limited space for artists to set up a sales booth.

The show prospectus is available here.

FMI: Go to the web site at http://www.rockspringsartshow.com/

Clay Paper Scissors Summer Class Announcement

Clay Paper Scissors announces their summer classes. These classes are being taught by Abi Paytoe-Gbayee, a k-6 Cheyenne art teacher and award winning artist. She sells oil paintings professionally, makes pottery because she likes to play in the mud, and generally makes text -based sculptures and installations because that is her true love. Beyond that she loves printmaking, drawing, and graphic design.


We invite anyone to sign up! Classes are cheaper for members. Membership can be paid at the same time as registration. For a membership form, or a pdf copy of the registration and schedule, please email claypaperscissors@gmail.com.

London Espresso machine delivers hot type

National Public Radio's Morning Edition reported on some new technology (see photo above) which may make a big splash in the book-selling biz:

Have you ever had that frustration of walking into a bookstore, looking for a specific book, and being told it's out of print or not in stock?

One company wants to put an end to that. In a move some are calling the most significant step in publishing in the last 500 years, a New York company is trying to make books available on demand, printed out locally, rather than centrally as they always have been.

On Demand Books has installed a trial machine in a central London bookstore. It's called the Espresso machine, but it has nothing to do with coffee beans. This baby's grinding out books.

"Effectively, it's a great big office printer stuck to a rather lovely in my opinion, but perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing collection of technology," says Marcus Gipps, floor manager of Blackwell's bookstore on London's Charing Cross Road, perhaps the bookiest corner of one of the world's bookiest cities.

Listen now or download

Sophia and Denise visit WAC

Denise Patton, director of the Carbon County Museum, and Sophia Puccini, dancer, singer and fine poet, visited the WAC offices yesterday to talk about a new community project they had in mind, grants, and what's happening in Rawlins. Denise and Sophia want to bring a performance project to Rawlins that encompasses spontaneous performance with an element of improvisation. They had traveled to Italy and experienced this kind of free art expression on the streets and corners and in the restaurants of Florence. They also want to take the company of five to Italy to perform there. Denise, who is a poet/writer, has a M.A. in visual art and has also studied interior design with an emphasis on architectural design, and Sophia talked about the holistic health benefits of the arts, community capacity for projects and the importance of the younger generation being able to experience all aspects of art which then gives them a new kind of vision for a future where the arts are a part of everyday life.

Carbon County Museum is working on building a new home. The Museum is currently in an old church with inconsistent climate control even for the most basic museum standards. The current space is busting at the seams, and needs twice the space. The site of the new museum will be at Merrell Hill, which is adjacent to Interstate 80 and Highway 71. Views from Merrell Hill take in Rawlins Uplift, historic downtown Rawlins and the Snowy Range and the Red Desert, with the thought of capturing travelers' interest from the interstate. They are fundraising in and outside of the community. If you'd like to donate or read more about the museum, go to http://www.carboncountymuseum.org/.

Sophia carries her book with her, The Poet (2006, iUniverse) to sell. Between the covers are 88 love poems. Sophia seems to have traveled the world, or more appropriately, the world of lover-strangers and even those less familiar but better known, have been her tour. Either way, these poems are like reading a mysterious and haunting romance novel, layered with the egos and insecurities of those caught in love's frequencies. Look for Sophia's second collection of another 88 love poems coming out soon. Here's one that I liked:

The Shore

I carry you with me, out
the door, with my hairbrush
in my purse, walking along
the boardwalk with the coast
before me and the sea grass
and the wind and the sky
leaning into me like morning,
arms around my waist,
thick with Florida heat.

I walk with the bruise
beneath my lip while you sleep,
arms stretched above your head
like a sailor pulling ropes
of air and light with ease.
I make love to your face
tangled in my hair, crushed
into the surface of my skin
like salt: strong and exquisite.
So sad. So deep. So clean.

Laramie Municipal Band opens season June 24

The Laramie Municipal Band, led by University of Wyoming Director of Bands Bob Belser, will open its free seven-concert summer series Wednesday, June 24.

The series will continue each Wednesday through July 29 at the Washington Park bandshell in Laramie. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. The band also will perform Saturday, July 4, at Laramie's "Freedom Has a Birthday" celebration.

The band is comprised of community members as well as UW students, faculty and staff.

Paul Taylor and Fireants part of the activities at Summer Outdoor Slam Kids Xtreme

Wyoming Arts Council roster artists Fireants and Paul Taylor will be part of the activities at the Summer Outdoor Slam Kids Xtreme event at Curt Gowdy State Park, June 6-7. This free event gives kids the opportunity to learn the correct and safe way to participate in such activities as archery, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, orienteering and many others. Additionally, children and their families can fish for free on Saturday, watch various demonstrations or go horseback riding (for a small fee).

In addition to the various outdoor activities on Saturday, the Fireants from Buffalo will perform from 4-7 p.m., and Paul Taylor will provide hands-on didgeridoo making workshops from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. Saturday’s activities will culminate at 7:30 p.m. with a Moonwalk moonlight hike provided by the U.S. Forest Service. During the hike, traditional navigation, animals’ navigation mechanisms and fun technology and trends will be explored.

Summer Outdoor Slam activities will be held at the Aspen Grove Trailhead near Granite Reservoir. Visitors should take Happy Jack Road (WYO 210) turning into Curt Gowdy State Park at approximately milepost 23 ½. Follow the road past the fee booth and follow the signs to the event.

Summer Outdoor Slam is made possible through the generous donations or participation of Chubby’s BBQ, Kennison’s Catering, All Terrain Sports, Bicycle Station, Rock on Wheels, the Wyoming Department of Health, Wyoming Search and Rescue Council, Wyoming Arts Council, Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Wyoming State Museum, Wyoming State Trails Program, Laramie County Conservation District and Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol.

FMI: 307-777-6323.

Paranormal explorations at Fort Caspar

From the Fort Caspar Museum and Historic Site:

Join the Paranormal Research Society of Casper on Saturday, May 30, 7 p.m., at Fort Caspar Museum, 4001 Fort Caspar Rd., for an evening of paranormal investigation. Doors will open at 6:45 p.m. The 7 p.m. presentation will be held in the Multi-Use Room and is free of charge. The organization will present their findings from their recent investigation of the fort buildings at Fort Caspar Museum and other locations in the city. Public tours through the fort buildings are scheduled for 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 10 p.m., 11 p.m., and midnite. Sign-up for the tours will begin at the 7 p.m. presentation and is limited to 14 people each hour.

FMI: Call Curator at 307-235-8462 or go to www.fortcasparwyoming.com

Tracy Linder's "Tractor Hides" on exhibit this summer at UW Art Museum

The University of Wyoming Art Museum staff posted this on the museum blog:

Tracy Linder grew up on her family’s sugar beet farm near Billings, Mont. The agricultural lifestyle of her youth has rooted her creative work, which explores iconic forms and photographic images that reference the farm life that she understands intimately.

In her installation, Tractor Hides, fourteen individual “hides” stand on end and are lit from within, creating pod-like forms. Using animal collagen as the primary material, photographic images of the land, plants, farm machinery, humans, and animals are imbedded into the collagen and formed over the treads of splayed tractor tires. They embody Linder’s interest in life, death, and decay.

Linder will be an artist in residence for the Art Museum's "Paint Pony Express" program from July 14 - 18.

Two public programs are scheduled that week:
Gallery Walk Through, Friday, July 17, 10:30 a.m.
Art Talk, Saturday, July 18, 10:30 a.m.

These events are free and open to the public.

Photo: Tracy Linder stands at the entrance of her exhibition, "Tractor Hides," at the UW Art Museum in Laramie. Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

AVA holds Flower Press Making Class

Linda Ryan Thoughtful Reflection: An Exploration of Objects and Materials

Linda Ryan Thoughtful Reflection: An Exploration of Objects and Materials

Opens Friday, June 5, Shambhala Contemporary Gallery

Image: Carrying Capacity

Nationally known sculptor, Linda Ryan will be opening at Shambhala Contemporary on First Friday, June 5, from 6-9pm. Thoughtful Reflection: An Exploration of Objects and Materials is a collection of works that respond to “place” through materials found in Ryan’s immediate surroundings. These provocative works explore the essence of textures through their weight, symbolic meaning and visual qualities. Linda Ryan is Director of Visual Programs at Casper College in Wyoming. She teaches and researches contemporary methods and materials in 3-dimensional design, sculpture and metals and has exhibited widely throughout the US. She has taught at Idaho State University, Pocatello; University of Montana, Missoula and the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. She has received fellowship and individual artist’s grants from the Wyoming Arts Council and is a member of the International Sculpture Center and the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Linda Ryan will talk about her work at Shambhala Contemporary on Saturday, June 6, 2pm. All events are free and open to the public.


Shambhala Contemporary is part of the The Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center located at 126A. Mountain Ave. The gallery focuses on providing a community arena for exhibition and education dedicated to serving established contemporary artists who recognize sacred traditions of our world as a medium of expression and transformation. The Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center is part of an international community of urban meditation and rural retreat centers founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The Center, offers public meditation, a core curriculum of Buddhist and Shambhala teachings, as well as training in advanced contemplative practices. Engaging in the arts is an integral part of the view that Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center holds. Through our daily lives our perceptions are key in how we engage with our environment. By engaging with the arts we all learn more profoundly about the world around us. The Center welcomes everyone interested in learning more about contemporary art and its many artists and influences. Shambhala Contemporary is open Wednesday evenings from 7-8:00pm and always by appointment. For information or appointment, contact Jennie Kiessling Michler, 970-218-5165 or visit our website at http://www.fortcollins.shambhala.org/

Contact Information: Jennie Kiessling Michler, Gallery Director, Shambhala Contemporary Gallery

Fort Collins Shambhala Meditation Center, 126A Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Co 80524, 970-218-5165

Website: http://www.fortcollins.shambhala.org/

Building the Wyo We Want June 9-10

"The Hawthorne Tree" at Campbell Co. H.S.

Next "Jentel Presents" June 2 at Sheridan College Downtown Campus

Pictured left to right: Back row: David Nechak, Cerese Vaden, Johntimothy Pizzuto, Mary Beth Baptiste; front row: Manya Fox, Forrest Snyder

From a Jentel Artist Residency Program press release:

The next "Jentel Presents" will take place Tuesday, June 2, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Sheridan College Downtown Campus. "Jentel Presents" is a community outreach program that features slide presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Presenters include:

• Mary Beth Baptiste, Laramie; A creative non-fiction writer, Mary Beth, a mainstream Catholic wife of 15 years, self-ejects from pool of boredom; shoots to the Tetons for adventure and scuffles with bears, blizzards and burly guys; she won a 1997 Wyoming Arts Council Frank Nelson Doubleday writing award;


• Manya Fox, Los Angeles; A photographer, Manya focuses on issues surrounding the American experience;


• David Nechak, Seattle; An installation artist, David is interested in sculpture involving transforming interior and exterior environments;


• Johntimothy Pizzuto, Burbank, SD; A printmaker, Johntimothy utilizes the alphabet in describing himself as an inquisitive, rambunctious, and zany artist;


• Forrest Snyder, Dorchester, MA; An essayist as well as a ceramic artist, Forrest leads a tangential life of art, science, new people and places;


• Cerese Vaden, Mackay, ID; A mixed media artist, Cerese is an international traveler who shuns cities in lieu of landscape and an artist who utilizes the mundane.

There is no admission charge for "Jentel Presents" and refreshments are available.

The Jentel Artist Residency Program accepts applications twice a year from visual artists in all media and writers in all genres for a one-month residency. A residency includes a comfortable accommodation; common living, dining and recreation areas; a private workspace and a stipend to help defray expenses during the program. For more information please visit
http://www.jentelarts.org/ or call Jentel at (307)737-2311.

B.J. Buckley poem in The Cortland Review

Even though she's lived in Montana the past few years, B.J. Buckley is always -- at heart -- a Wyomingite. B.J. is a Cheyenne native who received a 1989 WAC creative writing fellowship and was on the WAC roster for many years. She was one of the featured poets in the 2003 anthology Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming.

B.J. sends word that The Cortland Review has selected one of her poems, "Rapture," for the May issue.

Here's the magazine's announcement:

The Cortland Review presents new poems by Fleda Brown, B. J. Buckley, Graham Burchell, Robert Danberg, Pat Daneman, Martin Jude Farawell, Elisabeth Frost, Regan Good, Robert Grunst, Luke Hankins, Bethany Schultz Hurst, Dan Lewis, Terri McCord, Jim Moore, Steve Myers, Soham Patel, Emmy Roulette, Niko Sonnberger and Naqueyalti Warren; new fiction by David Burke and Grant Arthur Flint, and David Rigsbee's review of Gibbons Ruark's newest, "Staying Blue."

You can read B.J.'s poem, and listen to her reading it via podcast, at http://www.cortlandreview.com/issue/43/buckley.html?ref=nl0509

Stage III presents "The Queen of Bingo"

Stage III Community Theatre in Casper sends this news:

Our final show for this season, "The Queen of Bingo," will be a very fun, interactive show, where the audience gets to play bingo too!

Two sisters, Babe and Sis, meet each week at the St. Joe's Bingo hall and dish about love, weight , and of course, bingo! We will play a real game of Bingo and someone will walk away with a great prize each night! So, for the price of admission, you not only get to see a wonderfully funny show, you get to play a game! Who can top that?

The cast includes Holly Strother as Babe, Judi Anderson as Sis, Lee Mosser as Father Francis McKenzie Muldoon, and Joe Osterholt as the bingo caller. Directed by Pat Pulitzer, with assistance from Joe Osterholt, this promises to be a great ending to a fantastic Stage III season.

Showtimes: June 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26, & 27 at 7 pm and 21 at 2 pm. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. They may be purchased in advance at our ticket outlets: Cadillac Cowgirl, Metro Coffee Company, and Grant Street Grocery.

AVA Community Art Center summer classes

Summer Classes at AVA Community Art Center, 509 W. Second St., Gillette:

Beginning Porcelain with Mindy Waite June 2, 4, 9, 11 6:00—9:00 pm
Wheel Throwing Porcelain instruction. $100 plus $20.00 supplies.

Art and Leadership Program 11-13 year-old at risk youth, learning leadership skills through art, motivation and self exploration, along with self esteem building exercises. Visiting artists and field trips. Five day sessions $500 with many scholarships and partial scholarships available. 9:00 am -5:00 pm Space limited.
June 8-12 Boys Session 1 June 15-19 Girls Session 1
July 6-10 Last Years Returning Boys Session 2
July 13-17 Last Years Returning Girls Session 2
August 3-7 Boys Session 3 August 10-14 Girls Session

4H Classes though the County 4H Department 1:00—4:00 pm. A variety of classes including painting, bead making and working, pottery. Mondays and Wednesdays June 15, 17, 29, and July 1

Little Tikes/Big Tikes variety of classes 18 months to 6th grade. Tuesday 9:30—10:30 am June 23, 30 July 21, 28 August 18, 25 $5 per class

Watercolor with Janice Hamilton Techniques of basic to medium skill watercolor class. Janice will lead you through the exploration and joy of watercolor. Supplies included $75.00 June 22-23 6:00—9:00 pm

Rethinking Acrylics with Edie Reno Rethinking the use and values of acrylics in this unique six session class. Mondays and Tuesdays 11:00-2:00 am $100

Pint Size Picassos Two day session completing three acrylic paintings with supplies included and photos for parents. Thursday/Friday $30.00 per student
Ages 3, 4, 5 June 25/26 9:30—10:30
Ages 6, 7, 8, June 25/26 11:00-–12:00
Ages 9, 10, 11 June 25/26 2:00—3:00

Grades School Kids Club Afternoon kids club filled with art, crafts, secret journals, pottery and more. Wednesdays $20.00 per session or all six sessions for $100. 3:00—5:00 June 24, July 1, 22, 29 August 19, 26

Yupo Painting for Adults Nancy Brown fills your Saturdays with the magic of Yupo painting. Techniques and styles, completing four yupo paintings in your two sessions. 9:00—4:00 July 11, 18 All for $120.00

Mud Week-Fun in the Mud Two different sessions are available for your kids to get down and dirty in clay. Two hour sessions for five days will explore pottery with pinch pots, slabs, coils, ceramic bead making, salt and oven baked clays, and more, fun in the mud. $60.00 per session
July 20-24 10:00—12:00
July 20-24 3:00—5:00

Porcelain Bottle Making with Mindy Waite Beginning porcelain or wheel throwing experience necessary for this class. Mindy takes you to the next step in your ability with porcelain. The art of bottle making is unique and fascinating class. Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:00—9:00 pm $100 plus $20 supply fee.

Recycled Sculptures with Edie Reno An adventure into sculptures with the added element of recycled material. A must class for all. Wednesdays and Thursdays 11:00—2:00 pm July 22, 24, 29, 31 August 5, 7 $100.00

Introduction to Kindergarten Art Ages 3, 4, 5 will experience the next step in art before engaging in kindergarten. Three sessions 9:30—10:30 $20.00 August 19, 20, 21

Trompe L’oeil Workshop A five day workshop that will produce true Trompe L’oeil paintings with the expert instruction of Danna Hidebrand from Sheridan 9:00—5:00 August 26—30 Class size limited $400.00

FMI: AVA, info@avacenter.org, 307-682-9133, www.avacenter.org

Cheyenne City Band holding auditions May 28

The Cheyenne City Band is looking for musicians.

The band is holding auditions on Thursday, May 28, 7 p.m., at the Laramie County School District No. 1 Administration Auditorium, 2810 House Ave., Cheyenne.

FMI: Sean Ambrose at 307-771-2105 or ambroses@laramie1.org

S.E. Wyo. artists invited to sign up for "20:20"

Staffers at the University of Wyoming Art Museum in Laramie have sent out invitations to the museum's "20:20" event set for Monday, June 1, 6-8 p.m.

A relatively new program at the Art Museum, 20:20 is an event that allows artists, arts organizations and educators to share information about what they've been doing in a fast-paced presentation. Presenters are given 20 images, shown for 20 seconds each, equaling a 6 minute and 40 second presentation. It's a great way to keep the Wyoming arts community informed and updated.

The June 1 20:20 is first in a series of three and is open to all artists in Southeast Wyoming. It will be the final "Monday Night at the Museum" of the season. Afterward, come downtown to Altitude Chophouse and Brewery for drinks and a chance to catch up with colleagues.

Anyone is welcome to attend, but presenting is reserved for those in Torrington, Cheyenne, Laramie, Wheatland, Saratoga, Hanna and Rawlins (and all of those places in between). Sign up is on a first-come, first-served basis. Images must be submitted by Monday, May 25, and must be in a PowerPoint format.

To sign up, ask questions or to receive more information, contact interim assistant curator Rachel Miller at 766-6621 or rmiller@uwyo.edu. Look for an e-vite in your inbox.

Clay Paper Scissors holds sneak preview 5/25

My WAC colleague Camellia El-Antably sends this invitation:

You are all invited to the Sneak Preview opening of Clay Paper Scissors Gallery & Studio!

We will have a Sneak Preview show of work by the studio artists: Laura Skoglund, Jon Gilbert Beach Dawson, Abi Peytoe Gbayee, Mark Vinich, Mary Keane and Camellia El-Antably.

The opening will be on Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day) from 5-8 p.m. at 1506 Thomes, Suite B and is open to all. Please come down and see us!

Clay Paper Scissors still has a studio opening. If you are interested in seeing it, please contact Camellia at claypaperscissors@gmail.com. Located in the historic Asher building on the corner of 15th and Thomes, Clay Paper Scissors offers studio space for artists, a gallery which will have changing exhibits and classes for all ages. Artists interested in participating in the Gallery, but not studio space, may join as an associate. We will also have individual memberships for those interested in classes, openings, etc. At present, Clay Paper Scissors is open by appointment only.

FMI: claypaperscissors@gmail.com for more information, or come to our opening!

Clay Paper Scissors was founded by Camellia El-Antably and Mark Vinich in March 2009.

Summer Classics Institute at UW June 7-11

From a UW press release:

The fascinating world of Socrates and late 5th century B.C. will be featured during the 10th annual Summer Classics Institute, June 7-11 at the University of Wyoming.

The free lecture series is supported by the Wyoming Humanities Council, which serves as a catalyst for Wyoming's collective imagination by bringing ideas to life for hundreds of organizations and thousands of people, and the UW Department of Modern and Classical Languages. All lectures will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Room 142 of the UW College of Law Building.

The institute also includes mini-courses and seminars on the writings of Plato and other sophists. Pre-registration is required.

UW professor Phil Holt's presentation, "Intellectuals in Context: Athens in the late 5th Century B.C.," will open the lecture series Sunday, June 7.

The series continues Monday, June 8, with "Staging Intellectualism: Euripides and Athens," by University of New Mexico professor Lorenzo Garcia; Tuesday, June 9, with "Protagoras Refutes Himself," by UW professor Rob Colter; Wednesday, June 10, with "Wine, Women and Song: The Symposium in Ancient Art," by Tulane University professor Susann Lusnia; and concludes Thursday, June 11, with Holt's presentation of "Socrates on Trial."

For more information on the summer institute, call Sheila Bricher-Wade at (307) 721-9246, e-mail sbricher@uwyo.edu, or go to the Web site at www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

Star-Trib article offers summer photo tips

Casper Star-Tribune staff writer Margaret Matray interviewed four accomplished Wyoming photographers for tips on taking outdoor photos this summer.

The photographers are:

Henry H. Holdsworth, whose newest book, Moose of Yellowstone and the Tetons, will be out this summer.

Graig Marrs, who has worked out of Cheyenne for 30 years.

Steven G. Smith’s work regularly appears in Time magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Life magazine, Smithsonian magazine, New York Times magazine and MSNBC. Go to http://www.stevengsmith.com/

Jeff Vanuga of Dubois has shot photos for National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Travel Holiday, Outside, BBC Wildlife, National Wildlife, and Audubon, to name a few. Go to Year.jeffvanugaphotography.com.

To read entire article, go to http://tinyurl.com/od3gq6

Big West Arts Festival Aug. 1-2 in Sheridan

The Big West Arts Festival celebrates its fourth year Aug. 1-2 on the front lawn of the Sheridan College campus in Sheridan.

This year's performers include Bob Wyatt, Two Steps Forward, Ethan Chartier Band, Dan Lindley & Neil Brieco, Doug Andrews, Teka Brock Band, Gary Small & the Coyote Bros., Powder River Boys, Jalan Crossland, Micky & The Motorcars, Church Family Singers, Maggie Taberna, Ann Tolstedt, Jeff Troxel (WAC roster artist), Justin Hoffenberg & Martin Gilmore, Prickly Pair & the Cactus Chorale (WAC roster artists), and Craft Brothers.

For more info about Sheridan College, visit http://www.sheridan.edu/.

For info about Sheridan and vicinity, visit http://www.sheridanwyomingchamber.com/.

Call for entries: Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction

Each year, the University of Georgia Press selects the winners of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. Authors of winning manuscripts receive a cash award of $1,000, and their collections are subsequently published by the press under a standard book contract. The press may occasionally select more than two winners.

Selection process: in addition to series editor Nancy Zafris there are three external judges. The manuscripts undergo blind review, meaning that the name of the author is stripped from the manuscript before judging begins. Each judge reads a third of the contest entries and makes a selection of 7-10 finalist manuscripts, which are then forwarded on to Nancy Zafris, who selects the two winning manuscripts from the group of 20-30 finalists.

Deadline: May 31

FMI: http://www.ugapress.org/info_aup_submitfoc.html

Fiber artist Phillippa Lack plans busy summer

Wyomingingarts ran into Cheyenne fabric artist Phillippa Lack this week. She's been busy -- and that will continue through the summer. Here are some highlights:

She was an invited artist at the Billings, Mont., quilt festival earlier this year.

One art quilt, "Somewhat Off Kilter" was accepted into Studio Art Quilt Associates' "Points of View" national show, debuting at the Long Beach Quilt Festival in July.

Her art quilt "Botanica II" accepted into Front Range Contemporary Quilters' "Colors of Life"
national show, Carnegie Arts Center, Alliance, Nebraska, May 19 through June 29, 2009.

Two fiber art pieces, "Chrysalis" and "Blue Mountain, Black River" accepted into Front Range Contemporary Quilters show "Connecting Threads" at the Longmont Museum, Colo., in
the fall. More later on this exhibit.

Planning a fiber show at Glen Garrett's Atelier in Cheyenne in early July.

To see Phillippa's work, go to her web site at www.pkldesigns.com.

Robert Roripaugh in Centennial June 12

Wyoming Poet Laureate Emeritus Robert Roripaugh will discuss his latest book, “The Legend of Billy Jenks,” on Friday, June 12, 7 p.m., at the Centennial Branch Library, 27 Second St., Centennial. Free and open to the public.

This event is sponsored by the Centennial Library and Cultural Association.

FMI: 307-745-0862 or dshogren@will.state.wy.us

You can bring Robert Roripaugh to your community through the Wyoming Arts Council's Arts Across Wyoming grant program. He is one of 66 writers, performers, folk artists and visual artists on the WAC roster. For more info, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Apps/Roster/index.asp

AVA hosts "Glass Art Luncheon" May 27

New York Times blogs about Craig Arnold

In Paper Cuts, the New York Times blog about books, writer David Orr explores the legacy of UW professor and poet Craig Arnold. Craig is missing and presumed dead following extensive searches for him on a volcanic island in Japan.

For Orr's column, go to http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/there-will-be-no-more-poems-from-him/?hp

LCCC Young Writers Camp June 15-18

Teens from 12-15 are invited to sign up for the Laramie County Community College's Young Writers Camp. It runs from 9 a.m.-noon, June 15-18, on the LCCC campus in Cheyenne. The camp cost is $75 per student.

Each day will feature a different accomplished writer who will give you the buzz on technique and share tricks of the trade. The topics that will be covered are:

• Nonfiction with Jeana Burton, author of It's Raining in Scotland, nominated for the 2009 AWP Intro to Journals Project Award
• Fiction with Laura Resau, author of What the Moon Saw, Red Glass and the forthcoming The Indigo Notebook and Star in the Forest
• Screenwriting with Trai Cartwright, creator of Offshore, Trap and Dinner Rush
• Poetry with Alicia Padilla, 2008 High Plains Register Award recipient for best creative writing submission.

To register for the camp, call 307.778.1236 or 307.778.1134.

Call for entries: "Call of the Wild;" "Landscapes"

Wilson's CIAO Gallery sent a call for entries for its two new shows -- "Interpretations of the Landscape" and the second annual "Call of the Wild." They are scheduled prior to and during the Jackson Hole Fall Festival.

Both shows encourage open interpretations of the themes in any style, any medium. The aim of both exhibitions is a good representation of genres. "Interpretations" has a deadline of July 3 and "Call of the Wild" has a deadline of Aug. 7.

Details and prospectus at the CIAO web site at www.ciaogallery.com/calltoartists.php .

In more news from CIAO:

CIAO Gallery has obtained a location on the Town Square in Jackson. Our move in June will be in time for "The Printmaker’s Mode" show to be exhibited there. The location will ensure high exposure for the Gallery and featured artists and participation in many of the Jackson events as in the Jackson Hole Fall Festival. This festival draws national and international customers and artists. The festival goes from Sept. 10-20. Many events are scheduled. A link to the listing can be found at www.jacksonholechamber.com/fall_arts_festival/

During that time is the Palates & Palettes Gallery Walk (Sept 11). The exhibition "Call of the Wild" will open that night. Couloir Restaurant from the Jackson Hole Mt. Resort will be represented at the Gallery. Over the past years this has proved to be an outstanding gallery walk.

CIAO is still reviewing portfolios for art and fine art crafts. Please see the website for more details. Also, in November there will be a call for a JURIED CRAFT SHOW.

FMI: 307-733-7833 or search for the gallery's Facebook page. Contact Deborah Graves Pipes at deborah@deborahpipes.com

Douglas art gallery exhibit

The RomArt Gallery in Douglas, Wyoming will be exhibiting bridge art through July 31. For the past year, the bridge that brings people into the downtown area of Douglas from the interstate has been under construction. Traffic has been rerouted, and downtown activity has been reduced, to say the least.

The show is celebrating the recent reopening of the bridge. Not a juried show, any art that represents a bridge is included. There are 4 or 5 gallery artists included in the show. FMI call

owner Rom Hinz at (307) 351-3161. RomArt Gallery is located at 203 Center St.

Centennial Singers wraps up season with "Into the Woods" May 22 in Laramie

From a University of Wyoming press release:

After a complete season of tours and travel, the UW Centennial Singers return for their final performance Friday, May 22, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The Centennial Singers will perform "Into the Woods" at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts main stage. Tickets are available at the door and online through www.uwyo.edu/finearts. Prices are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and children and $25 for the family pack (two adults and up to three children).

"We have performed to more people this year than in the three previous years combined," says Patrick Newell, Centennial Singers director. "The success of ‘Into the Woods' this year has created a renewed interest in the group among students, setting us up for a good season next year."

In the fall, Newell will hold auditions for the 2009-2010 production of the musical "Urinetown." He plans to continue the full-length musical format in future years for Centennial Singers. Incoming freshmen are encouraged to audition, he adds.

"I believe that switching from a review format to producing complete musicals was clearly the path that Centennial Singers needed to take at this point in the life of the group," Newell says. "I am pleased with the success of ‘Into the Woods' and look forward to our future productions."
He adds that those who are already familiar with last fall's production of "Into the Woods," expect some surprises for the final performance.

"A few of the characters have been taken on by different actors within the group, who promise to light up the stage in a whole new way," Newell says.

FMI: http://www.uwyo.edu/singers/or call Newell at (307) 766-3076.

Photo: Centennial Singers members Kayla O'Keefe and Lauren Shultz perform a scene from "Into the Woods," showing Friday at 7:30 p.m. on the Fine Arts Center main stage. (Don Turner Photo)

Art of the well-tempered chili pepper

From a press release:

Cookers from around the United States and local cookers from Cheyenne are being invited to the inaugural Union Wireless Peppers on the Plaza, Cheyenne’s Chili Cook-Off, which will be held at the Cheyenne Depot on June 12-14. We are encouraging cooks and cooking teams to come out and cook red chili, chili verde chili, and salsa at the Cheyenne Depot. Cooks have the opportunity to win cash prizes, trophies, and the title to be One of the Best Chili Cooks in Cheyenne. This is a great time to show off your cooking skills and support three great non-profits.

Union Wireless Peppers on the Plaza, Cheyenne’s Chili Cook-Off will include two cook-offs with the International Chili Society (ISC) and one cook-off with the Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI). Friday is the Mile High Regional ICS Cook-Off, followed by the Wyoming State Championship ICS Cook-Off on Saturday. Cooks who win on Friday or Saturday in the two ICS cook-off’s will have the opportunity to cook at the World ICS Chili and Salsa Competition in October 2009, with over $35,000 in prize money. Cash prizes totaling of over $1,500 are being paid at Saturday’s ICS cook-off for top winners in Traditional Red, Chili Verde (green) and Salsa competitions.

The CASI Cook-Off on Sunday, June 14, will include out-of-state cooks and cooks from Cheyenne and throughout Wyoming. There is no membership required to cook in the CASI Cook-Off, and there is a special "Business" category encouraging area businesses to bring a cooking team. Cooks for all three cook-offs will enjoy a free Cooks Party at the Historic Plains Hotel. Best Booth, People’s Choice Chili, Red Chili Calcutta’s and other contests will be held during the three day event.

Cheyenne families can come and taste the chilies and salsas being entered into the competitions for $2 a person. Attendees will have the chance to taste some former regional, district and world chili winners’ chili. Families will also be able to enjoy an outstanding line-up of free entertainment on the Cheyenne Depot Plaza on Saturday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free family activities will be available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., with lots of children’s games. Families can also participate in the Chili Eating Contests and the Arm Wrestling Contests.

This is a joint fund raising event for the Cheyenne Depot Museum, the Cheyenne Depot Museum Foundation and United Way of Laramie County. The City of Cheyenne and the Historic Plains Hotel are also providing support to this event. Union Wireless is sponsoring this event.

FMI: Cheyenne Depot Museum, 307-632-3905, http://www.cheyennedepotmuseum.org/.

Jenny Dowd presents postcard workshop June 6

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Jenny Dowd will present a "Personalized Postcard Workshop" on Saturday, June 6, 10:30 a.m-3 p.m., at the Teton County Public Library in Jackson.

Participants will use watercolor, drawing, collage and pen techniques. Registration required; space is limited. Free.

Contact: Adult Humanities Coordinator Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135, or doherty@tclib.org.

Catch a trout chair May 22 in Buffalo

Cheyenne Melodrama auditions this week

The Cheyenne Little Theatre Players will hold auditions for the summer 2009 old-fashioned melodrama Monday-Wednesday, May 18-20, 6:30 p.m., at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne.

Auditions for cast members will be held Monday and Tuesday evenings and emcee, card girl and olio auditions will be Wednesday.

This year's melodrama is entitled "The Vale of the Venomous Vixen"or "A Sidekick and a Step" or "The Bowling Bandit Strikes Again!" The script was written by Brooks Reeves and Rory Mack, authors of last year's melodrama that had poetry in it. Directed by Cathie Chadwick and Brenda McMillan.

FMI: 307-638-6543.

Before jetting off to France, Craig Johnson to give preview of new novel in Sheridan

On Monday, Wyomingarts was in downtown Sheridan and dropped into Sheridan Stationery and Books. I talked with proprietor Robby Smith, asked her what events were on the store's horizon. She pointed up to a big poster announcing Craig Johnson's new mystery, "The Dark Horse." She followed up our conversation with this e-mail announcement:

Greetings!

Because Craig Johnson will be on tour in France during the release date of his fifth Walt Longmire novel, "The Dark Horse," he will be with us this Saturday, May 16, at 5 p.m., to give us a little preview of the book! Don't miss it! We will be having refreshments and we look forward to seeing you here!

During this time, you can reserve your signed copy of his book, as well as pay for it in advance if you choose. However, we will not be able to release the books until May
28, as that is the offical on sale date. Otherwise, you can pay for your reserved copy when you pick it up on or after May 28.

Sincerely,
Robby Smith
Sheridan Stationery Books & Gallery

Craig won a 1995 creative writing fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council. More honors and books have followed, including the Tony Hillerman Short Story Award.

As many Wyomingites know, Craig lives in Ucross, which is just a quick jaunt to Sheridan (really quick if you drive as Craig does). Very exciting about the new translation of his novels. How do you say "Sheriff Walt Longmire" in French?

UPDATE 5/18/09: Sometimes the Internet grabs your blog headlines and spits them back out in unrecognizable form. This is the scrambled version of the header above (from Creative Writing Blogmas):

Wyoming Arts: Before jetting mistaken to France, Craig Johnson to dispose of opening of subsidiary novelette in Sheridan

Vote for your favorite Wyoming short film

From a Wyoming Film Office press release:

The Wyoming Film Office is opening its doors for the public to vote in this year's Wyoming Short Film Contest. To watch this year's 25 top-scoring videos and make your selection for "People's Choice," visit http://filmwyoming.blogspot.com/2008/11/2nd-annual-wyoming-short-film-contest.html

The contest ends Thursday, May 21 with the winners being announced the following day. While the People's Choice is largely an honorary award, the contest's Grand Prize Winner, judged by a panel of film professionals and industry representatives, will walk away with $25,000. Prize money will go towards the winner's next made-in-Wyoming film.

Wyomingarts has to admit that he/she/it is a bit biased with this project. Our department's videographer and indie filmmaker, Dean Peterson, has a film in the top 25. Yes, it's about Wyoming but it's so much more than that. And funny!

Editor & blogger to speak at WWInc. conference

One of the presenters for the Wyoming Writers, Inc., annual conference in Casper is Chuck Sambuchino, an editor for Writer's Digest Books who blogs about literary agents. He placed info about the WWInc. conference on his blog. To read it, go to the May 4 posts at http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

Reserve a copy of Pat's chapbook by June 12

You can reserve a copy of Pat Frolander's new poetry chapbook, "Grassland Genealogy," from Finishing Line Press for $14 plus $1 shipping if you order by June 12. According to Pat, the number of copies of the book sold before June 12 will determine the size of the press run.

You can order online at www.finishinglinepress.com/NewReleasesandForthcomingTitles.htm. Look for her book on the page's fifth row, center column.

Pat is a member of Bearlodge Writers in Crook County, WyoPoets and Wyoming Writers, Inc. Besides being a fine writer, she is a ready volunteer, as demonstrated recently when she stepped into the treasurer's job at WWInc.

I'm only guessing, but she will probably have order blanks for her chapbook at the WWInc. conference June 5-7 in Casper.

"Yesterday's Cars" exhibit at Laramie County Public Library

From a Laramie County Public Library press release:

If you’re a car lover, then the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne has something for you.

Through June 15, the library is hosting a new exhibit, "Yesterday’s Cars," featuring both collectibles and photography. The photography comes from the talents of regional artist Beth Buskirk, who is drawn to rusting old cars that have been left to decay in fields.

"Wyoming is a great place for old cars," Buskirk said. "They are out there, part of the landscape, just waiting for someone to notice them and take their pictures."

The model cars are on loan courtesy of Lon Harper, who has been collecting precision model cars for more than 25 years. Many of them were produced by the Danbury and Franklin Mints. Both displays can be found on the first floor of the library, located at 2200 Pioneer Ave.

For more information about this exhibit or upcoming displays, call 634-3561 or visit http://www.lclsonline.org/.

Wyoming Oldtime Fiddlers Contest May 30-31

From the May 13 issue of the Little Chicago Review:

The 36th Annual Wyoming Oldtime Fiddlers Contest will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 30-31, in Thermopolis.

This year’s judges are Nancy Padilla, Bozeman, Montana; Natalie Padilla, Greeley, Colorado, and Tyler Enders, Casper.

The contest is nationally sanctioned by the National Oldtime Fiddle Association, Weiser, Idaho. Winners qualify to compete in the national contest June 22-27. The contest will begin at 9:30 a.m. daily in Hot Springs High School Auditorium, 415 Springview. Other activities include mini-workshops by the judges, judges’ performances and plenty of jam sessions. A traditional pig roast will be held Saturday, starting at 5:30 p.m., at Ralph Witters Elementary, 215 Springview. Performing at the pig roast will be “Ana & Friends” from Casper, followed by an informal jam session of local musicians. Tickets for the pig roast are $10 at the door.

The mini-workshops for fiddle and guitar will start at 7:30 p.m. at the school. Early sign-up is recommended since space is limited. Workshop fee is $20; bring your own instrument.

Tickets for the contest are available at the door. All-day adult tickets (ages 19-60) are $10 Saturday and $12 Sunday. Tickets for ages 6-18 are $5 Saturday and $7 Sunday. Seniors (61+) are $8 on Saturday and $10 Sunday. Ages five and under are free. Family tickets (two adults, two children are $20 the first day $22 on Sunday.

The event is sponsored by Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation, Wyoming Arts Council with funding in part from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State legislature; Wyoming Oldtime Fiddlers Association, Hot Springs / Thermopolis Lodging Tax Board, Thermopolis / Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and Hot Springs County Schools. Corporate sponsors include ConocoPhillips and TCT.

Old-time fiddle style is based on fiddle playing of the late 19th and 20th century. Different rhythms were developed to accompany dance steps of different countries. Early string bands modified the traditional styles, and these formed the development of both country and bluegrass music.Contestants must play at least two traditional styles, including a hoedown and a waltz. There are also twin fiddle teams as well as a no-holds barred category. An awards ceremony will be held after final performances on Sunday, usually about 3 p.m. This is the third year that the contest has been held in Thermopolis. Shoshoni sponsored the contest for 33 years.

Contest rules, participant forms and more details are available on the web at http://www.hsglf.org/ or call 307-921-8120.

Yiddish Food Festival includes Klezmer music and Jewish folk dances -- great food, too

The Yiddish Food Festival will be held on Sunday, May 17, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Mount Sinai Synagogue, 2610 Pioneer Ave., Cheyenne. The event is free and open to the public.

To buy food or craft and gift items, money is exchanged for traditional shekels with $1 for each shekel. Tours of the synagogue will be available at 12:15 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. A storytelling workshop on Hassidic Tales by Rabbi Arrina Moon will be held at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. An hourly raffle drawing for prizes begins at noon.

For more information, call 634-3052 or 632-3206.

Event highlights include: Noon to 12:45 p.m., Live Klezmer music with Boulder Klezmer Consort and dancing; 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., Israeli and Jewish folk dances performed by the Mount Sinai Dance Group.

Partial listing of food items: Chicken soup with matzah balls, stuffed cabbage, potato latkes, corned beef sandwiches, bagel with cream cheese and lox, Hummus, Israeli salad, challah, rugelach, hammentashen, Mandelbrot, honey cake.

Pres. Obama names new NEA chairman

From an article in today's New York Times by Robin Pogrebin:

Rocco Landesman, the colorful theatrical producer and race-track aficionado who brought hits like “Big River,” “Angels in America” and “The Producers” to Broadway, has been nominated as the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, the White House said on Tuesday.

The appointment, which is expected to be announced on Wednesday, surprised many in the arts world. It ends months of speculation about who would be selected to lead the nation’s largest and most important arts organization.

The White House declined to discuss the appointment before the announcement. Mr. Landesman, whose appointment must be confirmed by Congress, also declined to comment.

“It’s potentially the best news the arts community in the United States has had since the birth of Walt Whitman,” said the playwright Tony Kushner. “He’s an absolutely brilliant and brave and perfect choice for the job.”

Choosing Mr. Landesman, 61, signals that Mr. Obama plans to shake things up at the endowment. While a major source of money for arts groups around the country, it has historically been something of a sleepy bureaucracy, still best known to some for the culture wars of the 1990s.

Since then, the agency has been trying to rebuild its image on Capitol Hill, along with its budget. The current allocation stands at $155 million, and though Mr. Obama has requested $161 million for 2010, that is still short of its high of $176 million in 1992.

Read the entire article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/theater/13nea.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Wyoming author Marcia Hensley speaks about her new book at May 16 Estes Park event

From the May 10 issue of the Estes Park (Colo.) News:

The Estes Park Museum, 200 Fourth Street, will welcome Wyoming author Marcia Hensley [shown in photo above] for Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading the West, on Saturday, May 16 at 2 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. for this free program and book signing. Hensley’s book will be available for purchase before and after the program at the Museum Shop, where members of the Estes Park Museum Friends & Foundation, Inc. receive a 10% discount.

In her new book, Staking Her Claim: Women Homesteading the West, author Marcia Hensley allows these women to tell their stories in their own words-through memoirs, letters, oral histories and articles of the time-of adventure, independence, risk, failure and freedom.

---------------

A graduate of the University of Tulsa, Hensley taught English at Western Wyoming Community College where she directed the Western American Studies program in addition to teaching composition and Western Literature. Since retiring she has concentrated on writing and historical research.

In 2004, she won the Wyoming Arts Council’s Neltje Blanchan Memorial Award for writing inspired by nature. She has served on the Wyoming Council for the Humanities Speaker’s Bureau.

Along with a group of community volunteers, she is compiling an anthology of stories about Eden Valley, Wyoming, to commemorate the valley’s centennial. Her work has been published in two anthologies of western writing as well as the syndicated newspaper column Writers on the Range.

Art Works for Wyo. applications due May 15

Applications are currently available for the Wyoming Arts Council’s new Art Works for Wyoming grant program. This is one-time funding from the National Endowment for the Arts through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Applications are due by May 15.

AWW applicant organizations must have been awarded a grant by the WAC in the last four years for which all reporting was successfully completed in a timely manner. If you have questions about whether your organization qualifies, please call the WAC at 307-777-7742.

All applicants must apply online through WAC’s online granting system at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us. No paper applications will be accepted.

Mont. Shakespeare comes south of the border

Montana Shakespare in the Parks will be performing "The Tempest" and "Two Gentlemen of Verona" in several Wyoming communities this summer. The events are free and open to the public.

Here's the schedule:

July 14, Powell, "The Tempest," 6:30 p.m., Washington Park
July 15, Cody, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 6:30 p.m., Canal Park
July 16, Worland, "The Tempest," 6 p.m., Sanders Park
July 17, Greybull, "The Tempest," 6 p.m., Greybull City Park
July 19, Sheridan, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 6:30 p.m., Kendrick Park
July 27, Alpine, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 6:30 p.m., Nordic Inn

This summer's tour of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to communities in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and Idaho is partially sponsored by a a $10,000 grant from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.

FMI: http://www.montana.edu/shakespeare

Cheyenne author C.J. Box wins Edgar Award

Cheyenne mystery writer C.J. "Chuck" Box was awarded the 2009 Edgar Award for best novel at the annual Mystery Writers of America gathering April 30 in New York City.

Chuck's award-winning novel is "Blue Heaven." It spent four weeks on the extended New York Times bestseller list and has been optioned for film by producers Michael Besman ("About Schmidt") and Cameron Lamb.

"Blue Heaven" has been described by best-selling mystery writer Harlan Coben as "a non-stop thrill-ride…a provocative suspense novel that has you rooting for the characters every step of the way."

You can read an excerpt from the book at Check's web site at http://www.cjbox.net/. Here's a description from the web site:

A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother go on the run in the woods of North Idaho, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder—four men who know exactly who William and Annie are, and who know exactly where their desperate mother is waiting for news of her children’s fate. Retired cops from Los Angeles, the killers easily persuade the inexperienced sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children.

William and Annie’s unexpected savior comes in the form of an old-school rancher teetering on the brink of foreclosure. But as one man against four who will stop at nothing to silence their witnesses, Jess Rawlins needs allies, and he knows that one word to the wrong person could seal the fate of the children or their mother. In a town where most of the ranches like his have turned into acres of ranchettes populated by strangers, finding someone to trust won’t be easy.

Chuck received a 1992 creative writing fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council. He's the only Edgar Award winner among 23 years of fellowship recipients. For an application for the 2010 creative writing fellowships in poetry, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/IndArtist/PDF/2009cwfellowshipappl.pdf

PHOTO: C.J. Box (guy in the black hat) talks with Mystery Writers of America "Grand Master" awardees Sue Grafton and James Lee Burke at the April 30 MWA award ceremony this past weekend in NYC.

Copper Canyon to publish Chinese poets

The National Endowment for the Arts today announced that Copper Canyon Press, an internationally renowned nonprofit literary publisher, will be the U.S. publisher for its International Literary Exchange with the People's Republic of China. NEA International Literary Exchanges support U.S.-based presses in publishing and promoting contemporary anthologies in translation.

Based in Port Townsend, Washington, Copper Canyon will receive $117,000 to support the translation, publication, and promotion of a bilingual anthology of work by 30-40 Chinese poets born after 1945.

For the complete release, please visit
http://www.arts.gov/news/news09/china-anthology.html

Do some traditional horsehair hitching in Lander

HORSEHAIR HITCHING with Richard Gould
May 16
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This beginning class is an introduction to this traditional cowboy art. Richard will cover basic techniques and preparation of material to create a keychain.
The Lander Art Center
224 Main (332-5772)
Fees: $30-members; $35-non-members

Richard is a new addition to the Wyoming Arts Council artist roster. For more info, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Apps/Roster/Results.asp

Creative "genius" and the "daemon"

The website takes you to TED.com and a talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Grant Redden Plein Air Workshop in Cokeville

The Grant Redden Plein Air Workshop will be held in conjunction with the Minerva Teichert Invitational Art Show August 13-15, 2009, at Cottonwood Ranch, Cokeville, WY
　
Held in conjunction with the Minerva Teichert Invitational Art Show, the Grant Redden Plein Air workshop will provide landscape, wildlife and western artists an opportunity to receive 2 days of personal instruction from Grant Redden, one of the nation's top artists. The workshop will be held at the historic Cottonwood Ranch in Cokeville Wyoming. To register or for more information including a materials list, please contact Charles Dayton at mailto:charlesdayton@allwest.net or charlesdayton@allwest.net or call 307-459-4195.

Tuition is $120 and includes a two-day workshop, artist cookout and an opening reception barbecue. Class size is limited to 12 students. The will be an instructor demonstration beginning at 8:30 a.m. each morning, and students will receive a critique of their work in progress. Workshop dates are Thursday and Friday, August 13 and 14.

Grant Redden lives and paints in southwestern Wyoming in the rural community of Hilliard with his wife and family. With no formal art training, he has studied under the tutelage of several master artists in today's art world: Mark Daily, Jim Norton, Walt Gonske, Gerald Fritzler, and Gerald Merfeld. Grant has participated in gallery group shows and annual shows by Settlerswest Gallery, the Charles Russell Museum, the Salon d Arts "le jeune" Show in 2005 and 2006, and the Coors Western Art Show in 2005 and 2006, in Denver, Colorado. He participated as a guest artist in 2000 with the Northwest Rendezvous Artist Group of Helena, Montana, and was been invited to show, as a guest artist, again in 2007. Grant has participated in the annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale in Cody, Wyoming for the past six years. He was awarded an Artists Choice Award in that show in 2006.

American Life in Poetry: Column 216

From TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006: Judy Loest lives in Knoxville and, like many fine Appalachian writers, her poems have a welcoming conversational style, rooted in that region's storytelling tradition. How gracefully she sweeps us into the landscape and the scene!

Faith

Leaves drift from the cemetery oaks onto late grass,
Sun-singed, smelling like straw, the insides of old barns.
The stone angel's prayer is uninterrupted by the sleeping
Vagrant at her feet, the lone squirrel, furtive amid the litter.

Someone once said my great-grandmother, on the day she died,
rose from her bed where she had lain, paralyzed and mute
For two years following a stroke, and dressed herself--the good
Sunday dress of black crepe, cotton stockings, sensible, lace-up shoes.

I imagine her coiling her long white braid in the silent house,
Lying back down on top of the quilt and folding her hands,
Satisfied. I imagine her born-again daughters, brought up
In that tent-revival religion, called in from kitchens and fields
To stand dismayed by her bed like the sisters of Lazarus,
Waiting for her to breathe, to rise again and tell them what to do.

Here, no cross escapes the erosion of age, no voice breaks
The silence; the only certainty in the crow's flight
Or the sun's measured descent is the coming of winter.
Even the angel's outstretched arms offer only a formulated
Grace, her blind blessings as indiscriminate as acorns,
Falling on each of us, the departed and the leaving.

Search ends for UW poet Craig Arnold

This somber news comes to us via the University of Wyoming English Department:

Dear Friends,

This morning we received dreadfully sad news.

Searchers looking for Craig Arnold in Japan found evidence that Craig fell from a cliff.They conclude that he could not have survived this fall. Searchers are currently unable to retrieve Craig because of the steep and dangerous nature of the terrain.

So many in our community and across the country were fervently hoping for Craig’s safe return that this news today feels unbearable. We are especially thinking of Craig’s son Robin, his partner Rebecca, his mother and father Judy and Dan, and his brother Chris and his family.

Knowing Craig has enriched our lives. We will remember him always and we will have a time in the near future to celebrate his life and his beautiful work.

Peter Parolin, Department Head of English
Beth Loffreda, Director, MFA in Creative Writing

Wyoming Arts Council staff members join our friends and colleagues at UW and around Wyoming -- and all over the world -- in mourning Craig Arnold. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Craig's family.

"Wyoming Folks: are afraid" airs May 28

SPCR videographer Dean Petersen (and indie filmmaker) sends news about some upcoming projects airing on Wyoming Public Television:

I wanted to let everyone know that Wyoming PBS is slated to play "Wyoming Folks: are afraid," May 28 at 8:30 p.m. I wanted to thank Anne Hatch for helping get this thing going as well as Mike Shay and all the great instructors at UW for being in it.

Today I sent PBS a copy of "Wyoming Folks: don't hibernate," our latest show about winter activities in our parks and on our trails. Also sent was, "Wyoming Folks: men in blue," about living history buffs operating in our state historic sites.

I hope these videos will encourage interest in our sites and programs from all kinds of folks.

Slated for production in the next four months are:

• "Wyoming Folks: play Oregon trail," about 20-somethings retracing the Oregon trail as they learn it's not just a popular video game from the 1980s :-)
  (taping starts this month)
• "Wyoming Folks: the great American camp out", about camping activities, camping traditions and why we do them (camp fire stories, camp fire recipes, camping tales, etc.)
• After National History Day contestants return from the final competition on the east coast, I will finish editing a piece about that contest, however I am not sure it will be broadcast length.
  

Please let me know of any questions or concerns you have about these programs as well as ideas you have for programs as well. E-mail dpeter5@state.wy.us.

Here is the link to the PBS program guide for May: http://www.wyoptv.org/guide/2009_May_Guide.pdf

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, Mike Shay of wyomingarts fame is featured in "Wyoming Folks: are afraid." Its all about scary stories and urban myths. Be very afraid.