AVA Center artists' reception tonight

Request for Qualifications from Ft. Collins

Lincoln Center Art in Public Places Project, Fort Collins, CO
Budget: $42,500
Deadline: Thursday August 27, 2009, 5:00pm

The Fort Collins, Colorado Art in Public Places Program seeks to commission an artist/team to work with the Lincoln Center Project Team as this city-owned Performing and Visual Arts Center undergoes significant renovations after providing 30 years of theatre, music, and art to the community. The goal of this project is to incorporate artistic concepts into the renovation design. Because of our early integration process, there may be an opportunity to leverage the construction budget to further expand the art opportunities.

Download the RFQ #7060 from the City of Fort Collins Purchasing website, www.fcgov.com/purchasing

Contact: Ellen Martin at emartin@fcgov.com, or 970-416-2789.

Children's lit writing workshop at Fishtrap

Plenty of writing workshops and literary conferences and bookfests scheduled for the region in September and October. But here's one more, this one in eastern Oregon near scenic Lake Wallowa:

Now is the time to sign up for Fishtrap's sixth annual Children’s Literature Writing Workshop, which will be held September 11-13 at the Fishtrap house in Enterprise, Ore. Featured are two outstanding Pacific Northwest writers, Meg Lippert (http://www.storypower.net/) and Rosanne Parry (http://www.rosanneparry.com/), who will lead 24 participants on a “Voyage of Discovery: Exploring Setting and Character in Story.”

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and berths on board are already going. For more information and to register, go to www.fishtrap.org/children.shtml. Cost is $215, including all meals except Saturday breakfast.

Mark Spragg leads Yellowstone writing course

Wyoming novelist Mark Spragg will lead a Yellowstone Association field course, "Writing Inspired by Landscape," August 31-Sept. 3, at Lamar Buffalo Ranch in YNP. Rates: $325 (member's fee $315).

Description from web site:

Immerse your writing in the inspiration of Yellowstone’s mountains and valleys. Explore how this wild landscape can determine pacing, dialogue, tone and action. You’ll pay special attention to maintaining a balance between description and narrative pacing. Develop these effects through outdoor writing exercises and sharing your writing with other participants. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you’ll come away with an understanding of the landscape of character.

Lodging at the Lamar Valley Buffalo Ranch is recommended for this course. You can book your cabin when you register.

Start: August 31 at 7 p.m. End: September 3 at 4 p.m.

FMI: http://www.yellowstoneassociation.org/institute/

Wyoming Plein Air event begins today

Native Emerging Artists Training begins 8/19

Call for entries: SCR Fiction Prize

The Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California and Southern California Review announce the Second Annual SCR Fiction Prize. First prize is $1,000; second prize, $200; third prize, $100.

Guidelines:
• Send one story of up to 8,000 words with a $10 reading fee payable to Southern California Review. Foreign currency is not accepted. Multiple entries are permitted, but a separate check should be included with each entry. All entrants will receive a complimentary copy of Southern California Review.
• All stories must be typed and previously unpublished.
• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please note this in your cover letter and notify us immediately of acceptance elsewhere.
• Include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for contest results.
• Complete the cover sheet or type your name, address, email address, and day and evening phone numbers with the title of the story. No name or address should appear on the manuscript copy.
• The winning entry will appear in the spring 2010 issue of Southern California Review.
• Deadline: Postmarked by August 31, 2009.

Mail submissions to:
Master of Professional Writing
Southern California Review Fiction Prize
3501 Trousdale Parkway
Mark Taper Hall, THH 355J
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0355

FMI: www.usc.edu/scr

Wyoming BookFest Sept. 19 in Lions Park

From Tina Lackey, Wyoming State Library:

Returning in the name of fun, knowledge and entertainment, the second Wyoming Book Festival will take place Sept. 19 in Cheyenne.

The book festival will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Lions Park. The last book festival, held in September 2007 on the Capitol Grounds, but this year organizers chose to move the event based on festival feedback.

"We had a really great turnout last time, and we made sure to listen to those attendees in order to create a better festival the next time," says Wyoming State Library Publications and Marketing Manager Tina Lackey.

"Festival goers told us the past festival was too spread out, which made it difficult to attend all the events. This time we made it much more convenient for them."

Organizers have also chosen to reduce the number of featured authors to make for a more intimate, informative festival. The festival will showcase these eight authors: Margaret Coel, Tina Forkner, Gene Gagliano, Craig Johnson, Zak Pullen, Cindy Reynders, Peg Sundberg "Cowgirl Peg" and Cat Urbigkit.

In addition, festival goers can participate in children’s crafts, visit with storybook characters, explore the authors’ fair, and much more.

"This is a great opportunity for people in the area to do something that is both educational and fun. We’re excited to have the festival again, and hope to see the same kind of enthusiasm we saw last time," Lackey says.

For more information, visit the Wyoming Book Festival’s Web site at www.wyomingbookfestival.org or the book festival blog at http://wyobookfest.blogspot.com

White House hosts country music workshop

Just in time for National Day of the Cowboy (July 25):

Last Tuesday, country music artists Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss (along with her band Union Station), and legend Charlie Pride performed and worked with students who came to a country music workshop held at the White House. Second in a series spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama, 120 middle and high school music students from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia learned about songwriting and how to perform from the award-winning artists. The workshop followed a jazz offering by the Marsalis family last month, and a classical music workshop is next up on the agenda.

--SAANbox newsletter, Americans for the Arts

Fly-fishing love stories -- and more -- on "Fishing Music II"

Grady Kirkpatrick spent part of today's "KUWR Morning Music" show playing excerpts from "Fishing Music II" from Snake River Records.

The jaunty opening song is "Little Miss Cutthroat" which you might call a fly-fishing love story:

Little Miss Cutthroat
my Yellowstone dreamboat
more than just my fly
is hooked on you

The song features Wyoming's Mike Dowling on guitar. Take a look at the video:

On book tour, Craig Johnson finds surprises at Autry Museum of Western Heritage

Mystery novelist Craig Johnson recounts his experience at L.A.'s (Gene) Autry Museum of Western Heritage in his latest Post-It e-letter.

Craig has a few stops left on his book tour:

The Sheridan County/Fulmer Library, Sheridan, Thursday, August 6 at 7 p.m.

Barnes & Noble, Littleton, Colorado, August 20 at 7 p.m.

"Centennial Celebrates Cowboy Culture," Friday and Saturday, August 21-22 at the Albany County Public Library branch in Centennial. Things kick off with "An Evening with Craig Johnson" on Friday at 7 p.m. He'll be joined by the Country Club Band, and the 2009 University of Wyoming Women’s National Champion Rodeo Team. Craig thinks that this one is "going to be wild."

New WAC AIR addition: Russell Schnitzer

Latest addition to Wyoming Arts Council's Artist Image Registry: photographer Russell Schnitzer of Lander.

Russell's work "concentrates mainly on bold natural landscapes, outdoor adventure and travel, and -- substantially -- fly fishing."

His work is on display this summer at the Folklore Coffeehouse in Lander. He has also exhibited his work at The Photographer's Gallery in Denver, Flash Gallery in Lakewood, Colo., and Park Place Gallery in Kansas City. His photos have appeared in Trout Unlimited publications such as Sustaining Wyoming's Rivers and Streams (2009) and Settled, Mined and left Behind (2004). One of his favorite topics is fly fishing. Not surprising, his work has been published in Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Fish America and TROUT Magazine.

You can follow Russell's photo journeys on his blog. He's posted more than 100 of his photos on the blog and now writes that he is working on his second hundred.

The WAC's Artist Imnage Registry is open to all artists living in Wyoming. For a registration form, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/IndArtist/AIR.asp

Cat Urbigkit: "Perros guardianes, perros valientes" due out in August

Pinedale writer and photographer Cat Urbigkit sends this news:

I wanted to share news about the bilingual (Spanish) edition release of my "Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs" ("Perros guardianes, perros valientes") book. It's featured in the Boyds Mills Press fall 2009 catalog. The new edition was honored as a Junior Library Guild selection in Spring 2009 before its August release date, and will be featured in the September 2009 issue of Junior Library Guild Monthly.

Just in case you wanted to buy a copy at your favorite Wyoming independent bookstore, here are details about the book:

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; Bilingual edition (August 2009)
ISBN-10: 1590786742
ISBN-13: 978-1590786741
Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.8 x 0.2 inches

Send titles of new books by Wyoming authors

Editors of the WAC's Artscapes newsletter are looking for information on new books by Wyoming authors to include in the August issue. We're specifically interested in fall titles, due to be released September through December, 2009. Please e-mail the following info to either Linda Coatney or Mike Shay by July 31: Book title, author, ISBN number, category (romance, poetry, children's, etc.) and projected release date.

We are always interested in books, publications, exhibits, concerts, performances or any news about creative people in Wyoming. Just send it our way.

Craaazy weekend in Sheridan -- art exhibits, book sales and county fair

Sheridan Stationery Books & Gallery, 206 Main St. in Sheridan, will be participating in the downtown "Crazy Days" sidewalk sale on Thursday, July 30 through Saturday, Aug. 1. The bookstore says it will feature "lots of great deals and craaazy prices!" This weekend also features the Sheridan County Fair at the fairgrounds and the Big West Arts Festival on the Sheridan College campus. Big weekend in Sheridan.

Sheridan's next Third Thursday Street Festival will be held on Thursday, Aug. 20, 5-9 p.m. The city closes Main Street to vehicular traffic and all the stores are open, including Sheridan Stationery. Stop in and buy a book by your favorite Wyoming author. The store has a craaazy selection! Wyomingarts buys a book there every time that he/she/it visits Sheridan.

Also on the weekend schedule: Farmers' markets, Big Horn Polo and tours of Wagon Box and Fetterman battlefields.

Jax Store in Fort Collins holding regional author recognition day Sept. 12

This came via the wyomingwriters e-list on yahoo.com:

My name is Dan Bonomo. I am writing on behalf of Jax Mercantile Co.

We are holding a local author recognition day at our Jax Farm and Ranch store, 1000 Hwy. 287 north of Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, Sept. 12.

We have already contacted all of the authors we carry who we know to live locally, but wanted to get the word out to as many local authors as possible.The event will be held Sept. 12 at the Jax Farm and Ranch store.There will be a book signing from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with coffee and rolls served before the signing starts. We will provide name tags, tables, and space to sell books and mingle with other local authors, and booklovers.

Additionally, we will be advertising the event in our regular print channels, as well as online.

Authors should bring books for sale, cash for change and a credit card machine if they accept credit cards. This will be a free event, and Jax will not be expecting any royalties from the books sold at the event.

If you would like to pass this information along to your authors living primarily in Laramie and Cheyenne in Wyoming and the Colorado towns of Boulder, Greeley, Estes Park, Loveland, Windsor, Longmont, Berthoud, Walden, and Wellington, we would be very appreciative.

RSVP by contacting Lola Quinlan at lquinlan@jaxmercantile.com or info@jaxmercantile.com or 1-800-336-8314.

Check out the 2009 Wyoming Arts Summit

Wyoming Arts Summit 2009 will be held September 24-25, at Little America in Cheyenne.

[Update: On July 30, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's office emailed the WAC office saying the mayor has committed to another function and is unavailable for the summit]

Two presenters invited back from the 2007 summit after receiving exceptionally positive responses from attendess are Patrick Overton and Stuart Rosenfeld. Overton is director of the Front Porch Institute in Astoria, Oregon, which creates resources for rural and small community arts and cultural development. Rosenfeld serves as a principal in Regional Technology Strategies located in Carrboro, North Carolina, which assists governments, foundations, and other organizations with economic development strategies.

Presenter Kelly J. Barsdate has managed the National Association of State Arts Agencies strategic collaborations with partners such as the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the NEA, among many others.

Session topics include Mayors & Their Creative Communities, Creating Festivals, Sheridan—Creative Community Spotlight and Artists on Main Street, among others.

Three pre-conference presentations by WAC staffers will take place on September 23. Topics include using evaluation data to tell the story of your program; a discussion on rural community development and the arts; and a session in grants training.

A block of tickets for the UW vs. UNLV football game on Saturday, September 26 have been held for those wishing to attend the game after conference’s end. Tickets can be purchased for $28.00 each on the registration form. Other activities include a Wednesday evening UW Art Museum-hosted 20:20 presentation, where individual artists, organizations, or towns can show their work or latest project, and a Thursday evening reception at the Old West Museum in Frontier Park.

For further information about Wyoming Arts Summit 2009, call the Wyoming Arts Council at (307) 777-7742.

Douglas Art Show & Sale Aug. 7-9

From a Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources press release:

Accomplished artists from three states will be featured during the 18th Annual Douglas Invitational Art Show and Sale at the Wyoming Pioneer Museum in Douglas August 7-9.

The show begins Aug. 7 with a “Meet the Artists” opening night reception 7-11 p.m. The evening features a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Tickets for the opening reception are $25 each.

The show continues on Aug. 8 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The popular Quick Draw event will begin followed by a wine and cheese reception. During the Quick Draw, artists are given an hour to produce a piece of art. These artistic pieces are then auctioned beginning at 3 p.m.

The show continues on Aug. 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Artists’ mediums include watercolor, acrylics, oils, bronze, woodcarving and pottery.

FMI: 307-358-9288.

Fiddle Championship in Casper Aug. 14-16

Casper's Ann Robinson sent this:

The 18th Annual Rocky Mountain Regional Fiddle Championships & Oldtime Music Festival will be held on August 14-16 at the Casper Best Western Ramkota Hotel, 800 N. Poplar Street, Casper.

There will be an informal jam session Friday night, competition begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, and workshops will be held on Sunday morning.

FMI: Go to www.casperwyofiddleclub.com or e-mail Ann Robinson, event chairman, agrobinson@bresnan.net

One-time Cheyennite a WILLA Award finalist

Pam Nowak, my one-upon-a-time writing colleague in the Cheyenne Area Writers' Group, was notified July 24 that her 2008 novel "Chances" has received a 2009 WILLA Finalist Award in Historical Fiction from Women Writing the West.

Pam will travel to the Women Writing the West conference Sept. 11-13 on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles to find out if she wins the WILLA.

Happy trails, Pam. And good luck.

--Mike Shay

Call for artists: Rosa Parks Transit Station

The City of Gainesville Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Art in Public Places Trust invite artists or artist teams to submit applications for the Rosa Parks Regional Transit Service (RTS) Downtown Station.

The public artwork will be installed at the Rosa Parks RTS Downtown Station. The space allows for lighting, tile, panels and paving of the artist’s design, choice and materials. The theme is left to the artist’s discretion, but the artist may choose to use the title of the station (Rosa Parks) as inspiration for the design. This public art project will enhance the aesthetic quality of the busy downtown bus station for those who use its services everyday. The artwork will be accessible and contribute to Gainesville’s community pride.

One artist or a team of artists will be selected after the following information has been reviewed. The following documentation must arrive by the postmark deadline of Friday, August 14, 2009:

1. Letter of Interest: This one page maximum letter should outline the artist’s approach to public art. Please highlight relevant past experience on projects of similar budget and scope.
2. General Design Concept/Theme Proposal: Describe your overall “theme” and style of artwork. Include artist name, fees, for all service, drawings, and any additional services provided upon invoice. Explain your proposed schedule, process, medium and method by which you will involve the Downtown RTS Bus Station users in concept development and/or design development.
3. Professional Resume: Resumes should not be more than two pages. Please note that artist teams should submit a resume for each team member.
4. Fabrication and Installation: Describe the anticipated fabrication and installation needs for the permanent art work.
5. Annotated Image List: The image list must be provided with the Artist’s name, title, location, medium, dimensions, date of work, budget, the corresponding image number and short description of images (up to 10 maximum). The format for this submission should be on a CD in .jpg format, with each image no larger than 1MB.6.

Return Envelope: Self-addressed and stamped. Mail Application Materials (Postmarked by August 14, 2009) to: City of Gainesville Art in Public Places Trust Rosa Parks RTS Downtown Station Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, Station 30 PO Box 490, Gainesville, FL 32602-0490.

For additional questions please contact Erin Friedberg, Visual ArtsCoordinator, City of Gainesville Division of Cultural Affairs, (352) 393 – 8532.E-mail: friedbereh@cityofgainesville.org

Deadline: August 14, 2009

Call for proposals: TransCultural Exchange

TransCultural Exchange is now accepting proposals for its Spring 2011 Exhibition Series entitled "Here, There and Everywhere: The Art of Collaboration."

Alert to the internet’s dissolving of borders and the explosion of innovation through collaboration, TransCultural Exchange invites artists working in all disciplines to reach out to individuals around the world to create works for a second series of collaborative exhibitions entitled Here, There and Everywhere: The Art of Collaboration.

Proposals are currently being accepted. For more information please go to http://transculturalexchange.org/herethere/submissions_2010.htm.

Exhibitions of the resultant collaborative projects will be included in TransCultural Exchange’s catalog for "Here,There and Everywhere: The Art of Collaboration", on the organizaion’s website and at the 2011 Conference on International Opportunities in the Arts, which will take place in Boston April 8-10, 2011.

Applications for inclusion in the project are due November 15, 2009.
Accepted artists and venues will be notified by December 15, 2009.

Mark Your Calendars: TransCultural Exchange's 2011 Conference on International Opportunities in the Arts, April 8-10, 2011, Boston.

Poulet's "Images of Wind River Country" set for July 30 at Teton Co. Library

From a press release:

Join award-winning French photographer Claude Poulet as he presents a slideshow of his images captured in “Wind River Country, Hidden Heart of Wyoming,” the recently-published coffee table book. The slide show, "Images of Wind River Country" by Claude Poulet, takes place on Thursday, July 30 from 7-8 p.m. in Teton County Library’s Ordway Auditorium in Jackson. A book signing will follow the presentation, which is free and open to the community with support from donations, large and small, to the Teton County Library Foundation.

Poulet’s photos have formed the framework for a number of French picture books about the West and other far flung places in the world. About 25 years ago he fell in love with the American West and has spent much of his time here since. As he researched the area, he became aware of the fact that, despite countless books about Wyoming and places like Jackson Hole, very little had been written about Wind River Country. The Wind Rivers encompass the Wind River Indian Reservation of more than 2 million acres, Wyoming’s highest peak and vast uncrowded national forests.

Poulet collaborated with writer Bayard Fox, owner of the Bitterroot Ranch, to create the book “Wind River Country, Hidden Heart of Wyoming,” with intriguing essays and illustrative photos about everything from the astounding landscape to the history and present-day culture of the surrounding communities. It was published in 2008 by Fremont County Publishing based in Riverton.

For more information about Poulet’s slide show and talk, contact the library’s Adult Humanities Coordinator Oona Doherty at 733-2164 ext. 135. You can also visit the library online at http://www.tclib.org/.

Music & Poetry Series present Todd Scott Trio and Nina McConigley

From the ARTCORE web site:

The ARTCORE Music & Poetry Series presents the Todd Scott Trio and fiction writer Nina McConigley on Monday, Aug. 3, 7:30 p.m., at The Jazz Spot in Casper.

THE TODD SCOTT TRIO: Todd and Larry met at Casper College and formed the group "Baboomba" in 1973, which recorded many of Larry's hit songs and resurfaced last May. Larry and Amy have worked together off and on for the last 17 years. Todd heard her incredibly dynamic interpretation of Sam Cooke's "Bring it on home to me" and that provided the inspiration for the group that would ultimately become the Todd Scott Trio.

Hailing from Maryland, Amy Gieske has been in Casper for the past twenty eight years. She has worked with The Little Luke Band and Jalan Crossland, and currently, her bass playing provides the backbone for both the Todd Scott Trio and the Jeff Finlan Band.

Larry Neff began playing professionally at the age of 15 and has spent most of the last 37 years slaving over a hot piano. In 1980 he won the Wyoming Songwriter Contest with a song called "Out of the Frying Pan". Larry started out playing mostly rock and roll in numerous bands, most notably Zephyr out of Boulder, Colo. Then, he met the legendary country guitar player, Thumbs Carlyle, who offered him a gig in Las Vegas where they were the opening act for every big name in country music, including Merle Haggard,, Reba Macintyre, Alabama, and The Oakridge Boys.

Todd Scott moved back to Casper almost two years ago, having spent the last twenty years in Boston, starting a family and collecting graduate college degrees. He currently is the organist of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and he has been the guitarist for Casper College musical productions including "Little Shop of Horrors" and "A Chorus Line". He is also active in the Wyoming Blues and Jazz Society and classical organ at the Bach’s Lunch recital series at the First United Methodist Church.

NINA McCONIGLEY: Nina was born in Singapore and grew up in Wyoming . She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston , where she was an Inprint Brown Foundation Fellow. She also holds an MA in English from the University of Wyoming and a BA in Literature from Saint Olaf College . She is the winner of a Barthelme Memorial Fellowship in Non-Fiction and served as the Non-Fiction Editor of Gulf Coast: a Journal of Literature and Fine Arts. Her play, Owen Wister, Considered was one of five plays produced in 2005 for the Edward Albee New Playwrights Festival, in which Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Lanford Wilson was the producer. She has been awarded a work-study scholarship to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, 2005-2009. She has worked as a writer for the Casper Star-Tribune and as writer-in-residence for the non-profit Writers in the Schools in Houston . She has been nominated for The Best New American Voices 2009 and her work has appeared in The Virginia Quarterly Review, Puerto del Sol, and Forklift, Ohio. She is currently finishing a collection of short stories, Cowboys and East Indians.

Call for artists: Park City Ice Arena banners

From a press release:

We are pleased to announce a new opportunity for public art in Park City, Utah.

We are seeking visual art that will be placed on banners at the Park City Ice Arena.

Please review the RFP document at www.parkcity.org/onlineservices/downloadabledocs.html

FMI: Sharon Bauman, City Manager's Office, Park City Municipal Corp., 435-615-5184.

American Life in Poetry #227

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006: Jane Hirshfield, a Californian and one of my favorite poets, writes beautiful image-centered poems of clarity and concision, which sometimes conclude with a sudden and surprising deepening. Here's just one example.

Green-Striped Melons

They lie
under stars in a field.
They lie under rain in a field.
Under sun.

Some people
are like this as well--
like a painting
hidden beneath another painting.

An unexpected weight
the sign of their ripeness.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright (c)2008 by Jane Hirshfield, whose most recent book of poems is "After," Harper Collins, 2006. Poem reprinted from "Alaska Quarterly," Vol. 25, nos. 3 & 4, Fall & Winter, 2008, by permission of Jane Hirshfield and the publisher. Introduction copyright (c)2009 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

American Life in Poetry provides newspapers and online publications with a free weekly column featuring contemporary American poems. The sole mission of this project is to promote poetry: American Life in Poetry seeks to create a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. There are no costs for reprinting the columns; we do require that you register your publication here and that the text of the column be reproduced without alteration

Jentel Presents Aug. 4 at Sheridan Stationery

Press release from the Jentel Artist Residency Program:

Summer heats up and so do the talents of the new residents at Jentel Artist Residency Program in Banner. Jentel is pleased to present this month’s residents in an event open to the public. “Jentel Presents” will take place Tuesday, August 4, 5:30-7 p.m. at Sheridan Stationery. This month’s presenters include a mixed media artist, a multiple genre writer, a poet/musician, a photographer/videographer, an oil painter, and an acrylic painter. “Jentel Presents” is a community outreach program that features visual presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Presenters include: Tori Ellison, Seattle; Tori is a mixed media artist interested in the process and structures of nature, Asian art and puppetry. She spent many summers as a child in the three-corners region. Kelly Madigan Erlandson, Lincoln, NE; Kelly is a multiple genre writer and has developed a psychological theory about the significance of a person’s first memory. She might be willing to analyze yours. Heidi Hart, Salt Lake City; Heidi is a poet and musician and is exploring the act of listening as a way to gather material for her creative work. Patricia McInroy, Albuquerque; Patricia is a photographer/videographer who grew up in Wyoming and previously worked as a photojournalist for the Casper Star-Tribune. Currently she makes experimental videos, teaches and talks about snow fences to anyone who will listen. Melanie Vote, Brooklyn, NY; Melanie is an oil painter and uses straightforward realism to depict middle-American landscapes, creates surprise by transposing existing landmarks with monolithic iconography, asking what might our culture leave behind. Nathan Wasserbauer, Astoria, NY; Nathan is an acrylic painter who has learned about history, mythology, philosophy mixed with comic books, cartoons and sci-fi. He is excited to be a part of a new generation of artists visualizing this unique cultural experience.

For anyone looking for a stimulating evening, come join the crowd at Sheridan Stationery. There is no admission charge for “Jentel Presents” and refreshments are available.

The Jentel Foundation offers dedicated individuals a supportive environment in which to further their creative development. While at Jentel, visual artists and writers have the opportunity to experience unfettered time to allow for thoughtful reflection and meditation on the creative process in a setting that preserves the agricultural and historical integrity of the land.

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.

Photo: Front: Patricia McInroy; Center (l to r): Heidi Hart, Tori Ellison, Nathan Wasserbauer, Kelly Madigan Erlandson; Back: Melanie Vote

Apply now for "Arts in Healthcare" grants

Johnson & Johnson, working in partnership with the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, seeks to promote the use of the arts to enhance the healthcare experience for patients, their families, and caregivers. From 2001–2009, grants have been provided to 117 programs in the United States and Canada representing leading models and initiatives in high-quality healthcare through the use of arts. Proposals are now being sought from healthcare and/or arts organizations that have established arts in healthcare programs with evidence of initial impact.

Deadline is Oct. 15, 2009

FMI: http://thesah.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=15

Your town can be a "Distinctive Destination"

From a press release:

The Dozen Distinctive Destinations program recognizes unique cities and towns across the country working to preserve their historic character, promote heritage tourism, enhance their community and encourage others to enjoy all they have to offer. Each year since 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has selected 12 destinations from across the country that offer authentic visitor experiences by combining dynamic downtowns, diverse cultural activities, attractive architecture, and a strong commitment to historic preservation, sustainability and revitalization.

The public will vote on a "fan favorite" from among the 12 selected destinations. The National Trust for Historic Preservation will announce the winner of the popular vote in early March 2010.

What makes your community distinctive?

• An Authentic Experience: Historic character and charm, a variety of actives – including museums, tours, art galleries, festivals and other attractions – that will appeal to individuals, couples and families
• A Dynamic Downtown: A vibrant main street, a well-preserved historic district, locally owned businesses
• A Commitment to Preservation: Diverse cultural traditions, structures and events, dedicated local organizations and volunteers
• A Green Ethic: Local food products, walking and bike tours, commitment to sustainability and revitalization
• A Heritage Tourism Infrastructure: Locally owned retail shops, historic lodging, and unique dining options
  

If selected, your community will benefit by receiving:

• Promotion through the National Trust for Historic Preservation web site, which receives over 200,000 visitors a month, and an entire web page dedicated to your destination.
• Inclusion in a feature story about the Distinctive Destinations in Preservation magazine.
• Support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in planning a local media event. Past events have included governors, senators, mayors, local representatives, and community members.
• A promotional toolkit and press release.
• A certificate and plaque from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
• The title of 2010 Dozen Distinctive Destination and use of the program logo on all materials. Check out some examples of what other Distinctive Destinations have done with their designation and the program logo.
  

Important dates:

• All nomination materials must be submitted by Sept. 1, 2009.
• Applicants will be notified in early January of 2010.
• The National Announcement of the 2010 Dozen Distinctive Destinations® will take place on February 3, 2010.
• Winner of the popular vote will be announced on March 1, 2010.
  

Questions? Contact Special Projects Coordinator Joelle Schatz at 202.588.6141 or Dozen@nthp.org.

Call for artists: Sign up now for next 20:20

This news comes from our friends at the UW Art Museum:

The next 20:20 event is set for Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7-9 p.m. at Little America in Cheyenne. It will be held in conjunction with the Wyoming Arts Council's Arts Summit.

This 20:20 is the second in a series of three events hosted by the UW Art Museum. In the past, 20:20 was held specifically for artists from the southeast region of the state, but the event in September is open to all statewide artists, arts organizations and art educators. Because it is being held in conjunction with the Arts Summit, writers, musicians and performing artists are also encouraged to sign up.

20:20 is a fast-paced presentation format where presenters are allowed 20 images, in PowerPoint format, and each image is only shown for 20 seconds. The result is a 6 minute and 40 second presentation. This allows for as many people as possible to show their latest work, their accomplishments, new projects and new ideas. 20:20 is meant to encourage dialogue and networking among colleagues throughout the state. It's a great opportunity to update and inform the Wyoming arts community.

Sign up is on a first come, first served basis. Images must be submitted in PowerPoint format no later than Wednesday, September 9. For more information or to sign up, please contact Art Museum Assistant Curator Rachel Miller at 307-766-6621 or rmiller@uwyo.edu.

Bryan Ragsdale at Lincoln County libraries

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Bryan Ragsdale will be performing twice in Lincoln County during the next month.

Bryan will perform and present a songwriting workshop on Monday, July 27 (today!) at 11 a.m. in the Lincoln County Library in Kemmerer. This event is also free to the public and is sponsored in part by the Wyoming Arts Council through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State Legislature. Bryan will be in the Cokeville Branch Library on Wednesday, August 12, at 11 a.m.

FMI: Lincoln County Library, Brenda McGinnis, 307-877-6961

What's happening on the Jackson arts scene?

Brigid Mander explores the local arts scene in the July 22 Planet Jackson Hole and finds some good stuff happening. Go to http://www.planetjh.com/news/A_105243.aspx

UW Joins National Day of the Cowboy observance

The University of Wyoming will commemorate the National Day of the Cowboy Saturday, July 25.

Sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Wyoming's late U.S. Senator, Craig Thomas, the National Day of the Cowboy is a day the Senate sets aside for Americans to celebrate the contribution of the Cowboy and Cowgirl to America's culture and heritage. It commemorates our cowboy and Western heritage, and honors working cowboys and ranchers, Western musicians and artists, cowboy poets and all the others who continue to contribute to our cowboy and Western culture. University of Wyoming author Robert Roripaugh, Cowboy Poet Tim Rush and creative writer Samuel Stenger Renken have contributed works that reflect this cowboy theme.

Cowboys and the University of Wyoming have a special relationship. Wyoming alumi, faculty, staff and students continue to contribute to this heritage.

The nickname "Cowboys" was applied to Wyoming athletic teams as early as 1891 - two years before the first official football game. The story is that the Wyoming pick-up football team appealed to a 220 pound cowpuncher, Fred Bush, for help in a game against the Cheyenne Soldiers. Bush signed up for a course or two and came out for the team. When he trotted onto the field decked out in a checkered shirt and Cowboy hat, someone yelled, "Hey, look at the Cowboy!" Since many of the members of the team were also ex-cowboys, the name stuck.

The works contributed are excerpts from Roripaugh's "The Ranch" and his book "The Legend of Billy Jenks"; Professor Rush's poem "State of Mind"; and Renken's "The Price of Hay's Gone Up Terribly."

Peter Pan on the Casper College stage

Click on image for larger view

On my trip to Casper last week, I was able to get to the Saturday performance of Casper College's production of Peter Pan in the recently flooded Gertrude Krampert Theatre. There was no visible evidence of that circumstance, but the performance began a few minutes late due to some last minute technical difficulties. I did hear that Friday's opening night performance had to be cancelled because of a power outage that was caused by a bus running into a power pole on 2nd Street, but I haven't been able to confirm that. At any rate, the play was first rate, and is the case with Casper College productions. It was wonderful, in that intimate setting, to see Peter Pan come off a the window ledge and fly across the stage out above the audience.

Tom Empey directed this production and in the program talks about seeing the movie Finding Neverland in 2004 as inspiring him to once again (they had done Peter Pan in 1995) do Peter Pan. He loved the acting, the emotions and most of all the look and feel of the movie, particularly in the scenes from Peter Pan. He wanted to try and create that look and feel with this production. He also notes that in 2004, he was privileged to see the play in The Duke of York's Theatre in London, where Peter Pan was first staged in 1904.

Micheal Stedillie, drama instructor at Kelly Walsh High School for that last 20 years, played Mr. Darling and Captain Hook, and was both humorously a clueless father and inept villian. Faith Engen played Peter Pan and she was engaging as the the boy who never wants to grow up. A college student now, Faith was a student of Stedillie's in high school.

There were 38 performers, and most had elaborate costumes, which were inventive and terrific. As to be expected, there were many children of all ages in the audience who laughed and booed and gasped. When Peter asks the audience to clap if they believed in fairies, so Tink's fading life would light back up, there was a vigorous response.

Great fun.

Call for entries from Lander Art Center

The Lander Art Center is currently accepting entries for a fall exhibition, Transformation: Found Materials and Contemporary Works of Art.

The exhibition will include local, regional and national artists whose ingenious and unique approach to found materials forces the viewer to look beyond their current frame of reference. Through the artistic process of alteration, the found material is given new context. The
dialogue between viewer, object and artist is transformed anew as the object's history takes on a new meaning with or without reference to a past life.

This exhibit will run from September 28 through November 13, 2009 with an opening reception October 2. Please contact Lennie at the Lander Art Center landerartcenter@bresnan.net for a complete guideline about the exhibit as well as submission details and application. Application deadline is August 17, 2009.

Cheyenne Frontier Days

Coming to work this morning, I thought I'd get here early to beat the parade entries that begin to line up on the street just north of the Arts Council's office, and get a parking place in the garage. At 7:30 this morning, there weren't many assembled, but the 24-count packs of bottled water were being dropped off on corners along the parade route from the rented truck, enough at each point that they were stacked two or three high in two and three rows. I walked down the street to the post office, had invites to mail for my mother's upcoming surprise party, and saw the pick-up truck and flatbed trailer that pulls the giant-sized pair of jeans (representative of the Frontier Days legend) parked there, waiting to pull into its place in the parade. It was a beautiful morning and I had some time to dally before work, so I walked the block east to the coffee house. A group of three people were slowly walking down the street, looking back and forth. I must have looked enough like a local, one of them asked me if this was the street that the parade went down. "No, I said, just go one block over, and you'll be good." "So I guess those chairs we set up down there," the young man in the group said, pointing, "won't do us any good." He and the other man took off to move them, and the woman ended up in line a few customers behind me at the coffee place. The group of people in front of me were getting their parade munchies, and I don't think that one of the ladies had ever been in a Starbuck's before. Simplicity abounds. On the way back, another group of people had set up their chairs almost in the exact wrong place that the others had, but were already in the throes of packing up and moving. It's pink shirt day, and everybody that works and volunteers wears a pink shirt to bring attention to and collect donations for breast cancer awareness. The guys who man the water stations are cowboy-hatted, helpful and friendly, saying as I passed by two of them on my walking trip this morning, "When you get thirsty, come on back and get some water. It's free." My daughter and grandsons will be in the parade this morning. They'll be in the prairie schooner.

This is the 113th time that Cheyenne has done Frontier Days, and they are a well-organized machine. But I thought about the extraordinary effort by all of the people ( and there are many) who work to make all of this happen. It's a steeped tradition here in Cheyenne, and people from all over the world pass through this town during this incredible rodeo-based festival. From my office window, I can see a large group of riders on horses has assembled, and two of the old yellow Yellowstone buses are parked on the street. So I'm going to watch the parade this morning, hopefully see the family and wave, and try and get a decent picture of them. And grab a bottled water.

Linda Coatney

Cave exploration at Sinks Canyon State Park

Have you ever dreamed of exploring the depths of a real cave? Traveling underground where you would find a cool, winding underground spring?

Through the Wyoming Kids Xtreme program, developed by the Wyoming Division of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails, kids will get the chance to participate in real cave exploration at Sinks Canyon State Park.

On August 22, State Park employees will take kids and their parents on a tour of a Sinks Canyon State Park cave. In addition, staff will be on hand for the Sinks Canyon Junior Ranger Program that is will "kick-off" this summer.

To participate, kids are asked to fill out the application found at the following link http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Kids/KidsXtremeAPPLICATION.pdf. Once the application is accepted, participants will be notified of their time slot for the Cave Adventure.

For more information, please contact State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails Administrator Domenic Bravo at 307-777-6324, or via email at dbravo@state.wy.us.

American Life in Poetry

By Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006
Elizabeth Bishop, one of our greatest American poets, once wrote a long poem in which the sudden appearance of a moose on a highway creates a community among a group of strangers on a bus. Here Ronald Wallace, a Wisconsin poet, gives us a sighting with similar results.

Sustenance

Australia. Phillip Island. The Tasman Sea.
Dusk. The craggy coastline at low tide in fog.
Two thousand tourists milling in the stands
as one by one, and then in groups, the fairy penguins
mass up on the sand like so much sea wrack and
debris. And then, as on command, the improbable
parade begins: all day they've been out fishing
for their chicks, and now, somehow, they find them
squawking in their burrows in the dunes, one by one,
two by two, such comical solemnity, as wobbling by
they catch our eager eyes until we're squawking, too,
in English, French, and Japanese, Yiddish and Swahili,
like some happy wedding party brought to tears
by whatever in the ceremony repairs the rifts
between us. The rain stops. The fog lifts. Stars.
And we go home, less hungry, satisfied, to friends
and family, regurgitating all we've heard and seen.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "Sustenance" from "For A Limited Time Only," by Ronald Wallace, (c) 2008. Used by permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press. The poem first appeared in "Poetry Northwest," Vol. 41, no. 4, 2001. Introduction copyright (c)2009 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

UW Art Museum hosts Summer Teacher Art Institute

The University of Wyoming Art Museum and the UW Fine Arts Outreach department are hosting Transforming Learning: The 2009 Summer Teacher Institute, July 26 – 31.

This Institute is a concentrated week-long workshop for teachers that uses original art work as the inspiration to find answers to questions like: how can art help us explore new places? And, can art help us learn new things about those places most familiar to us? Artists Ashley Hope Carlisle, Ginnie Madsen and Mark Ritchie will discuss their "placed-based" work and provide intensive studio workshops for teachers that will allow them to explore applications for their classrooms.

Observe, question, explore, create and reflect becomes the model for discovery as teachers become students. The new Ann Simpson Artmobile exhibition, Where We Are Is Just the Beginning, will serve as resource and inspiration, as will the summer exhibits in the UW Art Museum, including the mixed media sculpture of Montana artist Tracy Linder, watercolor sketches, drawings and prints by Thomas Moran and selections from Adornment: Native American Regalia.

Registration is $50 per person. Dorm rooms, breakfast and lunch are included. Participants are responsible for their own evening meals and all travel costs. PTSB and UW credit are pending.
For additional information on the exhibitions, call the UW Art Museum at (307) 766-6622 or visit www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum. To register contact the UW Fine Arts Outreach, (307) 766-5139.

The 2009 Summer Teacher Institute is funded in part by the Sigrid See Excellence Fund for the Art Museum Teacher Institute, the UW Fine Arts Outreach Program, the UW Art Museum, the Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art.

"Imagine learning from the masters" is a guiding principle of the UW Art Museum’s programs. The museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Dr. in Laramie. The museum and Museum Store are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

MAT Camp featured in Uinta County Herald

The Uinta County Herald featured a great article today about the Music Art and Technology (MAT) Camp set for July 20-24 at David Middle School in Evanston.

Read the entire story at http://www.uintacountyherald.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=2482&page=72

For more info about the camp, call Carolee Bowen of Young Musicians at 307-679-2348.

Humanities Matter! conference Oct. 23-24

Humanities Matter!, the Wyoming Humanities Council's first statewide humanities conference, will take place October 23-24 at Central Wyoming College in Riverton.

Humanities Matter! will bring together college and university faculty, museum and library professionals, the general public, teachers, and community organizations to explore how we can work together to enrich the lives of students and community members through the humanities.

Support for Humanities Matter! is provided by the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, the Wyoming Community College Commission, and the University of Wyoming.

Further details will be posted on the WHC blog and website.

FMI: WHC Communications Coordinator Jenn Koiter. Read more here

Call for entries: "Art inspired by the night"

Electronic books a no-go for students

From Nancy Curtis, owner and publisher of High Plains Press:

here is a tidbit I thought was interesting: Northwest Missouri State University had a pilot project last year in which some 200 students were given Sony Readers that contained textbooks for four courses. "NMSU students reported the devices limited their ability to highlight, skip sections and take notes, and 40 percent said they studied less than they would have with hard-copy books, the university noted." From: Shelf Awareness, July 7, 2009

ZAPP your way into art shows with online registry

The inaugural ZAPP Conference for artists and art fair professionals will take place in Denver at the Curtis Hotel from Wednesday, August 19 through Friday, August 21, 2009. The conference agenda includes sessions and lectures on understanding image technology, tools for managing art businesses, strategies for dealing with a sluggish economy, the ZAPP jury process, organizing the art fair community, ZAPP system training and technical assistance, and more. The conference agenda, hotel information, and online registration are available by visiting www.zapplication.org and clicking the ZAPP conference information link. The ZAPP Conference will bring together artists, art fair directors and staff, consultants, and the ZAPP Team to learn more about best show practices and resources, receive hands-on training in everything from image formatting to ZAPP system procedures, and enjoy some time in the Mile High City and nearby Rocky Mountains. For additional information about the conference, please contact Lara Turner at lara.turner@westaf.org or Ryan Blum at ryan.blum@westaf.org.

ZAPP™ is brought to you by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), in partnership with eight art shows: Artigras, Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Bayou City Art Festivals, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Lakefront Festival of Arts, MAIN ST. Forth Worth Arts Festival, Metris Uptown Art Fair, and St. James Court Art Show. The cultural organization, Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. is the ninth partner. ZAPP™ enables individual artists to apply online to multiple art shows through one central Web site, http://www.ZAPPlication.org. The online application process also allows artists to directly upload digital images of their artwork for jury review. The result is that all artwork in the system is in a consistent, high-quality, digital format. The digital images are presented to the jurors of each show and the system allows them to score online.

"Damnyankee" author at Teton County Library

Driggs, Idaho, writer Tom Walsh will talk about his new book at the Teton County Public Library on Thursday, Aug. 20, 6-7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

In "Damnyankee: A World War II Story of Tragedy and Survival" (Outskirts Press, ISBN 1432729101), Tom Walsh chronicles how he stumbled into the story of a U.S. Navy bomber lost at sea off the West of Ireland, and how an American arrived in County Galway four decades later to tell the story and claim the he, in fact, had been a member of the bomber's crew. Walsh will read from the book, answer questions and share stories from his research on both sides of the Atlantic.

FMI: Adult Humanities Coordinator Oona Doherty at 307-733-2164 ext. 135.

Another step forward for construction of new UW visual arts building

Hot off the presses from the University of Wyoming:

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees today gave its approval to request legislative authorization for the university to issue bonds for the construction of UW's top capital facilities priority -- a new building to house the university's growing visual arts program.

New art studios are planned to replace overcrowded and out-of-date facilities for visual arts, such as sculpture, art and ceramics. That would be accomplished through issuing revenue bonds not to exceed $33 million, to be paid for by UW's share of federal mineral royalties (FMRs), which are restricted by law to use for capital facilities purposes.

The Wyoming State Legislature in 2008 authorized $600,000 for Level II preliminary design. In 2009, the Legislature appropriated $2.7 million for final design and construction documents, scheduled to be in final form by January 2010. The university plans to provide the governor and legislature a guaranteed maximum price before the 2010 legislative session begins. If the bonding authority is approved, UW plans to begin construction next summer.

Completing the Art Building (to be located near the Centennial Complex that houses the UW Art Museum) and relocating the visual arts program is required before phase two of the project, renovating and expanding the existing Fine Arts building, can begin. Plans call for the improved facility to house performing arts programs. A planning and design timeframe indicates phase two would cost about $50 million, with construction envisioned to begin in at least 2013.

Family Day at UW Art Museum July 18

From a UW Art Museum press release:

Family Day at the UW Art Museum is this Saturday, July 18, from 10 am - 4 pm. The day begins with an Art Talk by Montana artist Tracy Linder at 10:30 am. Tracy has been an Artist in Residence this week in the Shelton Studio, and has been working with students to create and shape handmade paper during the annual Paint Pony Express classes. The Art Talk is free and open to the public.

Family Day includes free art making activities for artists of all ages. The theme of this year’s Family Day is "Ranch Stories." Families will be able to ask Tracy Linder questions about her work and what it's like living on a ranch and how she came to be an artist. She will be on hand to talk about the unique materials she uses and the subjects that interest her. Papermaking materials are supplied by the Shelton Studio. Participants can learn how to make and cast paper, and create truly unique items from this fun (and wet!) medium. Come prepared to work outside in the sun. Family Day is free and open to the public.

FMI: 307-766-3496.

Music & books highlight Centennial event

The Centennial Library and Cultural Association is going to whoop it up Aug. 21-22.

Here are the details:

Aug. 21: An Evening with Craig Johnson, mystery writer from Ucross and author of Another Man's Moccasins, 7 p.m. at the Centennial Library. Free to CLCA members; $10 for others.

Aug. 22: Centennial Celebrates Cowboy Culture at UW President's Cabin at Horseshoe Haven in Rainbow Valley, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. A family and community event sponsored by the CLCA to benefit the general maintenance fund. Admission ticket includes music by Country Club Band and lunch by the Albany County Cowbells. Afternoon features Craig Johnson, mystery author; UW Rodeo Team; Tim Rush, cowboy poet; Julianne Couch, author of Jukeboxes and Jackalopes: A Wyoming Bar Journey; Miss Jubilee Days. Tickets $20 adults, $5 youth to age 16 available at Friendly Store, Mountain View Hotel and Old Corral) or contact the Centennial Library at 307-745-8393.

Aug 22: Michael Hurwitz (shown in photo) and the Aimless Drifters from Alta will perform at the Trading Post in Centennial beginning at 8 p.m.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Both Julianne Couch and Mike Hurwitz are on the Wyoming Arts Council artists' roster. Bring them to your community through an Arts Across Wyoming grant. Go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/

Judith Weikle on stage in Jackson July 17

Judith Weikle and Liz McCorquodale will perform together at the Jackson Hole Art Fair in Jackson's Miller Park on Friday, July 17, 5-6 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Weikle, a Celtic musician and folk singer, is new to the Wyoming Arts Council roster. If you would like to bring her to your community through an Arts Across Wyoming grant, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/ and click on grants on the left sidebar. The view Judith's bio and contact info, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Apps/Roster/Results.asp. FMI: 307-777-7742.

Chamber mixes it up with art at AVA

Opera Colorado finds new fans in Wyoming

Opera Colorado's Spotlight newsletter featured an article, "Wyoming Welcomes Opera Colorado Artists," in its latest issue:

On May 16, Opera Colorado broke new ground with a program at the Governor's Residence in Cheyenne, Wyoming, sponsored by Pinnacle Bank and Chris and Joy Dinsdale. More than 100 area residents -- some from as far away as Laramie -- were treated to a program of arias and ensemble by the Opera Colorado Young Artists, and enjoyed wine and hors d'oeuvres courtesy of Pinnacle Bank. This successful event was organized by Opera Colorado Board Member and Cheyenne resident Muffy Moore, along with others from the Cheyenne area arts community. Those present agreed that the event could serve as the inaugural meeting of a Wyoming opera-lovers association, and plans are underway for additional programs in area schools, at the civic center and in the colleges. In addition, some of the attendees will be organizing group trips to Denver to see Opera Colorado performances. Special thanks to Muffy and Pinnacle Bank for bringing Opera Colorado to Wyoming! To get involved with this Wyoming opera-lovers association, please contact Lori Siegling at 303.778.0389 or lsiegling@operacolorado.org.

Muffy Moore is a former board member of the Wyoming Arts Council.

Wyomingarts attended the May 16 event, and it fed his/her/its newly-acquired opera habit.

New arts building topic of UW trustees' meeting

When wyomingarts was in Laramie on Monday, University of Wyoming art department faculty members said they were excited about the proposed new arts building for the campus. It will house faculty offices, studios/classrooms and a spacious gallery, among other things. Proposed site for the new building is adjacent to the UW Art Museum. This set-up locates UW's visual arts resources in one section of the campus, which will be a boon to a fine faculty roster (many of who are WAC fellowship recipients), a burgeoning group of 230-some undergrad students, and the UW art museum and its incredible array of exhibitions. UW cut its graduate-level visual arts program some years ago, but this new complex may spur its future return.

One question: have UW budget cuts impacted this project?

All of this will be a topic at this week's UW board of trustee's meeting. These meetings are open to the public.

Here's more info from an Associated Press story in this morning's Casper Star-Tribune:

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees has called a special meeting to address subjects including construction of a new arts building.

The board will meet at 11 a.m. Thursday on campus to approve the university's 2010 construction request to the state.UW wants to issue no more than $33 million in revenue bonds to fund the arts project and then pay the debt with federal mineral royalties.

The university hopes to begin constructing a new arts building next year and to begin expanding the existing Fine Arts building in 2013 to house performing arts.

The board will also consider a plan to pay $1.1 million to help construct the Intertribal Education and Community Center at Central Wyoming College in exchange for a 50-year lease for UW's Outreach School.

King Coal Days in Hanna July 31-Aug. 2

King Coal Days 2009 in the historic mining town of Hanna will features concerts, talent show, parade, horseshoe and poker tournaments and lots of food. All events held at the Hanna Rec Center.

On Friday, July 31, 8 p.m., T-Band will perform in concert. On Saturday, Aug. 1, Trucker's Daughter will play for a street dance from 8-11 p.m.

Hanna is located two miles north of the junction of highways 72 and 30 in Carbon County.

FMI: 307-325-9402.

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/.

Make your own porcelain bottles at AVA

Missy Raines & The New Hip in Pinedale 7/17

The Pinedale Fine Arts Council presents Missy Raines & The New Hip at American Legion Park in Pinedale on Friday, July 17, 6:30 p.m. This five-piece ensemble from Nashville bring their "jazz meets rock meets bluegrass sound" to the American Legion Park. Science Rockets to open. This concert is free and open to the public. Go to website or myspace or youtube.

Music & dance in Buffalo via Worlds of Music

This announcement comes from David Romtvedt at Worlds of Music: Community Development Through Music:"

On Thursday through Saturday, July 23-25, Worlds of Music will present a series of free workshops, performances, and talks along with a community dance featuring New England contra dance fiddler Rodney Miller and the Airdance Trio with dance caller Larry Edelman. All events will take place in Buffalo.

On Thursday Rodney Miller and the Airdance Trio will perform at 6:30 p.m. at the Occidental Hotel, 10 N. Main. On Friday, the musicians will perform and talk about their music at 12:45 p.m. at the Buffalo Senior Center, 671 W. Fetterman. On Saturday, both The Airdance trio and Larry Edelman will play for a community dance at 8 p.m., at Buffalo’s new Clear Creek Middle School, 361 W. Gatchell.

The visiting musicians will also offer two free workshops. On Friday from 3-5 p.m. at The Deerfield, 7 N. Main, Larry Edelman will teach songs and dances of the American Southwest. On Saturday from 10 a.m.-noon and from 1-3 p.m., again at The Deerfield, Rodney Miller, the Airdance Trio, and Larry Edelman will teach New England style contra dance music and contra dance calling. Local musicians including Buffalo guitarist and mandolinist Scott Gall and Sheridan fiddler and guitarist Mark Paninos will play for the callers’ workshop. The workshops are open to people of all ages and skill levels. Beginners are welcome as are all instruments. Participants in the workshops will have the opportunity to play at the Saturday night dance.

Contra dance has a long history in the United States from the colonial period to the present. The dances are done in lines in which couples face one another. The caller teaches each dance by walking people through the steps before the music starts. Throughout the tune, people dance alternately with their partner and with a new person until everyone has danced with everyone else in the room. Like many traditional dance forms, contras offer a way for people to meet and get to know one another. It’s both exciting and a little scary.

The music for contra dancing has long been played on fiddle and piano though contemporary bands may also include piano accordion, concertina, guitar, mandolin, percussion, and string bass. A blend of French Canadian and Celtic influences, the music has in the past twenty-five years begun to incorporate a wide array of musical styles including jazz and swing. One of these days we may find ourselves dancing to a contra dance band that includes salsa tunes and a horn section.

Rodney Miller is a leading player of contemporary New England style fiddling. Named a Master Fiddler by the National Endowment for the Arts, he has represented New Hampshire at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. and has performed on "A Prairie Home Companion," at the Kennedy Center, and with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company. His festival appearances include Australia’s National Folk Festival, Faroe Islands Folk Festival, Shetland Folk Festival, Denmark’s Tonder Folk Festival, the US National Folk Festival, and the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes.

In Buffalo, Rodney Miller will perform with his daughter Elvie Miller, who plays piano and piano accordion, and with guitarist Owen Marshall. Elvie received a Watson Fellowship to study Irish traditional music and has recorded an all waltz cd called Spyglass with her father. Owen is a twenty-one year old guitarist who has performed with many New England dance bands. Caller Larry Edelman has served as the coordinator of Dance Week at West Virginia’s Augusta Heritage Arts Workshop and as program director of the Country Dance and Song Society's American Dance Week at Pinewoods in Massachusetts. He received a Folk Arts fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to study with elder caller Jerry Goodwin, and produced the film Dance to the Music and Listen to the Calls. He is the author of Square Dance Caller's Workshop and has played guitar, mandolin, and fiddle with The Monongahela Mudsuckers, Devilish Merry, the Percolators, and Poultry in Motion.

Rodney Miller, the Airdance Trio, and Larry Edelman’s visit to Wyoming is made possible by Worlds of Music, a not for profit program that seeks to understand what music means to people—why they listen to, dance to, and perform certain musics and not others. Worlds of Music performances, lectures, and workshops look at the role music plays in our lives, and how music changes over time and across cultures. Above all, Worlds of Music examines the ways that music is unique to particular communities while remaining a universal human phenomenon.

This Worlds of Music event is supported by private gifts as well as by grants from the Johnson County Arts and Humanities Commission and the Wyoming Arts Council through funding from the Wyoming legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

FMI: 307-684-2194 or 307-684-9406.

"Cody Character" and "Best of Mack Frost"

Hamilton Bryan's black-and-white photograph of Cody artist (and 2002 Wyoming Arts Council visual arts fellowship recipient) Elijah Cobb, part of Bryan's "Cody Character" series

This announcement comes from the Cody Chamber of Commerce web site:

Two new shows -- “Cody Character” and the “Best of Mack Frost” -- will open Sept. 1 in the gallery at Open Range Images, 1201 Sheridan Ave., Cody. They feature two local photographers, Hamilton Bryan and Mack Frost. The show runs through October 31. A reception featuring the work of both photographers will be held during the Art Walk of the Rendezvous Royale on Thursday, September 25, 4-7 p.m.

Founder of Cody, Wyoming's, fine art photography gallery, Open Range Images, Hamilton Bryan has had an interest in photography most of his life. Starting with filmmaking/videography in his youth and into his professional career, photography has always been a passion.

“Cody Character” is a unique photo exhibit for Open Range. “The idea for the exhibit has been circling for the past couple of years”, says Bryan. “I have always had an appreciation for history and the people who made it”, he continues. “This project has been one of the more interesting things I’ve worked on”, Bryan says. “The people in this project are incredibly interesting and diverse and have really added to the community in their own special way.” “They are all ‘one of a kind’, Bryan says.

The night of the reception, there will be a silent auction for each of the first edition prints, with the proceeds going to the charity chosen by each subject. The subjects of “Cody Character” include Alan Simpson, Harry Jackson, Lucille Patrick, Mary Louise Greever, Jim Nielson, Jerry Lanchbury, Val Geissler, Beverly Kurtz, Elijah Cobb, Bill Smith, Alice Fales and John Darby. The Charities include: Yellowstone Behavioral Health Center, Humane Society, Children’s Resource Center, Dano Camp, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Friends of Park County History, Jim Fike Memorial, Northwest Family Planning, Homeless Hearts, Hospice, Yellowstone Recreation Foundation and Bright Futures.

Mack Frost is a fourth generation Cody native. He has always had a deep love of landscape and scenic photography, and what better place to satisfy that love affair than Northwest Wyoming and Southern Montana? Mack’s passions are panoramic landscapes, super-telephoto images and sunsets. The surrounding area of Cody Country, the Beartooth Mountains, and Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks provides a palette that is irresistible. Mack’s works can be seen exclusively at Open Range Images, where he says, “I am thrilled and honored to be one of 12 partners in this innovative collaborative venture. We each have a unique view of our art and the synergy we produce is fascinating.”

FMI: http://www.openrangeimages.com/.

Jackson Hole Art Fair July 17-19