Legislative Artwork Donation Program Selection Committee meets Jan. 11

From a SPCR press release:

Members of the Wyoming Legislative Artwork Donation Program Selection Committee will meet to review seven artistic pieces donated during the past year for display in the State Capitol Building.

The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., January 11, in Room 302 of the State Capitol.

During the meeting, the Committee will review the artwork donated by five Wyoming artists and decide whether to formally accept the donations, attend to any framing or matting issues of the artwork, approve signage and determine the location where the pieces will be displayed on the second and third floors of the Capitol.

Additionally, the Selection Committee will review a proposed artwork donation schedule and establish a timeline for the next round of promotion and marketing for the program.

The goal of the Wyoming Legislative Artwork Donation Program is to acquire and showcase appropriate artwork that represents Wyoming. The artwork will be exhibited in the Senate and House of Representative chambers, the respective chamber lobbies and galleries, and possibly expanded to common areas on the second and third floors of the Capitol.

The artwork may be acquired for display through donation, temporary loan or direct purchase.

Selection Committee members are Senators Wayne Johnson and E. Jayne Mockler, Representatives Pete Illoway and Mary Throne, former Senator John Hanes, former Representative Pat Nagel, Wyoming Arts Council Manager Rita Basom and Wyoming State Museum Manager Manny Vigil.

For more information about the Legislative Artwork Donation Program, please contact Renee Bovee, Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne, 82002; 307-777-6312.

Call for entries: Tonya Jackson Talent Expression Program

The Tonya Jackson Talent Expression Program has announced its first Talent Expression Show.

Artists with a disability, or those recovering from substance abuse, may submit work in any art form --- music, sculpture, painting, poetry, photography, etc. -- by Feb. 1, 2010.

The art exhibition and presentation of prizes will be held March 4, 2010.

FMI: Marcus Jackson, 307-635-3363, imperialmac@hotmail.com or Tammy L. Gamino, 1623 Central Ave., Suite 4, Cheyenne, WY 82001, 307-432-4033, tammy.peoplefirst@bresnan.net.

Noted author/researcher Dr. Randall Eaton to speak at outdoor education symposium

Dr. Randall Eaton, author of "From Boys to Men of Heart: Hunting as Rite of Passage," will be the keynote speaker at the Big Horn Basin Outdoor Education Symposium on Saturday, Jan. 16. He will speak at the morning session at the Days Inn in Thermopolis at 10:05 a.m. His topic will be "Finding New Pathways in the Old." At 7:05 p.m. at the Worland Community Center, he will talk about "Hunting as a Rite of Passage."

Dr. Eaton has written and edited 14 books. They include "Cheetah: Biology, Behavior and Conservation of an Endangered Species (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1974), which was recognized by the American Library Association as “one of the outstanding scientific-technical books of 1974.” "The Cheetah: Fastest Race on Earth, (Dutton, 1981)" was recognized as “An outstanding science book for young readers,” by the National Science Teachers Association-Childrens Book Council Joint Committee.

Two other recent books are:
"The Orca Project: A Meeting of Nations," an anthology of story, essay and poetry, published in fall 1998.
"The Sacred Hunt: Hunting as a Sacred Path," a 1998 anthology of story, essay and poetry.

For more information of the symposium, contact Eric Decker, Worland, 307-347-3946 or eric.decker@wy.usda.gov

Paul Taylor performs in Casper Jan. 15

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Paul Taylor performs in concert on Friday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. in the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School in Casper.

Co-Sponsors: KCWY-13 & Mount Rushmore Broadcasting, Ramada Plaza, & Nicolaysen Art Museum.Call 265-1564 for details of a three-day Mural-making project. Partial funding is from the Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Schneider Fund in the Wyoming Community Foundation, the McMurry Foundation, Natrona County School District No. 1, and the City of Casper.

From the ARTCORE web site:

Paul Taylor, Australian storyteller, didjeridoo player and traveler, came to the U.S. from Adelaide, South Australia, on the invitation of Bobby Bridger and the Adelaide-Austin, TX, sister city program. Bridger is a descendent of the legendary western pioneer, Jim Bridger. In 1986, Paul acted as guide for Bobby Bridger on an extensive tour of South Australia. Bridger performed his acclaimed one-man show "Ballad of the West," on tour in the outback and to the Pitjantatjara Aboriginal community. Bridger invited Paul to Texas and then to Wyoming to act in "Ballad of the West" at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Attending the Jackson Hole Centennial Rendezvous in 1990, Paul was given the name of "Walking Stick." Paul loved his visit to the U.S. and decided to return in 1992 for an extensive walkabout of the U.S. He is based in Laramie, Wyoming - the heart of America's outback. Paul graduated from the University of South Australia with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work in 1980. His interest in the Aboriginal culture of his own country is born from time spent as a social worker among the Aboriginal people and was introduced to the tradition of storytelling and the music of the didjeridoo. Paul is mentored by Yidumduma Bill Harney, custodian of the Wardaman culture in Australia's Northern Territory. In the mid-eighties Paul trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, UK. He worked professionally as an actor and clown, joined a circus show and performed throughout England, Scotland and Wales. He returned to his homeland and worked for the Adelaide Festival of Arts and in regional theatres throughout Australia. Paul has won 6 National awards including NAPPA Gold Award, Parent's Choice Gold Award and Storytelling World. Paul's credits include: New Orleans Jazz Festival, National Geographic, and Disney Music Center LA.

2010 dates announced for "Literature and Landscape of the Horse"

Page Lambert has announced dates for the 2010 Literature and Landscape of the Horse. Here are some details:

When: Dates for 2010: May 29 - June 3
Where: the beautiful Vee Bar Guest Ranch near Laramie, Wyoming
What's Included: Lodging and meals, writing and riding instruction, lodging, tack, and your own special horse for the entire 5 days
Price: $1450.00 $100 discount if you attended the 2008 or 2009 retreats. Invite a friend!
Payment & Cancellation Policy: Download PDF
Deposit:To reserve your space, send $300.00 deposit to Page Lambert (by February 1), 26037 Mountain View Road, Golden, Colorado 80401. Questions? Phone Page (303) 842-7360 or email http://www.pagelambert.com/mailto;page@pagelambert.com
Leaders: SHERI GRIFFITH handles the "horsey" aspects of the retreat (along with the fabulous Vee Bar wranglers). PAGE handles the literary aspects and will provide journals.
FMI: http://www.pagelambert.com/

Art Works for Wyoming deadline approaching

Art Works for Wyoming grants are due December 31, 2009. Applications may be submitted electronically. Guidelines and e-grant login may be found on the Council's website.

Feb. 5, 2010 deadline announced for WAC performing arts fellowships

The Wyoming Arts Council is accepting applications for its 2010 performing arts fellowships in theatre direction, dance choreography and design for the stage.

Postmark deadline is Feb. 5, 2010. The WAC welcomes applications from Wyoming residents 18 or older who are not full-time students pursuing high school, college or university art-related degrees.

The WAC will award up to three fellowships of $3,000 each to honor the most exciting, creative work by Wyoming directors, choreographers and stage designers. Jurors for the competition are theatre director Eric Hayashi from Walnut Creek, Calif., and dancer and choreographer Lisa Wymore, dance professor at University of California, Berkeley.

The agency’s fellowships are on a four-year rotation schedule among music composition; theatre and dance performance; music performance; and theatre direction, dance choreography and design for the stage.

Fellowship applications have been mailed to those on the WAC performing arts mailing lists. If you need an application or more info about the fellowships, contact Michael Shay at the WAC in Cheyenne at 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.

Here are bios for the fellowship jurors:

Eric Hayashi was a founding member of the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco and served as its first executive director. During his tenure, the AATC presented more than 30 theatrical runs annually – including performances by Culture Clash, Chicano Secret Service, Thick Description and David Cohen, among many others. During that time, Hayashi also produced the national and European tours of Lane Nishikawa’s critically-acclaimed one-man shows and helped adapt “I’m on a Mission From Buddha” for airing on PBS in 1991. He directed the theatrical version of that show. In 1993, he joined the national staff of the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. as the assistant director of the Theater Program. Two years later, Hayashi was made the executive director of the Kansas Arts Commission. He also was a board member of the Kansas Film Commission. From there, he became the Interim Director of the Institute for Teledramatic Arts & Technology at California State University, Monterey Bay. In 1999, Hayashi relocated to Los Angeles to serve as the executive director and chief executive officer of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and its 880-seat Japan America Theater. In 2000, Hayashi served as the line producer on Nishikawa’s second film, “Forgotten Valor,” which won the award for Best Short Feature at the Hawaiian International Film Festival a year later. He was one of the producers of the 2008 film “Only the Brave” about the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, a World War II unit made up of Nisei volunteers, many from the internment camps throughout the West. Most recently, he was the Arts Division Manager for the City of Walnut Creek’s Arts, Recreation & Community Services Department. Hayashi holds a B.A. in Film/Creative Arts from San Francisco State University. He is currently a member of the executive committee of the Board of Directors for the Western States Arts Federation, a funding and service organization covering the 12 western states.

After graduating with an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Illinois in 1998, Lisa Wymore moved to Chicago and began her career as dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She was a faculty member within the Northwestern University Dance Program from 2000 to 2004, where she was the faculty advisor for the Northwestern University Dance Ensemble, the touring and outreach company of the dance program, and twice was the co-artistic director of Danceworks, the annual Northwestern University faculty choreographed concert. For her choreography, Lisa has been twice awarded an Illinois Arts Council Fellowships, and has been awarded several Community Arts Assistant Program Grants from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. In January 2004, she was invited to travel to Vietnam to work on a project entitled Artistic Voices Across Cultures in Collaboration. Wymore is the co-artistic director of Smith/Wymore Disappearing Acts; a dance-theater-performance group based in San Francisco. The company’s work has been presented by numerous national and international festivals including: the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art Summer Solstice Celebration; Dance Chicago; the Dublin Fringe Festival, in Dublin, Ireland; the Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal, Ireland; and the [Kon.[Text]] Symposium in Zurich, Switzerland. Her current project is entitled The Resonance Project. It involves a team of choreographers, computer engineers, and visual and sound artists who are investigating 3-D presence/co-presence and corporeal and code interactivity within live and media based performance. A recent project, Parking Space, was a site-specific community based dance performance which took place in a local parking lot in the city of Los Banos, California in June 2007. Wymore is an assistant professor in the dance program at University of California-Berkeley.

Check out Sue Sommers' new web site

Pinedale artist Sue Sommers has launched a new web site. Go to http://suesommers.com/. The painting shown above is from Sue's series of landscapes. This one is "Glover Peak," 24 x 36 inches, completed in 2007.

New book by Laramie mother and daughter

From a UW press release:

A new book describes a Laramie mother and daughter's trek from stroke through rehabilitation and their return home.

Stacy Gupton suffered a stroke in 2003 while working on an art project. Stacy and her mother, Mona, said at that time they lacked the resources to deal with stroke and all the complications and said they wrote "A Piece of Her Mind" to help others.

"We felt Stacy's story could give someone else hope of finding life after tragedy," said Mona, who works in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences in the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "We did not write this book to simply tell a sad story. We want others to know that life truly does go on, and it is up to each of us how we choose to live each day.

"Once a day is gone, we can't get it back. We can laugh or cry. I tell Stacy all the time that every day she has now is a bonus."

Mona said she realized writing the book would be emotional.

"It actually took me nearly three years to complete the manuscript. There were times when I wrote with such anger and pain that it was exhausting," she said.

Writing was therapeutic. "By going back and reading my journal entries and Stacy's, I was able to visualize exactly how far she had come and how we had grown together as a family," said Mona.

Stacy said she's glad she wrote the book. "I had to relive everything, and that wasn't easy. Even though it was really hard, I am glad we did this because it showed me how much I have improved," she said. "On bad days, it made me remember why I never give up."

Order the book through your local bookstore or at amazon.com at http://tinyurl.com/ylm3wz9

Open house at Artful Hand Gallery/Studio

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Georgia Rowswell sends this invitation:

We are having an open house at our new Artful Hand Gallery & Studio on Friday, Jan. 8, noon-10 p.m. Our house is on the corner of East First Avenue and House Street in Cheyenne. Everyone is welcome!

We also will be offering classes in 2010:

"Rubber-stamp Carving and Letterboxing" on Monday, Feb. 15, 10 a.m.-noon. Fee is $20 and includes all supplies. FMI on letterboxing go to http://www.letterboxing.org/

"Pysanky Eggs" on Wednesday, March 10, 9 a.m.-noon, and on Saturday, March 13, 9 a.m.-noon. Cost is $25 and includes all supplies. FMI on Pysanky go to http://www.learnpysanky.com/

Apply now for Wyoming Writers, Inc., contest

Wyoming Writers Inc. (WWInc.) is seeking participants to enter the annual Writing Contest.

Prose entries are limited to 3,000 words and the categories are:

• Adult Fiction (which includes genre fiction such as science-fiction, mystery, romance, but no horror or erotica)
• Fiction for Children
• Novel Segments
• Humor
• Non-fiction (includes articles, essays, and creative non-fiction)

Poetry entries are limited to 40 lines and the categories are:

• Traditional Poetry
• Free Verse
  

Entry fees are $2 per entry for WWInc. members and $5 for non-members.

All entries must include an entry form and be postmarked on or before Friday, April 2, 2010.

Mail your entries to: Ms. Chris Williams, WWInc. Contest, 3229 NW Gumwood Ave., Corvallis, OR 97330.

Be sure to keep copies of your work. No entries will be returned.

Winners will be announced at WWInc.'s 2010 conference held in at the Holiday Inn in Cody.

Certificates will be awarded. Winning entries will be published on the WWInc. web site, www.wyowriters.org

Contest rules and entry form can be found on the WWInc. web site, www.wyowriters.org/events.html

Ilyasah Shabazz to deliver keynote address at MLK/DOD Jan. 22 at UW

From a UW press release:

Ilyasah Shabazz, an author, lecturer and daughter of slain Muslim leader Malcolm X, is the keynote speaker at the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Days of Dialogue (MLK/DOD) celebration Jan. 18-22, 7:30 a.m., at the University of Wyoming Union Ballroom.

"Poverty, Politics and Race" is the theme of this year's event. MLK/DOD renews UW's commitment to making campus a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations or abilities. UW events celebrate the continuing impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and ideals.

Author of the book "Growing Up X," Shabazz is committed to developing educational programs that foster self-empowerment; expanding the role of government to teach individual responsibility for improving society; and capitalizing on the arts and entertainment to encourage the understanding of history, culture and self expression.

She is the third daughter of Malcolm X, an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker and human rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, but his detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy and violence. Malcolm X has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. Shabazz was only 2 years old and present when her father was assassinated in 1965 in New York.

Shabazz produces "The WAKE-UP Tour," her exclusive youth empowerment program designed to inspire young people to think and act critically to safeguard their futures. She also is corporation president and trustee of her parents' legacy, The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational and Cultural Center, Inc. at The Audubon, the place of her father's assassination.

Among other highlights of MLK/DOD are the annual MLK March and Willena Stanford Supper; panel and book discussions, observation of National Service Day, movies, art reception and entertainment.

For a full list of activities, visit the MLK/DOD Web site at http://www.mlkdod.com/mlk2010/or contact Kate Steiner at (307) 766-6790 or e-mail ksteiner@uwyo.edu.

Platte River Photography Show accepting entries

Click on images for larger view

Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition accepting applications from Wyoming artists

All Wyoming visual artists working and livng in the state who meet the eligibility requirements are invited to enter. All artistic interpretations are encouraged.

Postmark deadline to apply is February 1, 2010. Artists selected for the exhibit are notified March 12, 2010. Art work by selected artists are due at the State Museum the week of April 12-17. The exhibit opens May 8. The exhibit reception will be held May 21 from 5-7 pm. The exhibit closes June 5.

Eligibility:
Current Wyoming resident living in state
Wyoming visual artist working in any medium
Must be an Artist Image Registry (AIR) member with the Wyoming Arts Council. Please contact the Arts Council for an application or go to http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/ for more information.

Artwork on application by Jon Madsen, Down in the Valley

Crawford presents "Shop Class as Soulcraft"

Join motorcycle mechanic, author and philosopher Matthew Crawford as he talks about and reads from his book "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work" (The Penguin Press, 2009) on Thursday, Jan. 14, 7-8 p.m., at the Teton County Public Library in Jackson.

Crawford presents a fascinating analysis of what we've lost by ceasing to work with our hands -- and how we can get it back. He muses on how to live a pragmatic, concrete life in today's ever more abstract world and issues a call for reviving trade and development classes in American schools. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium.

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

Arts participation topic of NEA gathering

This comes from a Dec. 10 press release from the National Endowment for the Arts:

Senior Deputy Chairman Joan Shigekawa convened a roundtable discussion with national arts service organizations, regional arts organizations, and NEA staff to discuss the NEA's 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, the nation's largest and most representative study of adults' arts participation habits.

Representatives from 40 service organizations participated in the convening, including the Association of Art Museum Directors, Dance/USA, the Future of Music Coalition, the National Association of Latino Art and Culture, the National Center for Creativity in Aging, the National Network for Folk Arts in Education, and the New England Foundation for the Arts.

The survey was conducted in partnership with the United States Census Bureau and asked more than 18,000 people 18 years of age and older about their frequency of arts engagement. It has been conducted five times since 1982.

Among the findings that were discussed:
Audiences for ballet, classical music, jazz, and theatre are both declining and growing older -- Nearly 35 percent of U.S. adults – or an estimated 78 million – attended an arts performance in the 2008 survey period, compared with about 40 percent in 1982, 1992, and 2002.
Performing arts attendees are increasingly older (between 46 and 49 years old) than the average U.S. adult (45 years old) -- Forty-five to 54-year-olds – historically dependable arts participants – declined for all art forms except musical theatre.
People with higher levels of education have curtailed their participation in nearly all art forms since 1982 -- High school graduates had the steepest rate of decline – 25 percent – between 2002 and 2008.
Americans are increasingly participating in the arts through new media -- The Internet and broadcast media are popular ways to engage with the arts. Forty seven million adults downloaded, watched, or listened to music, theater or dance performances online – and most said they did so at least once a week. More Americans view or listen to broadcasts and recordings of arts events than attend them live (live theater being the sole exception).
Photography/videography/film-making increased in popularity as art-making activities, from 12 percent to 15 percent, since 1992, supplanting weaving/sewing as the most popular creative activity reported.
Generation Y reports taking fewer arts classes/lessons -- When people ages 18-24 were asked if they had taken an art class/lesson at some point in their lives, they reported lower rates of participation than previous generations for all art forms compared in this study (by 6-23 percentage points, depending on the art form, from 1982 to 2008).
Different demographic groups described different cultural preferences -- African Americans are almost twice as likely to sing in a choir or other vocal group as adults in general. Almost 11 million adults attended a live Latin, Spanish, or salsa music performance in the previous 12 months. Audiences for these performances were younger and less affluent than audiences for other art forms. The 2008 survey was the NEA's first attempt to measure attendance at Latin/Spanish/salsa concerts.
Arts participation correlates with higher civic participation -- People who participate in the arts are 2 to 3 times as likely to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sporting events, and participating in outdoor activities – than non-arts participants.
Participation in most leisure activities (except volunteering and charity work) among all adults declined from 2002 to 2008 -- The average time spent watching television (about three hours daily) has not changed significantly since 1982.
Regional differences in arts participation -- New England and Pacific region residents had some of the highest rates of attendance (42 percent of adults in each region) for the arts activities traditionally measured in the survey. In personal performance or creation of art, the Plains states of Kansas and Nebraska have some of the highest participation rates nationwide. Twenty percent of adults in Kansas said they played a musical instrument. In Nebraska, that rate was nearly 18 percent. Nationwide, 13 percent - or 29 million Americans - reported playing a musical instrument.

FMI: www.arts.gov.

Bar J Wranglers perform 12/21 at CWC

The Bar J Wranglers perform in concert in the Robert A. Peck Arts Center Theatre on the Central Wyoming College campus in Riverton on Monday, Dec. 21, 7-9 p.m. FMI: http://www.cwc.edu/

Michael McIrvin's new novel hits the stands

Michael McIrvin of Cheyenne has a new book, "The Blue Man Dreams of the End of Time."

Here's a description of the book from Michael's publisher, BeWrite Books:

Sonny, a drunken convenience store clerk living uneasily in a relationship with twin sisters, woke up naked and blue. Not sad, but actually blue from head to toe.

A warped warning from a former CIA colleague? A message from a deranged hit man that he and those he loves are marked for death? Or is his blueness a more invidious omen?

Sonny's search for answers will lead him to a perverse reconciliation with his former bloody role in geopolitics - and his destiny - on the bloody trail to Chiapas.

Along the way he will befriend a people struggling to survive, reconsider the nature of terrorism and the drug trade, and decipher an ancient Mayan vision of the end of time.

He will also meet another former CIA operative who doubles as a jaguar shaman, a Mayan holy man whose prophesies include Sonny, and a mysterious boy whose role in his people's future is both mythic and deadly.

Sonny's flashbacks to his gore-stained government work in Mesoamerica, including the act for which he was 'excommunicated', constitute proof of power's inhumanity, but his darkest revelation is that violence and greed are the true mechanisms of history.

Michael McIrvin's high-octane, intelligent novel is an immaculately researched, powerful indictment of brutal counterintelligence, including torture and murder, an exploration of how ends are achieved by a nation-state. This book is frighteningly timely.

Yellowstone Jazz ALIVE!

Jeff Troxel

Yellowstone Jazz ALIVE!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

free concert

Location: http://www.codycafe.com/Businesses/detail.asp?iData=445&iCat=852&iChannel=18&nChannel=Businesses in Cody featuring:

Jeff Troxel& Parker Brown

6:00 - 9:00 PM

call for dinner reservations

307 587-5555

Photographer's On Photography

Grand Rainbow taken by Rebecca Stern

Photographer's On Photography

Jon Stuart and Rebecca Stern

January 25-February 22 (no class 2/15)/ Monday/ 6-9 pm

$125 ($100 members) Registration Deadline: January 18

In this class, students will lean the process of how to critique as well as be able to receive feedback on their own projects. Each week there will be a different type of photographer (sports, event, portrait, commerical and landscape) who will talk about their own work and students will learn the various methods and critiquing.

Art Association of Jackson Hole

In The Center For The Arts

240 S. Glenwood Ave

PO Box 1248

Jackson, WY 83001

307-733-6379/ http://www.artassociation.org/

Free Christmas Concert-Tuba Christmas

Tuba Christmas

Saturday, December 19

1:30 P.M to 2:45 P.M.

Sheridan Holiday Inn Atrium

(If you play Tuba or Baritone or Euphonium, come to the Sheridan High Band Room at 9:15 AM for the rehearsal.)

Join them and experience the beautiful sounds of low brass playing over 30 favorite Christmas selections. For more info contact Ariel Downing

751-2303

or

Dale Hoffmann; 751-5826

Jalan Crossland Band heads up New Year's Eve concert in Sheridan

Lander Photo Group releases book just in time for Christmas

Wyomingarts is always glad to receive new books. The latest comes from David Schuster in Lander. The title is “Representations: A Collective Work. Photographs by the Lander Photo Group.” Inside are black-and-white and color photos from some of Lander’s finest: Mary Allen, Brad Christensen, Tony Henry, Ken Kidder, Juan Laden, Chris Robisch, David Schuster, and Sara Wiles. You may recognize some of these names. Sara Wiles has received the Governor’s Arts Award for her documentation of life on the Wind River Reservation. Juan Laden has exhibited his work extensively, both in the U.S. and overseas. He is best known for his series entitled “Passing Memories, Descansos, Roadside Memorials of the West.”

Here is a snippet from the book’s introduction:

Just as photography is perhaps the most diverse of all art forms, our photographs are equally diverse. We use color and black-and-white film or digital formats, and experiment with a variety of alternative techniques. The photographs we produce are documentary, landscapes, portraits, architectural or abstract forms, or combinations of them all. This book represents our first formal attempt to present ourselves to you.

“Representations” was published by CreateSpace, the print-on-demand arm of Amazon.com. The square-format paperback (8.2 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches) is 202 pages and sells for $29.99 (free shipping) on Amazon. You can order it through your favorite bookstore, or online at http://tinyurl.com/ybwz7mn.

Wyomingarts leaves you with this sage holiday advice: Buy a book by a Wyoming writer/artist today!

Philip Gourevitch at Teton Co. Public Library: "Crimes Scenes & Aftermaths"

From the Teton County Public Library in Jackson:

On Friday, January 22, 7 p.m., the library presents "Crime Scenes & Aftermaths: Reporting & Writing from Rwanda to Hell's Kitchen to Abu Ghraib and Beyond," with author Philip Gourevitch.

Gourevitch reads from his books and talks about how he got the stories and what is at stake in them -- politically, morally and dramatically. Gourevitch is an award-winning author of books on the Rwandan genocide and Abu Ghraib, an intrepid correspondent for The New Yorker and editor of The Paris Review.

He is the 2009-2010 Eminent Writer in Residence for the MFA program in Creative Writing at the University of Wyoming, a copresenter with the Jackson Hole Writers Conference. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium.

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

Help wanted: Wyoming Territorial Prison/Park

The Territorial Prison/Park in Laramie, an historic site within the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, is looking for an Historic Program Supervisor.

"This position manages a large historic site and state park to fulfill the department objectives of preservation, protection, and interpretation of the cultural resources, and the historic and archival collections for the citizens of this state and the nation."

Apply online at http://statejobs.state.wy.us/JobSearchDetail.aspx?ID=16081 or submit a State of Wyoming Employment Application to the Human Resource Division, Emerson Building, 2001 Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0060 (307-777-7188, Fax: 307-777-6562), along with transcripts of any relevant course work.

Donkey Creek Jazz Festival receives NEA grant

Northern Wyoming Community College District in Sheridan has received a $10,000 Challenge America FastTrack grant to support the Donkey Creek Jazz Festival at its Gillette campus. The free, outdoor event will feature artists including pianist Dana Landry, bassist Erik Applegate, and the Scott Turpen Jazztet.

Patrice Walker Powell, deputy chairman for States, Regions and Local Arts Agencies at the National Endowment for the Arts, notified the Wyoming Arts Council that the NWCCD’s Donkey Creek Jazz festival was one of 170 Challenge America FastTrack grants totaling $1,700,000 in awards to organizations throughout the United States. These grants offer support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Applicants may apply under one of the four following project types: guest artist, civic design, public art, and cultural tourism.

A full listing of awards made in this can be found at http://www.arts.gov/grants/recent/index.html

Guidelines for the next round of these grants will be posted on the NEA Web site in January 2010. FMI: Erin Waylor, 202/682‐5411.

For more info about the Donkey Creek Jazz Festival, call Gillette College at 307.686.0254.

Washakie Museum grand opening events set for May 14-15, 2010

The staff at the Washakie Museum in Worland alerts the Wyoming Arts Council about its grand opening gala set for May 14, 2010, at the museum, 2200 Big Horn Avenue.

Tickets will be on sale in April.

Events will include the dedication of bronze plaques for Legacy and Pioneer Society members and the debut performance of the Washakie Museum Women’s Choir Group.

There also will be a grand opening public event on May 15.

FMI: http://www.washakiemuseum.org/

Register for "Rural America" book discussion

Registration is underway for the Wyoming State Museum-hosted reading and discussion series, “Rural in America.”

A part of the Wyoming Humanities Council’s Reading Wyoming program, “Rural in America” is a discussion group scheduled to meet January 20, February 17, March 17 and April 21 at 6:30 p.m., at the Wyoming State Museum.

The program is free and open to the public. However, participants are asked to register as the group size is limited to 20. Rose Wagner will lead the discussions.

To register and borrow books, contact Sarah Ligocki at 777-7021. Participants are encouraged to register soon as the first book must be read by January 20.

Participants will read and discuss “The Memory of Old Jack, by Wendell Berry; “Winter Wheat,” by Mildred Walker; “The Egg and I,” by Betty McDonald; and “A Painted House,” by John Grisham. All of these books offer both romantic and realistic views of rural life.

The program is offered by the Wyoming Humanities Council. Reading Wyoming provides reading and discussion series’ to nonprofit organizations around the state and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

FMI: 307-721-9243 or www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

Call for entries: Ciao Gallery Photo Competition

This comes from Michele Walters at the Ciao Gallery of Jackson:


Ciao Gallery is pleased to offer our first “Photography Competition.”


This competition is open to landscape, wildlife, candid, portrait/studio, abstract & architectural and any other style not mentioned. This competition is also open to B&W and color photography.


Eligibility: Semi-Professional and beginning photographers (Income from photography revenue must be less than 50% of your gross income)

Guidelines:
• Photos of people must have release forms.
• Work must be ready to hang, and clearly labeled with the artists name and contact information. • No substitutions of accepted work.
• All work will remain on display during the duration of the exhibit.
• Art work must be for sale.

Prizes include: 1st Place-$500 Cash Prize and one months representation of selected works 2nd Place-1 month free representation in featured artist section on gallery. 3rd Place- 6 months free representation in featured artist section on gallery website.

DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 18th 2009!

Click this link to download an application http://ciaogallery.com/images/uploads/Photography%20Application.doc

UW Western Thunder Marching Band rehearsing for New Mexico Bowl appearance

From a UW press release:

They performed at the Sun Bowl in 1958, and later entertained the crowds at the Sugar, Fiesta, Holiday, Copper and Las Vegas bowls.

The University of Wyoming Western Thunder Marching Band (formerly known as the Cowboy Marching Band) will continue the tradition when it leads the crowd in the popular "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" and other songs during the Dec. 19 New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M.

The 153-member band, led by Director Brad Williamson, will rehearse Wednesday in UW's indoor practice facility, before heading to Albuquerque the next day.

"It's nice to reward them with this opportunity after they've worked so hard this semester," says Williamson. "We appreciate the athletic department's efforts to make this happen."

Western Thunder features musicians from nearly every major on campus. They started the season the week before classes began in the fall. Students learned drills and practiced music for the season, and learned about the band's pride, spirit, and tradition.

During the school year, practices are held during class hours and on game days. The band plays at every home football game and travels with the football teams on some road trips.

Albany County Theatre presents "A Company of Wayward Saints"

Final weekend (Dec. 18-20) at the Trading Post Theatre in Centennial. FMI: http://www.albanycountytheatre.org/ACT/Albany_County_Theatre.html

Holiday reading, anyone?

I've been reading this holiday season, in between a couple bouts of shopping and lots of making. It seems there's always books that come out with the holiday theme, and three I picked up for gifts but have read, am still reading, before I give them away are Stephen King's new mammoth, Under the Dome, David Sedaris's re-released story collection, Holidays on Ice, and Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story. My penchant for reading books released at the holidays with holiday theme began a few years back with Grisham's Skipping Christmas. This book was then made into a dreadful holiday movie consisting of silly tricks that didn't hold muster with the story. King's new one is definitely movie-worthy.

I dove into King's first, thinking I'd have to burn reading rubber to get done with it before Christmas. It ended up taking me only about five days. If you enjoy crushing mayhem and a short survivor list, this is a novel you oughta get. At 1074 pages, its physical and fictional girth will keep you in your reading chair no matter what kind of Christmas merry making or fighting is going on around you. It's quintessential King, with psychic phenomenon between dogs, people and aliens, lots of gushing blood even if from a chip on the head, extraordinary circumstances and people being killed from the very beginning. If you like Stephen King books, you'll love this one, although I felt it could have ended some sooner, or taken some scenes out here and there--there are some "aw, come on," reader moments. I was wrung out by the end, but got a couple of good written pages during the afterglow. I'm just glad to have gotten through it in one piece. You can feel the experimentation King was up to that he talks about in his autor's note at the end of the book. Oddly, the edition has a few typos, the bulk of them after page 955.

Any of you familiar with Sedaris's stories know that this re-released collection of stories, with a few new ones added, will be anything but "traditional," but then that's what we love about him. I haven't finished this one yet, and hadn't read it when it was first released in 1997, so it's a treat without the warm and fuzzy sitting-by-the-fire-drinking-hot-chocolate-looking-at-the-pretty-tree feeling. Go with David as he recounts his days as an elf for Macy's in New York City; as he tells the story of the Dunbars as a Christmas letter that becomes an appeal from Mrs. Dunbar for her true friends to become character witnesses in court; and kids' Christmas plays the nation over that stagger with enthusiastic lack of all talent.

I'll let you know about Lamb's. Are books that have been bought as presents, read before given, then wrapped and bowed considered regifting? I think this is the only gift item that could be considered not. And I'm not just saying that because I'm doing it! Merry Christmas!

If you're so inclined, email me and let me know what you're reading this season. If I get a list, I'll publish it here.

Linda Coatney

Call for proposals: Shepard Symposium on Social Justice at UW

The 14th Annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice is seeking proposals for its gathering on the theme of "environmental justice" on April 7-9, 2010, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Call for proposals: Download PDF

Submit Proposals (deadline January 13, 2010): Online Submission

Symposium registration begins January 11, 2010.

UW prof's book explores ancient stone tools

From a UW press release:

Modern humans and their hominid ancestors relied on chipped-stone technology for more than two million years and colonized more than 99 percent of the Earth's habitable land. Yet there currently exist only a handful of informal models to explain variability in archaeological lithic (stone) assemblages.

Because the fundamental processes of making, using and discarding stone tools are at root exercises in problem solving, Todd Surovell, assistant professor in the University of Wyoming Department of Anthropology, asks what conditions favor certain technological solutions.

He addresses those questions theoretically in formal mathematical modeling in his recently published book (see above), "Toward a Behavioral Ecology of Lithic Technology: Cases from Paleoindian Archaeology," published by University of Arizona Press.

Surovell constructs a series of models designed to link environmental variability to human decision making as it pertains to lithic technology. To test the models, Surovell uses data from the analysis of more than 40,000 artifacts from five Rocky Mountain and Northern Plains Folsom and Goshen complex archaeological sites. The primary result is the production of powerful new analytical tools useful in interpreting archaeological assemblages.

In his 280-page book, Surovell promotes modeling and explores the general issues governing technological decisions. His models can be applied to any context in which stone tools are made and used.

Surovell's research interests are in behavioral ecology, hunter-gatherer studies, mathematical modeling, lithic technology and Paleoindian archaeology.

For more information, contact Surovell at (307) 766-3239 or e-mail surovell@uwyo.edu.

"Annie" coming to Casper

The national tour of "Annie" will be coming to Casper on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at the Casper Events Center. Ticket prices are $47.50, $42.50, $37.50 and a $10.00 discount for students 18 and under. Show begins at 7:30 pm. For tickets, go to http://www.caspereventscenter.com/

From the Casper Events Center website:

Leapin' lizards! The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie is back giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including "It's the Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "N.Y.C." and the ever-optimistic "Tomorrow," Annie is a delightful theatrical experience for the entire family. Don't miss this all-new production that Variety calls "a winner!"

Bead Fest Santa Fe

Bead Fest Santa Fe takes place March 18-21, 2010. There will be a large selection of workshops featuring beading designs, metal working, precious metal clay, micro macrame jewelry, glass beading and more by instructors versed in jewelry making. For much more information, go to Bead Fest Santa Fe.

Conference on all things PORCELAIN!

February 5-7, 2010 San Diego, California at Holiday Inn Express
Hosted by Clay Artists of San Diego and Potters Council
P.O. Box 22524
San Diego, CA 92192
Email: info@clayartistsofsandiego.org
Website: www.clayartistsofsandiego.com

This conference brings together five of North America’s most adept and experienced porcelain potters--Elaine Coleman, Tom Coleman, Mary Cuzick, Meira Mathison and Tom Turner. With an average of 42 years of working with porcelain between them, this porcelain dream team will share their expert tips and techniques for working with this beautiful yet challenging ceramic material. Space is limited. (A check of their website says registration is sold out, but they have a waiting list...)

To register for PORCELAIN! or to learn more about the presenters, the event, and Clay Artists of San Diego, go to http://ceramicartsdaily.org/education/porcelain or phone 800-424-8698.

Travel the globe with the Jackson Wildlife Film Festival

Winter Film Series

Tuesdays, Fridays, and (most) Sundays
2:00PM Cook Auditorium FREE!

Travel the globe as we screen films from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (JHWFF).

Films are one hour or less.

December 8, 11, & 13: NATURE: Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History, JHWFF Finalist, Editing

December 15, 18, & 20: The Meadow, JHWFF Finalist, Cinematography

December 22 & 27: Christmas in Yellowstone, JHWFF Finalist, Original Music Score

National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Hands In Harmony's Gift to Cheyenne -- a free performance

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCE

December 20, 2009

4:00 p.m.

HANDS IN HARMONY PUBLIC CHRISTMAS SHOW

Central High School Auditorium, 5500 Education Drive, Cheyenne, WY

Free to the public as “Our Gift to the City"

http://www.handsinharmonywy.com/schedule.html

A Christmas Carol showing in Sheridan!

A Christmas Carol

Dec.10-13
Thur.-Sat. 7:30 pm; Sun. 2 pm

42 N Main

Sheridan, Wyoming

307.672.9084

$20 Adult/$18 Senior & Military/$11 Student/$9 12 and under

The WYO Theater will once again produce the annual holiday classic A Christmas Carol. Scrooge and the ghosts of past, present and future and all the rest of the colorful characters from Charles Dickens's classic are brought to life by an all local cast and crew. Mary Jo Johnson returns as director of A Christmas Carol working from the stage adaptation by local writer/playwright Craig Johnson. Beautiful costumes, elaborate set, and special effects continue to make the production exciting for all audiences.

www.stormfax.com/dickens.htm

Brave the cold! Support your local Laramie artists at Dec. 11 Gallery Walk

Terry R. Reid from NorthernFront.net sends this:

Come to the Gallery Walk in Laramie on Friday evening, December 11. See our ad in the Laramie Boomerang for individual discounts and incentives at these fine shops.

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS! Brave the Cold!!!

Annual Art Walk & Craft Bazaar (co-sponsored by NorthernFront.net)

Big Hollow Food Co-op, 119 S. 1st St. Fine art and quality crafted gifts for the holiday season!Featuring Jon and Ginnie Madsen, Ronnie Roo, Jerry Glass, Terry R. Reid, Tad Anderson, Bruce Allemani, Dennis Fonfara, Gail Shive, Garth Cossairt, Jerry Glass, Jennifer Leon, and Ray Jordan. Photography by Deborah Kratzer-Reid, Betsy Mock,Doreen Granke, Bob Strayer and Dan Mead; with craftspeople Bren Lieski, Alex Ewing, and more!

The Jeweler, 213 S. 3rd St., (307) 721-3854. Featuring members of the artists’ collective, "Artists of the NorthernFront”: Raymond L. Jordan,Ginnie Madsen, Jon Madsen, & Terry R. Reid…. with Jeweler Dave Perry, sculptor John Baker.

The Bead Shop, 119 Ivinson, (307) 742-0004. Check Us Out During the Gallery Walk.

Green Gold Jade Products, 215 S. 3rd, (307) 742-0003. Presents jewelry by owner, Vivian Tracy

High Performance Sports Medicine, P.C., 406 S. 2nd, (307) 742-0900. Photography by local artist Susan Davis. Refreshments provided by Home Bakery. Open 6-8 p.m.

Gallery Wine Bar, 404 S. 2nd St., 742-3864. At the end of the evening, drop into the Gallery Wine Bar, Laramie's premier art & wine venue (downstairs from Hart's Alley). Open at 4:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday. 21 & Over Only.

The following Directory is provided by NorthernFront.net. Discover Laramie's other Alternative Art Venues for fine art, dining and refreshments at http://www.northernfront.net/GNF/links/laramie_art_venues.htm

Night Heron Books & Artist Salon - See the works of over 16 artists. For info contact Ken Koschnitzki at 742-9028 or 1-888-742-9028. At 107 Ivinson Ave.

The Copper Kettle Coffee Loft, 209 S 2nd St. Laramie, 742-1800 Fresh Food paintings by Terry R Reid, thru January 2010 Copper Kettle Kitchen Store on the web

Art in the lobby of the Laramie Reproductive Health Center, 413 S. 21st. Laramie Reproductive Health presenting new works by Bianca Allemani, Deborah Kratzer-Reid, Jon & Ginnie Madsen, Anthony and Sandra Guzzo, and Terry R. Reid

Sweet Melissa's Vegetarian Café, 213 So. 1st, 307-742-9607, fine art photography

Grand Avenue Pizza, currently showing the oil paintings of Laramie artist Mack Brislawn

Jeffrey’s Bistro, 123 Ivinson Ave, 307-742-7046

Coal Creek Coffee House, see the work of local artisans, 110 E. Grand Ave., 307-745-7737. And at their Uptown location (near the Hilton Garden Inn and UW Convention Center) see works from Coal Creek’s personal collection, 2317 E Grand Av. Laramie, 307-742-9316

The Grounds Internet and Coffee Lounge, 171 N. 3rd, Laramie, 307-742-5208. Local artists regularly featured

Turtle Rock, 270 N. 9th, 307-745-3741. "The Photography of Nancy Zenor."

Craig Johnson signs books in Sheridan Dec. 11-12 and Story Dec. 17

Mystery writer Craig Johnson of Ucross will read from his work at the Inner Circle of the Sheridan County Library at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. On Saturday, Dec. 12, he will be at the Sheridan Historical Society Museum at 2 p.m. Craig and his books will be at the Story Branch Library in Story on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. FMI: http://www.craigallenjohnson.com/

"It's a Wonderful Life" radio drama in Cheyenne

"It's a Wonderful Life Radio Drama" will be performed Dec 18, 19, 20 at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne.

Most people know the story from the film of the same name. But here's a short description from the CLTP web site:

This uplifting drama centers on George Bailey, who is on the brink of committing suicide until his guardian angel Clarence appears to help George realize the lives he has touched and the imprint he has left on his community. An uplifting, inspiring holiday classic presented as a live 1940s radio broadcast.

Directed by Keith Thomson.

The $12 general admission tickets may be purchased on the CLTP website at http://www.cheyennelittletheatre.org/; call the Box Office at (307) 638-6543

KUWR invites music submissions

From the Wyoming Public Radio web site:

If you’d like to submit your music for airplay on Wyoming Public Radio for Morning Music or Ranch Breakfast, please mail CD’s to address below. (We may also consider downloads online.) We’ll try and review within a few weeks for airplay consideration. You can follow up by calling Grady at (307) 766-6624 Tuesdays between 1-3 p.m.

Grady Kirkpatrick
Wyoming Public Media
Dept. 3984, 1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, Wyoming 82071
wkirkpa1@uwyo.edu

WinterMart Arts & Crafts Sale Dec. 12-13

The WinterMart Arts & Crafts Sale will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12-13, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne.

Set-up will be on Friday, Dec. 11, 3-6 p.m., and on Saturday morning before the sale opens.

For more information or to sign-up for a table, please call Lynda Gentry at 307-637-7622.

Cheyenne's Connie Norman makes "ceramics that speak to you"

Connie Norman's ceramics were featured in a cover story in the Great Lakes Airlines Peaks & Plains magazine. The story, "Ceramics That Speak to You," is by Kay Bjork.

Visit WAC biennial exhibit during holidays

“Blessed Union," David Henderson, oil and watercolor on gypsum board, 24 x 24 in.

You still have a month to view the Wyoming Arts Council's biennial fellowship exhibit at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne.

The exhibit opened Nov. 5 and continues through Jan. 9. It's free and open to the public.

It features the work of the winners of 2008 and 2009 WAC visual arts fellowships: David Henderson, Florence McEwin, Matt Flint, Doug Russell, Ricki Klages, Leah Hardy and David Henderson.

Three artists, one reception, Dec. 11 at Arts Center in Jackson

Earth Wave, Valerie Seaberg, hand built clay wave form, carved, sagger fired & woven with pine needles, 11 x 22 in. Available at http://www.theartspiritgallery.com/

Three artists will be feted on Friday, Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m., at the opening reception for exhibits that will be on display through Jan. 29, 2010. It will be held in the ArtSpace Galleries at the Center for the Arts, 240 S. Glenwood St., Jackson. Free and open to the public.

Jackson artist Valerie Seaberg and guest exhibitor Martin John Garhart are showing their work in the ArtSpace Main Gallery, and Wilson painter Miga Rossetti exhibits in the ArtSpace Theater Gallery.

Here is bio info about the arists, courtesy of the Center for the Arts web site:

A contemporary American painter and printmaker, Martin John Garhart received his B.A. from South Dakota State University (1969), his M.A. from West Virginia University (1970) and his M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University (1972). He has served as Professor of Drawing, Painting and Printmaking at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, for over 30 years.

Garhart maintains working studios in both Ohio and South Dakota. His art has been the subject of recent one-man exhibitions at such institutions as the Holter Museum of Art, the Sioux Falls Civic Art Center, West Virginia University Library, Southern Illinois University and the Butler Institute of American Art. Such institutions as the New York Public Library; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes, Colo.; the British Museum, London; and the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., include examples of his paintings and prints in their permanent collections.

"I am a story teller," Garhart writes in his artist's statement. "The story is yours and mine. The theme is ours. The specifics are mine. It is about life and it is told in fragments and with pictures. It is honest. Some of it may be true. "My art work is about life as it occurs through human intellect, experience, and the disquietude of the soul. … My work is a search for insight and understanding. … My art work is an exploration of visual language, a consideration of how a visual dialogue conveys meaning through formal and narrative elements. It is the symbolic use of setting, time and character aesthetically gathered to create content and beauty. It is an inquiry into the merger of traditional and contemporary visual voices in an attempt to expand expression. It is a search for the visual equivalent of the narrative poem."

Valerie Seaberg describes herself as "an ocean child" destined for mountain life. Her mixed media vessels are like great, tumbled beachcombing finds, undulating clay forms encircled by pine needles or horsehair. They are high country marriages between an ancient ocean and raw land. Seaberg's works are muscular, sensual and convey a deep sense of time, earth, and element.

Seaberg discovered basket making while living and teaching in a remote northern California healing arts school. She was thrilled to craft vessels from the grasses at her feet. "Coiling is slow art," she writes. "It takes a long time to express an idea and to see the movement of a form realized. It is both meticulous and profoundly meditative work. I enjoy teaching this craft to others as I believe slow art to be one of the antidotes to the franticness of modern life." A desire to work more spontaneously led Seaberg to working in clay. She began replacing basket centers with clay forms. The hand built centerpieces became so large that they are now an integral part of her work.

Seaberg welcomes risk as an essential learning tool. Risk brings exploration, and exploration, illumination. Valerie Seaberg's intimate art springs from her ever-inquisitive mind and heart. In all her endeavors Valerie Seaberg joyously bears discovery’s weight. "I am continually inspired by the knowledge that I practice an ancient artistry, creating objects at once functional and sacred," she writes in her artist's statement. "Intact indigenous cultures all over the world still weave and fire their work as I do. That art has provided beauty and sustainability from the first moment. I see myself as standing in a long, line of artisans creating these vessels. As time moves forward, my work will become a part of the natural evolution of this art's history."

Miga Rossetti studied fine arts and graphic design and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan. She also studied at Fortman studios in Florence, Italy. Her education is a lifelong process drawn from both nature and creative workshops. She exhibits frequently in group shows nationwide and has enjoyed several solo shows. In addition to gallery exhibitions and the inclusion in numerous private collections, Miga Rossetti's paintings have been featured on the cover of Oregon Public Broadcasting magazine, the cover of the Wyoming Cultural Guide and in other publications.

Deadline extension announced for Art Works for Wyoming grants

It has come to the Wyoming Arts Council's attention that the e-mails informing grantees of the second deadline for Art Works for Wyoming grants may not have been sent due to a glitch in the mailing system. Because of that, WAC has decided to extend the deadline to accept Art Works for Wyoming (AWW) grants to December 31, 2009.

Only organizations which have applied for grants from WAC in the last four years and successfully completed them are eligible to to apply. For current guidelines and to apply, go to: http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Grants/index.asp.

These grants may be used only to retain jobs which would otherwise be eliminated, or to retain/extend contracts which would be cut short or canceled. Guidelines are also attached for your convenience. Applications will be accepted online only by 11:59 pm December 31, 2009.

Art Works for Wyoming grants are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies.

WAC would appreciate, if possible, for grants to come in sooner. Any grant received prior to the deadline will be considered a draft and returned with comments.

View online art exhibit at www.wildlifeart.org

The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson is featuring the online exhibit "A Diverse View of the West: Works on Paper." View the work in the warmth and comfort of home through April 18 by going to http://www.wildlifeart.org/ArtLibrary/OnlineExhibitions/

Here's info on the featured painting:

Buffaloes Approaching Water Hole, 1860, Charles Ferdinand Wimar, (Germany, 1828 – 1862)Pastel on Paper, 18 x 24 inches. This purchase made possible by the generosity of the Soka'piiwa Foundation, the P.A.B. Widener Charitable Trust, Morton Quantrell, and the Robert S. and Grayce B. Kerr Foundation.

Call for entries: Owen Wister Review

Submissions from writers and artists are being accepted for the University of Wyoming's nationally acclaimed literary and arts journal, the Owen Wister Review.

Journal editors will select original works of fiction, poetry, photography and art for inclusion in the 2010 edition. Submission deadline is Friday, Jan. 29, 2010.

"We are expecting another great year and can't wait to start looking through this year's submissions," says Joshua Watanabe, OWR editor.
In October, OWR won its second Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award.

All submissions must be unpublished, original works and may not be simultaneously submitted elsewhere. For detailed submission requirements and contact information, visit www.uwyo.edu/studentpub/owr.

Buffalo Bill Dam celebration features book signing by Beryl Gail Churchill

Officials at Buffalo Bill State Park are preparing for the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Buffalo Bill Dam with a formal commemoration and public centennial photograph on January 16.

During the celebration, the Buffalo Bill Visitor Center will open at 9 a.m. Refreshments will be available and Beryl Gail Churchill will sign the centennial edition of her book, “Challenging the Canyon.”

The centennial photograph will be taken at 11 a.m. The public is invited to participate in the taking of the photograph. The Cody Trolley will be available to transport event participants from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center parking lot beginning at 9:45 a.m.

The Buffalo Bill Dam, originally called the Shoshone Dam, was completed in 1910, and at the time, was the highest dam in the world at 325 feet. Today, water stored behind the dam offers great recreational opportunities, and provides drinking and irrigation water to the Big Horn Basin.

The Buffalo Bill Visitor Center first opened in May 1993, and provides information about the dam, Cody and the Greater Yellowstone area. The center is staffed with local volunteers, paid staff and a Bureau of Land Management volunteer.

A gift store offers educational books and DVDs, and a small theater offers the visitor a one-of-a-kind experience in which to learn about the dam.

FMI: http://www.bbdvc.com/.

CWC Opens The Wind In the Willows

The Central Wyoming College (CWC) Theatre Department opened The Wind in the Willows yesterday. Directed by Mike Meyer, the production stars CWC students. Performances are Dec 5, 11, & 12 in the evening. Matinees are offered at 10 AM on Dec 5 and 2:30 PM on Dec 13. The play is being held at the rober A. Peck Art Center Theatre and tickets are $8 for adults/$6 for seniors.

The play is based on a popular childrens book of the same name by Kenneth Graham and features Toad, Badger, Mole and Rat as the starring characters. The book also inspired Disney's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The play is a family friendly experience which also appeals to adults.

Hairy Hanging Holidays!

For those who write about art, Arts Writers Grant Program Announces 2009 Grants

The Creative Capital Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2009 grant cycle.
Designed to encourage and reward writing about contemporary art that is rigorous, passionate, eloquent, and precise, as well as to create a broader audience for arts writing, the program aims to strengthen the field as a whole and to ensure that critical writing remains a valued mode of engaging the visual arts.
In its 2009 cycle, the Arts Writers Grant Program has awarded a total of $710,000 to twentysix individual writers. These grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 in five categories-articles, blogs, books, new and alternative media, and shortform writing-and support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences.
Representing a range of genres from scholarly studies to selfpublished blogs, the twenty-six selected projects, listed below within categories, are united by their dual commitment to the craft of writing and the advancement of critical discourse on contemporary visual art.
　
ARTICLES
Christoph Cox, Conceptual Art and the Sonic Turn; Amherst, MA
Jen Graves, Regrade: Rediscovering Seattle’s Artificial Roots; Seattle, WA
Chris Kraus, Tiny Creatures; Los Angeles, CA
Fionn Meade, Loose Ends: The Mimetic Faculty & Narrative in Contemporary Film and Video; Brooklyn, NY
Judith Rodenbeck, Once More With Feeling; New York, NY
BLOGS
Greg Cook, The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research; Malden, MA
Gene McHugh, PostInternet; Brooklyn, NY
Mira Schor, A Year of Positive Thinking; New York, NY
BOOKS
Bill Anthes, Hock E Aye Vi: Edgar Heap of Birds; Los Angeles, CA
Huey Copeland, Bound to Appear: Art, Slavery, and the Radical Imagination; Chicago, IL
Craig Dworkin, There Is No Medium; Salt Lake City, UT
Lisa Farrington, Emma Amos: Art as Legacy; New York, NY
Martin Friedman, Artist Stories; New York, NY
Ed Halter, New Experimental Cinema in America, 1990-now [working title]; Brooklyn, NY
Pamela Lee, Think Tank Aesthetics: MidCentury Modernism, the Social Sciences, and the Rise of "Visual Culture"; San Francisco, CA
Barbara Moore, Observing the AvantGarde: Peter Moore & The Photography of Performance; New York, NY
John Yau, Martin Puryear; New York, NY
NEW AND ALTERNATIVE MEDIA
Geeta Dayal, Locative Art and Urban Space: Mapping an Emerging Field; Boston, MA
SHORTFORM WRITING
Amy Bernstein, Portland, OR
Janet Estep, Minneapolis, MN
Jeffrey Kastner, Brooklyn, NY
Kelly Klaasmeyer, Houston, TX
Morgan Meis, Brooklyn, NY
John Motley, Portland, OR
Cameron Shaw, Brooklyn, NY
Christian ViverosFaune, Brooklyn, NY

FMI go to http://www.artswriters.org/

Art Writing Workshop
The Creative Capital Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program is pleased to announce a new partnership with the International Art Critics Association/USA Section (AICA/USA) designed to give practicing writers the opportunity to strengthen their work through oneonone consultations with leading art critics. For a list of 2009 Art Writing Workshop Recipients see http://www.artswriters.org/writing_workshop.php