Deadline is Jan. 26 to enter "Gillette's Got Talent"

Gillette's Got Talent 2011 Guidelines and Rules:

1) Participants can compete as an individual or group.

2) All participants are limited to one entry in each category and two entry fees must be paid.

3) Participants must register by January 26, 2011 at 5 p.m. to Rachel at the contact
information listed below:
E-mail: rachel@cam-plex.com
Mail: Attn: Rachel Kalenberg
1635 Reata Drive
Gillette, WY 82718

4) Entry Fee: $10 per act. All entry fees are non-refundable regardless of whether or not participants are selected to perform in the evening show.

Get more info here.

2011 Wyoming Art For The Cure artists' call



Bullish by Diane Kaysen
from 2010 Art for the Cure

 Wyoming Art for the Cure will be held on Friday, April 29, 2011. All money raised at this event goes to the Wyoming affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Artists are invited to donate a piece of original art. Pieces can be donated "in memory of" or "in honor of" someone who has battled breast cancer. A special card will be placed with your art showing the dedication.

There are six categories -- oil, pastel or drawings, photography, water-based media, sculpture, and mixed media. Cash prizes are awarded in each category for 1st and 2nd places, and a Best of Show.

Go to the website for all info on donating as well as being able to look at past years' donated art work.
http://artforthecure.org/

Write and explore your way through Yellowstone this summer

Not too early to start planning your summer...

Casper College offers the Yellowstone Experience at Yellowstone National Park May 27-June 5, 2011. This seven-credit curriculum includes three courses: ENGL 2055 90, Creative Writing in the Wild; BIOL 2110 90, Yellowstone Field Science; and PEAC 2084 90, Outdoor Living Skills.

Instructors are Terry Rasmussen and Dr. Will Robinson.

A $500 nonrefundable course fee is due by March 25.

FMI: trasmuss@caspercollege.edu or wrobins@caspercollege.edu.

Musician Kathy Moser conducts school residencies Jan. 10-13 in Casper

New Jersey singer/songwriter Kathy Moser will conduct school residencies in Casper in January. Here's some bio info on Kathy from her web site:

Kathy Moser is a songwriter, performer, teacher and social artist, working to bring positive change to the world through music.  She performs and tours nationally. Kathy has appeared at well known folk venues such as Club Passim and Godfrey Daniels, as well as colleges, churches, coffeehouses, prisons, and benefits too numerous to mention!

Known for her poetic lyrics, driving guitar style and goofy stage presence, her songs confront a variety of topics ranging from world peace to lawn mowers, dysfunctional families to shopping malls, drug addiction to the wisdom of trading in your car for a horse.  Audiences leave her shows entertained and uplifted, thoughtful and motivated.

Working with young people is one of Kathy’s passions and she gives workshops, artist residencies and concerts in a variety of educational and institutional settings.  Her work encourages young people to find a place to make a positive contribution to their communities

The schedule:

Monday, January 10th

Roosevelt High School

Some 1 Like U Performance - all day event

Casper 

Tuesday, January 11th

REACH High School

Recovery Songwriting Workshop

Casper

Wednesday, January 12th

Star Lane Center

songwriting residency

Casper

Thursday, January 13th

Star Lane Center

student songwriting workshops

Casper

Wyoming Arts Alliance launches arts education advocacy campaign

Find out more about the Wyoming Arts Alliance's current arts education advocacy campaign!

Missoula Children's Theatre makes stops in Park County

The Missoula Children's Theatre comes to Cody and Powell in January and February with residencies at local schools and the following performances:


Pinocchio: Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 3:00 & 5:30 p.m., Wynona Thompson Auditorium at Cody High School

Treasure Island: Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 3:00 & 5:30 p.m., Powell High School Auditorium

FMI: Park County Arts Council

Black Violin redefining the music world -- one string at a time. Next stop: Sheridan

Black Violin performs Wednesday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m., at the WYO Theater in downtown Sheridan. Tickets are $15 Adult/$13 Senior & Military/$8 Student/$5 12 and under.

From the WYO web site:

To most people, jazz, hip-hop, funk, and classical are musical genres. But to revolutionary music group Black Violin, they're nothing but ingredients.

Combining a daunting array of musical styles and influences to produce a signature sound that is not quite maestro, not quite emcee, this group of two classically trained violinists and their DJ is redefining the music world -- one string at a time. With influences ranging from Shostakovich and Bach to Nas and Jay-Z, Black Violin breaks all the rules, blending the classical with the modern to create something rare. A sound that nobody has ever heard, but that everybody wants to feel.

Sponsors: Children's Educational and Family Series with additional donations from Sheridan College & Sheridan Physical Therapy. Also supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council with funding from the State Legislature and National Endowment for the Arts.

Cleo Parker Robinson dancers, "The Race Show" and veterans' voices at UW MLK Days of Dialogue

Calendar of events for the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. "Days of Dialogue" at the University of Wyoming. This year's theme: "A decade of defining diversity through dialogue:"

Monday, January 17th
10:00 am - 4:00 pm: National Service Day, Laramie Plains Civic Center
- Restoration Projects

4:00 pm - Martin Luther King Jr. March and Supper, Albany County Courthouse
- The March will start at the Courthouse and continue to the Wyoming Union where soup will be served. WASA and Ballet 7220 will be preforming.

Tuesday, January 18th
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - ECTL Book Discussion, "War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder" - Union East Ballroom.
Registration required. Click here.

12:15 pm - GLBTQ Cultural Panel Discussion, "Commonalities Across Culture: GLBTQ Life in Various Cultural Communities" - Union Family Room
* Pizza Provided *

7:00 pm - MLK/DOD Keynote Speaker, Common - Hip Hop artist and activist. Union Ballroom

Wednesday, January 19th
12:00 pm - B.E.A.U.T.Y. Panel Discussion, "Standing at the Crossroads of Identity" Union Family Room
* Pizza Provided *

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Panel Discussion "Interfaith Dialogue: Spritual Wholeness In a Fractured World" headed by Dr. Sally Palmer. Union Family Room

4:00 pm - Film Screening: "The Calling" Union Family Room

8:00 pm - Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Laramie Plains Civic Center
* sponsored by the Student Activities Council, transportation from and back to campus provided by SAFE RIDE. *

Thursday, January 20th
10:00 am - 11:30 am - Master Dance Class with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble - Union Ballroom
* No prior dance experience required.

4:00 pm - Ethnic Idenity and Voice in N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK -A conversation with the actors - Union West Ballroom

7:30 pm - N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK: The Race Show - A & S Auditorium
* UW Student Tickets $10.00
Non-Student Tickets $27.00 *

Friday, January 21st
1:00 - 3:00 pm - "How and Why We Are Different When We Come Back: A Veteran's Perspective" Union East Ballroom

2:00 pm - A Program with The Beehive Collective Union West Ballroom

6:30 pm, 9:00 pm, 11:30 pm - FNF Movie: "The Messenger" Union Family Room

9:00 pm - Dead Prez Concert, Union Ballroom
* Hip hop music, sponsored by Friday Night Fever *

National Museum of Wildlife Art starts year with African art, dance and drumming

Celebrate the day after New Year's Day(Sunday, Jan. 2) at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson:

First Sundays Celebration: African Adventures

11:00AM – 5:00PM Museum Open and FREE!
1:00 – 2:00PM Art Project Djembe Drums
Chrystie and Esperti classrooms
Children are invited to make and decorate an African Drum in the style of the djembe drums used in the performance that follows. Designs of African wildlife will adorn the drums. Contact Jane Lavino or call (307) 732-5417 for details. Generously sponsored by Wells Fargo.

 Community Performance Series: Woontanara, West African Dance and Drum

2:00 – 3:00PM
Cook Auditorium
FREE!
Join us as we celebrate African culture in conjunction with our exhibition African Adventures with William R. Leigh and his Contemporaries. Daria, master dancer and choreographer, leads her costumed troupe with infectious enthusiasm bringing the vibrant color and rhythm of Africa to life. This program incorporates the song, dance, percussion, and native language of the African continent. Fun, interactive group participation makes this enjoyable for guests of all ages. Contact Jane Lavino or call (307) 732-5417 for details. Generously sponsored by Jan & Larry Finch. 

Sign up now for Lander Art Center classes

B.J. Buckley poems in HoboEye journal

Cheyenne native and Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowship recipient B.J,. Buckley has three poems featured on the online journal HoboEye. B.J. now lives in Lolo, Mont.


Read "Bitter," "Shakespeare's Monkeys" and "Cold Prairie" here.


Excerpt from "Bitter:"


Call it snow
but this dust from the moon’s basement
coats the windows of the
sky
until nobody can see out.

Caleco Foundry celebrates solstice with bronze pour

Employees at the Caleco Foundry in Cody prepare for a public winter solstice bronze pour on Dec. 21. Read the Billings Gazette article by Martin Kidston at http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_caa7ecd4-8720-5864-b6fc-4c26e0dfcf4c.html. Photo by Martin Kidston.

New YA novel set in Jackson is "Unearthly"

This is the publisher's trailer for Cynthia Hand's debut TV novel, "Unearthly," set in Jackson Hole. Cynthia grew up in Idaho Falls and neighboring Idaho communities. She spent a lot of time in Jackson. She now lives in California and teaches creative writing at Pepperdine University.

Call for entries: "New Year's Resolution" exhibit

C.I.A.O Gallery Invites You To Our "New Year's Resolution" Works Inspired by Change & Personal Growth Exhibition!

C.I.A.O Gallery invites you to be a part of our New Year themed exhibition!

Exhibition is open to but not limited to, all styles, and genres of work that represent new beginnings, new growth, or New Year's resolutions. Application deadline is December 30! Please visit http://www.ciaogallery.com/  and click the "Call To Artists" tab for application and more information!!

FMI: Ciao Gallery, 66 S. Glenwood St., Jackson, WY 83001

Wee Gallery's artist competition and exhibition

Wee Gallery of Fine Art in Scottsdale, AZ, is hosting their 1st Annual International Artist Competition and Exhibition, seeking out the greatest Artist from around the world to compete for gallery representation, ribbons, and $5000 cash and prizes.

July 15, 2011 - Deadline for entry (Entries must be postmarked by this date).

For questions, (480) 323-9100 or weedeekang1234@hotmail.com or go to the website for a downloadable registration form and submission requirements.  

Craig Johnson in Casper Star-Trib Sunday, December 19, 2010 edition

The television network A & E gave the go-ahead  for the hourlong pilot, "Longmire," which will be based on Sheriff Walt Longmire, Johnson's lead character in his series of novels. Longmire is fashioned as a Vietnam vet who is the sheriff of a fictional northern Wyoming county.

Johnson's books have won national and international awards, among them the Western Writers of America's Spur Award for the novel of the year for Another Man's Moccasins and France's Prix de 813, awarded to outstanding books translated into French.

See http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2010/07/absaroka-countys-finest-on-way-to-tv.html for more info on who are the producers and screenwriters. Filming may start as early as March.

Johnson's 7th book in the Longmire series will be published by Viking on June 2. Hell is Empty will come out just when Junkyard Dogs will be released as a trade paperback by Penguin.

Contact Craig at http://www.craigallenjohnson.com/

Monday poetry

What with the full moon tomorrow, a lunar eclipse beginning a bit after 1 a.m., tomorrow being the winter solstice, and the oft-forgotten December Ursid meteor shower that will peak on the nights of December 22 and 23 (the Geminids peaked before dawn on December 14 and get more raves), here's a moon-inspired poem from American Life in Poetry: Column 300 by Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006

From Kooser:

This is the 300th column of American Life in Poetry. I realized a while back that there have been over 850 moons that have gone through their phases since I arrived on the earth, and I haven’t taken the time to look at nearly enough of them. Here Molly Fisk, a California poet, gives us one of those many moons that you and I may have failed to observe.

Hunter's Moon

Early December, dusk, and the sky
slips down the rungs of its blue ladder
into indigo. A late-quarter moon hangs
in the air above the ridge like a broken plate
and shines on us all, on the new deputy
almost asleep in his four-by-four,
lulled by the crackling song of the dispatcher,
on the bartender, slowly wiping a glass
and racking it, one eye checking the game.
It shines down on the fox’s red and grey life,
as he stills, a shadow beside someone’s gate,
listening to winter. Its pale gaze caresses
the lovers, curled together under a quilt,
dreaming alone, and shines on the scattered
ashes of terrible fires, on the owl’s black flight,
on the whelks, on the murmuring kelp,
on the whale that washed up six weeks ago
at the base of the dunes, and it shines
on the backhoe that buried her.

The Second City presents "Fair & Unbalanced" Jan. 15 in Jackson

The Second City comedy improv troupe presents "Fair & Unbalanced" on Jan. 15, 8 p.m., in the Arts Center Theatre in Jackson.

Reserved seating: $25 Adult, $20 Students & Seniors, $15 Children

Event Info:

Over fifty years of funny! Starting in 1959 with Alan Alda and Ed Asner to today's Steve Carell and Tina Fey, legendary comedians and actors have begun their careers on the stage of The Second City, the legendary comedy theater improv troupe from Chicago.

This year's tour, "Fair & Unbalanced", takes unbridled comic pleasure in the foibles of our politicians, celebrities and even our significant others. No instutution escapes the satiric eye the The Second City- from the blowhards of the Beltway to the Hollywood elite. Ripped from the stages of The Second City's legendary theatres in Chicago and Toronto, "Fair & Unbalanced" is a hilarious ride through present day America.

If you live in Wyoming...

This was forwarded to me from Chris Valentine, member of WyoWriters and WyoPoets. Thanks, Chris!

98% of Americans scream before going in the ditch on a slippery road. The other 2% are from Wyoming and they say, “Hold my soda and watch this.”
You're from Wyoming if you eat ice cream in the winter.
When gals hear the weather will be 65 degrees (maybe that's in Colorado; in Wyoming, I'd say it's more like 45 degrees) they shave their legs and wear a skirt.
It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be canceled.
You'll wear flip flops every day of the year, regardless of the temperature.
Shooting prairie dogs is an acceptable dating sport.
'Humid' is over 25%.
Your sense of direction is toward the mountains and away from the mountains.
You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.
You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.
You buy your flowers to set out on Mother's day, but try and hold off planting them until just before Father's day.
You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your coat.
You know what the Granite Pass is.
You don't think Coors beer is that big a deal.
You went to Silver Spur as a kid, and as an adult.
You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.
You always know the elevation of where you are.
You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's going to snow that afternoon.
You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High.
Every movie theater has military and student discounts.
Everybody wears jeans to church.
You actually know that ** South Park ** is a real place, not just a show on TV.
You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Jackson Hole.
You know you're talking to a fellow Wyomingite when they say "The Tower" not Devils Tower.
A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you.
Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the crap out of the Raiders.
When people out East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.
You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky' and you notice the sky is no longer blue.

News from Cheyenne Heritage Quilters

Lots of news from Barb Gorges at Cheyenne Heritage Quilters:

We have a new website at http://www.chquilters.org/. We also have a new meeting location. The CHQ annual quilt show will be held Aug. 25-27 in a new location downtown. We have a competition, "Recycle Tradition," which we would like to invite entrants. The deadline is July 18.

For more, check out the latest edition of the organization's newsletter.

Call for entries: "Embracing our Differences" public art project

EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES: CALL FOR ARTISTS

http://www.embracingourdifferences.org/

Deadline: January 10, 2011.

"Embracing Our Differences," an annual public display of billboard-sized art works, invites professional artists and photographers, amateurs, teachers, and students to participate in its eighth annual visual art exhibit celebrating diversity. Forty-five artists will be selected for the exhibit. The Embracing Our Differences exhibit will be displayed throughout the months of April and May 2011 along Sarasota, Florida's, beautiful bayfront.

See you in Cheyenne Feb. 11 for 29th annual Governor's Arts Awards

Save the date for the 29th Governor’s Arts Awards

February 11, 2011, 6-10 p.m.

Little American Grand Ballroom, Cheyenne

Watch your mail for the invitation. Please contact our office at ebratt@state.wy.us to be added to our print mail list.

Join us in celebrating these 2010 awardees selected for their substantial contributions to Wyoming’s arts:

The Bradford Brinton Memorial & Museum showcases the work of masters in an historic setting, provides art education and helps regional artists; it is the most popular tourist attraction in Sheridan County.

Michael Masterson of Powell is recognized for his expertise and leadership in vocal and instrumental music education. He is the foremost expert on the music of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Cowboy Band and, as director of the award-winning Northwest Studio Singers, set the standard for middle and high school jazz choirs for over two decades.

Nancy Curtis of Glendo was chosen for her contribution to writing, establishing the High Plains Press and her commitment to the preservation of history and the written word.

pARTners has created an innovative method of funding art programs in Jackson schools and incorporating art into other subjects. It promotes creativity in private and public schools’ curriculum by bringing artists into classrooms to collaborate with teachers.

Stage III Community Theatre has entertained Casper audiences for 30 years and provided an opportunity for actors, directors, designers and stage crews to hone their craft.

FMI: http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/

Reviewers praise new collection of stories by UW prof Brad Watson

From a University of Wyoming press release:

Southern literature in the tradition of Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty is alive and well and living in -- of all places -- Wyoming.

Come again? Wyoming?

Reviewers are praising the southern literature heritage found in "Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives," the recent collection of stories written by University of Wyoming English Professor Brad Watson.

The book's popularity comes as no surprise to Watson's readers, who got a taste of his unique southern perspective in Watson's previous works, "Last Days of the Dog-Men," and "Heaven of Mercury," for which he was nominated for the 2002 National Book Award in Fiction.

Writing in Esquire, Daniel Torday notes, "Brad Watson's third book is a clear reminder that Southern literature will always rise again."

Torday continues, "Watson's South is modernized, but it breathes the same gothic, aesthetically precise breaths as the finest Southern writing. The ability of a writer like Watson to emigrate from his South and migrate his Southern sensibility into his writing keeps Southern literature breathing. It's not lost on a reader that Watson himself lives and teaches in Wyoming today, not Alabama or Mississippi."

Boston Globe book reviewer John Freeman ranks Watson's work among the year's best fiction books.

"They (the stories) plainly depict the importance of resilience in a world determined to undermine it," he writes. "Brad Watson's characters foul up their lives, as fathers, as sons, but they keep on."

But Freeman thinks too much is made of Watson writing about the South.

"The setting is the American South, but ... like Welty and O'Connor before him, he simply writes -- and that's why he gets it right."

Originally from Mississippi, Watson teaches in the MFA in Creative Writing Program at UW. He previously taught at The University of Alabama, Harvard University, The University of California-Irvine and The University of Mississippi, and has held fellowships through the National Endowment for the Arts and the Lannan Foundation.

For more information and links to additional reviews, visit http://www.bradwatsonfiction.blogspot.com/ 

Photo: Author Brad Watson plays with his dog Maji at a ranch near Laramie. (Katie Watson Photo)

Casper College to offer digital photography night class for spring semester

From Casper College:

If you are like most people with a digital camera you have some great photos on your computer that you would like to turn into prints, but just don't know how. It may be easier than you think, with the help of a digital photography class being offered for the spring semester at Casper College.

"Electronic Digital Photo" (ELTR 2145) will include the basic techniques of digital photography and an overview of what is needed to acquire, store, retouch, and print digital and hybrid photographs.

Miles Hecker, digital photography professional, will teach the class on Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. According to Hecker, students will learn the fundamentals of digital photography, how to make quality prints on their inkjet printer, how to scan their old slides and negatives, and how to master Adobe Photoshop CS skills to create better photos.

For more information or to register, call Casper College at 307-268-2929. The class begins on January 19, 2011.

For all those Jane Austen fans out there

Read all about the "Janeites" and the appeal of "Ms. Austen's tales of courtship and manners [that] resonate with dating-obsessed and social-media-savvy 21st-century youths." And you can watch the hilarious trailer of "Jane Austen's Fight Club." The article also mentions an English major student at UW who belongs to an Austen club on campus.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704594804575649041609261602.html

Cody native Gregory Hinton interviewed on NPR about his "Out West" series at the Autry Museum

This info on the Autry Museum's "Beyond Brokeback" and other offerings in its "Out West" series comes from Wyoming native Gregory Hinton:

Below is a link to our L.A. National Public Radio affiliate which has an interview of me about Out West and includes a copy of the speech I gave for our first event. This might be of interest to you if you wish to reprint it. It mentions Ucross, my Wyoming history, and includes a nice quote from Al Simpson and Annie Proulx. You should also be aware that my interview with Brian Kahn on Yellowstone Public Radio's Home Ground is being aired tomorrow at 6:30 and will be available on podcast.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2009/12/10/out-west-series-autry-national-center/

http://www.yellowstonepublicradio.org/programs/local/home_ground.html 

Deselms Fine Art & Custom Framing moving to Whipple House

Wyomingarts came across this news from Harvey Deselms on Facebook:

Coming December __ 2010 -- the new home of Deselms Fine Art and Custom Framing, 300 E 17th Street, Cheyenne. Formerly known as The Whipple House (and once an Italian restaurant). This historic building is shown in photo above.

Says Harvey: "Art makes a great gift, if even for yourself, this holiday season and it's less I have to move.... I will be calling some of you to help.... please!"

More good news for downtown Cheyenne.

Utah's Repertory Dance Theatre performs Jan. 22 in Pinedale

The Repertory Dance Theatre of Utah will conduct a performance on Saturday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m., in the Pinedale Auditorium in Pinedale.

Prestigious dance company will perform "Time Capsule: A Century of Dance," a guided tour through a 100-year legacy of dance paying homage to 20th-century choreographers.

For more info, contact the Pinedale Fine Arts Council.

Frontier-style "The Nutcracker" at UW this weekend

THE NUTCRACKER
Directed by Marsha Knight
Conducted by Michael Griffith
December 2-4, 7:30 p.m., December 5, 2:00 p.m.
UW Arts & Sciences Auditorium, Laramie

This classic ballet about a young girl who receives a nutcracker for Christmas that spurs her fantastical dream is a favorite family holiday tradition! Based on E.T.A. Hoffman’s book and featuring Tchaikovsky's dazzling score, THE NUTCRACKER brings out the child in each of us as it comes alive with dancing snowflakes, magical mice, marching soldiers, waltzing flowers, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Nutcracker Prince. This year's production features more sets and costumes inspired by frontier Laramie and the Ivinson Mansion. Whether you’re six or sixty, this presentation of The Nutcracker is a must see!

In memoriam: Faye Snyder of Cody

A number of people in Wyoming have sent donations to the Wyoming Arts Council in memory of Faye Snyder of Cody. The WAC thanks you for your generosity.

Faye was a folk artist, art teacher and was very involved in the local arts community. She passed away on Nov. 15. Here's the obituary that ran in the Billings Gazette:

CODY, Wyo. — Faye Snyder, 97, Cody, passed away at home on Nov. 15, 2010.

She was born May 15, 1913, in Belle Plaine, Iowa, the single child of Enoch and Lettie Davies. She moved to Cody at age 10, riding much of the way from Iowa on the running board of her dad's Model T, and lived here the rest of her life.

Faye held a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics, Nutrition, and Institution Management from the University of Wyoming. For 77 years, she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority. Her management skills stood her in good stead when she and her husband Don owned Sunlight Ranch. They delighted in providing their legendary hospitality to generations of dude ranch guests.

Like her father, Faye was an accomplished artist. She was a decorative folk artist and art teacher. Her interest in Rosemaling took her to the back country of Norway to study the folk art painting in historic homes and churches. Because of her interest in art, Faye welcomed the opportunity to volunteer as a docent during the developing years of BBHC.

Faye delighted the women of the community with beautiful clothing from her dress shop, Bustles and Bows. She taught knitting and quilting and started a knitting store. Cody knitters made a path to her door for help with unfinished projects.

She was proud of her family and enjoyed the company of her friends. She loved playing cards and trading recipes and stories over coffee at the kitchen table. She loved her country and enjoyed decorating her home and planting her flowers.

A lifetime member of the Cody United Methodist Church, Faye also gave her time to women's service organizations, AAUW, PEO, and United Methodist Women. She was a true practitioner of Christian good works.

Faye was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 64 years, Don Snyder.

She is survived by her daughters, Sue LaFever of Seattle, Sally (Birney) Holberg of Cody; grandchildren Kate Holberg of Cody, Kirsten (Jerry) Rief of Cheyenne, Lukas (Amber) Holberg of Billings, Cresta Faye LaFever of Seattle; and great-grandchildren Kiana and Jeremy Rief of Cheyenne, Lilly, Lucy and Jack Holberg of Billings, Simon Obrzut of Cody; and her beloved Welsh Corgi companion, Davey.

Memorials may be sent in Faye's honor to The Morris Animal Foundation, 10200 East Girard Ave., B430, Denver, CO 80231; The Wyoming Arts Council, 2320 Capitol Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82002; or the Park Co. Library (Cody Location), 1500 Heart Mountain St., Cody, WY 82414.

Memorial services will be held at Cody United Methodist Church on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m., with Rev. Dan Wanders officiating. Friends and family are welcome to join in a time of lunch and fellowship following the service in the church's fellowship hall. An online guestbook is available at http://www.ballardfh.com/.

Telling the story of Wyoming's "Cowboy Senator"

"Cowboy Christmas Poetry," art stroll, and other Johnson County holiday happenings

Scrooge's trial makes headlines in Sheridan

FMI: http://www.thesheridanpress.com/index.htm

Wyoming State Museum welcomes new arts curator

From the Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources newsletter:

David L. Newell joins the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne as Curator of Art.

Newell has worked in the museum profession for over twenty years and holds graduate degrees in Theatrical Design and Museum Studies. He worked previously with the Museum of Texas Tech University; the Texas Fashion Collection, University of North Texas; the Dallas Historical Society; the Colorado Historical Society; and the Gilcrease Museum. He has recently organized exhibitions on Ansel Adams, Maynard Dixon, Edward Sheriff Curtis, John James Audubon, and Nashville cowboy couture designer, Manuel Cuevas.

Newell is responsible for the management and interpretation of the museum’s permanent art collection. He will also organize the annual Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition and manage the Governor’s Capitol Art Collection. He will advise and manage projects for the Select Committee on Legislative Facilities and the Capitol Complex Advisory Committee, in addition to participating in the state’s Art in Public Buildings program through the Wyoming Arts Council.

Wyomingarts says: The Wyoming Arts Council staff welcomes David and we all look forward to working with him.

Wintermart Arts & Crafts Sale Dec. 11-12 at UUCC

WINTERMART ARTS & CRAFTS SALE

Opening reception/preview: December 10, Friday, 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Arts & Crafts Sale: December 11, Saturday 9 am - 5 pm and December 12, Sunday 10 am - 1 pm

A few booths are still available for Holiday Gift Market; open to all artists, craftspeople and other vendors of hand-crafted wares. Booth and/or table fee members $50, non-members $60, and shared booths for $80.

Entry form download and information at www.uucheyenne.org/artfest/. For booth/table reservations and information, contact Terry Kreuzer at tkreuzer@terrykreuzer.com or Andrea Heater, Church Administrator at 638-4554 or administrator@uucheyenne.org.

Wyoming high school students invited to Native American Art summer workshop in S.D.

The University of South Dakota hosts a summer workshop for high school students interested in Native American Art. Please help us spread the word of the Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute to high schools in Wyoming by providing them the following link to our website: http://www.usd.edu/fine-arts/art/oscar-howe-summer-art-institute.cfm

FMI: Cory Knedler, Chair, Department of Art, The University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069; 605-677-5637; 605-677-5988 (fax); Cory.Knedler@usd.edu

Sneak peek at line-up for 2011 Jackson Hole Writers Conference

The latest edition of the Jackson Hole Writers Conference e-newsletter featured a sneak peek at confirmed speakers for the summer 2011 conference:

June 23-26, 2011

19th Annual Conference

The lineup is tremendous.

We'll reveal it in full in the January newsletter. Meanwhile, here's a pinch:

With titles that take us around the block and into other bizarre realms of fiction we’ve got Brady Udall and Cristina Garcia. We’ll bring back the well-loved poetic voices of Cecily Parks and Ravi Shankar and touch ground with nonfiction writers Stephanie Griest and Gary Ferguson. That’s just the beginning of a long list that includes a writer’s psychotherapist, at least 8 editors and agents and more than 15 local faculty.

A writer's psychotherapist? Now you're talkin'...

WAC welcomes your response to its long-range plan

The Wyoming Arts Council’s Long Range Plan for 2011-2015 is now available for public comment through January 31, 2011.

Access the plan online from the WAC homepage at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us./

The WAC welcomes your input!

Date change for "Civility Matters" in Cheyenne

From the Wyoming Humanities Council:

Join Us for "Civility Matters! The Decline of Legislative Civility — But Not in Wyoming."

Friday, December 10, 5:30-7 p.m.

Historic Plains Hotel, 1600 Central Avenue, Cheyenne.

Join us for refreshments and conversation about Wyoming’s place in the national debate over declining legislative civility.

Leading the dialogue at 6 p.m. will be Rutgers University legislative scholar Alan Rosenthal speaking on “The Decline of Legislative Civility — But Not in Wyoming.” Rosenthal, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University, researches and teaches about state legislatures and state politics.

The author of numerous books on state legislatures, he has worked with legislatures in most of the states and with the three national legislative organizations. His most recent book is Engines of Democracy: Politics and Policymaking in State Legislatures. In 2006 he was the recipient of an award for lifetime achievement from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. He is currently chairman of the New Jersey Legislature’s Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards.

"Civility Matters!" is a multi-year initiative of the Wyoming Humanities Council which offers promotion and online and face-to-face programs on the topic of civility. Residents of the Cowboy State will have broad opportunities to consider the meaning of civility, both in the context of the nation’s democratic commitments to freedom of expression and in the context of an increasingly global world.

Funding is provided by the Wyoming State Legislature through the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, the University of Wyoming Outreach School, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. "Civility Matters!" complements the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) 50-state American Civility Tour, conducted by NEH Chairman Jim Leach in 2010-2011.

The Wyoming Humanities Council is a nonprofit organization affiliated with NEH. For more information about the event or the Wyoming Humanities Council, call 307-721-9243 or visit www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

"N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK: The Race Show" comes to UW Jan 20

On Thursday, January 20, "N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK: The Race Show" comes to the University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences Auditorium

"A very funny play, and a very important one as well."Travis Smiley, NPR

Called "jaw-dropping . . . infectious . . . explosive . . . inspiring" by the LA Times, this original play, written, directed, and acted by three UCLA grads, is a hilarious look at the impact these three racial slurs have had on their lives, and on our culture. N*W*C, as it calls itself, argues that "we must talk about these words to create change: we have the right to use them, because they have been used against us. But our use is going somewhere new." Weaving together ensemble work, monologues, slam poetry, and stand-up comedy, N*W*C has expanded the genre of populist theater, so that "what you'll experience," they say, "won't feel like any theater you've seen before, but you're still going to love it. Maybe even a little more. . . . And we hope you laugh you're a** off too." Sold out last time: this time, A&S.

General Public $27 /Students & Seniors $23.

FMI: http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/culturalprograms/info.asp?p=26331

Jodie Atherton's dinosaur mosaics on sale at Tate Geological Museum's open house

From a Casper College press release:

Laramie ceramic artist Jodie Atherton, will be displaying and selling
her unique dinosaur mosaics during the Tate Geological Museum*s Annual
Open House on Friday, Dec. 3.

"The mosaics are created on top of a plaster jacket that was used to
transport dinosaur bones and other fragile fossils home from a field
site to the Tate Geological Museum Prep Lab," said Atherton. "Most of my
dinosaur mosaics are created with mostly my own handmade pottery. I use
my broken pottery, prairie glass, and other cast-offs in the process,"
she said.

The resulting mosaics "are truly green creations as they are made
from totally recycled materials and keeps paleontology cast offs and
broken pottery out of the landfill. By bringing science cast offs and
broken pottery together into mosaics, the end product is my artwork, a piece of history, millions of years for the fossil to form and be found,
lots of hands to create and use old bottles, and then to discard them on
the prairie for me to find years later, and many broken pots and tiles
to create these mosaics," Atherton said.

Twenty percent of all sales Atherton makes during the Tate Open House
will go back to the Tate. Atherton, who received a bachelor*s degree in
fine arts with a minor in ceramics from the University of Wyoming, is
the owner of Whitewater Ceramics in Laramie, Wyo. In addition to the
dinosaur mosaics, Atherton also creates handcrafted tiles and figurative
sculptures.

The Tate Geological Museum Open House will be held from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. and is free and open to all.

Call for entries: Before Columbus Foundation

This listing comes from the latest issue of LitOps, written and edited by Guy Lebeba of the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. To subscribe to LitOps, send an email to gwl1973@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line:

Before Columbus Foundation
American Book Awards
Deadline: December 31, 2010
Web site: http://www.beforecolumbusfoundation.com/
E-mail address: strads@haas.berkeley.edu
Approximately 10 to 18 awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the preceding year that make outstanding contributions to American literature. Winners are nominated and selected by a panel of writers,
editors, and publishers, but anyone may make a submission or recommendation to the panel. Submit two copies of a book published in 2010 by December 31. There is no entry fee. Send an SASE, call, or e-mail for complete guidelines.
Before Columbus Foundation
American Book Awards
The Raymond House,
655 13th Street
Suite 302
Oakland, CA 94612.
(510) 268-9775.
Gundars Strads, Executive Director.

Civility Matters! The Decline of Legislative Civility -- But Not in Wyoming w/update

UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO FRIDAY, DEC. 10

Thursday, December 9
5:30-7 p.m.
Cheyenne Depot Museum

Join us for refreshments and conversation about Wyoming's place in the national debate over declining legislative civility. Leading the dialogue will be Rutgers University legislative scholar Alan Rosenthal speaking on "The Decline of Legislative Civility-But Not in Wyoming." Rosenthal, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University, researches and teaches about state legislatures and state politics. The author of numerous books on state legislatures, he has worked with legislatures in most of the states and with the three national legislative organizations. His most recent book is Engines of Democracy: Politics and Policymaking in State Legislatures. In 2006 he was the recipient of an award for lifetime achievement from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. He is currently chairman of the New Jersey Legislature's Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards.


Civility Matters! is a multi-year initiative of the Wyoming Humanities Council which offers promotion and online and face-to-face programs on the topic of civility. Residents of the Cowboy State will have broad opportunities to consider the meaning of civility, both in the context of the nation's democratic commitments to freedom of expression and in the context of an increasingly global world. Funding is provided by the Wyoming State Legislature through the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, the University of Wyoming Outreach School, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Civility Matters! complements the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) 50-state American Civility Tour, conducted by NEH Chairman Jim Leach in 2010-2011. The Wyoming Humanities Council is a nonprofit organization affiliated with NEH. For more information about the event or the Wyoming Humanities Council, call 307-721-9243 or visit www.uwyo.edu/humanities;  http://www.uwyo.edu/humanities

Deadline extended: Wyoming Face of Travel

Update from Wyoming Tourism:

That's Right!! Your chance to win $500 CASH and over $700 in conference registrations is still on the table.

We have heard from a few of you... but we need to hear from more... we have extended the deadline to enter the 2011 Wyoming Face of Travel contest to Friday, December 10, 2010.

All you have to do is create a short video about why you are the Wyoming Face of Travel and post it at

http://www.wyomingfaceoftravel.com/ to be entered into the contest. It is so easy even a Wyoming Tourism Deputy Director could do it!

The winner also takes home two free registrations to the Wyoming Governor's Hospitality and Tourism Conference for their employer, a $740 value! So, please encourage your employees to enter. Forward this email to them, post this in your breakroom at the office... help us find the 2011 Wyoming Face of Travel.

FMI: Alan Dubberley, Deputy Director, Wyoming Office of Tourism, alan.dubberley@visitwyo.gov; 307-777-8561.

"Delivered from Evil" book trailer by Ron Franscell

Wyoming native (and Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowship winner) Ron Franscell now lives and works in San Antonio. Some of you remember him from his nonfiction book, "The Darkest Night," an account of the rape and murder of two Casper girls in 1973. In his latest true crime book, due out in January, Ron explores the lives of ten people who survived mass murders. Many writers have gone to video in the form of book trailers to promote their work. In this one, Ron shows how it's done.

Ski by day, watch wildlife films by night during December in Jackson Hole

Pronghorns travel winter range from documentary “Out of Yellowstone.” © Scott Copeland

Four films screening at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in December will explore environmental challenges facing a variety of species as part of the museum’s returning “Art After Hours” series.

Art After Hours is offered Tuesday nights from 5-9 p.m. throughout the winter, combining intriguing programming -- like the December 28 premiere of Out of Yellowstone -- with a chance to explore the museum’s galleries, all for free. Visitors also can enjoy a tapas dinner before or after the film in the Rising Sage Café; reservations for this option are recommended by calling 307.732.5434.

December films, presented at 7:30 p.m., are scheduled as follows:

December 7 – Polar Bears: Living on Thin Ice: Filmmaker Thomas Behrend follows two polar bear families over the course of a year. 45 minutes; provided by Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.
December 14 – Yellowstone: Battle for Life: One of the most beautiful wildernesses, Yellowstone also is one of the harshest. 87 minutes; provided by Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.
December 21 – Expedition Grizzly: Join naturalist Casey Anderson – and the grizzly he raised from birth – in a look at Yellowstone bears. 50 minutes; provided by Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.
December 28 – Out of Yellowstone: Worldwide premiere explores Greater Yellowstone’s iconic wildlife – elk, deer, and pronghorn – as critical winter range is threatened by development. Produced by The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with Phlogiston Media with the support of Deborah and David MacKenzie.

Art After Hours is sponsored by the Dragicevich Foundation and Dr. Christine Laughery/Home Health for Pets. Check the museum web site for information on weekly programming.

A complete schedule of exhibitions and events is available online at http://www.wildlifeart.org/. The museum is also active on Facebook at wildlifeartjh and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh

"Religion" exhibit opens Dec. 17 at The Corridor Gallery in Casper

The Corridor Gallery announces “Religion”, an upcoming show featuring 25 artists accepted by process of jury. The Corridor Gallery’s member artists evaluated more than 60 entries to accept a final 29 works into the show. The call for entries allowed any medium or format to be entered under the broad subject of “Religion”. Submissions depict the many facets of religious interpretation and belief through creative expression. One piece will be selected as the Best in Show winner durning the opening reception bringing the winning artist a feature solo show at The Corridor Gallery.

The 25 accepted artists include Marta Amundson, Glenn Bochmann, Eric Wimmer, LuDel Deal Walter, Bruce Allemani, Win Ratz, Leighton White, Conor Mullen, Jamie Lacore, Brad Cool, Karyne Dunbar, Sharon Merschat, Gabrielle Reeves, Robert Martinez, Michael Flicek, Gabriella Hileman, Unknown Haitian artist, Lisa Lofgren, Rodney Mahaffey, MaryFair Whitlatch, Seth Ramsey, Cynthia Rose, Ron Whitlatch, Gigi Atkins and Jacey Myers. Location of artists range from Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas and Illinois. Mediums range from collage, quilt/fiber, paint, photography, ceramics, wire sculpture and mixed media.

The opening reception will open to the public on Friday, December 17th at 7 p.m. including a cash bar and many of the artists will be present. “Religion” will show only through Sunday, December 19th. Most pieces will be offered for sale.

Information: For more information, please contact The Corridor Gallery at (307) 333-7035, Zak at (307) 262-3549 or visit http://www.thecorridorgallery.com/