Wyoming Arts Council board meets Feb. 10-11 in Cheyenne

The Wyoming Arts Council will hold its next quarterly board meeting on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 10-11, at Little America in Cheyenne.

The WAC board invites individuals and organizational representatives to attend any part of the meeting to observe the board process, and to address the board during the public comment session at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11. Comments about the agency's policies, funding priorities, on-line granting system, and other arts-related topics are welcomed.

At the meeting, WAC board members will ratify the new Long-Range Plan, approve the slate of 2011-2012 roster artists, evaluate and award Community Arts Partnership (CAP) grants and discuss the 2009 statistics for the Wyoming Community Vitality Index (CVI).

On Friday at noon, WAC Board members will attend the Wyoming Arts Alliance’s Arts Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. That morning they will meet with Cindy Hill, the new Superintendent of Public Instruction and, in the afternoon, will meet with the State Parks and Cultural Resources Commission and Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) members. The 29th annual Governor’s Arts Awards will be held beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at Little America.

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

To obtain a detailed meeting agenda, make reservations for the Governor’s Arts Awards, or for more information, call the WAC at 307-777-7742.

Art Design & Dine -- Just in time for Valentine's Day

From the Art Design & Dine site: Art Design & Dine in Cheyenne has a new look! Each poster will list the dates for the next three months of art tours. The flyers will list the featured restaurants on the back. Each quarter there will be new restaurants added to the flyer to give you more options and a longer time to use the coupon.

First novel by Wyoming sheriff debuts March 1

A reviewer's proof of a new book landed on wyomingarts' desk a few weeks ago. "Death Along the Spirit Road" is a mystery by deputy sheriff C.M. Wendelboe of Gillette. The book will be released March 1 by Berkley Prime Time Trade Paperback (978-0-425-24002-1, $14). Several mystery writers well-known to Wyomingites wrote blurbs for Wendelboe's first novel:

From Craig Johnson of Ucross, author of "The Cold Dish and Junkyard Dogs:" "With Lakota FBI agent Manny Tanno, Wendeloboe has intrduced a powerful new character to Western crime fiction."

Margaret Coel, Colorado author of a mystery series set on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation: "A mystery novel that grabs you by the lapels and refues to let go... This is storytelling at its best and C.M. Wendelboe is the new author to watch!"

Some comments from Publishers Weekly:

Wendelboe's debut, the absorbing first in a new Native American series, introduces FBI special agent Manny Tanno, a former Oglala Sioux tribal cop. When someone buries a war club in the head of Jason Red Cloud, an ambitious developer who put together a coalition of interests to build a resort overlooking the Wounded Knee site on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation, Tanno reluctantly leaves his FBI academy teaching job to investigate. Tanno must face the enmity of acting chief Leon "Lumpy" Looks Twice as well as the tribe's distrust of FBI agents rooted in the American Indian Movement fiascos of the 1970s. To complicate matters further, Tanno's brother, Reuben, is a prime suspect. The residual animosities that divided the tribe during AIM's heyday, the awful heritage of the Wounded Knee Massacre, and the plight of the residents of the "poorest county in the nation" form a somber backdrop.

Chris Navarro's Columbian Mammoth, big version

This photo was featured in a smaller size in the January issue of the Wyoming Arts Council's Artscapes newsletter. To get the full effect, click on the photo for a larger size

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The Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) board met for their quarterly board meeting on November 11-12 in Worland. Board and staff are pictured in front of Columbian Mammoth, a new bronze sculpture by Chris Navarro installed at the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center and dedicated on September 16, 2010. It is 20 feet high by 25 feet long.

Pictured (l to r): WAC Board member Susan Stubson; WAC Arts in Education Specialist Camellia El-Antably; WAC Board members Leslie Shinaver, Ila Miller, Jo Crandall; WAC Manager Rita Basom; Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources Director Milward Simpson; WAC board members Duane Evenson, Janelle Fletcher-Kilmer, Neil Hansen, Bruce Richardson; WAC Board President David Neary; WAC Folk and Traditional Arts Specialist Anne Hatch; Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources Administrator Sara Needles.

Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund board meets Feb. 11

Contact: Renee Bovee, 777-6312

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Board will meet Friday, February 11, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Wind River Room of the Plains Hotel, downtown Cheyenne.

During the meeting, the board will hear from grant recipients, who will present brief presentations on the successes and challenges of their programs. Grantees will also be invited to share impressions of the Cultural Trust Fund from throughout the state and discuss where resources should be directed in the future.

The Board will attend the Governor’s Arts Awards banquet that evening. An agenda for the meeting is available on the WCTF website, http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/CTF/index.aspx.

Cultural Trust Fund Board members are: David Reetz, Chair, Powell; Nancy Schiffer, Kaycee; Barbara Smith, Rock Springs; Mike Shonsey, Cheyenne; and Sara Needles, Laramie.

Call for entries: Copper Nickel journal

From Jake Adam York, director of creative writing at University of Colorado at Denver and editor of Copper Nickel:


Copper Nickel, the journal of art and literature my colleagues and students and I edit here in Denver, will open its second contest this coming week, and I'm hoping you'll help spread the word in your writing communities.

Daniel Alarcon will judge our fiction contest, and Kevin Prufer will judge our poetry contest. We'll accept entries through March 31, 2011. Entrants will get not only a shot at the $1000 prize (one prize in each genre) but as well a one-year subscription (2 issues) to Copper Nickel for only $15 (which is the cost of a normal subscription).

All the details are also online at http://www.copper-nickel.org/contest/

Call for entries: Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition

Postmark deadline is Feb. 28 for the Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition.

Judge for this year's competition, open to Wyoming artists only, is Anne Morand. She is the curator of art with the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Print applications are available at the Wyoming Arts Council, 2320 Capitol Ave., and the Wyoming State Museum, 2301 Central Ave., Cheyenne. If you have questions about the competition, call David L. Newell, the museum's curator of art, at 307-777-7677.

Artists must have current material (less that three years old) on file with the Wyoming Arts Council's Artist Image Registry (AIR). Find AIR submission forms at the WAC web site. If you have questions about the AIR, contact Michael Shay or Lindsey Grubbs at 307-777-7742.

Detroit performance poet and 60s psychedelic music pioneer team up for Feb. 26 show in Cheyenne

Detroit author and performance poet M.L. Liebler and L.A. musician Peter Lewis (shown in photo at right) one of the founding members of Moby Grape, will perform at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne on Saturday, Feb. 26. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $5, $3 for students, military and seniors (including over-the-hill hippies).

On Sunday, Feb. 27, Peter and M.L. will conduct a free public workshop at the Laramie County Public Library from 2-4 p.m.

On Monday, Feb. 28, M.L. will serve as one of three judges for the 2011 Wyoming Poetry Out Loud competition. The competition begins at 7 p.m. at the Atlas Theatre. Peter will perform a short performance during intermission. This event is free and open to the public.

These events are all sponsored by the Wyoming Arts Council, the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Here is some bio info on M.L. and Peter:

One of our judges for the Poetry Out Loud event will be M.L. Liebler, a mover and shaker in the Detroit poetry scene. He has written several books of poetry including the 2001 Finalist for The Paterson Poetry Prize and was winner of The 2001 Wayne State University Board of Governors’ Award. He has read and worked with Ed Sanders, Diane di Prima, Michael McClure, Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary & William Burroughs.

In addition, Liebler has recorded his poetry with such musical legends as Al Kooper, Country Joe McDonald, Jorma Kaukonen, Mike Watt, The Magic Poetry Band and many others. Liebler also edited the recently released anthology, Working Words: Punching the Clock and Kicking Out the Jams, (Coffee House Press).

M.L. has worked with the Wyoming Arts Council before – as one of the judges for the FY 2002 creative writing fellowships and as a presenter at one of the last ARTSPEAK conferences, held in Jackson in the fall of 2001. As director of the Detroit YMCA Writer's Voice, he came to Cheyenne in 2002-2003 at the request of the YMCA to conduct poetry and music presentations and workshops with Woodstock legend Country Joe MacDonald.

Peter Lewis is a founding member of the 1960s band Moby Grape. Their debut album was released in 1967, and it is still to this day one of the most revered rock albums of all times according to Rolling Stone magazine and other cultural critics. The band's energetic and hyper-exciting combination of folk, blues, and country was a unique sound to rock & roll. It was a new kind of American roots music but the band's career never took off the way it should have, due to personal tragedies. It took Peter Lewis a long time to shake off the troubled legacy of his band and begin to make his mark again with a stellar singer/songwriting recording career. Don’t miss out on the chance to see this living legend perform.

M.L. and Peter perform together (see photo at right). These two artists take their audience on a historical, cultural & literary journey from poetry to blues, folk and rock up to original contemporary compositions of both poetry and music. Together they blend words & music with beautiful harmonies, memories and the art of spoken word.

FMI: Wyoming Arts Council and 307-777-7742.

Ozy Theater plans more unscripted hilarity Feb. 5

Another Night of Unscripted Comedy!!! Hilarity and hijinks, too!!!

February 5th 2011 - 7:30 pm at the Atlas Theatre, Cheyenne

Join those silly Ozy's as they bring another night of all-improv comedy to Downtown Cheyenne! The doors open at 7 p.m. and the laughter starts at 7:30 p.m!

Tickets at $8 bucks for adults and $5 bucks for military and students... bring your funny bone!

As always Ozy's comedy is rated PG-13.

Proceeds from all shows benefit mostly local charities.

FMI: www.ozytheater.com

Rare herd of Recycled Plastic Bottle Elk sighted in Jackson

The Jackson Hole Film Festival, as an expansion of their Arts Education Biennial grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, conducted a project where 350-plus students were involved in creating recycled elk. There's a short video of them on YouTube:

Brazilian chamber music Feb. 2 at UW

Brazilian violist Glesse Collet, along with the Summit Chamber Players, will present a program of Brazilian chamber music Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Wyoming Fine Arts concert hall.

Tickets, available at the Fine Arts box office, cost $5.50 for students and senior citizens and $7.50 for adults.

The program will include works by some of Brazil's most important composers including Marlos Nobre, Ernani Aquiar, Francisco Mignone, Chiquinha Gonzaga and Henrique Oswald. The Summit Chamber Players members are Sherry Sinift, violin, John Fadial, violin, James Przygocki, viola, Beth Vanderborgh, cello and Theresa Bogard, piano.

Collet has given courses in the main music festivals of Brazil and has also been a soloist. She is one of the founding members of the Quarteto de Brasília (Brasília Quartet), with which she toured to several countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The group recorded eight CDs, having received the Sharp Prize, for the "best classical music CD" in 1993.

Volunteers needed for RMTA Festival in Cheyenne

The Cheyenne Little Theatre Players are looking for people to volunteer for the Rocky Mountain Theatre Association Festival Feb. 9-12 in Cheyenne.

The festival will involve theatres from throughout the Rocky Mountain region including showcase performances, workshops, keynotes, and theatre competitions and auditions.

Volunteers are needed in various capacities each day. Below is a list of the dates and volunteer opportunities.

Wednesday February 9th:
Registration 8:00-4:00
Volunteers needed=2
10:00-1:00
Volunteers needed=2 (Timer and a Stage Manager)
2:00-3:00
Volunteers needed=2 (Timer and Stage Manager)
Performance-DRACULA
7:30 South High School
Volunteers needed=House Areas (Ushers, etc)

Thursday February 10th:
Registration 8:00-4:00
Volunteers needed=2
10:00-11:30
Volunteers needed=2 (Stage manager and Timer)
2:00-3:30-Performance at Mary Godfrey
Volunteers needed=1 (Stage Manager)
Performance 7:30
Volunteers needed=House Areas (Ushers, etc)

Friday February 11th:
8:00-4:00-Registration
Volunteers needed=2
10:00-1:00
Volunteers needed=2 (Timer and Stage Manager)
1:00-4:00-Tech Olympics-Maria
1:00-4:00-Bill Bowers-Mary Godfrey
Volunteers needed=1 (Stage Manager)
Performance 7:30
Volunteers needed=House Areas (Ushers, etc)

Saturday February 12th:
8:00-4:00-Registration
Volunteers needed=2
Performance 7:30
Volunteers needed=House Areas (Usher, etc)

BIG NEED!!!!!
2 Cocktail Hour Sponsors!
($250 each fee to sponsor)

If you are interested in volunteering, please email your contact information to dheying@cheyennelittletheatre.org

We will then pass this onto the organizers of the event.

For more information please go to www.cheyennelittletheatre.org or www.rmta.net

Call for entries: PEN American Center

The PEN American Center, the U.S. branch of the world’s oldest international literary and human rights organization, annually awards over $100,000 in literary awards, including the $5,000 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship to an author working on a piece of children's or young-adult fiction. This fellowship honors a writer whose work is of high literary caliber, but who may not yet have attracted a broad readership, to pursue long-term or book-length projects that might not otherwise be possible. Eligible writers have two published works and must be nominated by PEN members. Click here for full guidelines and nomination procedures. Deadline Feb. 3.

Upcoming shows at Clay Paper Scissors Gallery & Studio in Cheyenne

Clay Paper Scissors Gallery & Studio, at 1506 Thomes Ste B in Cheyenne, has two new shows going up for February and March. One of them is participatory!


We are delighted to host Origins, University of Wyoming Alumni Print Exchange celebrating 15 years of printmaking at UW. The exhibit features the work of Nathan Abel, Michael Chavez, Katie Christense, Rachael Eastman, Kazuko Goto, Sarah Hayman, Lisa Lofgren, Chancey Jahnig, Aaron Miller, Toni Mosley, Julia Goos Pence, Sara Schliecher, Anna Tsantir, Kelly Valdez, Beth Wetzbarger and Michelle Winchell. Mark Ritchie, UW Professor of Printmaking, is also participating. The exhibit was curated by Nathan Abel.

The show clearly delineates the variety of the vibrant printmaking community and includes prints of every kind and a diversity of topics. It will be up February and March, with receptions on the 10th of both months. Some of the artists will be present for the February 10 reception, which will be from 5-8 PM.

The other show is participatory, called Be Our Valentine. Anyone is invited to create and send us a valentine, which will be up in the month of Feburary.At the end of February, if you include your address (and a stamp!), you'll receive a valentine made by someone else!

Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative sponsors March 10 workshop & presentation by Barbara Goldstein

Carrie Geraci, director of the Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative, sends this announcement:

SAVE-the-DATE!
March 10, 2011
Barbara Goldstein
Public Art Director for the City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs.
At the Center for the Arts, Jackson

Morning Workshop 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Coffee, Center Theater Lobby: 8:30-9:00 a.m.
Presentation, Center Theater: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. followed by Q & A
Public Art best practices the pros and cons of different funding sources, use in cultural tourism and creative placemaking.

Evening presentation, Center Theater, 7 p.m.
"The Next Generation, National Trends in Public Art"

Barbara Goldstein is the Public Art Director for the City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs and the editor of Public Art by the Book, a primer recently published by Americans for the Arts and the University of Washington Press. Prior to her work in San José, Goldstein was Public Art Director for the City of Seattle. Goldstein has worked as a cultural planner, architectural and art critic, editor and publisher. From 1989 to 1993, she was Director of Design Review and Cultural Planning for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. From 1980-85 she edited and published Arts + Architecture magazine. She has written for art and architectural magazines both nationally and internationally, and has lectured on public art throughout the United States, and in Canada, Japan, China, Taipei, Korea and Abu Dhabi. She is currently Chair of the Public Art Network for Americans for the Arts.

FMI: www.jhpublicart.org

"The Laramie Atlas Project" update on Jan. 31 at UW

Rebecca Solnit, author, cultural historian and activist, will discuss her progress on a unique atlas of Laramie at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31 at the University of Wyoming Art Museum, located in the Centennial Complex.

"The Laramie Atlas Project: Work-in-Progress," has been a month-long effort that has created an atlas of Laramie and the surrounding region. The Centennial Complex is located at 2111Willet Drive.

"Rebecca Solnit believes maps and atlases can lead us toward a new way of understanding the places we live in," says Alyson Hagy, an MFA program in Creative Writing faculty member. "The sense of place is strong in Wyoming. Solnit's Laramie Atlas Project will invite students to make new maps -- some of them traditional, some of them innovative and even eccentric -- of the region to chronicle its nature and ties to the larger world."

As Eminent Writer in Residence in the MFA Creative Writing Program, Solnit currently is visiting UW classes across campus and consulting with MFA students on their writing during her residency.

Her visit is co-sponsored by the Albany County Public Library Foundation, the UW Art Museum, The Helga Otto Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Social Justice Research Center.

The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Reception for Oxfam America's photo exhibit Jan. 31 at UW Union Gallery 234

A photo exhibition depicting the rights of impoverished people worldwide opens with a free reception from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31 in Gallery 234 of the University of Wyoming Union in Laramie.

Oxfam America's "Right to Know, Right to Decide" will be on display Monday, Jan. 31 through Thursday, Feb. 3. The exhibition will serve as a preview for the topics and issues to be discussed at the Good Mule Conference Feb. 12-13.

The Good Mule Project is a student-led initiative to increase awareness of social and environmental justice issues, to encourage civic literacy and action and to advance cross-cultural understanding at UW.

Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice. Part of Oxfam's work supporting poor communities worldwide includes the "Right to Know, Right to Decide" campaign which calls on international oil, gas and mining companies to reduce poverty and respect the rights of poor people.

Oxfam America is one of 14 affiliates in the international confederation, Oxfam.

For more information on either event, e-mail the Good Mule project at thegoodmule@gmail.com .

Photo: This is among the photographs that can be seen in an exhibition from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, in Gallery 234 of the University of Wyoming Union. The collection will be on display Monday, Jan. 31 through Thursday, Feb. 3.

Pinedale artist Sue Sommers part of "Jentel Presents" Feb. 1 at SAGE Space in Sheridan

“Jentel Presents” will take place Tuesday, February 1, from 5:30-7 p.m. at SAGE Space, in Sheridan's Historic Train Depot, 5th and Broadway, across from The Sheridan Inn. Presenters include a fiction writer, a mixed media painter, a self-portrait painter, a short story writer, an acrylic painter, and an installation artist. “Jentel Presents” is a community outreach program that features visual presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Presenters include: Jane Kim, a New York fiction writer; Jane enjoys most movies, but she loves movies where characters do nothing but walk. Dustin London, a Brooklyn mixed media painter; Dustin grew up on a dead end road in the woods of Michigan. That landscape has molded his entire life and outlook. Amy MacLennan, a Germantown Hills, IL, self-portrait painter; Amy, thankfully, was pretty much ignored as a child, freeing her up to figure things out on her own. She’s still working on it. Beth Nelson, a Centennial, CO, short story writer; Beth has fostered a child, trekked in Nepal, curated a gallery and lived in Saudi Arabia. She supports fine art photography by volunteering at Camera Obscura Gallery. Sue Sommers, a Pinedale, WY, acrylic painter; Sue is committed to living in Wyoming and to maintaining a professional contemporary visual art practice. To succeed though, her work must circulate outside Wyoming.

Jim Zeske, a Hanover Township, PA, installation artist; Jim is always busy exploring new places and meeting new people. He gets involved in as many things as he can to both educate and learn.

Photo: Back Row - L to R: City Park Buffalo, Jane Kim, Amy MacLennan, Dustin London, Beth Nelson, Jim Zeske. Front Row – Sue Sommers

Bluegrass camps for kids July 6-8 in Buffalo

http://www.bighornmountainfestival.com

Ski Bum Music Fest Saturday in Jackson

The 15th annual Ski Bum Music Fest is 9 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Stagecoach in Jackson, featuring The Ski Bum Music Fest Jazz Explosion, Chanman Roots Band and The Outfit. $10. 733-4407.

It’s a classic Jackson Hole event that has deep roots and gives back to the ski community from which it was born – proceeds from the Ski Bum Music Festival benefit Bridger Teton Avalanche Center and Brent Newton Foundation. Fifteen years after its inception, founder Peter “Chanman” Chandler talks with JH Weekly about his positive take on being a ski bum and how the fest came to be.

Photo by Chris Havener of Chanman Roots Band

UW Art Museum unveils spring exhibitions Jan. 28

From a University of Wyoming press release:

The University of Wyoming Art Museum spring exhibitions will be showcased during a free public reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday Jan, 28, at the museum located in the Centennial Complex, 2111 Willett Drive, Laramie.

The exhibitions to be showcased are: "The 36th Annual Juried UW Student Exhibition," "The UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition," "Richard Barnes: Animal Logic," "The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States," and "American Regionalism: Selections from the Art Museum Collection."

"The UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition," displayed every three years, includes installation, painting, printmaking, graphic design, sculpture, small metals and drawing.

"Richard Barnes: Animal Logic" features behind-the-scenes photographs taken in natural history museums around the world.

"The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States" features works collected by a retired postal clerk and his wife, a former librarian, who spent 45 years collecting contemporary American art and amassed a collection of more than 2,000 pieces.

"The 36th Annual Juried UW Student Exhibition" celebrates the creative work of UW students from any discipline. An awards ceremony for standout work is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. during the opening reception.

For more information about the exhibitions, call the UW Art Museum at (307) 766-6622 or visit the museum's webpage at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum or blog at www.uwartmuseum.blogspot.com .

WWCC in Rock Springs features talk by author and historian Tom Rea on Jan. 28

From a press release:

Noted Wyoming historian and journalist Tom Rea will read from his work on Friday, January 28. The event will take place at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Room 1302, 7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

Rea is the author of several books of interest to Wyoming history buffs. Devil's Gate: Owning the Land, Owning the Story was the winner of the 2006-07 nonfiction book award from the Wyoming State Historical Society. Bone Wars: The Excavation and Celebrity of Andrew Carnegie's Dinosaur, received the 2002 Western Writers of America Spur Award for contemporary nonfiction. His most recent book is The Hole in the Wall Ranch: A History (published by Pronghorn Press in 2010).

The Friday reading will include an account of the 1885 Rock Springs Massacre, and will be accompanied by slides.

In addition to his public reading, Rea will give a three-hour writing workshop on Friday afternoon, January 28, as part of a one-credit Visiting Writers course. The workshop will focus on researching and writing good narrative about nonfiction topics. Students will be given specific research and organization tools, tips on good prose, and a chance to try out both on the spot.

Rea grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., and has lived in Wyoming for over 35 years. He holds degrees from Williams College and the University of Montana, and worked for many years as a reporter and editor on the Casper Star-Tribune. He is currently editor of a searchable encyclopedia of Wyoming History, WyoHistory.Org, now in development. He lives with his family in Casper.

The event is sponsored by the Arlene and Louise Wesswick Foundation and by the WWCC English Department. It is the first in a series of readings planned for the spring, which will also include Wyoming’s Poet Laureate David Romtvedt from Buffalo on February 11; poet and editor Maria Melendez from Pueblo, Colorado on March 4; and fiction writer Karen Brennan, formerly of Salt Lake City and now from Tucson, on March 25.

These writers will also be offering workshops prior to their readings, in which they facilitate writing exercises, share writing experiences and tips, and answer student-generated questions. Rea’s workshop is scheduled from 2-5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 28th, in Room 1408. The workshops are part of a one-credit Creative Writing class (ENGL 2495). Students may register in advance or on Jan. 28th.

For more information, contact WWCC Associate Professor of English Rick Kempa, the coordinator of the reading series and the class, at rkempa@wwcc.wy.edu.

Call for entries: "All Kids Can CREATE!"

From a press release:

On behalf of VSA, The International Organization on Arts and Disability, I would like to invite students, teachers, and parents in Wyoming to take part in an exciting art program – All Kids Can CREATE!

All Kids Can CREATE is an opportunity for students, ages 5 to 15, to submit their artwork as part of a national art search that promotes equal arts opportunities for students of all abilities. Teachers or parents may submit their students’ artwork online, and all artwork submissions will become part of an online exhibition. Two artworks from each state, one artwork by a student with a disability and one artwork by a student without a disability, will be chosen to be part of a national touring exhibition that will open in Washington, D.C. in June, 2011. This call for art is also an opportunity for teachers to receive $1,500 for their classroom!

To learn more about this call for art, please visit www.artsonia.com/allkidscancreate. Here, teachers and parents may submit student’s artwork, read about this year’s theme, as well as learn more about VSA and CVS Caremark All Kids Can. A PDF or printed version of the program information is also available upon request. The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 4, 2011.

I hope you and others in the state of Wyoming will consider this amazing chance to exhibit your students’ work! Feel free to pass on this email and information to other colleagues that may be interested in participating. We want to have a great turn out with great art!

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Kelsey Acers
Kennedy Center Intern
VSA - The International Organization on Arts and Disability
818 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
TEL: 202.628.2800
FAX: 202.429.0868
TTY: 202.737.0645
www.vsarts.org
facebook.com/VSAInternational
VSA is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Valentine's Affair fund-raiser at Lander Art Center

Wine Tasting, Chocolate Contest, Silent Auction and Good Company at the Lander Art Center on Saturday, Feb. 12, 6-9 p.m. Tickets $30/person. FMI: http://www.landerartcenter.com

WAC roster panel to meet in Cheyenne Jan. 21

The Wyoming Arts Council will hold its annual artist roster selection panel on Friday, Jan. 21, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., in the Arts Council Gallery, 2320 Capitol Ave., Cheyenne.

The meeting is open to the public.

Every year, the WAC invites applications for its roster. A panel of artists and arts professionals then convenes to review the applicants and select those that meet the criteria of “artistic merit of the artist” and “ability of the artist to successfully interact with an audience or in a public setting.”

Last year, the panel selected 12 new artists and arts groups, raising the number of talented Wyoming roster artists to 76. Any Wyoming arts organization, school or community can bring in any of these artists through an Arts Across Wyoming grant.

To view the current artists’ roster, or to get more information about grants, go to the WAC web site.

For more information about the panel meeting, please call the WAC at 307-777-7742.

Crochet across cultures Feb. 1 in Jackson

From the Teton County Library in Jackson:

The Crochet Circle meets at the Teton County Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 6:30-8 p.m.

Crochet across cultures and learn basic stitches, how to shape a project, and have fun making vests, hats, scarves or flowers with Chilean crocheter Carmen Gloria Rodríguez Sanzana. Bring your own yarn and hooks. Drop-ins welcome. Location: Conference Room. Free. Latino Programs Coordinator, Patty Rocha, 733-2164 ext. 237 or procha@tclib.org. In Spanish and English.

Jackson duo offers art and chocolate for Valentine's Day

From Wilson artist Shannon Troxler:

Art and chocolate. The bare necessities of life.

Two girls from Jackson have teamed up to bring you just that. Kristen Simpson, a chocolatier. (Teton Chocolat) and Shannon Troxler, a fine artist, have combined their talents to create Teton Chocolat Boxes. We use repurposed cigar boxes decorated with a limited edition print of Shannon's art work and filled with Kristen's delicious hand crafted chocolates.

Each box is filled with an assortment of milk and dark chocolate (with nuts) hand-crafted in the shape of ornate flowers or Venus nipples dusted with iridescent colors. A portion of the proceeds from each box sold goes to the oncology department of St. John's hospital in Jackson to help in the research and treatment of
cancer patients in our community.

Order Direct by Feb 4 for $28 ($3 goes to charity).

After Feb. 4, the Chocolate Boxes will be at Ella's Room and at the JH Flower Co. for $34 apiece.

FMI: paintergirl@bresnan.net; 307-733-0378

Work by Cheyenne's Phillippa Lack to be exhibited at Verona Tassile March 8-13

Hummingbirdminds always likes to hear good news from Wyoming artists.

Phillippa Lack of Cheyenne notified us that her work, "Ascent" (pictured above), that was submitted to "The Silk Roads Meet in Verona" contest, has been selected by the jury to be exhibited in Verona, Italy, for Verona Tessile, March 8-13, 2011. Phillippa didn’t say whether or not she’s attending the event.

The artist’s entries, “Night Flowers” and “Pastel,” were selected by Juror Pamela Allen for SAQA¹s juried exhibition Volusia Wrapped in Fiber in Gateway Center for the Arts, DeBary, Fla. Out of 323 quilts submitted by 118 artists, the judge selected 98 quilts by 61 artists.

Of the work, Pamela said, “The high quality of the entries for this show, and the diversity of creative expression made jurying a real treat. I had no specific agenda but the main thing for me is that the work should be ART and recognizable as such.”

The exhibition will open at Gateway on February 15 and end on April 6. There will be an artist¹s reception on February 20th from 2-4 p.m. There will also be a Gathering Threads Biannual meeting of open to all fiber artists on February 26 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

To see more of Phillippa’s work, go to www.pkldesigns.com

Call for entries: American Indian/Alaska Native artists

The Office of Minority Health Resource Center is in the process of developing American Indian/Alaska NativeYouth related digital educational materials. Along with our partners, Kat Communications, and the IHS HIV Program, we are seeking American Indian and Alaska Native artists that can portray regional and cultural areas. We are accepting ALL styles and themes of American Indian/Alaska Native Art. Traditional, contemporary, alternative process, digital, mix processes, and experimental works are welcome. All art must be original and appropriate for conversion to a digital format. Please send us a one paragraph biography, anddetails about the type of art work you create to artists@katcommunications.com.

Deadline: February 18, 2011. Once chosen to work on the project, artists will be compensated. Additional Questions? Contact artists@katcommunications.com or Evonne Bennett-Barnes at ebennett@minorityhealth.hhs.gov.

WOW hosts opening reception for members' show Jan. 21

1st Annual WOW Member Show will be held January 21 - February 18

Opening reception on Friday, Jan. 21 6-8 p.m.

SEE the artwork of WOW Members. 

HEAR the harp music of Alice Freeman. 

SNACK on appetizers and cake.

FMI: http://www.worksofwyoming.org

Hip-hop duo Dead Prez on stage Jan. 21 for UW's MLK Days of Dialogue

Dead Prez, hip-hop duo and social activists, will perform a free concert at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, in the University of Wyoming Union ballroom.

Individually known as M-1 and stic.man, Dead Prez continues on the path of other politically minded artists such as Public Enemy, 2pac and KRS-One.

Dead Prez has released two albums, two underground mix-tapes and two solo albums of street-level political hip-hop that is heavily aligned with challenging the status quo.

"Dead Prez uses music not to lie about having expensive cars or girlfriends with big bottoms, but to rail against the inequities in American society. They do so with an insight and honesty that is rare in any art form, let alone hip-hop," stated London's Daily Telegraph.

This concert, part of the UW Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue events, is sponsored by Friday Night Fever, Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council. To see other events associated with MLK/DOD visit www.mlkdod.com .

Individuals needing accommodations to attend this event should contact the Campus Activities Center at (307)766-6340 or cac@uwyo.edu .

Photo: Dead Prez, hip-hop duo and social activists, will perform a free concert at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, in the University of Wyoming Union ballroom.

Call for entries: Ohio State University Press

This listing from Poets & Writers (via The Bloomsbury Review):
Deadline: January 31, 2011

Entry Fee: $20

Web site: www.ohiostatepress.org

A prize of $1,500 and publication by Ohio State University Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Submit a manuscript of 150 to 300 pages of short stories, novellas, or a combination of the two with a $20 entry fee during the month of January. Send an SASE or visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

Ohio State University Press, Prize in Short Fiction, 180 Pressey Hall, 1070 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1002.

Sneak peek at BBHC's upcoming exhibitions

From a BBHC press release:

The beauty of one of the last fully-functioning mountain ecosystems in the world, the stories of contemporary American Indian life entwined with tradition, and a view of the real and idealized West as seen through the evolution of western clothing-the Buffalo Bill Historical Center explores these diverse themes through this year's upcoming special exhibitions.

The stunning landscape and wildlife images of Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam reveal the beauty in the large area running from Yellowstone National Park up through the Yukon in Canada, a nearly two-thousand-mile corridor encompassing vital passageways on which wildlife depend for survival. The more than forty large-format color photographs by Florian Schulz highlight conservation issues and efforts to link existing parks with connected corridors throughout the region.

In collaboration with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, the exhibition was organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington in Seattle and Mountaineers Books. Yellowstone to Yukon opens April 15 in the Historical Center's John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery and runs through August 7.

On April 29, a second extraordinary photography exhibition opens in the Special Exhibitions Gallery. Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation features the photography of Sara Wiles. The exhibition provides historical background for the Northern Arapaho people while the contemporary images invite viewers into the culture, values, and philosophies that guide contemporary Arapaho life. The photos include children, elders, families, and tribal activities.

Arapaho Journeys will be on view from April 29 - October 2 and is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

The real West and the idealized West are represented through apparel in a unique exhibition titled Dressed Just Right: An Evolution of Western Style from Function to Flamboyance, opening June 3, also in the Special Exhibitions Gallery at the Center. Function and style blend together in the western clothing, accessories, and decorative arts that make up the exhibition.

More information about these special exhibitions, as well as the permanent galleries, programs, field trips, and other events planned for 2011 can be found at the Historical Center's Web site, www.bbhc.org

Author Victor Villasenor speaks at Teton County Library Feb. 10

On Thursday, Feb. 10, 6-7 p.m., the Teton County Public Library presents a talk by author Victor Villaseñor.

He will discuss "Family and Quality of Life: Pride in Heritage, Family, and the Power of Personal Achievement through Vision, Education and Perseverance."

Mexican-American writer, Victor Villaseñor, best known for the New York Times bestselling novel "Rain of Gold," speaks in a heartfelt manner, about the strength of family, pride in heritage, and the dedication to education and personal achievement. Presentation is geared towards inspiring teens and parents. A book signing with titles available for purchase will follow. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Free. Latino Programs Coordinator, Patty Rocha, 733-2164 ext. 237, procha@tclib.org.

In Spanish with simultaneous interpretation to English.

During the author's trip to Teton County, he will also speak to students at Jackson High School. On Feb. 7-8, Villasenor will be at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. 

Art classes for homeschoolers Fridays at AVA Center in Gillette

HOMESCHOOL ART CLASS

Fridays at AVA Center, Gillette

January 21, 28 February 4, 18, 25 • 3-4pm

Friday afternoon sessions that teach homeschool children drawing and painting techniques. 

Pre-registration is required. 

Class Fee: $12.50 per class or register for a whole month for $40

Learn More

Call for entries: Deadline is Jan. 28 for C.I.A.O. Gallery's "Naturally Nude" exhibit

From a press release:

C.I.A.O Gallery in Jackson is pleased to present the opportunity to participate in our 4th annual “Naturally Nude”, an art exhibition of exceptional nudes. This show is open to all artists in any mediums. Traditional renderings as well as unique interpretations. This exhibition opening takes place on Valentine's Day and has become one of our most popular events for the gallery.The exhibit will be on display February 14-March 15. Application deadline is January 28! Please visit ciaogallery.com and click the "Call To Artists" tab for application. FMI: 307-733-7833 or ciaogallery@yahoo.com.

Carbon County Arts Guild features "Montana and Wyoming -- Past and Present" in February

The Carbon County Arts Guild in Red Lodge, Mont., sends this news about an upcoming exhibit:

Feb 1-28:  Pat Schermerhorn and Jane Stanfel Exhibit “Montana and Wyoming – Past and Present”.  Enjoy the work of these two fine Western artists in the Guild’s Main Depot Gallery.  Free and open during normal Arts Guild hours.  For more information, call the Arts Guild in Red Lodge at (406) 446-1370.

Feb 11:  Artists Reception.  Meet Pat Schermerhorn and Jane Stanfel, the artists who are featured in the Guild’s Main Depot Gallery during the month of February.  4-6 pm with a gallery talk at 5 pm.  The reception is free and open to all.  Refreshments will be served.  For more information, call the Arts Guild in Red Lodge at (406) 446-1370.

Americans for the Arts hosts public art preconference at June 2011 gathering in San Diego

"Sun God" by the late Niki de Saint Phalle, part of the Stuart Collection at the University of California San Diego.

Americans for the Arts announces its Public Art Preconference June 15-16 at its annual gathering in San Diego:

Join the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network (PAN) and other public arts leaders at the University of California at San Diego for a program that includes professional development, visioning sessions discussing current public art innovations, and resources and information on the state of the field.

Highlights of the program schedule include the presentation of the annual Year in Review and the PAN award and featured keynote speaker Erika Doss, educator, critic, and author of the recently published, Memorial Mania.

New this year, the preconference offers an Artist Professional Development Track curated just for independent artists! Gain the critical tools necessary to compete and succeed in public art.

Just when you thought we couldn’t pack in anything more, attendees will have guided tours of the renowned Stuart Collection (see photo above), woven artistically throughout the University of California at San Diego campus. 

Chainsaw sculptor Roy Pilcher featured on Channel 5

Roy Pilcher, chainsaw sculptor and proprietor of Bears & Company of Devils Tower, was featured today on the CBS-Channel 5 morning news show. Roy is a Wyoming Arts Council roster artist. Bring him to your community with a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. Go here for more info.

Some info about Roy from his web site:

We are a family-owned business located at Devils Tower in the northeast corner of Wyoming, near the Black Hills. Bears and Company was formed in 2004 and has continued to grow since then. The company was started after the owners of Equine Productions: a horse logging company also owned by the Pilcher family, received requests for chainsaw artwork on properties that had been thinned. Bears and Company has been a natural fit and has evolved each week. We do commercial and/or decorative art for the yards and decks of our customers. We travel to locations and have carvings in well over half of the United States. We ship UPS and take all major credit cards. 90 percent of the carvings we sell are commissioned pieces, but we do keep inventory at our shop. Thank you for your interest and please feel free to contact us about your carving. Ask about carving tutorial. 

See the Channel 5 clip here.

Tim Sandlin's fourth book in the GroVont saga due out in April

Tim Sandlin sends news "that the GroVont Trilogy is back in action in anticipation of Lydia, the fourth GroVont book, which will be out in April. After a long coma, Sex and Sunsets, Western Swing, Skipped Parts, Sorrow Floats, and Social Blunders may be once again bought at your local bookstore. Buy a set from Valley Books in downtown Jackson and receive a signed copy of The Pyms: Unauthorized Tales of Jackson Hole for free." 

"TreeMiere" set for Jackson Center for the Arts

In conjunction with an exhibit by Brazilian artist Thais Beltrane, filmmaker David Gonzales presents the premiere of “Seeing Red: TreeFight’s First Year,” a documentary about the campaign to save the whitebark pine trees in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. A tree-inspired drawing by Beltrane will be raffled. Entitled "Lake Solitude," its dimensions are 28 by 39 inches. Free admission to this event on Friday, Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m. FMI: TreeFight.org

Factory Studios in Jackson holds grand opening

From jhunderground:


Thursday, Jan. 13, 6:30 pm - Factory Studios Grand Opening @ 1255 Gregory Lane

Teton Artlab presents Factory Studios, a candy factory converted into multi-use studios for creativity. Several artists and creative organizations will call this space home, including Teton Artlab, Ben Roth, Strapped Glass, TreeFight, the Deadlocks, Caldera Collective, Abbie Miller and Meg Daly.

More than 6,500 square feet of space will include a contemporary gallery, glassblowing studio, printmaking presses, and digital media lab. In addition there are 8 private studios ranging from 112 to 1,000 square feet.

Our grand opening will feature large scale art by Abbie Miller and Ben Roth, as well as an in-studio performance by The Deadlocks.

Parking is ample around the building, especially on Martin Lane around Bison Lumber. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Free.

Call for entries: Works of Wyoming

Go NAKED! Go CLOTHED! Go FIGURE!

by Barry Allen O'Riley

Works of Wyoming (WOW) is soliciting artwork for our Go NAKED! Go CLOTHED! Go FIGURE! show. Artwork in all mediums about the human figure will be accepted until February 18. Please submit application and images to wow@uwyo.edu.  The show will debut March 4th and will remain up until April 1.

Call for proposals: Creative Capital

From Creative Capital:

Creative Capital is the only national grantmaking and artist service organization for individual artists with an open application process.

Our selection process includes three steps: inquiry, application and panel review.

To be eligible to apply, an artist must be:

• A U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident

• At least 25 years old

• A working artist with at least five years of professional experience 

FEBRUARY 1 – MARCH 1, 2011: Open submissions for projects in Film/Video and Visual Arts. Download the 2011 Grant Guidelines for more information.

FEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 1, 2012: Open submissions for projects in Emerging Fields, Literature and Performing Arts. Join our email list to receive future notification and announcements of grant rounds. Prior to the grant deadline, our grantmaking staff hold information sessions to answer applicants’ questions. In addition, we are available for questions and advice throughout the application process. If you have questions about the grant program or application process, please direct them to grants [at] creative-capital [dot] org.

Stage III Theatre presents "Agnes of God"

Stage III Community Theatre in Casper presents “Agnes of God” this month. The award-winning play was written by John Pielmeier. This production is directed by Douglas Garland.


This intense drama tells the story of the search for truth, as a Agnes, a young nun, gives birth to a baby which is later found dead. Agnes appears to have no recollection of either event. A court-appointed psychiatrist, with her own demons, is appointed to find the answers, and a strong-willed Mother Superior seems willing to defend Agnes, whatever the cost. Can they find the truth, or is it locked within Agnes herself?


Performances time is 7:30 p.m., January 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22, plus a matinee at 2 p.m., Sunday, January 16. Tickets are available at Grant Street Grocery, Cadillac Cowgirl, and Sonic Rainbow, or at Stage III one hour prior to the performance. Season ticket holders may call 307-234-0946 for reservations.

"Wild West Month" at Children's Museum of Denver

In conjunction with the National Western Stock Show, January is “Wild West Month” at the Children's Museum of Denver

Here’s some info:

Saddle up and ride on down to the Museum to join in on Wild West activities and events all month long. The Children's Museum of Denver is stepping back in time to the ol' Wild West where they'll explore what life was like way back when! Yeehaw!

Tax tips for the self-employed (including artists)

Wyoming Entrepreneur sends this:

Join us online for this series of "Tax Talk" webinars. Keith Hall, CPA of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) will present three, free, 45-minute webinars beginning February 3. Each online session will start at 2:00 pm. Keith is a nationally recognized speaker and truly understands the problems faced by small businesses.

On February 3, the topic will be, "Top 5 Tax Questions for the Self-employed." In this session Keith will cover entity formation, registrations and recordkeeping, and paying estimated taxes. He will also discuss popular deductions such as automobiles, meals and travel. To register for this session, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/454703073.

 The February 10^th webinar is titled "Preparing an Audit-proof Tax Return." In case you are audited by the IRS, you need to understand how to best safeguard your business for survival. Key topics to be discussed include getting organized, searching for deductions, and building your paper fort. To register for this session, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/790421080.

You will get "Tips for Saving on Your Taxes" on February 24. Learn how to maximize deductions with possibilities such as hiring your child, utilizing a home office, retirement contributions, and more. To register for this session, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/713500168.
 

Keith Hall helps self-employed and micro-business owners through the NASE's Tax Talk service, offering personalized tax advice on everything from incorporation and automobile expenses to home office deductions and travel expenses.

Please note: You'll need to register for each session separately. Upon registration a confirmation email will be sent with information on how to join the webinar at the scheduled time.

Our monthly webinars are typically offered the first Thursday of each month at 2:00 PM, promising to provide attendees with at least 3 actionable ideas. Presentations are one hour long and are extended free of charge in a convenient online format.

Call for entries: BBC World Service

From the BBC World Service web site:

BBC African Performance is an annual season of unique radio drama, which has now entered its fifth decade and has been designed to encourage new African writing.

In the past decade, African Performance has continued to reveal themes that reflect the concerns of the continent.

The plight of child soldiers, mob justice, people trafficking and prostitution, football fanaticism, internet dating and science fiction - these are just a few of the themes that have emerged from our competition in recent years.

If you feel that you can authentically touch the lives of Africans with your writing - why not submit your script for a radio play.

Please read the rules and follow the steps on how to enter below.

The play must be 30 minutes long when read aloud and must have no more than six main characters.

Before entering the BBC African Performance playwriting competitionclick please read the rules of the competition carefully.

All plays must reach us in London by 2400 GMT on Saturday 15 January 2011.

You can send your play along with an entry form either by email attachment as a word document to african.performance@bbc.co.uk.

Or you can post your play to:

BBC African Performance

P.O. Box 76

Bush House

London

UK

Your personal information will only be used by the BBC for the purposes of administration of this competition.

DownloadDownload the entry form.