Thursday, January 31, 2013

"Best Friends" exhibit reception Feb. 5 at Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library

BEST FRIENDS EXHIBIT on the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library Mezzanine in February

Dolls by Michelle Havenga and Watercolor by Gail Sidletsky

JOIN US for an artists' reception on Tuesday, February 5 from 5 - 7 pm

Call for entries: Wyoming Short Film Contest


The Wyoming Film Office is taking submissions for the annual Wyoming Short Film Contest.  To be eligible, films must be under fifteen minutes, shot in Wyoming, set in Wyoming, or include Wyoming as a character.  The winner will receive a $25,000 prize, for use on their next film shot in Wyoming.       
Film Office spokesman Colin Stricklin says Wyoming offers financial incentives for large-scale productions that shoot in the state, but he says this contest is meant to encourage smaller productions – even amateur films.    “Not everybody has a budget of $200,000,” Stricklin says, “so for those filmmakers that can’t quite hit our film incentive, we instituted this contest as a means to give something back.  The idea being that the $25,000 grand prize can go a long way toward an indie’s production budget.”    

The winning film will premiere at the Cheyenne International Film Festival in May.  Submissions are due April fifth.  There are no entry fees for this competition. 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Auditions for rock musical "Rent" set for Feb. 3-5

"Rent" cast performs "Seasons of Love" on Broadway on Broadway in 2005
Auditions for the rock musical "Rent" will be held on Sunday, February 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Monday, February 4, 4:30-6:30 p.m., and Tuesday, February 5, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Call-backs will be Wednesday, February 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m. All auditions held at the Historic Atlas Theater in downtown Cheyenne

Here's more info from the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players web site:
To audition, we ask that you sing a song from the show "Rent" or another contemporary musical. You may bring your own accompanist or an accompanist will be provided. There will be no cold readings of dialog. We may ask you to sing a song from the show after your initial audition. You will also be learning and performing a short dance. For call-backs, we will be assigning songs from the show "Rent," including duets.  
IMPORTANT!! The Director, Brenda Lyttle, is looking for singing actors who are confident and fearless. "Rent" is an adult show with adult roles, language and situations. The characters must be believable and real. The singing must be strong and confident. This show is set in the Lower East Side of New York City. Racial diversity is crucial. We  strongly encourage singing actors of African-American and Hispanic descent to audition.  
Go to this link for more details: Rent Auditions

Spend the Cheyenne weekend with Jalan Crossland and his band

Jalan Crossland on the songwriters' stage at the 2011 French Quarter Festival in New Orleans.
Ten Sleep's Jalan Crossland will receive a 2012 Governor's Arts Award Friday, Feb. 8, at the annual GAA Awards Gala at Little America in Cheyenne. He'll be performing a few of his trademark songs to wrap up the night's festivities. If you want more, and you probably will, catch Jalan and his band the next night in concert.

The Jalan Crossland Band will perform in concert on Saturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., at the Terry Bison Ranch just off of the Terry Ranch Rd. exit on I-25 South, just before you get to to the Colorado border. Doors open at 6 p.m.

PRESALE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ERNIE NOVEMBER RECORD STORE in downtown Cheyenne. Tickets are $12 or $15 day of show.


If you've never experienced Jalan Crossland, you're in for a jaw-dropping experience. He has won many prestigious awards, including second in the National Fingerstyle Guitar Competion and first place in the state Flatpicking Contest. He has toured multiple times with Robert Earl Keen, and toured in Europe and Australia. He has been often showcased on NPR, made multiple TV appearances and been in the New York Times. Jalan is featured in a cover story in the winter issue of Wyoming Artscapes, the quarterly magazine of the Wyoming Arts Council. 

The complexities of his combination of edgy, alt-country and traditional guitar and banjo picking seem effortless as he weaves tales of heartbreak, the sometimes-dark crevices of small town America, and most of all the joy, humor and love that can be found in every rusty-lining.

Hell froze over and his band is back together. The massively talented duo of Shaun Kelley, who plays upright and electric bass and Andy Phreaner plays trapset, wackadoo, harmonica and percussion. You want a show? Well, folks, here's something you'll never forget.


Tickets are still available for the Governor's Arts Awards Gala Feb. 8, 6 p.m., at Little America. Call the Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742. 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Teton County wildlife art gets winterized courtesy of The Knitting Project

The Knitting Project is dressing up wildlife art in Teton County, such as "Bruce the Moose" in Wilson shown above. Find out more at Suzanne Morlock's web site or read an article about the unique project in the winter issue of Wyoming Artscapes, which comes out next week. 

"Carol Prusa: Emergent Worlds" exhibition opens this week at the UW Art Museum

Carol Prusa will give a talk about her work in the "Emergent Worlds" exhibition at the University of Wyoming Arts Museum. The talk is at 8:15 on Thursday, Jan. 31, in Visual Arts Building 111. Free and open to the public. On Friday, Feb. 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Prusa will lead a gallery walk-through, followed by an open reception for all of the museum's new exhibitions. The annual student awards ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Sagebrush Community Art Center features art from Neltje's rooms

The Sagebrush Community Art Center in Sheridan is featuring an exhibition of art from around the world, acquired and exhibited by local artist and philanthropist, Neltje. A group of paintings, ceramics, furnishings, and sculptures that Neltje has hunted and gathered over a period of many years during her travels to far-flung places – a diverse display of color, texture, and emotional integrity. Open to the public, at no charge. The exhibit is on display at Sagebrush, Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, through February 23. For more information, contact Sonja Caywood at (307) 751-8216.

Artists' reception for Pinedale's public art initiative Feb. 8 at Sublette County LIbrary

Sue Sommers' mural "Our Glittering World" in downtown Pinedale
Pinedale’s public art initiative, IN|SITE EX|SITE, hosts an artists reception on Friday, February 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Sublette County Library. Artists contributing work to the community will be honored, including Bronwyn Minton, JB Bond, Kirsten and Palmer KlarĂ©n, and Sue Sommers.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Music from the Republic of Moldova


The La Taifas Quartet will perform in the Fine Arts Concert Hall at the University of Wyoming on Monday, February 4, beginning at 7:30. Admission is free and open to the public. Joining the group will be the UW Collegiate Chorale under the direction of Dr. Nicole Lamartine.
Members of La Taifas are master panflutist Boris Rudenco; violinist Marin Bunea; accordionist Edgar Stefanet; and cimbalon master Gheorghe Severin; and Maria Bunea, classical guitar. They will be joined by Maria Bunea on the classical guitar.
Traveling with the group are Moldovan musical scholars Diana Bunea and Victoria Tcacenco, who will be presenting historical and contemporary aspects of the rich Moldovan musical heritage to a variety of classes on campus. They will also use visual and aural images of Moldovan music raning from the ancient lautar tradition of northern Moldova to rock opera in Chisinau. T In addition to the concert, these seven Moldovans will be on the UW campus to offer musical workshops and presentations.    
Contact Rod Garnett for more information – rgarnett@uwyo.edu
Sponsored by the UW Department of Music, the World to Wyoming Fund, the UW Student Activities Council, the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, the Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming Humanities Council.

La Taifas will also perform in Buffalo on February 1 to perform. Read more here: http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2013/01/worlds-of-music-present-diverse-music.html

Wyoming author Gaydell Collier passes away

Collier with Maxie
Longtime Wyoming resident and author Gaydell Collier passed away January 18, 2013 at Rapid City Regional Hospital.

Gaydell came from the East Coast and as a child told people she would eventually make her home in Wyoming.
She attended the University of Wyoming, and met her then-future husband, Roy Hugh Collier. While living in Laramie and the Harmony area, Collier worked as circulation manager at the UW library, and collaborated with Eleanor Prince in producing three publications: Basic Horsemanship: English and Western; Basic Training for Horses: English and Western; and Basic Horse Care.
She and her husband purchased their Crook County Ranch in 1977. Collier took over the Crook County Library Director position and was there for 14 years, while also operating her ranch bookstore, Backpocket Books.
She was co-editor along with Nancy Curtis and Linda Hasselstrom on three anthologies: Leaning Into the Wind: Women Write from the Heart of the West in 1997; Woven on the Wind: Women Write about Friendship in the Sagebrush West, in 2001; and Crazy Woman Creek: Women Rewrite the American West in 2004.
Her publications continued in periodicals, reviews, anthologies, and magazines. Her last book was the memoir, Just Beyond Harmony, published in 2012. She received a Governor’s Arts Award in 2004. She was a charter member of Bearlodge Writers in Sundance and of the statewide writers group, Wyoming Writers, Inc., as well as a sustaining member of Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America.
The memorial service will be at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel, 450 7th St., Spearfish, SD, at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, January 24, 2013. 

Friday, January 18, 2013

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Fifth Annual Wyoming Kids Extreme Ice Festival

The Kids Extreme Ice Festival is scheduled for February 23 on the Barrett Building grounds, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne.
 
Held as part of State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails’ Wyoming Kids Extreme campaign, the Ice Festival 2013 is committed to reconnecting children and families with nature and the outdoors.
 
This year’s event is scheduled a month later to correspond with the longer Legislative session and also in hopes of experiencing more conducive weather.
 
The Ice Festival 2013, as in past years, will offer a variety of activities and demonstrations such as a snowshoe demonstration, a snowmobile simulator, a toboggan run, horse and carriage rides, snow games and more. These activities are free and open to the public.
 
Professional ice sculptors will also again be on hand to work their magic on gigantic blocks of ice. Also, snow making machines will be used to “help mother nature,” if needed. Snow making will begin several days before the event.
 
The public is encouraged to mark their calendars for what is expected to be another highly successful event again this year.

Worlds of Music presents diverse sounds in Buffalo

Savoy Family Cajun Band
The Savoy Family Cajun Band at the following free events in Buffalo
Thursday, January 24th, 5-6 pm at the Occidental Hotel, 10 N. Main
Friday, January 25th, 12:45-2pm at the Buffalo Senior Center, 671 W Fetterman St.
Saturday, January 26th, 10:30am-2:30pm, with a one hour break for lunch, a music workshop at Cooley Images, 28 S Main.  Please call David Romtvedt at 307-217-0028 to sign up for the workshop as space is limited, all instruments are welcome.
Saturday, January 26th, 7-11pm, a dance at the American Legion Hall, 18 Veterans Ave.,  with the Fireants for the first hour.

La Taifas Quartet presenting the music of Moldova to Buffalo
Friday, February 1, 12:45-2pm, at the Buffalo Senior Center, 671 W. Fetterman
Friday and Saturday, February 1 and 2, 7-9pm, at the Susie Bowling Lawrence Hospice benefit at Buffalo High School, 29891 Old Highway 87, $10 charge for the hospice benefit
Saturday, February 2, 10:30am-2:30pm, a music workshop at Cooley Images, 28 S Main, free.  All instruments are welcome.  Please call David Romtvedt at 307-217-0028 to sign up for workshop as space is limited.
Saturday, February 2, 9:15-10:30pm, a free dance at the Buffalo High School atrium following the Hospice benefit


TourWest 2013-2014 Grant Application Now Open

The TourWest grant program is now open and accepting applications. The application deadline is April 1, 2013.   
 
TourWest is a competitive grant program that provides subsidies to arts and community organizations for the presentation of out-of-state touring performers and literary artists. Funds are available to organizations that sponsor performances within the 13-state WESTAF region. Projects must take place between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014. All projects must have one public performance and one outreach activity. TourWest standard performance grants are available in an amount of up to $2,500 or 50% of the artistic fees, whichever is less. Applicants may apply for up to two standard performance grants. This year, we will not be accepting work samples by mail. All work samples must be uploaded as a digital file on the TourWest application site. To apply to TourWest and view additional information about the grant guidelines and work sample file requirements, please visit http://westaf.cgweb.org/.
 
All TourWest grants must be matched on a one-to-one basis in cash by the presenting organization. Funds are available to organizations that sponsor performances or literary events within the 13-state WESTAF region. In order to receive funding from this program, applicants should demonstrate their commitment to the following key elements: a) high artistic quality; b) collaboration and block booking; c) presentation of programs to underserved and/or culturally diverse audiences; and d) audience development and community participation. 
Applicants should create only one profile in the system; please do not create a separate username and password for each year's application. In order to maintain all of your grant applications in one place, please use the same login information for each TourWest grant round. Your profile will provide you with access to all of the TourWest grant applications, for this year, previous years, and in the future. 
 
Please note that each application can be used for only ONE project. If you wish to apply for funding for two projects, you must complete and submit two separate applications. 

New applicants and previous applicants with questions or new approaches to their applications are encouraged to call the WESTAF office at (303) 629-1166 to receive advice and guidance from a TourWest staff person.

TourWest is a program of WESTAF (the Western States Arts Federation) and is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

2013 Blanchan/Doubleday winners announced

Christine Fadden of Sheridan has won the Blanchan award for her entry, “5 Pieces of Flash Fiction.” Winner of the Doubleday award goes to Stefani Farris of Lander for her entry, “Grown Children.”

 Both will receive a cash award and the opportunity to read excerpts from their work at a scheduled public event to be held in conjunction with the WyoPoets annual workshop and poetry readings, which will take place in Casper April 19, at Metro Coffee Company, 241 S. David St., beginning at 7 P.M.

Honorable mentions in the Blanchan category went to Dainis Hazners of Story, and Yvette Whitaker of Cody. For Doubleday, honorable  mentions went to Leah Shlachter, of Jackson, and India Hayford of Casper.

A combined total of 54 entries were received.

Judge for the awards was Katharine Coles. Her fifth and sixth collections of poems, The Earth Is Not Flat and Flight, are forthcoming in 2013 and 2015 from Red Hen Press. Coles has published in The Paris Review, The Gettysburg Review, Poetry, Seneca, and many more; served as the inaugural director of the Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute for the Poetry Foundation; is a professor at the University of Utah; and is a 2012 Guggenheim Foundation Fellow. In 2010 Coles traveled to Antarctica to write poems under the auspices of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. Coles will also read from her work at the public reading event in Casper and the following day, facilitate the WyoPoets workshop at the Hilton Garden Inn. 

The Neltje Blanchan and Frank Nelson Doubleday awards are made possible through the generosity of private donor Neltje. The Blanchan award is given for the best writing that is informed by a relationship with the natural world; the Doubleday award is given for the best writing by a woman writer.

Fadden has published in several journals, received fellowships/residencies from Jentel, Brush Creek and the Vermont Studio Center, among others, and is currently working on a novel set in Ocean City, New Jersey.

Farris has published in several journals, and has received residencies from Ucross and the Island Institute in Sitka, Alaska. She is currently working on a novel.

The Blanchan/Doubleday awards program is an annual competition administered by the Wyoming Arts Council. For more information about the awards visit the WAC website wyoarts@state.wy.us or call 777-7742. 

 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Cheyenne Art Exhibit


Contemporary Dance, Rodeo at Cam-Plex in Gillette

January 18--Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company
 performance begins at 7 p.m.
The 23rd annual Winter Western Trade Show and Rodeo runs February 7-10 in Gillette. Festivities kick off with family entertainment and excitement Thursday night with a concert debuting Nashville Backstage, featuring songwriters and their stories behind the music.

Central Pavilion is the location of the trade show which opens Friday, Feb. 8., and the free stage shows on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6:30, and Sunday from noon to 2:30, featuring dancers, singers, fiddlers, and past Gillette's Got Talent winners. Petting zoo, too.

The big Pro Rodeo is Friday and Saturday nights, then Sunday afternoon it's Bulls and Broncs show.

FMI: www.cam-plex.com for a full slate of events, or call 307-682-0552

Governor's Arts Awards gala celebration

February 8

Cheyenne, WY

Little America
Dinner begins at 7 pm

Awardees:
Advocacy for Visual Arts, Gillette
Jalan Crossland, Tensleep
Lynn Munns, Casper

Registration: http://tinyurl.com/wygaa

Call for proposals

Partnership of federal agencies and national organizations offers workshop funding, technical assistance, and additional resources
 
Thursday, January 10, 2013
 
Washington, DC -- Today, the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is issuing a request for proposals to rural communities facing design challenges to host local workshops in 2013. Successful applicants will receive a $7,000 grant and in-kind design expertise and technical assistance valued at $35,000. The Request for Proposals is on the new CIRD website: www.rural-design.org.
 
For the complete press release, please click here.
 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Calling all Artists & Creative Types

Laramie Main Street needs help designing attractive, user-friendly bike racks for downtown. $500 cash prize!
 
The Why:
Bike use in downtown Laramie has been a common activity for over two decades. However, in the past few years the use and activity has significantly increased due to rising fuel costs, increased interest in biking for fitness and more people shopping, working and living downtown.
 Laramie Main Street’s Downtown Development Plan recommends, “Continue to expand the bicycle network within Laramie, with particular emphasis on creating stronger links to downtown.”
With this in mind, the Laramie Main Street Alliance is committed to providing downtown with an additional supply of attractive, user-friendly bike parking facilities to maintain an aesthetic, pleasant and safe downtown environment.
The Design
The artist will take into consideration the following design requirements when developing his/her proposal for new bike racks in downtown Laramie:
§  Consideration of the Laramie Main Street Alliance’s Branding Style Guide (available at www.laramiemainstreet.org or by email request to dowtnownlaramie@gmail.com)
§  Complementary of Laramie’s cultural assets or downtown history i.e. railroad, cowboy, architecture (1890s-1920s), college town, equality, etc.
§  Total footprint including bike rack and bikes attached that ranges between 66” and 110” long and 30” wide for sidewalk locations
§  Total footprint including bike rack with bikes attached ranges between 144” and 150” long and no more than 72” wide for off-curb or parking lot locations
§  Easy to maintain and repair (including snow removal from around base)
§  Basic framework is of 1 1/2” steel pipe or equivalent
§  Safe when located within a congested pedestrian and/or bike use area (no sharp edges or things that stick out in travel ways)
§  As racks will be placed outdoors, design and materials must be able to withstand the elements, cold, wind, snow, etc.
§  Concepts should be both functional and aesthetic
 The Committee
Artists’ submissions will be reviewed, and final selections will be made by a committee appointed by the Laramie Main Street Alliance board of directors, including input from the bike rack sub committee under the Alliance’s Design Committee. The committee for this project consists of LMSA’s Executive Director, Trey Sherwood, Design Committee Chair Bill Gribb, LMSA Vice Chair Jerry Schmidt, Wyoming Arts Council liaison Michael Lange, Sara Needles co-owner All Terrain Sports, Susan Moldenhauer Director for the UW Art Museum and Paul Harrison with the City of Laramie, Parks and Recreation Dept.
 The Budget
Stipend for selected proposal: $500
 Stipend will be awarded for the final selection. The artist will be expected to work with the Bike Rack committee and fabricators for no more than five meetings as needed to finalize the design.  
 Selected design will become property of LMSA and cannot be used for a similar project at a different location without approval from LMSA.
 The Guidelines
Eligibility:
  • Applicant must be a resident of the State of Wyoming
  • Applicant must be willing to meet project deadlines
  • Applicant must be willing to travel to Laramie for presentations and/or participate in conference calls or webinars
 Submission Requirements:
  • Cover letter including a brief narrative of the design concept, a little bit about yourself and what inspired your design (limit to one page)
  • Contact information for yourself
  • Proposed preliminary design concept with no more than 12  illustrations
  • Include any support documentation you might have
  • Application materials will become the property of the LMSA
Submissions packets on CD’s must meet these requirements:
  • Format: JPG or TIFF (RGB color)
  • Images: 300 dpi.
  • Save image in correct orientation for viewing.
  • Each image must be submitted as a separate image file. No Power Point presentations.
  • CD disc must have artist’s name – use a black permanent marker directly on the face of disc (do not use labels). Send CD in padded envelope or cardboard sleeve, do not use jewel case.
 Submission packs that are delivered to 207 Grand Ave. must include 7 copies.
 In reviewing submission materials, the committee will consider the following:
  • The quality of proposed artwork
  • The ability of the artist to capture the spirit of the Laramie Main Street Alliance’s, Downtown Bike Connection Project through the creative use of      ideas and materials
  • How well the artwork complements and visually extends the purpose of the project
  • Affordability of the artwork
  • Usability and functionality of artwork for proposed purpose
  • Safety, durability, constructability and maintenance of the artwork
 Submissions will be collected January 15th through February 28th. Artists will be notified by mid-March.
 There will be an open house, January 19th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Main Street office for those interested in asking questions or doing a walk through of downtown. Otherwise, appointment requests, materials and/or questions can be directed to:
 
Laramie Main Street Alliance
Trey Sherwood, Executive Director
Attn: Downtown Laramie Bike Connection Project
207 Grand Ave., Laramie, WY 82070
 
The Mission: The Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) is a 501 c 3 non-profit that strives to preserve historic downtown Laramie while enhancing its economic and social vitality.
 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

WAC Visual Arts Fellowships

The WAC Visual Arts Fellowship application will be available in the next two weeks, with a deadline of mid- to late February so announcements may be made at the CLICK! conference in Laramie March 1-3, 2013.

Applications this year will be accepted through CaFE online. Artists interested in applying may set up a free profile on CaFE  at any time. Profiles allows artists to input their basic information and to upload photos, which can later be attached to applications easily. WAC encourages artists to visit CaFE to learn more about the system and to set up a profile prior to the application being released. Once the application has been released, WAC will publicize that information via mail, email, this blog and our website