Gillette's Joan Sowada and Pinedale's David Klaren get public art commissions for Curt Gowdy State Park

Commissions for artwork for the new Curt Gowdy State Park Visitor Center and the Health and Science Center at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, both Art in Public Buildings Projects, have been awarded to three artists.

            The Curt Gowdy Visitor Center will feature artwork created by Gillette textile artist Joan Sowada and Pinedale’s David Klarén. The Health and Science Center at Central Wyoming College will house a glass frieze by Massachusetts artist Rufus Butler Seder.

“The Curt Gowdy project was a statewide call and we received 30 proposals from 21 Wyoming artists.” said Art in Public Buildings Project coordinator David L. Newell. “The proposals ran the gamut from traditional to contemporary, and the committee selected two concepts that really suit the lodge-style design of the center.”

Sowada is creating four quilted textile banners, incorporating imagery relating to the park, to hang above the information desk. Klarén is fabricating a series of cast iron fish silhouettes to be incorporated into the concrete sidewalks surrounding the facility and carved into the ceramic tiles of the Great Hall.

“David is bringing his fantastic graphic skills to the project and his interpretations of the fish species native to the park are amazing!” said Newell. “The selection committee was also extremely taken with a suite of iron fireplace appointments designed by artisan blacksmith David Osmundsen of Buffalo. A separate fundraising effort will be undertaken to secure the funds to purchase those pieces.” Newell added.

A national call was issued for the new Health and Science Center at Central Wyoming College. “We received 39 proposals from both Wyoming artists and artists outside the region. The building utilizes a soaring glass entryway and lobby space between the auditorium and classroom wings that served as the primary focus for installations, though the exterior plaza also received a lot of creative ideas.” continued Newell. “In the end, the committee selected a glass frieze that will knock people’s socks off. The piece utilizes optics to ‘animate’ its imagery and will morph from a single atom through a series of images, ending with the expanded galaxy. It will be amazing and perfect for a facility dealing with both health and natural sciences!”

Both the Curt Gowdy Visitor Center and the Health and Science Center at Central Wyoming College will open the summer of 2013.

The Wyoming Arts Council is responsible for the implementation of the one percent for Art in Public Buildings legislation for the State of Wyoming. By statute, artwork is commissioned as part of all new construction of state buildings with a cap of $100,000.

For additional information, contact David L. Newell, Curator of Art, Wyoming State Museum at 307-777-7677.

Grants available to develop "tourism assets" in the Lander area

If an arts organization isn't a "tourism asset" we don't know what is:

Lander's Tourism Asset Development (TAD) Program offers assistance through the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce from lodging tax proceeds from the Wind River Visitor’s Council.

All applicants are subject to guidelines for requesting Tourism Asset Development funds from the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce.  All requests require appropriate application materials and recommendation of the TAD committee and approval of the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.  Eligible candidates include groups that are able to demonstrate that their programming has a direct benefit to the tourism industry specifically in the Lander area.  The purpose of the TAD Grant program is to attract potential visitors from outside of the Lander area.

Those eligible to apply for the TAD program are non-governmental tourist-related organizations, non-profit organization, Civic organizations or tourism related organizations for the purpose of developing tourism assets in the Lander area.  Eligible expenditures include but are not limited to print media, website, radio, television.  Other expenditures may be eligible dependent upon approval of the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

TAD grants may be awarded for applications in any amount up to $1,000.

Applications must be submitted to the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce by February 1, 2013 for projects to be completed in 2013.

Call the Lander Area Chamber of Commerce at 307-332-3892.

Drama students from throughout Wyoming compete in Riverton Nov. 29-Dec. 1

Our Wyoming Arts Council colleague Camellia El-Antably is heading off to Riverton tomorrow for the Wyoming State Drama Competition. Here's her description of the event:

The Wyoming State Drama Competition is put on by the Wyoming Educators of Secondary Theatre (WEST) each year. It rotates between college campuses across the state. This year it is at Central Wyoming College in Riverton Nov. 29-Dec. 1.

It is one of the most complex theatre competitions nationally, because schools/students may compete in all areas of performance and tech, including:

Proscenium, Arena, Reader's Theatre, Original Scripts (3 kinds), Duets & Monologues (humorous or dramatic), Makeup, Scenic Design, Lighting Design, Publicity, Costume. The tech areas (makeup, scene, lights, publicity, costume) offer four levels with stronger criteria as the student gains experience.

 

All high schools are eligible to participate, another departure from competitions in other states, as there are no district-level competitions.

Approximately 35 high schools participate. CWC's Fine Arts Building will be overrun with students putting on makeup, rehearsing, watching performances or viewing technical entries. Students participate in critiques with professional judges. Judges are drawn from colleges and professional theatre groups in Wyoming and neighboring states.

WEST is a membership group of teachers and coaches and other interested parties from across the state. The competition is run entirely by them, with no paid staff. Anyone supportive of theatre in the schools can be a member of WEST. Find out more about WEST at: http://www.wyoest.net/

Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association features work by Lander artist Susan Grinels

Lander's Susan Grinels sent us this info:

The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association Dec. 15, 2012, issue will feature a pastel portrait of the beloved basset hound “Polly” (shown above) by Lander-based artist Susan Grinels.

Grinels was asked by Polly’s owner, Dr. Lisa Dawson of the Lander Valley Animal Hospital, to create the portrait of her aging basset hound Polly, now 15, who came into the clinic as a stray puppy in a snowstorm and grew up to have her toenails painted bright colors by Lisa’s daughters..

Grinels has gained a following and reputation for her animal portraits and paintings, a path that combines her love of animals and need to paint and draw. After being a vet tech for many years, and never quite managing to leave that career behind, Grinels decided to follow her dream of becoming an artist. She studied at the Corcoran School of Art and graduated with a BFA in graphic design.

Even after that accomplishment, Grinels still finds herself helping out at local vet clinics, while focusing on her artistic path to convey a sense of presence and personality in her animal artwork. Her delving into understanding the importance of human and animal relationships has led to notable achievements, including the Pastel Journal’s “Creative Spark,” and numerous awards in local, regional and international art shows such as Art Show at the Dog Show, Pastel Society of the West Coast, Art Association of Jackson Hole.

She is a member of the Lander Art Center and the Pastel Society of the Northern Rockies, and this summer will accept a medal as a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies’ Master Circle.

To see more of Susan Grinels’ artwork, visit www.CapturedinPastels.com.

Gary Small & the Coyote Brothers howlin' at the Riverton library on Saturday

Promo poster of Saturday's concert shot at the Fremont County Public Library by Michael Lange during a break in Thursday's WAC quarterly board meeting.  FMI: 307-856-3556

Public invited to attend Wyoming Arts Council Board events Nov. 8-9 in Riverton

The Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) will hold its quarterly board meeting in Riverton Nov. 8-9. The meeting will be held at the Fremont County Library on Thursday from 1-4:45 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. until business is concluded.

Agenda items include: Review and discussion of the nominations for the 2012 Governor’s Arts Awards, progress report on the WAC’s community development and the arts program; update on the new communications strategy; review of grant programs; and discussion of upcoming WAC-sponsored events.

The 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 beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8. Comments about the agency's policies, funding priorities, on-line granting system, and other arts-related topics are welcomed. For a detailed agenda, please contact the Wyoming Arts Council office at 307-777-7742. 

At the conclusion of Thursday’s session, a public reception for members of the WAC Board and the greater

Fremont County community will be held from 5-6 p.m. in the Miller Community Room at the CWC

Intertribal Education and Community Center. At 7:30 p.m., everyone is invited to a jazz concert

on campus as new WAC staff member Michael Lange will be performing with CWC musicians in a jazz

concert. For tickets and details, go to http://www.cwc.edu/

The mission of the Wyoming Arts Council is to provide leadership and invest resources to sustain, promote and cultivate excellence in the arts. 

FMI: Rita Basom, WAC, 307-777-7473 or rita.basom@wyo.gov

Two Wyoming authors takes home High Plains Book Awards

This news comes from a press release from the High Plains Book Awards in Billings, Mont.:

Winners of the prestigious 2012 High Plains Book Awards, a project of the Parmly Billings Library, were announced Saturday, October 20, in Billings, Mont., at a banquet held at the Yellowstone Art Museums. Award winners included Shann Ray's American Masculine, which won in two categories: Best First Book and Best Short Stories. Each winner received a $500 cash prize.  Other winners included Hand Raised: The Barns of Montana by Chere Jiusto & Christine W. Brown for Best Nonfiction, The Ringer by Jenny Shank for Best Fiction, Songs of Unreason by Jim Harrison for Best Poetry, Married Into It by Patricia Frolander for Best Woman Writer, and Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation by Sara Wiles for Best Art & Photography. Emeritus Award winner was Tom McGuane.

Eighty-eight books were nominated for the 2012 High Plains Book Awards in seven categories from publishers in the United States and Canada. Finalists were selected after each nominated book war read and evaluated by community readers. Winners were selected by a panel of published writers with connections to the High Plains. Many finalists and winners participated in a day-long series of readings at the Yellowstone Art Museum as part of the High Plains BookFest. All nominated books were published for the first time in 2011.

Award sponsors include the Parmly Billings Library, Friends of the Parmly Billings Library, Montana State University-Billings, the Parmly Billings Library Foundation, the Ucross Foundation, the Writer's Voice of the Billings Family YMCA, the Yellowstone Art Museum, and the Zonta Club of Billings.

More information about the High Plains Book Awards is available at: http://highplainsbookawards.org.  Nominations for the 2013 High Plains Book Awards will be accepted January 14, 2013-March 15, 2013 for books first published in 2012.

About the High Plains Book Awards
The Parmly Billings Library Board has established the High Plains Book Awards to recognize regional authors and/or literary works which examine and reflect life on the High Plains including the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

Here are details about the Wyoming winners:

MARRIED INTO IT by Patricia Frolander
Best Woman Writer
Married Into It
Patricia Frolander
High Plains Press

What happens when a young urban woman marries into a fourth generation rural ranching family and must learn the traditions, customs, and lifestyle of the land, all under the scrutinizing eye of its close knit community? Author Patricia Frolander's clear-eyed poems chronicle her years of challenges and triumphs, bruises and breakthroughs, as she moves from outsider to neighbor.

Patricia Frolander, Wyoming's poet laureate, tries to balance family, ranching, and writing and have a passion for each of them. She and her husband own his family ranch in the Black Hills of Wyoming where ties to land and livestock have provided a wonderful variety of subjects to journal and pen.

ARAPAHO JOURNEYS: PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORIES FROM THE WIND RIVER RESERVATION by Sara Wiles
Best Art & Photography
Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation
Sara Wiles
University of Oklahoma Press

Award-winning photographer Sara Wiles captures that life on film and in words in Arapaho Journeys, an inside look at thirty years of Northern Arapaho life on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming.  Through more than 100 images and 40 essays, Wiles creates a visual and verbal mosaic of contemporary Northern Arapaho culture. Depicted in the photographs are people Wiles met at Wind River while she was a social worker, anthropology student, and adopted member of an Arapaho family.

Wiles's essays weave together tribal history, personal narratives, and traditional knowledge to describe modern-day reservation life and little-known aspects of Arapaho history and culture, including naming ceremonies and cultural revitalization efforts. This work broaches controversial topics, as well, including the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians.

Sara Wiles is an independent photographer, writer, and scholar who holds a master s degree in anthropology from Indiana University. Her photographs, including the images published here for the  first time, have been exhibited nationally. She is the recipient of a Wyoming Governor's Arts Award.

Piatigorsky tour weekend stops include Dubois and Rawlins

The Piatigorsky Foundation tour of Wyoming continues this weekend:

Friday, Oct. 12, Dubois: 6 p.m., Headwaters Arts & Conference Center, 20 Stalnaker Street,, Dubois. Contact: Tammy Lucas, headwaters@wyoming.com, 307-455-2687

Saturday, Oct. 13, Rawlins: 7 p.m., Rawlins Music Academy, 307-321-4681.

FMI: For more info about the tour, contact the Wyoming Arts Council, 307-777-7742.

Reception Sept. 21 for "IPhoneography" exhibit at Lander Art Center

News from the Lander Art Center (via Pitch Engine)

The photography of Dave Schuster, Brad Christensen, and Lonnie Slack will be on exhibit at the Lander Art Center September 21 - October 27.  The opening reception for "IPhoneography: Mobile Creativity" will be held on Friday, Sept. 21, 6-8 p.m. David, Brad and Lonnie use their iPhones to photograph items and events they encounter throughout thier lives.  After all, the best camera is the camera you have with you.

These images reflect the work of three of the ever-increasing number of visionary pioneers in the exploration and development of this vibrant new medium. They are documentarists, street photographers, portrait photographers, story tellers, teachers, learners, writers, and artists. But first and foremost, they are iPhoneographers. They are exposing the world to the beauty of this emergent medium and nascent art form.

With a unified vision and a dedicated passion, these photographers capture their views of the world and share their stories -- as seen through their iPhone -- documenting the people, the events, the landscapes, the issues and the opportunities they encounter.

These three photographers come together to join forces to promote their work and present iPhonegraphy as an evolving form of fine art photography.

Call for entries: CWC Health and Science Center public art project

Architectural rendering of new CWC Health and Science Center and outdoor plaza.

The Art in Public Buildings program is issuing a call for artists for the Central Wyoming College Health and Science Center in Riverton. This is a national call for proposals with a deadline of Nov. 30, 2012.

Central Wyoming College has a standing history of nonrepresentational public art projects on campus. Therefore both traditional and nonrepresentational themes are appropriate. Themes for art proposals for the Health and Science Center may include references to the region’s cultural and natural history, the geological timeline, education, the natural sciences, health care, health sciences and the environment. Artists are encouraged to consider incorporating sustainable and recycled materials in their compositions. Proposed concepts should not be structural in nature or impact the architectural integrity of the facility.

The College’s service area encompasses one of the largest American Indian populations in the United States. Both the Northern Arapaho and the Eastern Shoshone reside on the Wind River Indian Reservation, one of the most geographically isolated regions of the West. There is also a significant Hispanic population in the area. Central Wyoming College provides a great many residents of these communities an opportunity for post-secondary educational services.

The Art in Public Buildings Project Committee has identified several potential installation sites. The exterior plaza on the north side of the building is the primary outdoor location. On the interior, the two expansive upper gallery wall surfaces of the West Lobby/Gallery (east and west wall surfaces) are the primary locations. Additional locations include the recessed radius rear wall of the auditorium, the two large niches of the West Lobby within the open balcony light wells, the secondary East Lobby/Gallery and the associated balcony light well and stairwell shaft, and the wall spaces between the classroom doors of the main east-west building corridor. Any work proposed for the exterior plaza must take into consideration the environmental extremes of the region, especially temperature fluctuations and wind force.

All styles, conceptual approaches and mediums are encouraged. Proposed artwork should enhance the architectural elements and visually extend the presence and purpose of the Health and Science Center, melding art, science and education. All proposed artwork must be durable, structurally sound, secure, site appropriate and easy to maintain.

Find the brochure with full guidelines at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/pdf/AIPBCallforEntriesBrochureWyomingCentralCollege.pdf

Katherine Palochak teaches metal etching class Sept. 29 at Lander Art Center

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Katherine Palochak is teaching a metal etching class at the Lander Art Center, 224 Main St., Lander, on Saturday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Cosis $40 plus $15 for supplies, payable to instructor.

Here’s a description of the class:

Bring designs to life on metal without the use of chemicals in this half-day Saturday class! Rather than acids, iron salts are used to achieve a clean etch on just about any metal. Even the simplest drawings look amazing when done in metal. Participants will be able to create and complete several pieces in the form of their choosing such as one of a kind jewelry, mixed media pieces, personalized nameplates or whatever you can dream up! You do not need to be an artist or a metal smith to take this class! All levels are encouraged to attend. Must be 18 years and older to attend. Those who are pregnant, have liver disease or taking chemotherapy are advised not to take this class.

Sign up by contacting the Lander Art Center at 307-332-5772.

For more info on the instructor, Katherine Palochak

Website: http://MetalsAndGems.com

Etsy: http://JazznJewelry.Etsy.com

Blog: http://JazznJewelry.Wordpress.com

Call for entries: Curt Gowdy State Park Visitor Center

Architect's rendering of the new Curt Gowdy State Park Visitor Center

David Newell, Curator of Art at the Wyoming State Museum, sends this news:

The Wyoming Art in Public Buildings program is pleased to announce a new APB project for the Visitor Center at Curt Gowdy State Park. The project has a November 30 deadline, so we want Wyoming artists to be aware of the current opportunity.  The Call for Entries form [Wyoming residents only] is currently being mailed, but it is also available to download on the web sites for the Wyoming State Museum, the Wyoming Arts Council and State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails.

We have a second project posting soon for the new Health and Science Center at Central Wyoming College. And keep an eye out for additional projects that are coming this winter.

We area waiting final confirmation of dates, but we will also soon be having the dedications of the APB art collection at the Wyoming Military Joint Force Readiness Center in Cheyenne and Stan Dolega's sculpture Wind Code at the new Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center, just south of Cheyenne.

MTV's Streeter Seidell at CWC in Riverton for free show Sept. 7

From Pitch Engine:

Comedian, editor, author and staff writer and star of MTV’s The CollegeHumor Show is on the Central Wyoming College campus Sunday, Sept. 7 and the public is invited free of charge.

Streeter Seidell appears on the main stage of the Robert A. Peck Arts Center at 7 p.m. He is the executive editor of CollegeHumor.com, co-author of the site’s first book, The CollegeHumor Guide to College, and co-star and staff writer of the site’s first television show, The CollegeHumor Show on MTV.

He has written and acted in many CollegeHumor original videos and penned hundreds of articles for the website.  Seidell is also a standup comedian and co-hosts the site's monthly New York comedy show, as well as performing regularly at clubs in New York and over 30 colleges last year. 

Outside of CollegeHumor, he has written for The New York Times, Men's Fitness, Mental-Floss Magazine, McSweeney's, The Washington Post, Wired Magazine, and Metro New York.  He has also appeared as a talking head on numerous television shows including spots on CNN, Fuse, TruTV, VH1 and Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC. 

He is currently the co-host and writer of “Pranked,” on MTV.  Seidell lives in Manhattan.

Help wanted: Lander Art Center seeks program coordinator

The Lander Art Center is seeking a Program Coordinator. Main duties include managing arts programming, financial data entry, and public relations. If you are interested in working at the premier visual art center of central Wyoming, please send a letter of interest and resume to Lisa Hueneke at 224 Main St. in Lander by August 17th. Salary dependent upon experience.

New YouTube video from Bill Boycott sings Daisy's praises

Lander's Bill Boycott, a WAC roster artist, and Dr. Jo sing about Daisy -- "The Best Dang Dog in the USA"

Lander Art Center announces new director

Lisa Hueneke

News from the Lander Art Center:

The Lander Art Center Board of Directors is please to announce the appointment of Lisa Hueneke as the new executive director of the Lander Art Center, beginning in Sepetmber 2012.

Ms. Hueneke brings over five years of nonprofit experience including one year as the Lander Art Center Program Coordinator. Ms. Hueneke has worked for nonprofits both nationally and internationally including with the Academy for Educational Development (Washington, DC), Wilderness Medical Institute (Lander, WY), Octagon Center for the Arts (Ames, IW), T.F. Chen Art and Culture Center Foundation (New York, NY), and Museo Tanga Tanga delos Niños (Sucre, Bolivia). Additionally Ms. Hueneke’s received a Bachelors of Arts in Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science in International Studies from Iowa State University.

As Executive Director, Ms. Hueneke will be responsible for the daily operation of the Lander Art Center including the education and exhibition programming, professional artist development programming, community outreach, and financial management. Her leadership and vision will guide the implementation the Lander Art Center’s strategic goals. "I am honored by this opportunity to serve such an important organization and creative community. It is an exciting time to be involved in the arts here in Lander," noted Ms. Hueneke.

Susan Grinels' pastels focus on the "presence and attitude" of Wyoming wildlife

"Jackson Hole Bison," Susan Grinels, 6x6

Susan Grinels recently received an Individual Artist Professional Development grant to attend a workshop in Big Timber, Mont. While talking with WAC staff about her IAPD final report, Susan mentioned that she's been in a number of recent exhibits and will have five pieces in the upcoming national show at the Headwaters Center in Dubois. We asked her to tell us a little bit about herself and her work... and she did.

Susan Grinels is a Lander-based artist working in pastels and mixed media. She is a transplanted Southerner. She grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, always wanting to be an artist, and eventually did go to art school at the Corcoran School of Art in DC. She has been drawing since graduating from art school in 1991, but it wasn’t until the late 2000s that she began drawing/painting with pastels. Focusing on animals, she tries to convey a sense of their presence and attitude in her paintings. Wyoming wildlife gives the artist an abundance of subject material. Susan has been in the Pastel Journal as a creative spark challenge winner and has won awards in the Art Show at the Dog Show, Pastel Society of the West Coast, Art Association of Jackson Hole and numerous regional/ local shows. She is a member of the Pastel Society of the Northern Rockies. She has work going to Dubois next week to be in the 63rd National Art Show running July 21-29 at the Headwaters Center.

Susan’s gallery page on the Pastel Society of the Northern Rockies: http://www.psnr.net/Grinels.html

Her web site: http://www.capturedinpastels.com/

Link to information about the International Association of Pastel Societies: http://www.pastelinternational.com/MASTERCIRCLE/mastercircle.html

My painting "Jackson Hole Bison" (shown above) got into the juried IAPS show at the Brea Gallery in California. Go to http://www.cityofbrea.net/section.cfm?id=466 and scroll down to International Pastel Exhibit, which gained Susan her final point to qualify for the IAPS Master Circle Medallion that will be award at their 2013 Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Film Festival schedule in Lander Thursday & Friday

Lander RiverFest announces music line-up

Lander Art Center’s 4th Annual RiverFest: Art and Music in the Park is a celebration of regional art, music, art demonstrations and installations, dance performances and food and drinks.

This year, RiverFest is scheduled for July 21, 2012 in Lander City Park at 405 Fremont St. from 11 am to 7 pm.

Juried artists display and sell their handmade crafts and original artwork which ranges from painting to pottery to jewelry.

Dancer's Workshop of Jackson Hole and Promoting Arts in Lander Scools (PALS) partners with the Lander Art Center to arrange a dance and movement performance of the Summer Creative Arts Camp local youth at 11 am.

Lander's own Fluffy Buffalo will shake our booty at 12:30pm.

The Patti Fiasco promises more high energy sound at 2:30pm.

Head for the Hills brings modern acoustic harmonies and improvisation from Ft. Collins, Co.

Demonstrations will include screenprinting, pottery, art installations, and wood carvings. Other activities will include a family friendly scavenger hunt and hula hoops sold by local hipster Jagoe Reid.

Sara Wiles and Pat Frolander are High Plains Book Awards finalists

After the review of 86 nominated books, 19 finalists have been chosen for 7 categories in the 2012 High Plains Book Awards. The books were reviewed and ranked by volunteer readers throughout Billings, Mont. The books by finalists in each category have been send to professional authors in the US and Canada. The authors come from eleven different states – Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Texas, Maine, Washington, Iowa, Connecticut, Arizona and Montana as well as the Canadian providences of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Winner is each category will receive a $500 cash prize.

Two Wyoming writers made the final list of 19:

Best Art & Photography category: Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation, Sara Wiles, Lander, Wyoming
Best Woman Writer category: Married Into It, Patricia Frolander, Sundance, Wyoming

Sara has been awarded the Wyoming Govenor's Arts Award and Pat is Wyoming's poet leaureate.

The High Plains Book Awards and BookFest will take place October 18-20, 2012. There will be a reception for the finalists on Friday, October 19, at the Babcock Theatre, followed by a public reading. All the finalists are invited to read at the Yellowstone Art Museum on Saturday, October 20 as a part of the 10th annual High Plains BookFest. The High Plains Book Award Banquet will also be held at the Yellowstone Art Museum later that night. Readings are free and open to the public. Tickets for the banquet will be available later this year.

The Parmly Billings Library Board established the High Plains Book Awards in 2006. The awards were established to recognize regional authors and/or literary works which examine and reflect life on the High Plains including the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.