BYU Chamber Orchestra in concert Jan. 11 at SLTEC in Kemmerer

At the South Lincoln Training and Event Center in Kemmerer. Go here for tickets.

WyAA weekend conference included booking opportunities, showcases and networking

Denver-based musician Megan Burke soundchecks before the first Wyoming Arts Alliance showcase in Kemmerer. The annual WyAA conference was held at Kemmerer's SLTEC facility over the weekend. Get more info on WyAA at www.wyomingarts.org. Photo by Michael Lange. 

Annual WyAA conference features presentations by state and regional arts leaders

The Wyoming Arts Alliance holds its annual conference Oct. 5-7 in Kemmerer.

You don’t need to be an artist or a presenter to have a place at this conference -- if you are interested in preserving and promoting the Arts in Wyoming and the surrounding areas; this is where you will want to start!

Of course, it would not be a true WyAA conference without the Performing Artist Showcases and Block Booking Meeting to round everything out. Whether you’re an artist, educator, elected official, arts advocate, you belong to a school board or a nonprofit, or you’re just interested in learning more about current issues in the arts world, come and join us for a conference filled with professional development, educational, and networking opportunities as we hear from artists and leaders around the state about what’s happening, and where the future of the arts in Wyoming is headed.

FMI: http://www.wyomingarts.org

WyAA Conference in Kemmerer will feature workshops by Arts Northwest and WESTAF presenters

From the Wyoming Arts Alliance:

Artists, Presenters, Educators and Arts Advocates:

The block of reservations for the WyAA Conference on Oct. 5-7 has been extended for 10 more days.  Our conference rate is a significant discount off the regular price, so please take advantage of it.  After Sept. 15 (which, coincidentally, is also our early bird registration deadline) the rooms will be released to the general public. For those of you not familiar with Kemmerer, lodging is very limited here, so make your reservation ASAP.  The host hotel is the Best Western Fossil Country Inn, and the phone number there is 307-877-3388.

Also, we have confirmed all six conference workshops. Here are the “working titles/topics" we are offering (each attendee will be able to choose three):

“50 Cool and Canny Fundraising Ideas,” presented by Karen Hanen of Arts Northwest;

“A Comprehensive Approach to Knowing and Building Your Audience,” presented by Bruce Alan Richardson of UW/WAC;

“Getting Schooled By The Arts – Achieving Buy-In,” presented by Amy Russian of P.A.L.S.;

“A Complete Guide to WESTAF Grants,” presented by Jen Toews of Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF);

“Savvy Self-Promotion for Artists,” presented by Jonathon Wood of BYU

“How to Survive and Thrive in Today’s Economy,” presented by Babs Case of Dancers’ Workshop

More conference information can be found on the WyAA website:www.wyomingarts.org.  Can’t wait to see you there!

Public invited to attend Wyoming Arts Council Board events August 9-10 in Kemmerer

The Wyoming Arts Council Board will meet Aug. 9-10 in the Helio Batis Room of the South Lincoln Training and Event Center (SLTEC) in Kemmerer. The meeting will be held Thursday from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. until business is concluded. 

Agenda items include: WAC’s Long Range Plan, the new communications strategy, the Community Arts Partner grant application, a proposal for new Folk & Traditional Arts fellowships, WAC’s grant programs, upcoming WAC-sponsored events, and appointment of WAC Board committees for FY2012/2013. The board invites individuals and organizational representatives to attend the meeting, and a public comment session will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday. For a detailed agenda, contact the Wyoming Arts Council office at 307-777-7742. 

Please join us for a public reception sponsored by the Frontier Arts Council on Thursday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the South Lincoln Training and Event Center. 

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

Board members are:  Karen Stewart, Board Chair from Jackson; Duane Evenson, Gilltette;  Janelle Fletcher-Kilmer, Laramie;  Neil Hansen, Powell;  Bruce Richardson, Casper;  Chessney Sevier, Buffalo;  Leslie Shinaver, Afton;  Erin Taylor, Cheyenne;  Tara Taylor, Mountain View; and Holly Turner, Casper. 

For more information, contact Rita Basom, WAC, 307-777-7473 or rita.basom@wyo.gov.

Cokeville Arts Council sponsors plein air painting workshop with Kathryn Stats

The Cokeville Arts Council is pleased to announce a two-day plein air painting workshop July 19-20 with one of the finest landscape painters in the West, artist Kathryn Stats. This oil painting workshop will include demonstrations, group and personal instruction, and a critique. Kathryn will show students how to set up a good composition, use proper values, get light into your painting, and color mixing.

Kathryn’s earliest lessons came from the books of such painters as Emil Gruppe and John F. Carlson; she later studied with Utah artists Ken Baxter and Frank Erickson. Her love of color, unerring sense of proper light and skillful brushwork make her strong, deliberate paintings feel effortless. Her floral studies and the distinctive landscapes that have become the hallmark of her work are in private and public collections worldwide. Cost for two days: $160

This workshop will be held in conjunction with the Western Wyoming Plein Air Competition (July 18-20) and the Minerva Teichert Invitational Art Show (July 19-20). FMI: http://www.cokevillewy.com/

To register or for more information, please call 307.220.8542 or email charlesdayton@allwest.net.

Wilcox Gallery featuring new work by Charles Dayton of Cokeville

Cokeville artist Charles Dayton has some new work at Jackson's Wilcox Gallery.
This one is "Lord of the Valley," oil painting, 24x36 inches, $4,200.

WY ceramic artists Connie Norman and Jenny Dowd featured in NCECA exhibit at Arvada Center

www.arvadacenter.org

Fellowship curator hits the road. First stops at Alpine & Jackson

Wyomingarts is on the road with Nancy Bowen, the Wyoming Arts Council's curator for the 2011 biennial fellowship exhibit.

First stop was Jenny Dowd's home studio in Alpine. Alpine is just down the road from Jackson on Hwy. 89, the site of the road-clogging avalanche in the spring. Quite a few Jackson commuters have moved to Lincoln County, which is served by Teton County's START Bus system. They had to take the long road to work via Idaho and Teton Pass during avalanche season.

Jenny's upstairs studio features samples of the work that led to a 2011 visual arts fellowship from the WAC. In the studio are ceramic tiles which make up furniture groupings. Over the her bedroom are the life-size sculptures of furniture complete with rows of ceramic teeth. Also on display are Jenny's fanciful "Tooth Fairy" ceramics that harken back to those childhood days when we all wondered what the Tooth Fairy did with all of those darn teeth, anyhow. You can also ask Jenny about her obsession with cicadas.

Back in Jackson, Jenny showed us around the Arts Center Gallery where the show will debut on Nov. 4. Right now the gallery is exhibiting "Sweatermen," the work of Mark Newport, fiber artist and super-hero. Here's a short description of Mark's work: "Batman, Iron Man, Spiderman and the Rawhide Kid. These characters are childhood memories of the ultimate man – the Dad every boy wants, the man every boy wants to grow up to be. Mark Newport’s hand knit acrylic re-creations of these heroes’ costumes combine their heroic, protective, ultra masculine, yet vulnerable personas with the protective gestures of his mother. The costumes are life-size, wearable objects that hang limply on hangers challenging the standard muscular form of the hero and offering the space for the viewer to imagine themselves wearing the costume, becoming the hero. Artist and educator Mark Newport is the Artist-in-Residence and Head of Fiber at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan."

The WAC fellowship exhibit will be on display at the Art Association's main gallery at the Arts Center Nov. 4 through the end of December. As always, the Arts Center was abuzz with a number of summer workshops for children and adults.

We then drove out to Factory Studios to view the work of Abbie Miller. Abbie, a Jackson native who went off to UW and returned home to practice her art -- and make a living at it -- has a studio at the Factory. She makes big sculptures incorporating fabric and zippers. She also designs a distinctive fashion line, showcasing her fashion at a July 8 event at The Factory (see poster below).

When touring the Factory, Wyomingarts picked up waves of creative vibes from the many artists and artisans and sculptors and filmmakers who have found a home there. The big building once manufactured wooden skis (remember them?) and had fallen on some hard times before local young trailblazers moved in. Much of the equipment in the studios was donated by local organizations and businesses. The artists have put in some sweat equity to install walls for offices and studios. Plumbing, too. A repair crew was patching the roof.

While we were there, Travis said he had just heard that the Teton ArtLab, sponsor of Factory Studios,  received its WAC Operating Support Grant. He seemed visibly relieved by the news. Congrats, Travis.

While Factory Studios is in an old building in Jackson's industrial district south of town, it seems to be the epicenter for exciting work by young artists who are determined to make their mark on the Jackson art scene.

Act locally, create locally, live locally.

Think big!

Photos (top to bottom):
1. Jenny Dowd shows off some of her "Tooth Fairy" ceramics to fellowship biennial curator Nancy Bowen of Brooklyn, N.Y.
2. Travis Walker (left), Teton ArtLab, Abbie Miller (center) and Nancy Bowen pose for a shot in one of the studios at The Factory in Jackson.
3. Poster for The Factory Festival held July 8 in Jackson.

Cokeville sponsors Minerva Teichert Exhibit and Invitational Art Show July 22-23

 From a press release:

Please join us in Cokeville for the 2011 Minerva Teichert Exhibit and Invitational Art Show. Experience exceptional art exhibits by pioneering artist Minerva Teichert and an invitational art show featuring some of the nation’s top western, wildlife and landscape artists including: Clark Kelly Price, Grant Redden, Michael Ome Untiedt, Linda Curley Christensen, Chad Poppleton, Charles Dayton, Bryce Cameron Liston, Lisa Huber, Karl Thomas, Dave Wade, Ken Packer and Dennis Nate.

Friday, July 22, 2011

5:00 PM    Plein Air Competition Judging (PC)
6:00 PM    Minerva Teichert Invitational Show Opens (PC) and Western Barbeque (PC)
7:30 PM    Western Entertainment (PC)

Saturday, July 23, 2011
9:00 AM    Parade
12:00 PM Barbeque
1:00 PM  Invitational/Plein Air Show opens (PC)
4:30 PM  Rodeo
6:00 PM  Shows Close (Both locations)

Location

This event will be held at the Pine Creek Ski Resort and LDS Church.

Contacts

For more information, please call 307.459.4195 or email charlesdayton@allwest.net

Young artist from Afton blends the arts of ceramics and gardening

Kira Call is a young artist from Afton and is spending summer break from Utah State University working at Afton's Hi Mountain Floral. Some of her recent artwork blends her interests in ceramics and growing fruits and veggies. You can see her work on her Facebook page. I would post samples here but Blogger is not letting me post photos today. What gives, Blogger?

Here's Kira's artist's statement from Facebook:

Art is my life. I honestly have no idea where I would be without it. I love drawing, CERAMICS, painting, sculpting, and pretty much anything else that I can get my hands on. I love to play guitar-- but more specifically, I can get lost in the world of classical guitar music. I love the intricacy and emotion in it. I have become literally obsessed with ceramics... and making teapots, to be more specific-- I don't think my first teapots look too terrible. The best way to learn is to keep challenging myself to go further ;) I believe in doing things for my own reasons. I enjoy walking alone in the forest, drinking tea, bike riding, and surprising people. I dare you to try and find someone just like me ;)

Update on Western Wyoming Plein Air Competition

News from Charles Dayton about the Western Wyoming Plein Air Competition July 20-23 in Cokeville:

Artists may paint anywhere in Western Wyoming with at least one painting within 20 miles of Cokeville. Artists may turn in up to four completed, framed and ready-to-be-hung works for the competition and show. All work must be done en plein air without the assistance of photography and must be started and completed on July 20th - July 22nd. The ‘Paint Out’ will be followed by a Reception and an Award Ceremony for the artists and their guests on Friday, July 22nd. The Western Wyoming Plein Competition will culminate in a show and sale held in conjunction with the Minerva Teichert Invitational Art Show.

Entry Fees: $10 for each surface pre-registered on or before July 15th, 2011, $15 entry fee for each surface registered at the competition.

Pre-registration by mail: All pre-paid, pre-registration forms are due before July 15th, 2011.

The Wyoming Plein Air competition will take place in Cokeville. Local lodging includes the HideOut Motel (307) 279.3281 or the (307) 279.5201.

FMI: 307.459.4195 or charlesdayton@allwest.net.

Wyoming Arts Council announces results of 2011 visual arts fellowship competition

"Lamps," Jenny Dowd, muslin, fabricated steel
armature, porcelain, 64x34x14 inches

Jenny Dowd of Alpine, David Klaren of Pinedale and Adrienne Vetter of Lander have been named the winners of the 2011 Wyoming Arts Council visual arts fellowships.

Each artist will receive a $3,000 prize. Their work will be on display Nov. 4-Dec. 30 at the Art Center in Jackson as part of the WAC’s 2010-2011 biennial exhibition.

Two artists received honorable mentions in the 2011 competition. They are Abbie Miller of Jackson and Suzanne Morlock of Wilson. There is no cash prize, but both artists’ work will be featured in the biennial show.

Judges for this year’s fellowships were Nancy Bowen, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Mark Klett, Tempe, Ariz.; and Joshua Wiener, Boulder, Colo.

Jenny Dowd is a mixed-media artist who works with paper, ink, porcelain, acrylic and muslin fabric, among other materials. She is education director and painting and drawing studio manager at the Arts Center in Jackson. Her work was featured in the 2010 Wyoming Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition, the 2011 Feats of Clay XXIV exhibit in Lincoln, Calif., and the 2007 Texas National exhibit in Nacogdoches, Texas.

"Black Gulf," David Klaren, ink on vellum,
 18x24 inches

David Klaren draws with ink and graphite on paper and vellum. He’s exhibited his work throughout Wyoming and at galleries and museums in Florida, Colorado, Nebraska, Idaho and Montana. He’s a member of the Pipeline Art Project, a group of contemporary artists who “promote their work in the wider world while maintaining Wyoming residency.”

Adrienne Vetter grew up in Wyoming and studied art at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, the University of Wyoming and the University of Michigan. She is program manager for Wyoming Kids First of the Wind River Reservation. She works in sculpture and multimedia installation and is interested in “social class, cross-cultural organizing, autobiography and rural culture.”

"White Trash Beautiful" (interior), Adrienne Vetter,
installation, life-size

Abbie Miller is a sculptor who works with a variety of materials, including cloth, vinyl, zippers, wood and metal. Suzanne Morlock is a sculptor who incorporates local materials into her work, using local newspapers in Lodz, Poland, and cast-off nets at a fishing village in Iceland.

The Wyoming Arts Council has offered fellowships to individual artists since 1987. Applications for the 2012 visual arts competitions will be available in March 2012 with a deadline in May.

For more information, contact Michael Shay at mike.shay@wyo.gov or 307-777-5234.

Wyoming State Archives announces completion of oral history about the Cokeville school bombing

From our pals over at the Wyoming State Archives blog:

On the 25th anniversary of the Cokeville, Wyoming Elementary School bombing incident, the Wyoming State Archives announces the completion of a recent oral history project featuring the remembrances of many involved in the crisis of May 16, 1986.

In September of 2010, Sue Castaneda, program coordinator for Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, and Mark Junge, Wyoming oral historian, traveled to Cokeville to capture the remembrances of some of the people who were, in one way or another, part of a life-changing event that rocked the peace and security of this small Wyoming town.

It began as a man and his wife held hostage 154 children, teachers and visitors in the community’s elementary school. This story shocked the nation as a whole school was forced into a crowded classroom with a bomb as an armed man and his accomplice terrorized their captives for three hours. The bomb did detonate and fire; thick black smoke and toxic fumes filled the room. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. One of the miracles that day was that not a single person held captive was lost. Other miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.

Castaneda and Junge interviewed three former teachers, four former students, the bomb technician, the lead investigator, parents and the first responder to the scene.

“It is an important chapter in Wyoming history and we are grateful to the interviewees involved for allowing us to capture their memories of this event. Most people do not realize it was the first-ever school hostage situation,’ Castaneda said. “It is such an amazing and beautiful story. But you have to hear it to understand why!”

Each of the oral history interviews along with a written transcript is available online at www.wyospcr.org. A podcast compilation of the interviews is also available online titled “Survivor is My Name.” The project was funded by the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

Call for entries: Wyoming Plein Air Competition

From the 2011 Arts & Cultural Events page of the Town of Cokeville's web site:

Please join us for the Western Wyoming Plein Air Competition, July 18-22 in scenic Cokeville, Wyoming. Cokeville is located in Southwestern Wyoming.  This ranching valley is filled with varied subject matter -– cowboys, cattle, horses, rivers, streams, waterfalls, sage, cottonwood trees and rocky mountains. 

Artists may paint anywhere in Western Wyoming with at least one painting within 20 miles of Cokeville.  Artists may turn in up to four completed, framed and ready-to-be-hung works for the competition and show.  All work must be done en plein air without the assistance of photography and must be started and completed on July 18th - July 22nd. The ‘Paint Out’ will be followed by a Reception and an Award Ceremony for the artists and their guests on Friday, August 13th. The Western Wyoming Plein Competition will culminate in a show and sale held in conjunction with the Minerva Teichert Invitational Art Show.

To enter

Entry Fees: $10 for each surface pre-registered on or before July 15th, 2011, $15 entry fee for each surface registered at the competition. Pre-registration by mail: All pre-paid, pre-registration forms are due before July 15th, 2011.

Location

The Wyoming Plein Air competition will take place in Cokeville. Local lodging includes the HideOut Motel (307) 279.3281 or the (307) 279.5201.

Contacts

To request a registration form, please call 307.459.4195 or email charlesdayton@allwest.net.

Welcome to Wyoming, Maggie

We at Wyomingarts get many interesting e-mails and phone calls from intriguing people. We've noticed one trend -- more inquiries from artists, writers and performers moving back to the state from elsewhere or moving here for the first time. One of the latter is Maggie Denton in Star Valley.

She started her free-lance efforts in 2009 by writing for greeting card companies. She and her husband moved to Wyoming last year. She was recently featured in "Names in the News" in The Star Valley Independent after placing 4th in an international essay contest, and has a growing list of publication credits. She lives with her husband and two mischievous cats who wreak havoc in her house on a regular basis -- "the cats, not the husband," she added. Maggie says that she "sometimes writes about the cats, admonishing them that they better make her some money, and start earning their keep."

We hear that the job market in Wyoming is pretty good. Not sure about jobs for felines, but we'll check it out.

Maggie sent us a long list of writing credentials. She writes non-fiction, fiction and poetry.

Wyomingarts invited her to join Wyoming Writers, Inc., and/or WyoPoets and sent her links to their web sites. If any of you fine Star Valley poets and writers want to e-mail a welcome to Maggie, send it to either mshay@state.wy.us or lcoatn@state.wy.us and we'll forward it.

Renegade Americana's fiddling poet Ken Waldman travels to Wyoming in November

Great article in 10/27 Denver Post about Ken Waldman, Alaska's fiddling poet who will conduct a number of residencies and events in Wyoming in November. Read "Alaska's fiddling poet brings his renegade Americana to Lakewood" at http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_16450806

Ken leaves Colorado for a series of renegade Americana events in Wyoming (and vicinity). Here is the schedule from his web site:

Friday, November 5th, 2010 8:00 PM

ARTCORE event

Casper, WY

Two-day residency for this fabulous performing arts series. Evening concert will feature special guests.

Saturday, November 6th, 2010 7:00 PM

Teton Arts Council show

Alpine Wines

Driggs, ID

http://www.tetonartscouncil.com/

This will be sponsored by the Teton Arts Council, on the other side of the mountains from Wyoming. Beautiful spot, and we'll certainly have some fun. There will be special guests. In addition to the Saturday evening show, there will be a workshop on Sunday.

Monday, November 8-12, 2010 10:00 AM

Pinedale residency

Pinedale WY schools

Pinedale, WY

Five days in schools, and an evening event or two--more details as I have them! The residency is sponsored by the marvelous Pinedale Fine Arts Council.

Saturday, November 13th, 2010 8:00 PM

Kemmerer show with Jalan Crossland

South Lincoln Events and Training Center

Kemmerer, WY

I'll be joined by Ten Sleep guitarist and banjo player, Jalan Crossland.

Monday, November 15th, 2010 10:00 AM

Lander PALS residency at various Lander schools

Lander, WY

I'll be spending 4 or 5 days in and around Lander through PALS, an acronym for Promoting Arts in Lander Schools. More details as I have them.

FMI: http://www.kenwaldman.com/

Open house at Fossil Butte National Monument

National Parks Service photo of Finney Specimen

Tour the six new exhibits at Fossil Butte National Monument featuring more than 200 new fossils such as mammals, birds, turtles, insects, flowers, seeds and leaves and trace fossils of swimming fish. See fossil preparation demonstrations, too. Other exhibits will also be on display and include geology and prehistoric road trip timeline. Refreshments will be served. Fossil Butte is one of the richest fossil sites in the world.
 
Where: Fossil Butte National Monument visitors' center, nine miles west of Kemmerer on U.S. Highway 30.
 
When: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 9
 
FMI: 307-877-4455, http://www.nps.gov/fobu/index.htm

WAC town meeting tonight in Jackson

Residents of northwest Wyoming: Brave the rain and the flash flood watch to venture out for conversations with Wyoming Arts Council staffers Rita Basom, Camellia El-Antably and Mike Shay, and board chair Bruce Richardson. Town meeting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Teton County Public Library.

The WAC is drafting its new five-year plan and needs your ideas about planning the future of the arts in the state.

Free and open to the public. Refreshments served.

FMI: 307-777-7742 or www.wyomingartscouncil.org

Dustin Payne conducts July 12-13 workshop

Dustin Payne represents the third generation of professional western sculptors in his family, so it comes as no surprise that the trade was a natural path for him. On his mother’s side he is a descendant of Hiram Daugherty and Mary Jane Goodnight, the sister of Texas Cattle King, Charlie Goodnight. Goodnight and Oliver Loving brought the first longhorns across country from Texas, inaugurating the cattle drive era. As a child, Dustin enjoyed the drawings and books of Will James and was heavily influenced by the historical nature of his father and grandfathers work. He enjoys researching the history of the subjects he creates and is greatly inspired by his family’s western roots. When not sculpting, Dustin enjoys team roping and loves to spend time outdoors on his family’s ranch.

Dustin was featured in Southwest Art’s annual “Top 21 under 31”, Southwest Art ‘My World: A visit with father-and-son sculptors Vic and Dustin Payne at their studio in Cody, WY’ (July 2009), Western Horseman ‘Four Western Artists under 45’ (June 2009), Art of the West (March/April 2009), Western Art Collector, ‘Molding a Family Legacy’ (August 2008), and was inducted into the Western Artists of America in 2007.

Join us for a hands-on workshop with this award winning sculptor. Class size is limited to ensure personal instruction for all class participants.

This workshop will be taught at the historic Cottonwood Ranch near Cokeville in Lincoln County. Local lodging includes the HideOut Motel (307) 279.3281 or the (307) 279.5201.

Tuition for 2-day workshop is $120. This includes breaks and a barbecue.

To register or for more information, please call Charles at 307.459.4195. You can also request a registration form at charlesdayton@allwest.net.

FMI: http://www.cokevillewy.com/