Henry Real Bird to conduct public workshop in Cheyenne

In conjunction with Wyoming's Poetry Out Loud state competiton, guest judge Henry Real Bird will be facilitating a public workshop on Sunday, March 3, at the Laramie County Library, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., in the Cottonwood Room on the main floor.

Henry's theme for the workshop, "Shadow of Home" will "take participants beyond reflection and past the stars, sending our thoughts in search of rhyme, exploring realms of dreaming in sound and tunes of a life."

This workshop is free and open to the public.

Linwood Tall Bull presents "Native Plants and Medicinal Uses" Nov. 10 at Washakie Museum

At the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center in Worland. 

Tribal artists demonstrate their art forms daily at Colter Bay Visitor Center in GTNP

Each year, Grand Teton National Park sponsors a program for visiting American Indian artists at the Colter Bay Visitor Center. For the past 37 years, artists from diverse tribes have demonstrated their traditional and contemporary art forms, providing visitors a chance to gain a greater appreciation and understanding of American Indian art and culture.

Participating artists represent tribes from across the United States. Demonstrated art forms include painting, weaving, pottery, beadwork, and musical instruments. Guest artists exhibit daily from Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., adjacent to the Grand Teton Association bookstore. Artists also offer their finished items for purchase. Dates and guest artists scheduled for the 2012 season are listed at http://www.nps.gov/grte/parknews/news-release-12-36.htm

NPR to air Memorial Day story on Utah veterans using sweat lodge ceremonies to overcome PTSD

In honor of Memorial Day, NPR's All Things Considered is airing our Deep West Radio Documentary about an unusual healing ceremony that is being offered to veterans at the Salt Lake City VA Center—a Native American sweat ceremony. Conducted by a medicine man in a dome-shaped structure or lodge, these sweats are helping veterans overcome symptoms related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and are drawing increasing numbers of non-native veterans. This story is part of a larger documentary project called First Nation Warriors that is in development by the Western Folklife Center's Media Department.This television documentary will explore Native American service in the US military, and the warrior traditions that help returning soldiers readjust to life back home.

Wind River Reservation's North Bear drum group wins National Hand Drum prize

North Bear drum group from the Wind River Reservation wins 2012 National Hand Drum prize in Albuquerque NM this past weekend.

UW Art Museum holds May 18 reception for summer exhibits

From a UW press release:

The University of Wyoming Art Museum will open its new summer exhibitions during a free public reception Friday, May 18, from 6-8 p.m.

New exhibitions are "Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos"; "Drawn from Life: Northern Plains Indian Portraits by David Humphreys Miller"; "Linda Fleming: Modeling the Universe"; "Journeys along the Sepik River: Tribal Art from Papua New Guinea"; and "Through the Looking Glass: The Portrait of the Artist."

Francisco Goya (Spanish, 1746-1828) is recognized as one of Spain's most important and influential artists. His "Los Caprichos" suite, which he began in 1799, established him as the father of the Modern movement in Europe. In the 80 allegorical etchings of the series, Goya explores creative freedoms that were not acceptable to the conventions of art in his time. The exhibition closes Aug. 4.

In 1935, at the age of 16, David Humphreys Miller (American, 1918-1992) arrived in South Dakota and began interviewing and drawing the Northern Plains Indians who were at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. "Drawn from Life: Northern Plains Indian Portraits by David Humphreys Miller" presents portraits of Native American men and women whose interviews contributed to his research and eventual publications as well as those who had connections to the early Hollywood film industry. The exhibition closes Aug. 11.

"Linda Fleming: Modeling the Universe" presents more than 60 maquettes that provide insight into Fleming's (American, born 1945) creative process and inspiration. The small-scale models are in a variety of mediums including cut paper, laser-cut plywood, cast bronze, and felt and combine architectural structures with patterns found in nature. This exhibition closes on Aug. 4.

"Through the Looking Glass: The Portrait of the Artist" explores the tradition of self-portraits and portraits of artists in a variety of mediums, including drawings, prints and photography. Curated from the Art Museum's permanent collection, the exhibition is available for statewide tour through the Touring Exhibition Service following its Aug. 4 closing.

"Journeys along the Sepik River: Tribal Art from Papua New Guinea" tells a story about three travelers who ventured to Papua New Guinea and the objects they acquired. Objects include skull racks, canoe prows and items of adornment. The exhibition closes Aug. 18.

"Imagine learning from the masters" is a guiding principle of the UW Art Museum's programs. The museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.

Photo: "Fish Wolf Robe" is among works in "Drawn from Life: Northern Plains Indian Portraits by David Humphreys Miller." (Courtesy of the Sandra L. Solomon Trust)

Indian Removal Act topic of next Wyoming State Museum lecture

The Indian Removal Act, an unpopular and controversial part of the settlement of the American West, will be the focus of this month’s Wyoming State Museum lecture series presentation, May 8 at 7 p.m.

Dr. Robert Munkres, of Estes Park, Colo., presents “Indian Removal: The Dark Side of American History.” His presentation discusses the problematic relations between the Anglo population and the tribes native to the regions being settled.

Increasingly, white authority called for the removal of native tribes to the West, culminating in the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

This presentation describes the implementation of the act, together with the terrible cost it imposed upon the Native American population.

For more information about this and other State Museum programs, please call 777-7022. The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne.

Legacy of Princess Blue Waters on display at Wyoming State Museum exhibit

Governor Matt Mead and Marirose Morris, Arts Access Specialist at the Wyoming Arts Council, at the opening reception of the "Dressed to the Nines" exhibit at the Wyoming State Museum on April 26. The beaded and fringed buckskin dress in the case was worn by traditional women dancers during the years that Princess Blue Waters brought the Lakota from Pine Ridge, S.D., to perform at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. The photo on the right is of Princess Blue Waters and Governor and Mrs. Milward Simpson. The doll is dressed in a replica of the trademark dress of Princess Blue Waters and was made by Michelle Crowe, granddaughter of Princess Blue Waters and Marirose's sister. The red purse is also Lakota-made.

Nominations for 2013 Community Spirit Awards are open

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS IS MAY 31, 2011

The Community Spirit Awards is a national fellowship award for American Indian artists. First Peoples Fund chooses honorees for their commitment to sustaining the cultural values of native people. The process of bringing spirit back to community is an important responsibility for artists - it is part of a sacred honor system. First Peoples Fund works to strengthen that honor system by recognizing these exceptional artists for knowing themselves, honoring others, and sustaining spirit in their own communities.

Nominees must be:
Practicing artists of demonstrated maturity in their field.
Continually practicing artists for a minimum of 10 years.
Documented affiliate of a United States tribe. (Native Alaska or Hawaii included!)
Note: In addition to Visual Arts, First Peoples recognizes contemporary and traditional forms of Performing Arts and Literary Arts.

Fellowships will be awarded to artists who demonstrate:
An artistic practice that passes on the traditions and the life ways of the people.
A commitment to building the strength of native communities by sharing their skills and talents with others in their respective communities; and
Deeply rooted and maintain direct ties to their tribal community.

Nomination Procedure:
Nominate online at First Peoples Fund or send a postcard to include complete names and addresses of both nominee and nominator to PO Box 2977, Rapid City, SD 57709.
Nominated candidates must be from an American Indian community.
Applications will be mailed out after nomination deadline has passed.

Selection Process and Expectations:
A national selection committee will review nominees and select awardees from those that meet the outlined qualifications.
Fellowship recipients will receive $5,000 designed to give them the opportunity to "practice their art."

First Peoples Fund
PO Box 2977
Rapid City, SD 57709
605.348.0324
http://www.firstpeoplesfund.org/

2011 "Oklahoma Painters" Paris art show features Native American artists

Heap of Birds, with his painting, "Smile for Racism"

From Indian Country Today Media Network, LLC, an internationally-recognized multimedia platform, solely-owned by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, comprised of a full-service website, and This Week from Indian Country Today, a weekly magazine, comes this article about the 2011 art show in Paris that included eleven Native American artists from Oklahoma.

Smithsonian's lead design consultant to work with UW on new American Indian Center

Johnpaul Jones

From a UW press release:

Johnpaul Jones, lead design consultant for the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, has contracted to work with the University of Wyoming American Indian Studies Program to develop a project profile for a proposed American Indian center on the UW campus.

Jones' work with UW is partially supported by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

Jones will visit UW Feb. 21-24 to meet with project stakeholders and begin gathering information for the project profile.

"We are pleased to have an internationally known Native American architect working with us on this project," says Judith Antell, director of the American Indian Studies Program. Jones' tribal affiliation is Cherokee-Choctaw.

The proposed center would house the American Indian Studies Program as well as provide space for cultural events and a research institute.

Jones is a founding partner of Jones & Jones, an architectural firm in Seattle. Some of his other notable projects include the Southern Ute Museum and Cultural Center in Ignacio, Colo., which opened in 2010; and the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, N.M.

For more information, call the American Indian Studies Program at (307) 766-6520.

Dan Hayward's Kickstarter project raises funds for "Crow Tribal Photographs, Then and Now"

One more week to view WAC 2010-2011 fellowship biennial at Art Association Gallery in Jackson

If you haven't seen WAC fellowship recipient Adrienne Vetter's "Custom/Indian" installation at the Art Association Gallery, you still have a week to do so. The truck cab seems to burst through the gallery wall. The trunk hood comes complete with a Native-American design. The interior beadwork (in photo below) is by Colleen Friday. A projector beams images of classic Hollywood westerns on the windshield. One can listen to Vetter's customized film narration through headphones in the truck cab. On the wall are c-prints in Vetter's "Campwagon" series.

Dan Hayward launches "Crow Tribal Photographs, Then and Now" project on KickStarter

From photographer Dan Hayward in Laramie:

I’ve embarked on a large fund raising campaign to raise the initial funds for a project called “Crow Tribal Photographs, Then and Now.” Through the project I’ll create of a current photographic and narrative record of life on the Crow Reservation during the next year, which will then be combined and juxtaposed with Crow photographs taken by Richard Throssel 100 years ago.

The funding campaign is through the web site KickStarter, the world’s leading funding platform for creative projects. I launched the project’s funding today, Dec. 15, and, although the campaign extends into January, I hope to reach my $28,000 goal by New Years Day!!! That way, as people continue contributing, the project will gain the funding to grow into a more comprehensive body of work to be presented in more and more mediums. (The full project budget is well over $100K…..)
This is a huge undertaking, but with everyone helping out by sharing this message with their families and friends, by posting it on their FaceBook, Twitter and other social media networks, and by asking everyone else to share the message with their families, friends and other contacts, it’s a doable thing!!! Donations begin at $1 and rise from there… (Can’t really go down from there….). And EVERY contributor of $5 and above will receive rewards directly from the project for their assistance.

Simply click http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1171655471/crow-tribal-photographs-then-and-now to go to my KickStarter page and you’ll find the short video I produced to introduce and explain the project to everyone. Additionally, you’ll find more project and fund raising information on the page, as well as descriptions of the rewards each person will receive for their pledge. I’ll update the site as things proceed and as new information becomes available…. And as new video and still photographs are shot. (I received a small $500 grant from the Wyoming Arts Council for the project so I can make a trip to the reservation in the next few days to meet with elders and others on the res, and to photograph and edit the first still and video images taken specifically for the project itself).

Your pledge is just that: a pledge that will be debited to your credit card account in the days immediately following the end of the campaign, but ONLY IF the funding goal is reached. The kicker about KickStarter is that their funding campaigns are all-or-nothing propositions. When we reach and exceed my $28K goal, all of the funds pledged will then go to the project. However, if we don’t reach the goal by the campaign’s end, the project receives none of your pledges. Zero. Bupkis. Zilch. Nada…..

That’s why it’s so important that you become part of the project and help me spread the word by sharing this message and the link to my KickStarter page. It’s less about large donations and more about large numbers of people spreading the message and giving smaller amounts. People don’t have to know me to become involved, so please share and help it viral.

Start planning now to attend the 30th annual Plains Indian Museum Powwow in Cody

30th Annual Plains Indian Museum Powwow
High Energy, History, and Fun!

June 16 – 17, 2012

Joe Robbie Powwow Garden
Grand Entries: Saturday, Noon & 6 p.m. and Sunday, Noon

Take part in the dancing, music, and energy of the Plains Indian Museum Powwow. Dancers, drum groups, and artists gather from across the Northern Plains to celebrate the vibrant cultural traditions and histories of the people of the Plains that are still present today. Our Powwow is not a demonstration but a competitive event that brings in talented dancers and drum groups who will show you what a Powwow is all about.

A popular educational program is the Powwow Learning Tipi. Gloria Goggles, a Lakota educator from Ethete, Wyoming, invites visitors to discover the traditions of powwow. Young visitors have the opportunity to try on different types of powwow clothing. The tipi provides a relaxed atmosphere to explore different powwow dance styles and their origins.

Over forty Native artists will have booths on the Powwow grounds, along with fry bread vendors and a grill menu and beverages in the concession stand.

Curious about the history of powwows and powwow dance styles? Our website is just the beginning to your powwow experience...

Admission Prices and Schedule

Gate opens to the public at 9:30 a.m. Admission is good for one day of the event, please check the event schedule, which is a general guide and subject to change due to weather and number of participants.

·                   $7 for adults (18 and older)

·                   $3 for youths (7 – 17)

·                   Children 6 and under are free

·                   Tickets may be purchased at the gates only

·                   No senior or group discounts

·                   Press passes are available with prior arrangements

·                   BBHC Members receive $1 discount on admission price each day with a valid membership card

Visitors are welcome to bring chairs or blankets for our outdoor, grass ampitheater. Please—no pets. For travel and lodging information contact the Cody Chamber of Commerce. For questions about visiting the Buffalo Bill Historical Center contact Nancy McClure at 307.578.4102, email nancym@bbhc.org.

For Our Dancers

2012 officials and invited drums will be announed in the spring. Dancers and their families recieve a free pass to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center exhibits at dancer registration. Registration 8 a.m. – noon Saturday; late registration or for specials on stage both days. Contact: Rebecca at 307.578.4049, email rebeccaw@bbhc.org.

Dance Categories and Schedule of Events

Competitive dance categories include men's and women's traditional and fancy, women's jingle, men's grass, and men's and women's golden age. Several special are yet to be announced.

·                   Adults (18 – 54) & Golden Age

·                   Teens (13 – 17)

·                   Boys & Girls (7 – 12)

·                   Team Dancing Special

Vendor Information

The Powwow welcomes vendors who are selling arts and crafts made by enrolled members of North American Indian tribes and Nations. No food booths please. For more information on vendor spaces, e-mail Rebecca West or call 307.578.4049.

Northern Arapaho artist Robert Martinez from Riverton wins First Peoples Fund fellowship

From a press release:

First Peoples Fund, a Rapid City-based national nonprofit organization supporting the work of indigenous artists nationwide, is proud to announce its 2012 Artist in Business Leadership and Cultural Capital Fellows.

2012 Artist in Business Leadership Fellows:

·        Robert Martinez (Northern Arapaho), a mixed media artist from Riverton, WY

·        Joseph Allen (Sicangu Lakota), a photographer from Ogema, MN 

·        Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy), a basket weaver from Princeton, ME 

·        Jereldine Redcorn (Caddo/Potawatomi), a clay/ceramics artist from Norman, OK 

·        Todd Bordeaux (Sicangu Lakota), a mixed media artist from White River, SD

·        Frank Waln (Sicangu Lakota), a Hip-Hop artist from Chicago, IL 

·        Ken Metoxen (On^yote?a*ka), a potter/sculpter from Oneida, WI 

·        Wade Fernandes (Menominee), a musician from Keshena, WI 

·        Gyasi Ross (Blackfeet), a writer/videoographer from Suquamish, WA

·        Sondra Simone Segundo  (Haida), a watercolor artist from Seattle, WA 

   

 2012 Cultural Capital Fellows:

·        Lois Chichinoff Thadei (Aleut), a printmaking/weaver artist from Olympia, WA

·        Bonnie LeBeau (Cheyenne River Sioux), a quilter/textile artist from Eagle Butte, SD

·        James Star Comes Out  (Oglala Lakota), a multi medium artist from Pine Ridge, SD

·        Pete Peterson, Sr. (Skokomish), master carver from Hoodsport, WA

The 2012 Artist in Business Leadership Program is an independent business arts fellowship program that features a working capital grant of $5,000 to be used to support a one year marketing plan/strategy or business goal as defined by the artist applicant.  Artists will receive technical assistance, a professional network of peers, as well as travel funds to participate in FPF's individualized professional development workshops. The fellowship also provides a focus on new works to stimulate creativity and a renewal of energy in Native art expression.

The 2012 Cultural Capital Program is a $5,000 grant that provides tradition bearers of tribal communities the opportunity to further their important cultural work. The program is designed to support previous year Community Spirit Award recipients allowing them to commit more time in teaching and sharing their ancestral knowledge and practices with others who want to learn.
 

The Fund is supported  in part by the Ford Foundation, Bush Foundation's Regional Arts Development Program II, Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), National Endowment for the Arts, The McKnight Foundation (Minnesota), Nathan Cummings Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, Native Arts and Culture Foundation, The John T. Vecurevich Foundation, The HRK Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and Open Society Foundation.
 

For further information about First Peoples Fund or to apply for support through one of our programs, please visit www.firstpeoplesfund.org, or contact us at First Peoples Fund, P.O. Box 2977, Rapid City, SD 57709-2977 

Robert Martinez (www.martinezartdesign.com) is a Wyoming Arts Council roster artist. Bring him to your community through an Arts Across Wyoming grant. FMI: http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Roster/Artist.aspx?ID=33

NEA Chair Rocco Landesman praises Red Cloud Indian School Heritage Center during swing through S.D.

From Rapid City Journal: Rocco Landesman, chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts, speaks at the Dahl Arts Center on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. Landesman was part of a Panel discussion on Creative Placemaking in the Black Hills Region. (Ryan Soderlin/Journal staff). "This is probably the best example of that that I’ve seen anywhere in the country,” said Rocco Landesman, who is finishing a three-state tour to visit organizations with grant money from the endowment. “You visit the [Red Cloud] Heritage Center and see Native American art produced by the people in those tribes, the Lakota people right there. It’s so obvious that it’s tied to that place; that this couldn’t happen in Malibu or New York City.”

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/endowment-official-praises-red-cloud-s-heritage-center/article_e878cf88-1189-11e1-b836-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1e4fdFaTa

Attention northeast WY artists and arts groups: NEA Chair will be in the neighborhood Nov. 16-17

According to today’s Rapid City Journal, the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts will be in Pine Ridge and Rapid City this week as part of a three-state trip focused on local community art.

Rocco Landesman will visit the Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 16. He will join a panel discussion on arts in the Black Hills at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Dahl Arts Center, 713 Seventh Street, in Rapid City that is open to the public. Panel discussion will be on "Creative Placemaking in the Black Hills Region."

Last time we looked at a map, some of that Black Hills region was in Wyoming. It still is! Some of our Black Hills artists and arts group reps might want to traipse over to Rapid on Thursday to what’s cooking, creative placemaking-wise.

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/national-arts-director-to-visit-rapid-city-area/article_89007ecc-0f34-11e1-bd46-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1dnL6lbv0


Video: The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School will be showcasing the musical group Scatter Their Own at the reception for the NEA chairman on Thursday at The Dahl in Rapid City. Juliana, the bass player, is a recent graduate of Red Cloud High School, class of 2009, and was also a recipient of the coveted Gates Scholarship as well as the Horatio Alger Scholarship.

Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Site dedication Aug. 26

A dedication ceremony for the Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark will be held on Friday, Aug. 26. Events will begin at 10 a.m. at the Porcupine Ranger Station located three miles north of Hwy. 14A on Forest Road 13 in the Bighorn National Forest.

The Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark was expanded by an additional 4,000 acres (from 110 acres) to include part of Medicine Mountain. U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the expansion of this Bighorn Mountains site in July. It also got a new name: Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark.

This is a sacred site to Native Americans.

Performers at the ceremony include J.D. Old Mouse, the Crow Drum Group, and a Gourd Dance by Northern Cheyenne tribal members.

Lunch will be provided at noon and there is a site visit to the Medicine Wheel at 2 p.m. A dinner will be held at 6 p.m. in Lovell at the Lovell Community Center.

FMI: Dave McKee, 307-674-2636 or Holly Wardell, 307-674-2655.

Ancient art celebrated at Aug. 25 grand opening of Legend Rock State Historic Site

A grand opening of the Legend Rock State Historic Site visitors’ center will take place at 6 p.m., Thursday, August 25. In addition to Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), other dignitaries expected to speak at the event are Starr Weed of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, State Parks and Cultural Resources Commissioner Carolyn Buff and BLM Archaeologist Mike Bies. FMI: http://www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Legend-Rock-Petroglyph-Historic-Site/32516