Wyoming Arts Council artist roster application is now available online

The Wyoming Arts Council accepts applications annually for its artist roster. Artists and arts groups in the literary, performing and visual arts can now apply online via the CaFÉ (Call for Entry) program of the Western States Arts Federation. Folk artists may apply in any of these categories.

The WAC has extended the application deadline to Jan. 7, 2013.

Wyoming residents can register for CaFÉ for free at http://www.callforentry.org. Once registered, look up the call name of “Wyoming Arts Council Artist Roster” to begin the process.

The WAC roster seeks to value artistic excellence through the selected artists, and to engage the public as patrons and advocates for the arts. Roster artists not only represent artistic excellence, but also become ambassadors for the WAC, and are a form of dynamic public art. Organizations, schools and festival presenters can write Artists Across Wyoming grants to bring these artists to their communities.

A roster directory is printed annually, distributed statewide, and posted online on the WAC web page at http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org

For more information, contact Karen Merklin at the WAC, Karen.Merklin@wyo.gov or 307-777-7743.

Boycott Christmas in Thermopolis, yes really!

Thermopolis kicks of the Christmas season with "Buffalo Bill" Boycott performing his "Rocky Mountain Christmas" show on Thursday, Novemeber 29 at 7 p.m. in the Hot Springs County School District Auditorium.

"Buffalo Bill", also known as William Frederick Boycott, lives in Lander and performs throughout the country playing fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar. His Christmas program includes holiday stories, skits, songs, poems and instrumentals with a decidedly Western flair. One of his popular renditions is a “cowboy” version of “Twelve Days of Christmas.”

“Buffalo Bill” Boycott was a member of the Grammy Award-winning “New Christy Minstrels” from 2005 to 2008 and has performed in concert with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well as Waddie Mitchell and Riders in the Sky.

In 2011, Boycott was named "Best Male Yodeller " by the Western Music Association. He and sidekick "Dr. Jo" (Flower of the Prairie) also won the 2011 Harmony Duo Award.

Boycott is a popular presenter in the schools, teaching history of the American West and demonstrating Native American sign language.

A long-time Wyoming Arts Council roster artist, Boycott has produced two programs on the history of the West and Wyoming in cooperation with Wyoming Public Television. He has also released five audio recordings, including "Rocky Mountain Christmas." That CD won the Wyoming Historical Society's Honorable Mention Award.

While in Thermopolis, Boycott will also present a short afternoon program for residents of the Pioneer Home. He will also work with fourth grade students on Wyoming history.

Boycott's appearances in Thermopolis are sponsored by Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation, in conjunction with Wyoming Arts Council, Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from Broadway Bygones.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors. Students are free. Advanced tickets are available with a $1 discount at Broadway Bygones until Nov. 28. For more information: 307-864-4070.

WAC announces plans to go to online application process for artist roster

WAC roster artist Bob Berky, a theatrical clown, actor, director and educator from Jackson

Attention all new applicants to the 2013-2014 Wyoming Arts Council Artist Roster!

Attention all new applicants to the 2013-2014 Wyoming Arts Council Artist Roster!

We are excited to announce that the WAC has decided to move from a paper application to an online application process for the 2013-2014 Artist Roster. The online application will completed via CAFÉ (Call for Entry), a program provided by WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation) in Denver. CAFE also provides information about other opportunities for artists.

The online application process will be available soon!

Because of this change to CAFE, we are extending the deadline date for new applications from December 1 to December 14, 2012.

In the meantime, we would encourage all interested roster applicants to explore the CAFE site at http://www.callforentry.org. You can register for free, read CAFE's guidelines and start preparing your supporting material (audio/visual clips, art images, resumes, etc) NOW, so you will be ready to complete the new roster application as soon as it is available. The new online application will be similar to the  2012-2013 Artist Roster application at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Roster/HowToApply.aspx. Take a look at it to see what information you should be compiling.

Look for more information soon on the WAC web site and the blog!

Launch date delayed for WAC artist roster applications

Attention potential applicants to the Wyoming Arts Council Artist Roster. 

WAC staff members are considering a new and streamlined process for roster applications for FY 2013-14, so the downloadable roster application will not be available on the WAC web site on October 1 as planned. More information will be available by the end of October. 

In the meantime, we suggest that all interested applicants review last year's application so you can begin compiling the information you'll need to apply this year, as criteria will remain basically the same. 

Please stay tuned to this blog and the WAC web site for more information.

Wyoming Roster Artist Miss "V" The Gypsy Cowbelle busy touring

The Gypsy Cowbelle is currently on her "Can't Stand Still" tour. Following up debut appearances in the Southeast on her March "Southern Exposure" tour, Miss "V" made her way back out West with performances in Michigan and South Dakota. On her way, she plowed with a team of oxen, auditioned for a movie, eluded rattlers and "The Plague" while wandering through the Badlands. The "Can't Stand Still" kicked off last Thursday at the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo; the next day, she performed for locals and residents at the Buffalo Senior Center. "Ed. note on "The Plague" reference: Wondering about what "eluding the "The Plague" referred to, I asked, "Is this the name of the movie?" Nope. On her sojurn, she often turns onto dirt roads off other dirt roads. This particular dirt road where she stopped, to sing under the full moon with her car doors flung wide open, had a posted sign, "Be advised, this area has been designated as a plague area." Not to worry, "V's" okay, adding, "I didn't handle any dead varmints and didn't get bit by any fleas."

She crossed over the Big Horns to play for a memorial service at the Lost Village Saloon outside of Red Lodge, MT. Moving on to Bozeman, an interview with Bob Butts followed the next day on KGLT, the local radio station. She has appeared on Bob's show periodically since 2008, and this time he featured tracks off her new CD release, "The Itinerant Lady" (November 2011). Then on to an interview with the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, for an article which will appear in Friday's paper.

On May 11, she will return to Norris Hot Springs to perform at 7 pm. On Saturday, "V" performs at Ted's Montana Grill in Bozeman at 7 pm, and the tour concludes with a performance at the Kountry Korner Cafe at the Four Courners, where she will be appearing at 6pm with the legendary songwriter and performer, Kostas, who has penned some of "V"s favorite songs for such icons as Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless and Emmy Lou Harris. Suffice to say, this opportunity will go down in her journals as one of the Great Honors of her musical career!

Back in Wyoming, look for "V" at "Voices of the Basin" Opening Reception at the Washakie County Musuem on May 31st at 5:30 pm. This is a family oriented exhibit, which tells the stories of early settlers and their families to the Big Horn Basin through oral histories from the Wahakie Museum archives. FMI on this exhibit and the Museum:  http://www.washakiemuseum.org/

Earlier this year, serendipitious for sure, while performing on the open stage at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Baxter Black was in the audience catching some of the acts, and asked "V" to open for his show the next day. Click on "Saturday, February 4" and then the "Saturday Special" link.  

Please visit http://www.gypsycowbelle.com/ for more information on The Gypsy Cowbelle's summer tour schedule.

Verismo Trio hits the road for spring residency and performance tour

Thrilling audiences throughout the Rocky Mountain region with dynamic performances, the "Verismo Trio," in conjunction with the UW Fine Arts Outreach and the UW Department of Music, will launch its spring residency and performance tour on Wednesday, April 25, at various locations around the state.

"Verismo Trio" is composed of UW Music Department faculty members Theresa Bogard (piano), Nicole Riner (flute) and Scott Turpen (saxophone). The group performs regularly throughout the state. Verismo also is featured on the Wyoming Arts Council artist roster.

The spring tour will take the trio to Buffalo High School, Cody middle and high schools, and Northwest College in Powell for residency activities where the UW musicians will work with students in master classes.

The group will perform a free public concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 27, in the Northwest College auditorium.

For more information, contact Janelle Fletcher-Kilmer, fine arts outreach director, at (307) 766-5139, or email Janelle@uwyo.edu .

Photo: "Verismo Trio," in conjunction with the University of Wyoming Fine Arts Outreach and the UW Department of Music, will launch its spring residency and performance tour Wednesday, April 25, in various locations around the state.

Still time to register for WyoPoets workshop April 28 in Casper

WyoPoets will hold its 2012 workshop on Saturday, April 28, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Casper. The speaker is Wyoming Arts Council roster artist George Vlastos of Casper. Theme is "Place Makes Person." Rooms available next door at the Hampton Inn at a group rate of $84. See conference brochure for details.

WAC roster artist Jenny Dowd presents "Altered Book Sculpture Workshop" April 28 at the NIC

The Nicolaysen Art Museum will present:

"Altered Book Sculpture Workshop" with Jenny Dowd

Saturday, April 28th: 12:00 - 4:00 pm (Please pre-register by April 26th.)

$45.00 for members, $30.00 for students with valid student ID, and $55.00 for non-members.

Fee includes all materials.

Join the artist Jenny Dowd and learn how to turn an old or discarded book into a sculptural object. Take inspiration from the subject of the book and alter the book into something unexpected. You can choose to use only the book and re-construct the form, or bring in found objects and materials to fabricate your own concept. At the end of this workshop you will have a 3D book based sculpture.

This class is suitable for anyone 17 years of age and older. This class is open to all experience levels and is great for beginners and experts alike. For more information, please contact Zhanna Gallegos at 307-235-5247.

For images, please go to: http://www.thenic.org/index.php?/events/more/altered_book_sculpture_workshop_with_jenny_dowd

New artists join the 2012-2013 WAC Artist Roster

Summit Chamber Players

Twenty-one Wyoming artists were approved by the Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) Board to be included in the Council’s Artist Roster, which serves as a resource for communities seeking artists for festivals, performances and other types of art programs. Seventy-nine artists complete the 2012-2013 roster.

Robert Berky

New Roster Artists include performing artists: Summit Chamber Players and Verismo Trio, both classical chamber music groups from Laramie; Amy Gorbey, Cheyenne, a director and producer of youth theater camps and after school programs; Robert Berky, Jackson, an actor, theatrical clown and playwright; Fat City Mardi Gras Band, Riverton, New Orleans style and early jazz music; Flores De Colores, Cheyenne, a Mexican folkloric dance group; Scott Bragonier, Cody, Jared Rogerson, Pinedale, and Dave Munsick, Dayton, cowboy singer/songwriters.

Dan Hayward

Visual artists include, from Laramie: Larry W. Hazlett, a theater and technical design consultant; Daniel Hayward, photographer; and Mary Maynard, tatter and needle artist. Dave Buckles, Cody, wildlife woodcarver; Curt Theobald, Pine Bluffs, segmented woodturner; Joshua Ray Smith, Rawlins, sculptural and public art installations; Aaron Wallis, Jackson, works in printmaking, silkscreening and letterpress; Terry Kreuzer, Cheyenne, ceramist and sculptor; and David Osmundsen, Buffalo, an artist blacksmith.

Dave Buckles

Literary artists include Pat Frolander, Wyoming’s Poet Laureate; Eugene Gagliano, Buffalo, poet and children’s author; and Barbara Smith, Rock Springs, poet and creative non-fiction writer.

WAC Roster Artists are selected through a rigorous panel process that rates artists on art professionalism, presentation, expression and subject matter. Artists represent a wide range of art forms, cultural and ethnic programs and presentation styles. Organizations can apply to the WAC’s Artists Across Wyoming grant category to bring a Wyoming roster artist into their communities and schools for performances, readings, workshops, presentations and more.

For more information on the Artist Roster, go to the WAC’s web site at www.wyomingartscouncil.org or call the Council office at 307-777-7742.

Verismo Trio in Casper March 11

Verismo Trio, a chamber group from Laramie, will be playing in Casper at the Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church, 4600 S. Poplar, on Sunday, March 11beginning at 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $6 seniors, $2 students, and 12 and under are free.

The program will highlight contemporary works (written since the early part of the 20th Century) in all styles: French neo-Romantic, American tonal, and Latin jazz will all make appearances. The trio will also be performing pieces by Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon, who served as guest artist-in-residence at UW in the 2010-2011 academic year, as well as a monumental work by colleague and friend of the trio Russell Peterson, saxphonist and professor of music at nearby Concordia College in Minnesota.

The Verismo Trio has performed for audiences from remote regions of the Rocky Mountains to the inner city with their dynamic performances. Celebrated for their brilliant virtuoisty and colorful musicianship, the trio members perform everything from Debussy to jazz for a wide array audiences. They are active in promoting emergent and established composers' works alike and have collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists. In demand as clinicians and performers, the Verismo Trio is dedicated to training young chamber musicians.

Master printer and WAC roster artist Mike Parker conducts residency for Park County students

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Mike Parker was featured in a story in the Billings Gazette (reprinted today in the Casper Star-Tribune). Reporter Martin Kidston chronicled Mike's two-day residency at the BBHC for Park County students. He instructed them on traditional printing methods. For more about Mike, go to http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Roster/Artist.aspx?ID=92. Photo by Martin Kidston.

Buffalo Bill Boycott to perform for tenth anniversary of National Historic Trails Center this summer

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Buffalo Bill Boycott is beginning to fill in the dates on his spring and summer schedule. If you're interested in bringing Bill to your community through an Arts Across Wyoming grant, go to the WAC home page and click on "grants" on the left sidebar. Call 307-777-7742 for more info.

Here are Bill’s upcoming tour dates:

May 1-3: Performance for Frontier Days in Rock Springs. Working with fourth graders; performances of “History of the Wild West” at 9 a.m. each day.

June 16-17: Saturday and Sunday performances for the Fort Laramie Rendezvous Association. Three performances each day at South Park, town of Fort Laramie. Times TBA.

August 4: 10th Anniversary Celebration of National Historic Trails Center in Casper. Performance at 6-6:45 p.m. “Buffalo Bill” Band sings songs from “Along the Oregon Trail.”

FMI: http://buffalobillboycott.com

Reception tonight in Laramie for photographer Doc Thissen's first solo show

Doc Thissen’s first solo exhibition is tonight at The Cavalryman Restaurant, 4425 S. 3rd, in Laramie, (one mile south of town on US 287). This event is sponsored by the Works of Wyoming center and The Cavalryman. Show starts at 5 p.m. This event is a cheese and wine reception.

Doc started making images in about 1976 with a Minolta A5 Rangefinder, (circa 1960 model). After thirty years of being self-taught, I decided to pursue photography as a career. I've been
working on my BFA in photography from the Academy of Art University (online - based in San Francisco), since 2008. I expect to graduate in 2014. With my education, I have determined that my primary discipline is going to be documentary and photojournalism.

Currently, Doc is working on two documentary projects: the Laramie Plains Civic Center, and the former Midwest/Standard refinery located on north Cedar street, (the latter is in conjunction with the Laramie Rivers Conservation District). Both of these projects are intended to capture the current conditions, along with the restoration/renovation/reclamation projects that are underway. More information can be found on his blog: http://ddocspix.blogspot.com

Doc Thissen’s Artist Statement:

I've always been fascinated by light; finding that quality of light unique to every scene; be it sunlight or a derivative of sunlight; the incandescent, the fluorescent, or the mercury street lighting that are found everywhere is the result of fallen sunlight; from coal-fired plants to the wind turbines that power our modern world. Photography is a both a science and an art; a study in light and time. In the moment that the shutter is open, the camera captures how things are, and sparks the imagination to wonder how things used to be, and what the future may bring. My background is firmly rooted in science and technology - it's the curiosity of the world around me that drives me to make the images I make.

PHOTO: Photo by Doc Thissen of the four largest murals at the Laramie Plains Civic Center. More information about the murals can be found on the Civic Center website: http://www.laramieplainsciviccenter.org/TheatreMurals.aspx

P.S.: Doc Thissen is a member of the Wyoming Arts Council artist roster. You can bring him to your community for a presentation or workshop through an Arts Across Wyoming grant. Go to the WAC web site and click on the "grants" link on the left sidebar.

We see Judd Grossman (and his band's ads) in all the best places

Saw this tall-and-skinny Judd Grossman Band display add on the Planet JH Weekly home page. We thought it would be worthwhile to reprint it on the blog. Judd Grossman is a long-time WAC roster artist. He is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who has performed his original contemporary folk music in concerts throughout the country. Judd was a winner of the Wyoming Arts Council Performing Arts Fellowship in 2003. He performs either solo or with members of his band, and he provides workshops for adults or students on songwriting, voice, folk guitar, and the business of music. Judd also works with younger kids on basic music skills, improvisation and spontaneous musical production. Bring Judd to your community through a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. Info at www.wyomingartscouncil.org. Click on the "grants" link on the left sidebar. 

Wyoming Arts Council holds its artist roster selection panel Jan. 20 in Cheyenne

The Wyoming Arts Council will hold its annual artist roster selection panel on Friday, Jan. 20, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., in the Arts Council Gallery, 2320 Capitol Ave., Cheyenne.

The meeting is open to the public.

Every year, the WAC invites applications for its roster. A panel of artists and arts professionals then convenes to review the applicants and select those that meet the established criteria.

Last year, the panel selected 29 new artists and arts groups, raising the number of talented Wyoming roster artists to 69. Wyoming arts organizations, schools or communities can bring in any of these artists through an Arts Across Wyoming grant.

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

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

Tune in to YouTube for Laughing Bird videos

From Story's Laughing Bird (Tupelo and Janey Wing Kenyon), Wyoming Arts Council roster artists:

There are now 27 music performance videos you can watch FREE on YouTube. Here's the link to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=MusicToFeelBetter

You'll see a list of all the videos available, so you can see whichever ones you choose.

Quick favor request . . .

If you like what you see, please click the "LIKE" button (thumbs up), and also subscribe to our YouTube channel so we can let you know whenever we upload new videos.

If you'd like to go directly to a particular song, click one of the links below. The direct link is under the song title. Under the link is a description of the song video, plus lyric excerpts.

WAC roster artists Mike Hurwitz and Andy Nelson featured at Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Mike Hurwitz of Alta joins fellow Wyoming performer Andy Nelson of Pinedale at the 22nd annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Denver. Get tix at http://www.coloradocowboygathering.com/ . Both Mike and Andy are on the Wyoming Arts Council artist roster. Bring them to your community through a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. Go to the home page and click on "grants" on the left sidebar. 

Chanman Roots Band CD release party tonight at Mangy Moose

Peter Chandler, founder of the Chanman Roots Band, is on the
Wyoming Arts Council's artist roster. Get more info here.

People are lining up to apply for the Wyoming Arts Council's Artist Roster. Are you?

Application deadline is December 1, 2011
for the 2012-2013 Artist Roster.

Link to the application

Take a gander at the print roster

WAC roster artist Jenny Dowd conducts workshop at Lander Art Center May 14-15