Fire destroys Rock Springs studio of artist and arts advocate Gregory Gaylor

Long-time Rock Springs artist and arts advocate Gregory Gaylor's studio burned down this week. He lost a lifetime of artwork and all of his digital records. He needs our encouragement and support and would welcome emails to kgaylor@sweetwaterhsa.com. Greg also is a past board member of the Wyoming Arts Council. Artist friends are working on a fund-raiser. Find updates on this blog and at the Studio Wyoming Facebook page.

UPDATE: Handmade for Japan eBay auction

Wyomingarts has been tracking arts-oriented fund-raisers for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. One Cheyenne artist and teacher, Connie Kazuko Norman, will be part of a Handmade for Japan auction on eBay. Here is the most recent information from Connie:

I sure many of have already heard of Handmade For Japan.  It is the brainchild of Ayumi Horie, and her friends, Ai Kanazawa Cheung and Kathryn Pombriant Manzella.  Handmade For Japan is an on-line benefit auction for the Japanese victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.  I am honored to be one of the artists that are contributing to the cause.  As many of you know that I am half Japanese and I have many relatives that live in Tokyo.  I have been lucky enough to have study ceramics in Japan as well.  My Japanese heritage has always very important to me. The people of Japan really need help with disaster relief.

The auction will be held next Thursday, March 24th, 8pm EST to Sunday, March 27th, 8pm EST on eBay and they will have assured bids so check in early. Right now Handmade For Japan has a public Facebook page where a previewing of items before the auction. Even if you're not on Facebook, you can see the items. Please help us get the word out so that we can reach our goal of raising more than $25,000. 100% of the proceeds will be given to Global Giving’s Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

The collection has grown to over 90 artists, many with well-known and respected names, and you will be astonished how many wonderful pieces of art that has been donated for the cause. 

Ayumi and her friends have been working tirelessly toward this event.  I have been amazed at every update.  Thank you guys for all your hard work!

Here are some of the media coverage we got in the last week, The New York Times, and American Craft Magazine.

BBHC hosts disaster preparedness workshop for museums, libraries and archives

From the BBHC in Cody:

“So you have a disaster plan, but will it work in a real emergency situation?”

That’s the question Randy Silverman raises with area museums, libraries, archives, and similar institutions. Silverman, the Preservation Librarian with the University of Utah Marriott Library, is bringing a workshop about emergency procedures to protect valuable documents, artwork, and other artifacts to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center on Monday, September 13, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. There is no charge for the workshop, which is sponsored by Western States & Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS), but registration is required.

According to Silverman, “This workshop will help you assess your vulnerabilities, test your plan using a scenario table top exercise, explore how collaborations can help you respond to a disaster, and build a shared vision for disaster preparedness. It’s better we should find answers now than after a disaster has occurred.”

Those encouraged to attend the workshop include staff member(s) responsible for emergency preparedness, administrators and/or managers responsible for the building and collection, and key members of the emergency/disaster team responsible for decision-making. Requirements for attendance are: a written disaster plan that includes collections response/recovery, a letter of institutional commitment to explore collaboration to optimize preparedness, and a completed three-page vulnerability assessment which is distributed in advance of the workshop.

The workshop also takes place in Montana on Wednesday, September 15 at the Bozeman Public Library and on Friday at the Lewis & Clark Library in Helena. Funding for the project is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities and co-sponsored by the Montana and Wyoming State Libraries and State Archives.

Even though the meeting is free, pre-registration is required and can now be completed online at http://tiny.cc/ZePOL. The site also provides a schedule of WESTPAS workshops. For more information, contact Buffalo Bill Historical Center Conservator Beverly Perkins at beverlyp@bbhc.org or 307.578.4029. Silverman can be reached at randy.silverman@utah.edu.  

Stay current with Historical Center news and activities at http://www.bbhc.org/. 

Call for entries: Poets for Living Waters

From Poets & Writers Magazine:

Poets for Living Waters is a poetry action in response to the Gulf Oil Disaster of April 20, 2010, one of the most profound man-made ecological catastrophes in history. Former US poet laureate Robert Pinsky describes the popularity of poetry after 9/11 as a turn away from the disaster’s overwhelming enormity to a more manageable individual scale. As we confront the magnitude of this recent tragedy, such a return may well aid us.

The first law of ecology states that everything is connected to everything else. An appreciation of this systemic connectivity suggests a wide range of poetry will offer a meaningful response to the current crisis, including work that harkens back to Hurricane Katrina and the ongoing regional effects.

This online periodical is the first in a planned series of actions. Further actions will include a print anthology and a public reading in Washington DC.

If you would like to submit work for consideration, please send 1-3 poems, a short bio, and credits for any previously published submissions to:
poetsforlivingwaters@yahoo.com.

Editors: Amy King & Heidi Lynn Staples

Arts world rallies for Haiti earthquake relief

From Cornelia Carey at Craft Emergency Relief Fund:

Dear Friends,

A new decade is upon us and it begins with the hard tragedy unfolding in Haiti. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families as well as those who are on the front lines of the relief efforts there.

A number of you have written looking for suggestions about where to send contributions and aid. Our friends at Artist Trust in Seattle have put together this
list of aid organizations helping in the relief efforts and this link to a New York Times article lists organizations providing aid. We will be back in touch with you if we have more suggestions to share with you.

In the meantime, please find a way to help out in this dire situation and please hold those in Haiti in your heart.

My best, Cornelia Carey