Saturday University makes a stop in Gillette

On November 10, From 8:30 a.m to 1:15 p.m. at the Gillette College Main Building Presentation Hall, join the Wyoming Humanities Council, the University of Wyoming, and Gillette College for Saturday University, the free one-day college education. This, the second Saturday University program offered in Gillette, includes talks by Jean Garrison, chair of Global and Area Studies at the University of Wyoming, on the future of U.S. relations with China; Phil Roberts, of the Department of History at the University of Wyoming, on the rise and fall of Wyoming's open-range cattle companies; and Ann Spehar, instructor of mathematics and economics at Gillette College, on the U.S. banking system and global financial stability. The lectures will conclude with a free luncheon and roundtable discussion. Now in its fourth year, Saturday University is a collaborative program connecting exciting University of Wyoming professors with Wyoming residents who have a desire to learn. Saturday University is sponsored by the University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming Foundation, Wyoming Humanities Council, and area businesses. The program is presented locally by Gillette College.

Wyoming Humanities Council Saturday University in Jackson set for March 3

Paul Flesher

From a Wyoming Humanities Council press release:

On Saturday, March 3, from 8:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, join the Wyoming Humanities Council and the University of Wyoming for Saturday University, a free day of learning featuring the best and brightest scholars from the University of Wyoming.

Spring 2012 Saturday University features chair of religious studies Paul Flesher, associate professor of economics Klaas Van't Veld, and professor of English Susan Aronstein. Following the lectures, all three professors will participate in a final roundtable discussion. No registration is required. Participants who attend all three terms are eligible to earn college credit from Central Wyoming College.

Saturday University is sponsored by the Wyoming Humanities Council, the University of Wyoming, and the University of Wyoming Foundation, and co-presented by Central Wyoming College, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and the Teton County Library Foundation. The program is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

Align Nonprofit Leadership Institute offers classes for nonprofit arts organizations

Managers and staffers of arts nonprofit orgs may want to look at Align’s classes. Wyoming Department of Workforce Services offers grant funds to defray costs:

Align’s Nonprofit Leadership Institute (NLI) is the region’s leading training series for non-profit management. This series of hands-on classes builds leadership and management skills for the current and future generation of nonprofit leaders. Core topics range from financial and personnel management to high level leadership skills. Participants earn a certificate for each class and gain practical experience to strengthen their organization. Bring any or all of the NLI classes to your community or organization. Call us for details on scheduling and pricing.

Grant funds for tuition may be available to Wyoming organizations from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services. For more information, call 307–772-9100 or email info@TheAlignTeam.org

Rawlins Winterfest opens Dec. 9 with "Contemporary Art in Wyoming" reception at Carbon County Museum

Rawlins DDA/Main Street presents Winterfest on Saturday, Dec. 10. Fun activities throughout Rawlins, including giveaways at 8 businesses and events at 11 businesses, a free showing of Beethoven's Christmas Adventure, Rotary's Breakfast with Santa, and Family Craft Show at the Rawlins Library. 

Shop in downtown Rawlins all day Saturday at 14 stores, 5 Services and 5 Restaurants to be eligible to win $500 RNB Bucks through Shop Downtown & Win Big! Rules in stores and on our web site.

Kickoff Friday December 9 from 5-8 p.m.: "Contemporary Art in Wyoming" reception at the Carbon County Museum.

"First Stroke" party Aug. 18 for new downtown Cheyenne mural

Cheyenne Cherub Mural - Meet the Artist from Indie Media: The New Journalism on Vimeo.

Ed Murray is interviewed about the mural he commissioned for his property in downtown Cheyenne. The artist is Michael Cooper from Franklin, Tennessee. The public is invited to a "First Stroke" party at the site at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18.

NASAA: Debt ceiling deal spells deep cuts in domestic discretionary spending

Sent to the Wyoming Arts Council by Thomas L. Birch, Legislative Counsel, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). The WAC is a NASAA member.

There can be little doubt about the result of the debt ceiling deal signed into law last week by President Obama. Discretionary spending will suffer mightily. President Obama has said that the deal will result in the lowest level of domestic non-defense spending since the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s.  

The Budget Control Act of 2011 passed by the House and Senate increases the debt ceiling through the 2012 elections. Just as significantly, the new law creates a 12-member bipartisan commission of Senators and Representatives charged with cutting $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over ten years. The committee must complete its work by Thanksgiving this year and Congress must enact the cuts by December 23.  

Everything in discretionary spending is on the table, and appropriators are initially uncertain how the recommendations of the new committee are going to interact with the appropriations process already underway. The debt limit bill sets spending caps for fiscal 2012, as well as fiscal 2013. The new law calls for trimming discretionary spending from the current $1.050 trillion level to $1.043 trillion in fiscal 2012. Since the Senate has not adopted a budget resolution, appropriators there now have the guidelines to allow them to proceed with their spending bills.  

However, both sides of Capitol Hill see little chance, given the limited time, to complete all the spending bills by the start of the new fiscal year on October 1. Another continuing resolution is more likely. The objective is to avoid the kind of protracted spending negotiations that dragged on six months into the 2011 fiscal year before Congress voted an end to funding process.  

Here are the highlights in the Budget Control Act:
• The bill allows a debt ceiling increase by as much as $2.4 trillion dollars in total. Included is an immediate increase of $400 billion dollars. President Obama would be permitted to request another $500 billion increase in the coming months, which Congress could vote to disallow by a veto proof two-thirds margin. A further increase of between $1.2 trillion and $1.5 trillion would be available after the special congressional committee does its work and identifies matching levels of additional spending cuts.
• Discretionary spending would be further cut by more than $900 billion over ten years. It would include security-related and non-security-related cuts. According to the Congressional Budget Office, discretionary spending would be decreased by $21 billion in 2012 and $42 billion in 2013.
• The 12-person House and Senate special committee, in addition to identifying spending cuts, could propose tax code reforms and make savings in benefit programs like Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. Congress could not modify the committee's recommendation.
• If the special committee deadlocks or Congress rejects the committee's recommendations, automatic across-the-board spending cuts of at least $1.2 trillion would go into effect.
• The agreement requires that the House of Representatives and the Senate vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, although its passage is not guaranteed.
NASAA continues to pursue our advocacy agenda focused on achieving the best results in the 2012 funding bill for the National Endowment for the Arts, with attention to policy issues of interest to state arts agencies. We are engaging our members with contacts to key legislators charged with the decision-making in the bringing a budget to conclusion for the next fiscal year.

LCCC offers courses for artist-entrepreneurs

http://www.wyen.biz/

Convergence conference to tackle "creative economy" and other Wyoming arts & culture issues

The latest issue of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter carried this info about this fall's "Convergence" conference in Cody. More info coming soon...

Many of us regularly hear these words, “Cultural Heritage Tourism” and “Creative Economy”, but what do they really mean in Wyoming and how can we best capitalize on our unique cultural heritage and our amazing capacity for collaboration, to best address the issues and opportunities behind these words? Join your colleagues, counterparts and regional and national speakers as we take a serious look at what we have already accomplished, and where we have yet to go.

Key partners involved in planning this unique gathering include: the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, the Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, the Wyoming Humanities Council, the Wyoming State Library, the University of Wyoming Art Museum and School of Arts and Sciences, the American Heritage Center, and the State Historic Preservation Office. Additional partners including Wyoming Main Street, the Wyoming Business Council and local arts and community organizations throughout the Cody and Powell areas, will all be participating with this event. Additionally, an opportunity for Advocacy training will be offered as a pre-gathering session.

More details on “Convergence” should be available shortly…so be sure to check the websites of the various partners, or the Cultural Trust Fund website, in the next few weeks. And you’ll be hearing more in this e-newsletter as well…

FMI: Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742.

Casper receives $50,000 "Our Town" grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

This was posted an hour ago on the Casper Star-Tribune web site:

Casper will receive a $50,000 grant for a project that integrates public art into a low-income housing development, the National Endowment for the Arts announced today. As part of the project, an artist will work with developers and residents to design public art and green space for an apartment complex being built at the corner of Collins Drive and Beech Street. The money comes from the NEA's inaugural "Our Town" grant program, which aims to revitalize communities through partnerships between local government and arts organizations. Casper was one of 51 communities nationwide, and the only one in Wyoming, to receive a grant.

Read more: http://trib.com/news/local/casper/article_b59063b2-7991-51f2-8698-204d1b7b01fc.html#ixzz1RvYMviaT

Ann Chambers Noble signs copies of "Hurry McMurry" June 17 at the BBHC in Cody

Ann Chambers Noble and Neil McMurry

From a BBHC press release:

According to biographer Ann Chambers Noble, “If there was a difference of opinion, his [McMurry’s] answer would be to have coffee the next morning, and they [the folks at odds] would sit, resolve it, and have a handshake at the end of breakfast. He would always stick to what they agreed on.”

Now, Noble shares more about this energetic businessman’s acumen and philanthropy in her latest book Hurry McMurry: W.N. “Neil” McMurry, Wyoming Entrepreneur. In a short presentation at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s McCracken Library gallery on Friday, June 17, 11:30 a.m. – noon, Noble discusses her book about McMurry, one of Wyoming’s most well-known philanthropists and businessmen from Casper. The program is free to the public; visitors simply need to let admissions staff know they’re in the Center for the program.

McMurry grew up in Casper during the Great Depression and went on to develop a series of successful businesses in Wyoming, including a construction company, Rissler & McMurry, that built most of the state highways. Noble says that in writing the book, she found it interesting that everyone—whether McMurry worked for them or they worked for him—had the same opinion about McMurry’s character. “All talked about what an incredible work ethic he had and how honest he always was.”

With gifts to Casper College, to various children’s programs, and to many education-focused entities, McMurry’s philanthropic interests have made many important initiatives possible within Wyoming. Nevertheless, he remains very humble—a trait that Noble says almost prevented the book from being written as her subject was reluctant to garner so much attention

Noble’s book will be available for purchase in the Center’s Museum Store, and the family will be on hand for a book-signing beginning at 1:30 p.m. Read more about McMurry at www.hurrymcmurry.com, and stay abreast of Historical Center activities on its Web site at www.bbhc.org.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its summer schedule, open daily 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

For W.N. “Hurry” McMurry, solving problems is best done over breakfast.

Michigan researchers find that cuts in arts funding hamper economic recovery

This comes from a story posted yesterday on www.physorg.com

Michigan is hurting its chances at economic recovery by slashing funding for the arts, according to a study by Michigan State University researchers. 

 The study found that arts and crafts activities – such as painting, dancing and filmmaking – are closely related to success of the scientists, engineers and other innovators who create new companies and inventions that stimulate the economy.  

Yet during the past decade Michigan has cut funding for the arts by some 90 percent – from about $25 million in 2002 to $2.3 million this year. In Detroit, officials attempting to balance the budget have proposed large cuts to the city’s arts and cultural institutions. 

 "Politicians often strip funding for arts and cultural assets, assuming they are expendable ‘extras,’ but this may be a serious policy error based on false assumptions,” said Rex LaMore, lead researcher on the project and director of MSU’s Center of Community and Economic Development.

Message of "love, kindness and peace" behind Cheyenne downtown mural project

Artist's depiction of proposed downtown Cheyenne mural

Reporter Becky Orr wrote about "Downtown getting giant cherub mural" in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

The building at the southwest corner of 17th Street and Warren Avenue is a tidy brick structure with white shutters near the windows.

Owner Ed Murray wants to expand its purpose. He said he wants to provide an artistically beautiful mural on its south wall for people to enjoy.

The mural will depict a cherub created by 16th-century Renaissance artist Raphael. Murray, a business and property owners in Cheyenne, said he wants the art to help revitalize downtown and become a catalyst for more such works. 

Gillette artist Harvey Jackson will paint the mural on the south wall. It will be about 47 feet tall and 60 feet wide. “It’s nice to convey a message of love and peace and understanding,” Jackson said, especially given the turmoil in the world. 

Currently, a painting of a green martini glass covers part of the south wall’s red surface. The glass is part of the state’s message against underage drinking. 

Murray considered a western theme for the new mural, but nothing “embraced or beckoned” him, he said. 

During their deliberations, Jackson asked Murray what was in his heart that he wanted to project, Murray said. Murray started soul-searching and concluded that he wanted to project a message of love, kindness and peace. An angel is the best way to accomplish that, he said. 

Murray looked at dozens of angel images before he selected the cherub. The image is a departure from a typical western theme. Even so, cherubs have a western connection with their presence in paintings in many Old West saloons, Murray said. 

Jackson expects to start painting in late summer or early fall. It should take 30 to 60 days to complete.

Read the complete article here.

Wyoming Tribune Eagle: "Mead appreciates art"

Wyoming Tribune-Eagle reporter Karen Cotton attended Friday night's Governor's Arts Awards bash in Cheyenne and wrote about Gov. Matt Mead's first "State of the Arts" speech. Go to

Mead appreciates art - Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online

That Daniel Pink is one animated guy

Take a look at this animated version of a talk by Daniel Pink. A neat overview of the material he will cover when he speaks in Cheyenne Sept. 23-24. To reserve a ticket for this free event, call the Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742.

Turning the "Lights On!" in downtown Cheyenne begins with "Night D'Lights" on Sept. 24

FMI: LightsOn Downtown Group Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/LightsOn-Downtown-Group/142769705746536

Tim Sandlin: Donate before Sept. 17 to help Jackson Hole Writers Conference get matching funds from Old Bill's Fun Run

Tim Sandlin from the Jackson Hole Writers Conference sends this:

Dear Writers,

We are happy to report another superb conference in 2010. Our visiting faculty raised the stakes yet again by revealing, then prying, into the reasons why they write… the reasons why we all write. Once inside, they probed fearlessly. Ideas circulated fast.

We framed conversation in possibility. We heard harrowing stories of success. We teased our manuscripts with fine red ink. With heels digging in rich Wyoming soil we think everyone found enough honesty, encouragement, and inspiration to sustain them through the summer and perhaps the entire year. Our deepest thank you to those who came together in June to make all this possible. A howdy-hello to those of you who better be scribbling away and planning to join us again.

While the conference is our favorite four days of the year, we spend the other 361 days making sure it will happen. Knowing we’re off to the right start lets us plan big for 2011 – reach out to the most outstanding writers and teachers in the field, and give you a Conference to get excited about.

As part of our writing community, we’re asking you to go a step further this year and become part of our philanthropic community.

Now is the time when our fundraising means the most because every dollar we raise is matched by a percentage – over 50% last year – from The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole during Old Bill’s Fun Run. It is the most innovative fundraiser in the nation, and we invite you to participate. Making a donation before September 17, 2010 will ensure that we have another remarkable conference in 2011.

As many of you may know, The Jackson Hole Writers Conference is a non-profit organization. We are writers supporting writers. Most of us are volunteers. We do it because we believe in the written word, ideas, and communication. And we know you do too.

We value donations at every level. It’s the show of your support, your attention to this art, that we appreciate most. And donating through Old Bill’s is easy and rewarding. Learn more to donate here.

Thank you in advance for your support. And let’s be sure to keep in touch.

Very Best,

from all of us here at JHWC

Questions or comments: nicole@ and tim@jacksonholewritersconference.com

Wyomingarts reminds the state's writers that you can apply to the Wyoming Arts Council for an Individual Artist professional Development (IAPD) grant to help pay for conference costs and travel. FMI: http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/

Business plaza opens in Fort Washakie

Anne Even sends this invitation:

Wind River Development Fund invites you to attend the grand opening of their new location and be among the first to tour the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza.

Wednesday, June 23, 3-5 p.m.

3 Ethete Road

Fort Washakie, Wyoming

Opening ceremonies will begin promptly at 3 p.m.

Refreshments will be served.

FMI: Anne Even, Business Development Specialist, Wind River Development Fund, Fort Washakie, Toll Free (877) 253-3824, http://www.wrdf.org/, aeven@wrdf.org

Providing financial opportunities on the Wind River Indian Reservation

Meetings being held for comments on Wyoming Tourism Master Plan

From a press release:

Beginning in 2007 with Project Front Door, Wyoming Travel & Tourism (WTT) embarked on a process that would ultimately lead into a Wyoming Tourism Master Plan. We are pleased that we are moving forward through partnerships with Wyoming Game and Fish and Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources. An aggressive timeline has been established to have this plan ready to go by the end of this year.

All three agencies see the critical need at this time to design, facilitate, develop and produce a Wyoming Tourism Master Plan (including wildlife, outdoor recreation and cultural resources) to make sure that we are working together for the benefit of our industry and the people of Wyoming.

The purpose of a Master Plan is to present a comprehensive view of Wyoming’s collective tourism products and projects, both man-made and natural, and will include all state, federal, local, private and/or non-profit initiatives. It will also provide a regional and statewide perspective of existing and planned projects. It will substantiate the resources required to develop and market Wyoming’s collective tourism assets. And most importantly, it should set a vision and strategy for Wyoming’s tourism growth through 2020.

The goal of the Tourism Master Plan is:
• To confirm the significance of the tourism industry to Wyoming’s economy;
• To identify a vision and direction for the public and private sectors in marketing and development for the next ten (10) years;
• To assess and define the product development needs of Wyoming, its travel attractions, services, facilities and transportation system;
• To define the roles and responsibilities of the public and private sectors as it relates to the growth and development of Wyoming’s tourism industry;
• To develop an evaluation mechanism to ensure the most effective use of State Resources for tourism;
• To define a comprehensive implementation strategy for tourism growth based on economic research and data.

Wyoming’s tourism industry, either collectively or together, will be able to utilize the ten (10) year Tourism Master Plan:
• As a management tool to prioritize the use of resources to achieve general and specific goals established through the strategic planning process;
• As a means by which to identify tourism industry actions and activities that can benefit Wyoming’s economy and social well being;
• As a means by which to identify critical issues or areas of concern regarding tourism in Wyoming or the activities and actions of Wyoming’s tourism industry;
• As a means by which to identify growth and expansion opportunities for Wyoming’s tourism industry;
• As a means by which to identify opportunities for tourism industry partnerships;
• As an information resource in conducting its individual agency, business or organization planning processes and operations;
• As an ongoing information resource regarding the current and evolving operating environment for tourism in Wyoming;
• As a resource for economic research and data, and a directory of information sources for current tourism related forecasts and trend analysis.

A number of firms were interviewed and our agencies collectively have selected Hank Todd with Hank Todd Solutions Group to develop the plan. Hank is a 35+ year travel industry veteran from both the public and private sectors and he and his team have worked with destinations around the world in strategic planning, industry facilitation/participation, Master Plan development and industry development. We are very pleased to have them as part of our team.

The process will include one on one interview(s) with key stakeholders, focus groups, segmented e-surveys and regional meetings. The regional meetings, scheduled for May, are open to the public and will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and include a working lunch. Please RSVP with Vicki Morris (Vicki.morris@visitwyo.gov or 307-777-2828) if you plan to attend one of the meetings.

May 3, Cody, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 720 Sheridan Ave.
May 4, Riverton, Sundowner Station, 1616 Federal Blvd.
May 5, Jackson, Teton Science Building, 700 Coyote Canyon Rd.
May 6, Rock Springs, BLM Field Office, 280 N. Hwy 191
May 19, Laramie, Hilton Garden Inn, 2229 Grand Ave.
May 20, Douglas, Eastern Wyoming College, 203 N. 6th St.
May 21, Gillette, Campbell County Rec Center, 250 Shoshone Ave.

The process will review and develop “Best Practices,” provide detailed analysis and recommendations, as well as, plan measurements with the final Master Plan being completed in December.

Much more about this effort will be broadcast via newspapers, radio stations, email and dedicated website. To find out more and to participate in this process, please go to http://www.projectfrontdoor.com/. There you will be able to make comments directly into the process find out about participating in e-surveys and get details on the Master Plan process and outcomes.

This is an opportunity for all of us in the industry to help guide the direction we need to take over the next ten years and strengthen our relationships with all our partners at the national, state and local level.

Artist-entrepreneurs can get tax help March 17

This may interest some of you artist entrepreneurs out there:

Let the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) and the Wyoming Entrepreneur SBDC help you navigate your micro-business taxes. Learn about Tax Code changes from Keith Hall, a Certified Public Accountant and the NASE, National Tax Advisor.

This 2-hour seminar will provide small business owners access to a CPA specializing in taxation matters for the self-employed. Start-up businesses will learn what forms to file, how to expense start-up costs and requirements for the home office deduction. Existing businesses will discover how to find hidden deductions and how to save by employing a spouse or children. In addition, attendees will receive a complimentary copy of "Schedule C from A to Z: the Sole Proprietor's Guide to Tax Savings."

Mr. Hall operates a private tax and financial consulting firm in Dallas, Texas and also participates in the NASE TaxTalk program, which answers more than 10,000 small-business questions every year. He has over 21 years of consulting experience with small businesses, including 11 years working with the NASE.

Choose from two great locations on Wednesday, March 17:

Casper, 9:00 - 11:00 am, UW Outreach Center, 951 North Poplar, Room 114.

Cheyenne, 4:00 - 6:00 pm, Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Avenue, Cottonwood Room.

Registration fee is $20. Call 800-649-NASE to register; deadline - March 12.

Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance. Contact WSBDC at 307-234-6683 for further information.

Grants available for innovative artist spaces

From a press release:

Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), in collaboration with MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and supported by a funding partnership of the MetLife Foundation and the Ford Foundation, announces an open call for entries to the 2010 MetLife Foundation Innovative Space Awards, a grant-making program of Space for Change: Building Community through Innovative Spaces.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

Launched in 2009, the MetLife Foundation Innovative Space Awards is a competitive national funding program that recognizes outstanding efforts in the design and development of affordable space for artists. The program emphasizes the benefits artist spaces yield for both artists and their communities. In the awards’ concluding round of grantmaking, leading artist spaces will be selected from across the country to receive unrestricted awards ranging from $10,000-$50,000, along with access to technical assistance and a learning community of peer institutions.

HOW TO APPLY

To learn more about the Awards, including the guidelines for how to apply, please visit www.lincnet.net/artist-space/space-for-change. All application materials must be received by April 23, 2010 at 5pm EST.

ELIGIBILITY

Applications may be submitted by non-profit organizations, individual artists, public agencies, or a combination of the three, for artist space projects that:

Provide affordable space for artists to work, or to live and work
Are designed for multi-use or share space with a variety of tenants
Have been in place for a minimum of one year
Demonstrate a positive contribution (social, economic, cultural) to the community in which it exists
Promote ownership or significantly favorable lease terms for artists