Think "local arts" on Small Business Saturday

On Nov. 24 (or any day) in Wyoming, shop small, shop locally, shop creatively. Check out the links on our sidebar for artists, performers and writers in your community. Buy a homegrown painting, a CD, a book! Buy your loved one a ticket to a local play or concert. See more ideas on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. You can get free downloadable signage at www.shopsmall.com. 

And buy work by local artists and artisans

From http://www.facebook.com/NationalMainStreetCenter

Get your Harvest Festival on in Jackson Sept. 29

Slow food + fast music = loads of fun at Harvest Festival in Jackson

Food, arts, crafts and music at Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market Jan. 7

What: Cheyenne Winter Farmers’ Market 

Where: Inside the Cheyenne Downtown Depot

When: Saturday, Jan. 7, 10 a.m.–2 p.m

Details: The Winter Farmers’ Market offers products grown, raised or crafted within 150 miles of Cheyenne. It will provide an opportunity to purchase locally grown all-​​natural beef, lamb, turkey, bison, farm fresh eggs, honey, along with locally crafted artisan breads, jams, jellies, tamales, empanadas, tortillas, soup and chili, jewelry, natural skin care, handmade wreaths, baskets and much more. Come and stay for lunch, for more information call 307.649.2430.

Arts Incubator of the Rockies may help young Wyoming creatives find ways to stay in the state

Dance Theatre at University Center for the Arts at CSU

Editor's Note: This is the second post in a two-part series about the Arts Incubator of the Rockies (AIR) project.


Three Fort Collins, Colo., entities have banded together to create the Arts Incubator of the Rockies. State arts agency staffers (including the WAC’s Michael Shay and Rita Basom) joined them last week because we’re all trying to look ahead rather than behind. Our futures depend on it.

Traditional art forms are on the decline, and have been for at least a decade. Symphonies, opera, ballet, art museums, and all the rest see declining attendance. The audiences that remain are older. Expenses continue to climb. 

On the other hand, art schools continue to crank out record numbers of artists and writers and musicians. The supply side is thriving. The traditional demand side is shrinking. But a survey by Julliard shows that only 10 percent of music grads stay in the industry.

Beet Street in Fort Collins is trying to breathe some new life into both the creation and the presentation of the arts. They are joined in this regional endeavor by the CSU School of the Arts and the City of Fort Collins. They were partners in a successful National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town grant that brings $100,000 to the AIR effort. The Western States Arts Federation in Denver and nine state arts agencies gathered in F.C. last week to discuss our involvement.

In our previous post, we outlined some of the core and potential programs that will be addressed by AIR. The major physical effort will be the renovation of the old Carnegie Library into a regional arts center.

WAC staffers toured the building on Thursday. It's one of a cluster of historic buildings in City Park. Next door is the sprawling county library, which once was housed in the Carnegie Building, as was the case in hundreds of American towns and cities.

Exhibits, archives and storage for the Fort Collins Museum are now crammed into the Carnegie. All of it, along with the staff, will move to the new 47,000-square-foot Fort Collins Museum and Discovery Science Center by the summer. This new public-private partnership will feature interactive exhibits that blend history and science. It also has a new Digital Dome Theatre that is part planetarium and part IMAX

Meanwhile, back at the Carnegie, Beet Street's Beth Flowers tells us about the plans for the space. It will feature physical classrooms, a virtual learning center, an AIR resource center, Beet Street offices, black box theatre, gallery and other public spaces. The city owns the building so will maintain and manage it. CSU will conduct community-based continuing ed courses as well as classes that will feed into its new minor in Arts Business and Leadership and Master of Music in Arts Leadership and Administration.

Yet to be decided is how neighboring states fit into the equation. We spent two days last week discussing options in the newly renovated Lincoln Center. Wyoming trains scads of artists at its lone four-year public university and its many community colleges. How will AIR serve them? 

Architect's drawing of exterior of new
UW visual arts building

The University of Wyoming could have its own CSU-like "A" for "Agricultural" on a mountain if one were close enough to campus. And that "A" could stand for "Arts." UW is in the midst of a complete revamping of its arts infrastructure. The massive new visual arts building, located strategically next to the award-winning UW Art Museum, will open in January. The old fine arts building will get a complete renovation over the course of the new two years. The English Department's creative writing program (ranked No. 30 in the nation by Poets & Writers mag) continues to be housed in the oldest building on campus (go figure).

Beefed-up endowments bring amazing performers, artists and writers to campus. Internationally-renowned dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones wraps up his UW residency this month. Rebecca Solnit, Camille Dungy, Colson Whitehead and Salman Rushdie have taught young writers the past few years. Visual artists such as Jesus Moroles, Deborah Butterfield and Ursula von Rydingsvard have taught at UW and their sculptures have been featured on campus.

But the problem remains. UW does not have an arts administration degree program. And students still get a limited exposure to the business side of the arts. Some will get teacher certification and teach. Some will go on to master's and Ph.D. programs and teach. Many others will want to make a living as artists and will have to figure it out for themselves.

We in Wyoming have an option that other regional players don't have -- we're right down the road from the AIR project in Fort Collins. Those arts business courses will be nearby. Some will be offered online, too. But since you're already traveling down snow-clogged roads to go to the hookah bar, why not take a workshop while you're there?

At last week's meeting, we talked extensively about ways that state arts agencies such as the Wyoming Arts Council could help sponsor AIR courses. Wyoming students could attend physical classes in F.C. Or maybe some of those courses could be offered at UW in some sort of cooperative agreement with border rival CSU. We talked about a partnership among regional land-grant universities -- all of our states have one.

We have hundreds of talented artists in Wyoming. We also have a problem with our college grads moving out of state to start careers in Denver, Salt Lake City, L.A., and Portland. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could find ways for our homegrown creatives to stay in Casper and Pinedale and Evanston? They will need business acumen to do so. Luck helps, too. But what's that famous saying about luck? "The harder I work the luckier I get." Maybe that should be: "The smarter I work the luckier I get."

We all need to work smarter in tough times. AIR could be one of the ways to work smarter. Wouldn't it be great if Cheyenne could claim a new motto that said: "Cheyenne: Where Fort Collins buys art and attends arts events." Maybe even this: "Cheyenne: Where Cheyenne shops and buys art and attends arts events." 

Wyomingarts will keep you posted on AIR developments. 

Potential partners for the Arts Incubator of the Rockies (AIR) project meet in Fort Collins

The historic Carnegie Building, once home to the Fort Collins Public Library, will house the new Arts Incubator of the Rockies. 

Wyoming Arts Council staffers Michael Shay and Rita Basom attended a two-day meeting last week in Fort Collins, Colo., about the Arts Incubator of the Rockies. Arts types from nine states came to town to brainstorm ideas for the AIR. This multi state effort aims to turbo-charge the region's artists and arts organizations and is being spearheaded by a triumvirate of Ft Collins entities: Beet Street, the City of Fort Collins and Colorado State University School of the Arts.

It's a great thing when an arts organization, a city government and a major land-grant university get together to forge a plan for the future. A rare thing, too. Together they applied to the National Endowment for the Arts and received a $100,000 Our Town grant. They then invited their neighbors from WY, CO, NM, UT, ID, MT, NE, NV, SD and ND to town to talk about next steps. The only state not interested (for now anyway) was Nebraska.

Fort Collins can brag about its arts and culture scene. This city of 140,000 sprawls along the Poudre River Valley and butts up against the Front Range of the Rockies. There's a big "A" up on the mountain that gets a fresh coat of whitewash every year from CSU students. The "A" stands for the "Agricultural" in Colorado A&M, the school’s previous name.

These days the "A" up on the hill could stand for "Arts."

This mid-size city features an amazing array of arts facilities and arts orgs. During the course of our meetings, we discovered that it boasts some two-dozen performing arts groups, some you may have heard of (Open Stage Theatre, Bas Bleu Theatre, Fort Collins Symphony) and some that you haven’t (Fort Collins Youth Jazz Project, Tower Quartet, Andrew Vogt Gypsy Street Trio).

During our first day in Fort Collins, we toured a few of the arts facilities. One belongs to the U, the renovated Fort Collins High School that now houses the University Center for the Arts, or UCA. Our tour guide on Thursday was Jennifer Clary, a graduate of both the old FCHS and the new CSU arts school. She now works at the UCA.

We watched a faculty chamber group as they warmed up in the Organ Recital Theatre for an upcoming concert. We saw the student Symphonia rehearse for its performance of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. Great acoustics in the 550-seat Edna Rizley Griffin Concert Hall. Great facilities overall for music and dance and theatre. Also a fine visual arts museum.

During our meeting, CSU School of the Arts Co-Director Dr. Todd Queen quoted from a Julliard study that found that only 10 percent of music school students stay in the industry after graduation. It's tough out there for a musician -- we all know that. It's tough out there for a poet and a dancer and a painter.

But what if there were other ways to an artist to make a living as an artist? What if we could shift away from the paradigm of "starving artist?"

That is a major goal of AIR.

Arts students need help with the big "B" of "business." They need to find new ways to promote themselves as artists which then will free up time for them to do their art. This is nothing new. Vincent Van Gogh painted up a storm but couldn't make a living -- his brother Theo had to keep him in bread and cheese.

In the arts, it is all about you pursuing your passion. It also can be about forging a career in the arts world. Not just as a fall-back strategy but as something that a student does on purpose. It may include teaching but it very well may not.

This is what is appealing about AIR: It addresses both of these tracks through workshops, classes, networking, coaching, mentoring, outreach and internships. It seeks to enlist professionals to mentor those in their field. It will look at ways to provide shared professional services, investment capital and revolving loan funds. It may enlist celebrity actors and musicians and writers to promote AIR goals. It may sponsor local and regional conferences.

The discussion is only beginning. In our next post, wyomingarts will address some of the ways that AIR plans to incubate regional artists and arts orgs in the West. We’ll also look at the role that Fort Collins itself is playing in the Rocky Mountain West's arts and cultural renaissance. It's not all about "beers, bikes and (snow)boards" -- but all of those "B" words feed "A" energy (as in "Arts").

For another perspective on the AIR project, read Leanne Goebel's Nov. 10 post on Adobe Airstream.

Call for entries: High Plains Register

This comes from Karen Cotton, one of the editors of LCCC’s literary and arts magazine, High Plains Register:

The magazine is accepting submissions from:

Writers of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, or drama

Arists

Photographers

Musicians

DEADLINE IS OCT. 28

Here are the submission guidelines:

All submissions, up to six per person, must include a cover letter with submitter's contact information.

Writing: Send typed hardcopy or e-mail attached Word document (10 pages maximum each; double space prose)

Artwork and music: Digital files preferred (CD or e-mail attachment)

ALL LCCC student submissions will be eligible for the High Plains Register Award for Best Poem, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Drama, Artwork or Music.

Submissions from the community also encouraged.

Send submissions to:

Liz Jackson

c/o LCCC Arts and Humanities

1400 E. College Drive

Cheyenne, WY 82001

or e-mail LJackson@lccc.wy.edu

Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/people/HighPlains-Register/600142279

The 2012 High Plains Register release and public reading will be noon, Friday April 27, 2012 in the Student Lounge. Call 778-1330 or search for HPR at lccc.wy.edu.

Great music (and great desserts) at Meeteetse Chocolatier Sept. 3-4

The Meeteetse Chocolatier, on Meeteetse's main drag, announced the following events:

Labor Day weekend:

Saturday, Sept. 3: Open mic night starting at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 4: Dessert happy hour, 6 p.m. and live music from 6-8 p.m. featuring Jared Rogerson (shown in photo). Fine wines and microbrews paired with decadent desserts!

Aug. 27 ArtMarket gathering features local artists and music

Jackson’s Travis Walker sends this info:

Come check out the second installment of many ArtMarket gatherings on Saturday, Aug. 27, noon-5:30 p.m., in the Boardroom parking lot, 225 W. Broadway, Jackson.

Last week was a great success, and this weekend will be bigger and badder. 

Check out art from local artists like Kelly Halpin, Mike Tierney, Cut la Whut, Rob Kingwill, Ben Carlson, and more....

We will have fresh coffee and beats all day. DJ Whipple is down to throw a set, should be rocking all day! See you there and please spread the word!

This M.E.T.A. event brought to you by the Boardroom and AVALON7.

FMI: AVALON7 JACKSON HOLE: @AV7JH

Cheyenne International Film Festival film highlights the arts in downtown Cheyenne

The Cheyenne International Film Festival (CIFF) short documentary airs on Bresnan Cable Channel 19 in Cheyenne daily at noon and 7 p.m. The program emphasizes the importance of the arts in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming. The documentary features filmmakers MaryLee Herrmann, Patrick Mallek and Ken Wajda discussing film festivals and independent film. Local economic and community development officials Darren Rudloff of Visit Cheyenne, Michell Howard of the Wyoming Film Office and Randy Oestman from the Wyoming Arts Council discuss the importance of the arts.

Pinedale LocalFest features food, jazz and a movie

Painted Sage Farm presents a gala reception for the 2011 Spring Into Summer LocalFest. Featuring locally grown food, drink and the compelling food film "FRESH, The Movie." Gourmet tapas prepared by Wyoming culinary artist Christine Wylde. Accompanied by favorite local musical talents, Johnson & Stowe. Sponsored by the Sublette Local Food Alliance and UW Cooperative Extension. Thursday, April 28, 6-9 p.m. at Sublette County Public Library, 155 S. Tyler, Pinedale.

New CD from Gary Small & the Coyote Brothers: "Wyoming (For Dummies)"

Grady Kirkpatrick playing latest CD by Gary Small and the Coyote Brothers today on Wyoming Public Radio's "Morning Music." Selection was "Snaggle-Tooth Jackalope." Here's info from the Coyote Bros web site: "We've just released 'Wyoming (for Dummies).' An EP with 6 crazy rockabilly and surf songs about our quirky culture in Wonderful Wyoming. If you've ever worked in the Park, or been to Yellowstone, ya' better get this one."

Call for entries: ROOTS Fest 2011

Call for artists to perform at ROOTS Fest 2011: "Many Communities, One Voice," June 22–26, 2011, Baltimore, MD

http://alternateroots.org/festival

Alternate ROOTS is pleased to announce artist opportunities to perform at ROOTS Fest 2011: "Many Communities, One Voice," a national arts festival celebrating the very best of our nation’s local art in honor of ROOTS’ 35th Anniversary. ROOTS Fest 2011 will be held June 22–26, 2011 in Baltimore, MD. As part of this national event, five days and evenings of local, regional, and national performances, workshops, case studies, community dialogues, and more will be presented.

Deadline: Dec. 31, 2010

Sept. 11 Sheridan Harvest Festival features local food, homegrown music and "Pies by Guys"

The Blue Routes on stage at Lucinda's Gallery

The Blue Routes perform this summer on Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Lucinda's Artisan Gallery, 160 North Main Street, Sheridan.

Remaining dates are June 23rd & 30th; July 14th & 21st; August 4th, 11th & 18th.

From The Blue Routes member Micah Wyatt:

Lucinda's Artisan Gallery in downtown Sheridan has gracefully agreed to play adopted home to The Blue Routes the whole summer long! Come hear the soft, subtle tones and help keep a unique local business alive - every Wednesday night throughout the summer from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. The Blue Routes consists of Bret Norwood, Jascha Herdt, Philip Cleveland, and Micah Wyatt....but look for special guests throughout the summer.

FMI: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120171641338119&index=1

International traditions and local food highlight weekend in Jackson Hole

We posted this way back in April and thought it was worth repeating:

The 2010 Vista 360 Jackson Hole Fire Festival: Connecting Mountain People will take place from Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20, 2010, in the Town Square and other downtown venues in Jackson. Friday night will be the Fire Festival, a "cultural sharing" with Mt. Fuji in Japan. This year, the weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) we'll be exploring the mountain culture(s) of the Yellowstone region -- our own backyard. Saturday will be the Yellowstone Food and Heritage Fair, exploring the mountain culture (and flavors!) in our own backyard. And Sunday will be Children's Day -- Japanese and Yellowstone combined. Contact: Candra Day at canday@wyoming.com

Sound Check Music Festival in Pinedale 6/26

From the Pinedale Fine Arts Council:

The Pinedale Fine Arts Council presents the third annual Sound Check Music Festival on Saturday, June 26 beginning at 5 p.m. in the American Legion Park in Pinedale. The concert is free (donations greatly appreciated) and will feature The Lonesome Heroes from Austin, TX as headliners. Rounding out the bill this year will be Leo Rondeau also from Austin, TX and local alt-country band The Tie Hacks will open things up. Don’t forget to bring a chair, cooler, sunscreen and shades and enjoy a great summer evening listening to three great bands!

Proclaimed as "rewriting the rules of alt country" by the Austin Chronicle, The Lonesome Heroes have emerged as a singular talent out of Austin's music scene. Songwriters Rich Russell and Landry McMeans founded the Heroes in 2005, and the pair has cultivated their New York and Texan roots into a unique sound that unites Indie Rock, Folk, and Country. The Heroes' songs evoke a Western Americana landscape littered with broken hearts, abandoned shopping malls, and crooked highways. Their lyrics have been hailed as rivaling "the best in the country world" (Smother Magazine.) Yet their sound reaches beyond the Country moniker. The Lonesome Heroes will be performing as a 5-piece band for the June 26 performance.

Originally from North Dakota, Leo Rondeau now calls Austin home and pulls his languid drawl across country ballads braced by banjo and steel, the caustic crack of his voice cut with an ornery attitude. Rondeau’s impressive songwriting drifts through easy honky-tonk anthems and supple, aching, country waltzes all the while mixing traditional country and bluegrass with storytelling inspired by Rondeau’s upbringing in the Turtle Mountains. Rondeau will be joined by his traveling band for the June 26 performance.

Pinedale’s The Tie Hacks, featuring members of the Science Rockets, play a refreshing blend of alt-country and Americana music complete with harmonies and vocal trade-offs. Fronted by local singer songwriters John Fogerty, Jason Burton, Terry Hill and Michelle Humber The Tie Hacks recently took first place in initial voting for the Targhee Music Fest Battle of the Bands Contests earlier this spring.

The now annual Sound Check was first conceived two years ago by the Pinedale Fine Arts Council as a means of testing the new sound system they purchased with grant money from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund. The Town of Pinedale, Sublette County Recreation Board and the Sublette County Joint Tourism Promotion Board also helped support this event.

FMI: www.pinedalefinearts.com or call 307.367.7322.

Wyoming PBS sponsors Wind River Music Showcase in Lander

From the Wind River Music Showcase web site:

Music is integral to every culture, and with its independent spirit and unique history, Wyoming has its own unique flavor of talented musicians in many genres. Please join us for this four part music series featuring Wyoming musicians performing live at the Museum of the American West in Lander!

Hosted by Wyoming Public Radio’s music director Grady Kirkpatrick, the show celebrates the talent of musicians whose music tells the story of Wyoming’s people. The television series will air in November 2010. Don’t miss your opportunity to hear fantastic live music, get a chance to be on television, and support Wyoming PBS all at the same time!

Showcase Lineup:

Saturday, May 8th, 7:00 pm: Michael Hurwitz (shown in photo) & the Aimless Drifters with opening act “V” the Gypsy Cowbelle

Saturday, June 26th, 7:00 pm: The Teka Brock Band with opening act Jared Rogerson

Saturday, July 17th, 7:00 pm: Anne and Pete Sibley with opening act Doug Andrews

Thursday, July 29th, 7:00 pm: The Jalan Crossland Band with opening act J. Shogren

Presented By, Wyoming PBS, committed to producing the music series because it fulfills an important aspect of their mission - to provide a “cultural resource dedicated to enriching the lives of Wyoming people through telecommunications and other related services.” The Wind River Music Showcase will bring Wyoming music to viewers who might never have the opportunity to hear and see that music in person.

FMI: http://www.wyoptv.org/musicshowcase/

Editor's Note: Mike Hurwitz, Miss "V" the Gypsy Cowbelle and Doug Andrews are Wyoming Arts Council roster artists. Support local music by bringing them to your community through a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant.

Call for entries: Riverfest Art Fair in Lander

From the Lander Art Center web site:

This summer's Riverfest Art Fair is brought to you by the Lander Art Center and Art in the Afternoon.

Come buy local arts and crafts, listen to cool music and enjoy great food and spirits at the first annual Riverfest.

Riverfest is the summer equivalent of our rockin' Art in the Afternoon Art Sale that we have in December, taking place in July in the loveliest park in Wyoming!

When: Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: Lander City Park, 405 Fremont Street, Lander

What: Unique and Creative Arts/Wares by local and regional artists (handmade, artisan marketed), live music and food from local eateries

How: If you would like to participate in this event, booth spaces are $45, a maximum of two artists/entrants provide their own tables and displays.

If you would like to be considered for this show, please send pictures and a cover letter summarizing your art to landerartcenter@bresnan.net or mail to Lander Art Center, 224 Main Street, Lander, WY 82520

All work submitted must be made and sold by the artist.

St. Patrick's Day at Atlas Theatre features local musicians and dancers and food

The Cheyenne Little Theatre Players presents “A St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” on Wednesday, March 17, at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne.

The event features music by “Musical Chairs” and a performance by the En Avant Dance Studio.

Dinner Starts at 6 p.m., show starts at 7.

Call (307) 638-6543 for tickets or purchase online at www.cheyennelittletheatre.org

Dinner & Show Admissions: general public $22; CLTP season members $20; children under 12, $10.

Show admissions only: general public $12, CLTP season members $10, children under 12, $5