Focus is on Rocky Mountain Foodways Dec. 2 at Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum

Foodways! One of our favorite topics here at the Arts Council. Found this on Tammy Christel's excellent Jackson Hole Art Blog:

The Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum opens “Key Ingredients: Jackson Hole Flavors,” on Sunday, December 2, from 1-5 p.m. Emphasis is on “local.” The exhibit explores Jackson Hole food culture and is associated with Key Ingredients: America by Food, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. Artifacts from the museum collection, including select recipes that have been interpreted, give museum visitors a sense of Jackson’s the evolving food culture.

At 2 p.m. Andrea Graham, Folklife Specialist, delivers a program entitled Foodways in the Intermountain West, says the museum. During the program attendees will learn about the importance of our food traditions. Graham studied food culture in the American Studies Program at the University of Wyoming, where she conducts fieldwork statewide and produces public programs.

Beverages and favorite cookies from Jackson Hole cooks will be served during Sunday’s afternoon opening celebration. Free! www.jacksonholehistory.org/

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

Add the culinary arts to Cheyenne's arts listings

Local arts meet local foods at http://artsalliancecheyenne.com/culinary-artists-in-greater-cheyenne-2/ 

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.

Year in Review: Public art projects blossomed throughout the state in 2011

It was a big year for public art projects in Wyoming. Wyomingarts reported on a number of them across the state but still missed a few. The best-known one probably was the environmental-themed artwork at UW by British land artist Chris Drury. Carbon Sink: What Goes Around, Comes Around was installed by the artist in July. The event was filmed by a UWTV and is available on the Art Museum's webpage and YouTube page. "Carbon Sink" has become a big tourist draw, when it isn't covered by snow.

In Jackson, internationally renowned landscape architect Walter Hood (shown in photo) was brought in to design the new sculpture trail for the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Known for his innovative and people-friendly designs of such high-profile public spaces as the grounds for the De Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Hood conducted a public presentation in July to share insights into his philosophy about creating multitasking public spaces that are both respectful of the land and rooted in their communities. The Wyoming Arts Council staff and board visited the sculpture trail in November as part of its quarterly board meeting in Jackson. Some of the artwork will be installed this summer, with others being added to the trail as they're completed. 

Murals were big in 2011. Big murals were even bigger. Cheyenne downtown developer Ed Murray commissioned a multi-story mural of a cherub. Influences for the mural range from Italian Renaissance artwork to the cherubs that were popular in Wild West saloons. The mural was painted by Tennessee muralist Michael Cooper. Video of the dedication ceremony was filmed by Alan O'Hashi.


The Pinedale Fine Arts Council launched its public art program with a downtown mural painted by some local youngsters. Upcoming projects include a giant machine gun constructed by metal artist JB Bond from a junkyard truck carcass.

A series of three murals cropped up in Laramie. One of them was actually about crops, the people who grow and harvest them, to be exact. Laramie artist Talal Cockar's "Tierra y Libertad" (pictured above) was the first of this mural series and was sponsored by the University of Wyoming Art Museum and the Laramie Main Street Alliance. Located on the north exterior wall of Big Hollow Food Co-op, 119 S. First St., Cockar's mural recognizes natural foods and agriculture and is a tribute to the land and the people who work it. The Laramie Mural Project is an extension of the Art Museum's "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational" exhibition of public art that opened in 2008. Cockar has studied and created street art using different media for more than 10 years and has done work in various social and cultural settings all over the world.

David R. Nelson's mountain lion

The Wyoming Arts Council's State’s Art in Public Buildings "1 percent for Art" program really took off in 2011. Three bronze pieces by part-time Lander artist David R. Nelson were dedicated at the new welcome center along I-90 near Hulett. The new Military Readiness Command Center and Wyoming Game & Fish buildings all have new artwork, both outside and inside. The new welcome center on I-25 south of Cheyenne will have some outdoor sculpture along with its unique architecture -- the artist has been selected from a field of eight and the selection will be announced early in 2012. More projects are expected in the new year. The program allows 1 percent of the construction costs of any new, state-funded construction projects, up to a maximum of $100,000, to be spent on art work for those facilities.

John Frechette's glass wall

Speaking of welcome centers.... Jackson's new tourist info center -- Home Ranch -- will feature a new artwork by John Frechette. The installation includes two exterior walls of glass tiles made by Frechette, who works out of Factory Studios run by the Teton ArtLab. The pair of installations represent grizzly bear and bison DNA. This is just one of the innovative projects undertaken by the Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative. Others include The Poetry Box (also built by Frechette), located in the Valley Bookstore, and fanciful bike racks located throughout town and out at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Here's how the JH Public Art Initiative describes itself: "As a result of our efforts the value of public art as a cultural tourism driver and creative placemaking tool has been recognized by our elected officials. Public art is part of the Managed Growth section of the Teton County Comprehensive Plan. Public art will be integrated into public spaces adding character and highlighting our shared values. Thank you to all our elected officials and planning departments for their diligent work on the new plan. Grant received this year:  Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund for supporting our efforts to develop guidelines for public art in the Town of Jackson and Teton County. Award: $10,060. 1% for the Tetons and members are supporting our initiative to install art about the environment on the Community Pathways system. Award: $9,635. The Wyoming Arts Council is providing support for the Cultural Diversity Mural and Town as Heart Projects. Award: $6,200."

Buffalo has a unique public art program. The “Walkabout Gallery” is co-sponsored by the Buffalo Downtown Association and the Johnson County Arts & Humanities Council. Vikki Chenette, vice president of the JCAHC, says that the "Walkabout Gallery" is a bit different than most traditional public art projects. "We think that people will be surprised and delighted to find these little things" around town, she said. One of those is David Romtvedt's poem "Falling Asleep," affixed to the brick wall outside of his wife Margo Brown's pottery shop. David, who recently stepped down from his position as Wyoming Poet Laureate, told the Buffalo Bulletin that "it is neat to see it where people wouldn't necessarily go hunting for poems." 

Photo by Dan Cepeda, Casper Star-Tribune

Casper is incorporating a public art space into the construction of a new low-income housing development across from the Nicolaysen Art Museum near downtown. Casper developer Steve Grimshaw says that he just wants to be a "responsible builder." To that end, he hired contractor Pete Peterson to recycle whatever he could from the old KC Apartments that were being demolished to make way for the new Sunshine Apartments near downtown. Peterson was able to recycle 83 percent of the building. That included concrete that was crushed to go into the foundations of the new building. Also claw-foot bathtubs, cabinets, door locks and faucet handles. Also salvaged were old cement slabs (shown above) stamped with the date "1917" that will pave the new public arts space that is part of the project. A coalition of Casper organizations recently received a National Endowment for the Arts grant for the arts space. Read entire article at http://trib.com/news/local/casper/developer-recycles-notorious-casper-apartment/article_e504182e-4cd8-55b8-bf54-6d72b0b292a1.html#ixzz1h5EsEb00

Shop locally in downtown Laramie during Mistletoe Mosey

Night Heron Books is one of the Downtown Laramie businesses
 participating in the Mistletoe Mosey through  Dec. 23

From the Wyoming Lifestyle blog:

Have you purchased your Mistletoe Mosey button in Downtown Laramie yet? You can learn more about the program in our upcoming winter issue of Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine, but in the meantime, here’s some information about one of Downtown Laramie’s energetic and successful programs that links the business owners together, as well as with the community!

Primed for an enthusiastic repeat of 2010’s success, the Mistletoe Mosey was launched on Black Friday (Nov. 25) and will run until 6 p.m. on Dec. 23.  The program is simple, and a lot of fun:  purchase a button with your favorite number on it, and search through 50 participating businesses (buttons can be purchased for $5 at any participating business).  Match the number on your button to the number displayed at one of the stores for a chance to win a $50 prize!  You’ll also be entered into a drawing for $1,000 in downtown gift certificates. The Grand Prize Drawing will take place at the First Street Plaza in Downtown Laramie on December 24 at 11 a.m.  Businesses will also be offering extended hours on Tuesdays during December – shop until 7 p.m. on these days for extra time to search for that number! Participating is easy and fun – plus you can take care of your holiday shopping and support the local economy at the same time.

As a thank you for shopping local, bring your gifts to the Laramie Main Street Alliance office at 207 Grand Ave. for free gift wrapping Dec. 10-23, Monday through Saturday, 2-6 p.m. and Dec. 24, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Be sure to visit Downtown Laramie on Facebook and if you’re in Laramie, get your button today! Whether you’re in Laramie or not, remember to SHOP LOCALLY and give your friends & neighbors your business whenever you can this holiday season!

The creativity is in these creatives' custom pies

Jackson Farmers' Market - Creative Bakeries from Indie Media: The New Journalism on Vimeo.

WAC staffer Randy Oestman and videographer Alan O'Hashi have been traveling the state gathering footage for a film about Wyoming's Creative Vitality Index (CVI). Most of you won't be surprised to learn that Jackson, Wyo., has one of the highest CVI rates in the region. And who can quibble with that once you see pies like these? This was filmed at Jackson's Saturday Market.

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!

Sign up May 16 for sizzlin' summer classes in theatre, local foods, archaeology and history

From a Casper College press release:

The “Sizzlin’ Summer Sign-Up” for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Casper College will be held on Monday, May 16 from 4 to 6 p.m.

The summer offerings include classes, day trips, lectures, overnight trips, and even dinner and a movie, according to Vicki Pollock, lifelong learning specialist.

“We have tried to come up with a wide variety of topics to appeal to as many folks as we can this summer,” said Pollock. “’Acting Up: A Hands-On Introduction to Theatre’ will culminate in a reader’s theatre production, while students in ‘Starry Starry Night: An Introduction to Astronomy’ will learn about the phases of the moon, how to navigate the night sky, and about objects in our solar system,” Pollock noted.

For those feeling a bit more adventurous, there are classes involving travel including “History and Tradition on the Wind River Reservation,” “Made in Wyoming: A Visit to Nanny Kid Farms,” and “Written in Stone: Old Rocks, Old Art, Old Tales.”

Lectures will include a look at the Battle of Little Bighorn and on Khe Sanh, South Vietnam: “The Battle for Khe Sanh,” and “Khe Sanh Revisited.”

“We are also offering some favorites of our OLLI’s including ‘Old Books, Fresh Eggs,’ where we will travel to the Mad Dog and the Pilgrim Bookstore on Highway 789, and ‘Olives to Olive Oil,’ with George Vlastos teaching on the benefits of olive oil, as well as cooking delicious Greek dishes,” said Pollock.

A highlight of the summer session will be the “Dinner and a Movie: State Fair.” “We thought it would be fun this summer to bring back memories of a summer night at the fair,” Pollock said. “The night will include a pie-baking contest, barbecue dinner, fresh cotton candy we will be making during the evening, and a screening of the 1945 movie ‘State Fair’ starring Dana Andrews and Jeanne Crain, with wonderful music by Rodgers and Hammerstein.”

The Sizzlin’ Summer Sign-Up will feature “yummy snacks and beverages.” OLLI members are asked to bring their membership cards to the event. Those who are not currently members of OLLI can join during the event and register for classes.

For more information contact Pollock at 268-2097 or Karen Arnold, administrative assistant at 268-3401.

Next Art Design & Dine tour takes place May 12

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.

Winter Farmers' Market features gardening arts and culinary arts and arts artsts

The next Winter Farmers' Market will be held at the Historic Downtown Train Depot in downtown Cheyenne on Saturday, March 5 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

It features local foods grown raised or created within 150 miles of Cheyenne. Also includes arts and crafts items handmade within 150 miles of Cheyenne.

Items for sale include :
Local Honey
Jams & Jellies
Fruit Butters
Winter Squash
Pumpkins
Chili
Cupcakes
Sauces
Bar-B-Que to-go
Beef
Bison
Chicken
Lamb
Turkeys
Tamales
Tortillas
Salsa
Empanadas
Winter Garden Produce
Farm Fresh Eggs
Gourmet Mushrooms
Wyoming-made Baked Goods
Cakes and Pies
Soups and Chowders
Roasted Coffee
Gourmet Pasta
Smoked Turkey
Handspun Yarns
Hand-knitted Garments
Handmade Clothes
Natural Skin Care
Art from recycled glass
Handmade Jewelry
Tole painted items


Sponsored by Wyoming Business Council, Cheyenne Depot Museum, Wyoming Farmers Marketing Association, Wyoming Community Network and individuals who support the local food movement.

For more information call 307.649.243

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

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

Locavores gather in Laramie April 11

Local Food Gathering will be held in Laramie on Sunday, April 11, 12:30-5 p.m. in the UW Classroom Building, Fremont and 9th Street. "Fresh," the film, to be shown at 7 p.m., in Classroom 129. Free admission.

Join us for the second annual Laramie Local Foods Gathering. Our keynote address will be given by Mike and Cindy Ridenour from Meadow Maid Foods in Yoder, WY on the topic of "Seeing the New in Old: A Progressive Step Backward in Food Production."

Sessions will run from 1:30-4:45 and include home gardening challenges in the high mountain West, running a small ag business, home brewing, backyard chickens, preserving foods, how to grow fruit trees and more! Door prize drawing at 4:45 p.m. followed by a closing presentation from Laramie Dance Center.

Fee is $5 for public, $3 for seniors and free for students. Registration begins at 12 pm.

Full details are at http://laramielocalfood.webs.com/

Dinner break 5-7 p.m. (no-host dinner at The Library Restaurant and Brewery for those interested)

In Cheyenne -- local art, local food, local fun

"Road to Cheyenne" by Meghan Cochrane

Art Design & Dine on Thursday, April 8, 5-8 p.m.

Eight local Cheyenne art and design venues will be open for an evening of art, food and fun!

This month's featured restaurant is Pizza Venti

Artful Hand Studio and Gallery will be featuring the work of Meghan Cochrane. Meghan will be on hand to talk about her quilting technique using aerial photographs.

As always, the Artful Hand's Georgia Rowswell will be serving up some of her delicious baked goods so please stop by and say hi.

Artful Hand Studio and Gallery, located on the corner of House and East 1st Ave.

FMI: http://artfulhand.org