"Carol Prusa: Emergent Worlds" exhibition opens this week at the UW Art Museum

Carol Prusa will give a talk about her work in the "Emergent Worlds" exhibition at the University of Wyoming Arts Museum. The talk is at 8:15 on Thursday, Jan. 31, in Visual Arts Building 111. Free and open to the public. On Friday, Feb. 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Prusa will lead a gallery walk-through, followed by an open reception for all of the museum's new exhibitions. The annual student awards ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m.

"Silverspot: A Graphic Novel" debuts this evening at Mix'd Media in Jackson

Timely topic for cultural institutions: "Disaster Preparedness and Response Training"

Press release from the Wyoming Museum Training Network:

Are you part of a local historical museum? Or a local library? Or archive? Do you have responsibilities with collections, whether as a volunteer, staff member or board member? Is your organization prepared for a disaster? Remember... those things called storms, tornadoes, forest or grass fires, or water main breaks? What about a “household” chemical spill in your curation facility? The Wyoming Museum Training Network, with support from the Cultural Trust, will be holding a series of workshops around the state on “Disaster Preparedness and Response Planning”. These one-day training sessions on “Writing a Plan” are open to all historical and cultural institutions including museums, libraries, archives and other institutions with collections. The sessions are for staff, board members, volunteers, or docents.

• The first session is Saturday, November 24, hosted by the Laramie Plains Museum in Laramie. Additional sessions are:
• Tuesday, November 27 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne;
• Friday, November 30 at the Crook County Museum & Art Gallery in Sundance;
• Tuesday, December 4 at the Converse County Public Library in Douglas; and
• Thursday, December 6 at the Goshen County Public Library in Torrington.

To sign up for any of these one-day sessions, contact Judy Knight at 307-760-7427 or via e-mail.

There will be a two-day follow-up training in March, 2013, when the Disaster Preparedness/Response Planning documents will be reviewed and drills will be conducted with local first responders and emergency coordinators invited to attend along with county cultural collection managers.

Linwood Tall Bull presents "Native Plants and Medicinal Uses" Nov. 10 at Washakie Museum

At the Washakie Museum and Cultural Center in Worland. 

Call for entries: Carbon County Museum

From the Carbon County Museum in Rawlins:

Carbon County Museum seeks photograph submissions of a local landscape, preferably in Carbon County. Photos taken in the neighboring region and resembling the local landscape of Carbon County will be considered as well.

One image will be chosen, printed, and used as a high-quality, large-scale wall mural; it will be installed in the Discovery Zone, a new children’s room and exhibit space at the museum.

Deadline:  October 29, 2012 (Artists will be notified by November 6, 2012).

Requirements:

The selected image will be a high desert/prairie scene with no signs of modern life, man-made development, or people.

The image must be available as a high resolution digital file (minimum 6000 x 8400 pixels or 6 megapixels) or as a high quality digital print at least 5 x 7 inches large.

Eligibility:

This is a free opportunity open to all artists. Artists currently attending high school or college are also encouraged to submit. Wyoming artists with ties to Carbon County are preferred.

How to apply:

Email up to 3 images (total size of all attachments no more than 10 MB, please—submissions need not be high-res) to Stacy Fevinger at curator@carboncountymuseum.org. Include a brief description of where each photo was taken, and your city and state of residence. If you do not live in Wyoming, you may include a brief description of any relationship you have to the state and/or Carbon County.

Award:

The artist chosen will receive a $150 honorarium and acknowledgement on relevant exhibit labels. They will be recognized at an opening reception held for the new exhibit space, and promoted via the museum’s usual channels, including radio, newspaper, web, and social media. The image chosen will be a long-term (minimum 1-year) installation in the museum.  

Rights:

The chosen image will be considered a donation to the museum’s permanent collection and retained subject to the museum’s Collections Policy (available on request). If the image is submitted as a print, that copy will remain property of Carbon County Museum. Carbon County Museum will have multiple use, non-exclusive rights to the image and may alter the image as it sees fit to meet the needs of exhibit installation and for promotional purposes.

"A Night at the Museum" Oct. 26 at the State Museum

From the Wyoming State Museum:

Children can enjoy a safe and educational Halloween event and meet some of Wyoming’s most famous characters at the State Museum’s, 5th Annual “A Night at the Museum,” from 4 to 7 p.m., October 26.

Children and their families will meet a variety of characters from Wyoming’s past while touring the State Museum’s galleries.

Expected to be on hand during the festivities are President Teddy Roosevelt, Governor John Campbell, frontier soldiers, lawmen and other historical Wyomingites.

“This is a great family event,” Curator of Education Chris Hanson said. “Come make your own trick or treat bag, and get goodies from some of Wyoming’s most famous (and Infamous) characters.”

This event is for all ages and children must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information about this and other State Museum programs, please call 777-7022.

New York Times reviews "new" Buffalo Bill Museum at the BBHC

Edward Rothstein, museum critic for the New York Times, spent some time in Cody recently and wrote a thorough review of the "reconceived" Buffalo Bill Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, with side trips to the Dug Up Gun Museum, the Cody Nite Rodeo and the Irma Hotel. Read the entire review here. (Thanks to Gregory Hinton, a BBHC resident fellow in 2011, for alerting me to the article.)

Summer Artist Visits Celebrate New Jackson Hole Sculpture Trail

Tim Shinabarger, (United States, b. 1966), "Black Timber Bugler," 2007. Bronze. 112 1/2 x 64 5/8 x 116. Gift of Joy and Tony Greene. © Jim McNutt.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – June 7, 2012 – Summer visitors to Jackson Hole, Wyo., will have the opportunity to brush elbows with top wildlife sculptors as part of a series of free outdoor events at the National Museum of Wildlife Art celebrating its new multimillion-dollar Sculpture Trail. The three-quarter-mile long trail, designed by renowned landscape architect Walter Hood, was completed last fall and has already become a favorite site for outdoor events. With its June 14, 2012, kick-off of the Sculpture Trail, the National Museum of Wildlife Art joins top museums with significant outdoor art venues.

Scheduled unveilings of major sculptures on the trail will take place over the summer as follows:

• June 14: Wyoming sculptor Sandy Scott will attend the free evening unveiling of her first casting of “Presidential Eagle,” so named because another casting resides in the Clinton Presidential Library.

• July 12: British artist Simon Gudgeon will offer afternoon clay modeling workshops July 12 -14, as well as being on hand for the evening unveiling of his streamlined bird form “Isis” on July 12; events are free.

• August 9: A second Sandy Scott sculpture, “Moose Flats,” will be unveiled in a free evening event with live music.

• September 13: Richard Loffler’s 64-foot-long “Buffalo Trail” will be unveiled at a special commemorative ceremony, part of the museum’s annual Western Visions®. At 150 percent larger than life, the Canadian sculptor’s bronze bison make a dramatic statement.

As part of his concept for the museum’s Sculpture Trail, Walter Hood, 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, made best use of the museum’s spectacular Jackson Hole vantage point with minimal disruption of the land’s existing contours.

A member of the Museums West consortium and accredited by the American Association of Museums, the museum, officially designated the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States by an act of Congress in 2008, provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe. A complete schedule of exhibitions and events is available online at www.wildlifeart.org. The museum is also active on Facebook at wildlifeartjh and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Ponteir Sackrey National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5444, psackrey@wildlifeart.org.

Blue Star Museums offer free summer admission to active-duty military personnel and families

From a National Endowment for the Arts press release:

Today, Blue Star Families announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,600 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel, including active Reserve and National Guard, and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2012. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. Find the list of participating museums in Wyoming at http://www.nea.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/index2012.php?st=WY#list

The launch of the program was announced today at a press event at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The event was hosted by Metropolitan Museum President Emily Rafferty, who was joined by Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman, A. Dennis White, CEO and President of MetLife Foundation, local military families and representatives from the more than 40 New York City museums participating in Blue Star Museums this summer. Following the event, the presenters escorted local families representing the Armed Forces on a tour of several galleries at the Metropolitan Museum, which has been a Blue Star Museum since the program began in 2010.

UW Art Museum holds May 18 reception for summer exhibits

From a UW press release:

The University of Wyoming Art Museum will open its new summer exhibitions during a free public reception Friday, May 18, from 6-8 p.m.

New exhibitions are "Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos"; "Drawn from Life: Northern Plains Indian Portraits by David Humphreys Miller"; "Linda Fleming: Modeling the Universe"; "Journeys along the Sepik River: Tribal Art from Papua New Guinea"; and "Through the Looking Glass: The Portrait of the Artist."

Francisco Goya (Spanish, 1746-1828) is recognized as one of Spain's most important and influential artists. His "Los Caprichos" suite, which he began in 1799, established him as the father of the Modern movement in Europe. In the 80 allegorical etchings of the series, Goya explores creative freedoms that were not acceptable to the conventions of art in his time. The exhibition closes Aug. 4.

In 1935, at the age of 16, David Humphreys Miller (American, 1918-1992) arrived in South Dakota and began interviewing and drawing the Northern Plains Indians who were at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. "Drawn from Life: Northern Plains Indian Portraits by David Humphreys Miller" presents portraits of Native American men and women whose interviews contributed to his research and eventual publications as well as those who had connections to the early Hollywood film industry. The exhibition closes Aug. 11.

"Linda Fleming: Modeling the Universe" presents more than 60 maquettes that provide insight into Fleming's (American, born 1945) creative process and inspiration. The small-scale models are in a variety of mediums including cut paper, laser-cut plywood, cast bronze, and felt and combine architectural structures with patterns found in nature. This exhibition closes on Aug. 4.

"Through the Looking Glass: The Portrait of the Artist" explores the tradition of self-portraits and portraits of artists in a variety of mediums, including drawings, prints and photography. Curated from the Art Museum's permanent collection, the exhibition is available for statewide tour through the Touring Exhibition Service following its Aug. 4 closing.

"Journeys along the Sepik River: Tribal Art from Papua New Guinea" tells a story about three travelers who ventured to Papua New Guinea and the objects they acquired. Objects include skull racks, canoe prows and items of adornment. The exhibition closes Aug. 18.

"Imagine learning from the masters" is a guiding principle of the UW Art Museum's programs. The museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.

Photo: "Fish Wolf Robe" is among works in "Drawn from Life: Northern Plains Indian Portraits by David Humphreys Miller." (Courtesy of the Sandra L. Solomon Trust)

Abbie Miller's "Zipped" opens May 25 at the NIC in Casper

Abbie Miller's exhibit "Zipped" will be shown at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper May 25-September 9. Abbie's work was included in the Wyoming Arts Council fellowship biennial show held last year at the Center for the Arts in Jackson.

Abbie Miller's artwork draws equally from the world of fashion and textile manipulation as it does from sculpture. She creates sculptural forms through man-made textiles and clothing and explores the dynamic intersection between form, texture, surface, sculpture and the human body.

Artist Statement

At the site of connection there is a stitch. Action and material, verb and noun, praxis and theory, the stitch is the DNA of my art.

Using clothing construction techniques, I design sculptures, garments and interactive objects that examine the relationship between structure, form and surface. By altering ubiquitous, mass-produced materials into unfamiliar sensuous objects, I invite viewers to question the nature of materiality.

My use of repetition, synthetic material and design relate visually and methodically to tactics of commercial display marketing. I'm interested in these tactics for the non-verbal, instinctual reactions they stimulate. In this way my work is reflexive of mass-produced consumer culture and novelty.

Conversely the physicality and labor present in my work asks the viewer to look longer and question the value of craft and labor in relationship to material and the body. My sculptures play on design strategies, but the construction techniques suggest a tacit bodily connection beyond the physical surface.

What's happening next week at The Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper?

The Nicolaysen Art Museum will host a number of events the first week of May.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 12 noon

High Noon Conversation Series- “Snow and Ice” with Kathy Thatcher, Casper College

High Noon is the museum’s informal interactive discussion series that highlights a particular topic that relates to or jumps off from our current exhibitions. Visitors are invited to bring in their lunch and participate in community discussions. Free to the public.

This month’s High Noon topic will be “Snow and Ice.” It will be held in the McMurry Foundation Gallery. “In honor of Conrad Schwiering’s rich winter landscapes, the NIC is hosting a special informal conversation around the science of snow and the dangers of avalanches in alpine settings,” NIC Curator Lisa Hatchadoorian said. “Kathy Thatcher from Casper College will lead the discussion.”

Wednesday, May 2, 5:00-7:30pm

Natrona County High School Art Reception- “Diversity of Expression”

The Nicolyasen Art Museum is proud to present the Natrona County High School Art Department student exhibition “Diversity of Expression.” This exhibition will run from May 1-27, 2012.

The reception is Wednesday, May 2, 5:00-7:30. Free to the public.

This exhibition represents a collection of works of art created by NCHS Art Students. The students investigate personal meaning through the creative process and invent and problem solve as they go through their personal journey. This will be the 25th year that the Nicolaysen has hosted a spring show for Natrona County High School. This year, the Wyoming Arts Council has awarded NCHS a grant to support our photography students. NC Teachers are Sheila Mchattie, Dennis Howell, Tony Elmore, Pat Hopkins and Issac Kalinowski.

Thursday, May 3, 2012, 7:00pm

Tickets Still available for “An Intimate Evening with Pete Martinez,” Admission is $20.

Tickets are still available for a special performance by Nashville recording artist, Pete Martinez who will appear at the Nicolaysen Art Museum on Thursday, May 3, 2012; doors open at 6:30 pm and the concert will begin at 7:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased at the Nicolaysen Art Museum, The Cadillac Cowgirl, and Metro Coffee Company. Proceeds from the performance will support production of touring exhibition from the Conrad Schwiering collection, Landscapes of Conrad Schwiering: Secrets from the Studio, which has been on exhibit at the NIC since September 30, 2011. Support for this program is provided by the Joe Scott Foundation.

Friday, May 4, 2012, 12 noon

Nic at Noon: Suzanna Morrison

Suzanna Morrison will bring her "feel-good" pop sounds to The Nicolaysen Art Museum for Nic at Noon on May 4. Free to the Public.

Morrison, a Wyoming singer-songwriter, has a friendly sound that goes over great with audiences. She says has been writing music for many years and playing music since she was 14. Recently Morrison was published by a small company out of Nashville. Her distinctive voice and solid guitar rhythms deliver songs of life, love, family and faith.

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

Sheridan County Museum raising funds for statue of Wyoming artist E.W. Gollings

Nicolaysen hosting recording artist Pete Martinez

UW Art Museum screens "Art21" PBS Series on April 16

Western Spirit Art Show & Sale opening reception March 3 at CFD Old West Museum

Faculty members discuss Edward Burtynsky's photo exhibit Feb. 20 at UW Art Museum

Five University of Wyoming faculty members from a range of disciplines will discuss the exhibition "Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime" Monday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at the UW Art Museum.

Participating faculty members are Courtney Carlson, assistant director of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources; Carlos Martinez Del Rio, professor of zoology and physiology; Beth Loffreda, associate professor of English; Jeff Lockwood, professor of philosophy and natural sciences; and Phil Roberts, professor of history.

Monday's program supports the art museum's mission to serve as a gathering place for interdisciplinary discourse, dialogue and community interaction. Each speaker's expertise and perspective will provide a unique filter for viewing Burtynsky's large-scale photographs. A question-and-answer period will follow.

Burtynsky is an internationally acclaimed photographer. His depictions of global industrial landscapes are in the collections of more than 50 major museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada; the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris; the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum in New York City; and the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.

Photo: This photo of a shipyard in China is part of "Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime" now on view at the University of Wyoming Art Museum.

"Doodle 4 Google" Feb. 25 at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper

From a Nicolaysen Art Museum press release:

The Nicolaysen Art Museum invites Wyoming students of all ages to drop into the Discovery Center and doodle around at their special Doodle Event on February 25, 2012, from 1-4 p.m.

The museum has been chosen to team up with Google for the fifth annual Doodle 4 Google contest, which invites kindergarten through 12th-grade students nationwide to draw their rendition of the Google logo for a chance to see it displayed on the online search engine's homepage.  The doodles should reflect this year's contest theme: “If I could travel in time, I'd visit ...”   March 23^rd is the final deadline for students to submit their drawings for the contest.

“The idea is time travel, so they're using that theme to kind of guide the designs. The children can paint, draw, print, or use whatever media they want to use to create a two-dimensional image.” said Lori Klatt, the museum's Special Events Coordinator.

 “We'll have the entry forms available, all of the materials needed and we'll have artists on hand to help the children create their doodles. Students and families from throughout the community and state are invited to participate at no charge and create doodles for the competition.”

For more information please contact Lori Klatt at 307-235-5247.

Photos, mineral specimens and works of art featured at "Follow the Fossil Trail" auction Feb. 25

The Tate Geological Museum in Casper is now selling tickets to its biennial fund-raiser to be held on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Casper Petroleum Club.

The special guest of honor will be Paul Hallock, former Casper College Foundation executive director who retired in June 2011.

“Follow the Fossil Trail” will feature a number of beautiful items for bid including mineral specimens, photography, and works of art, which were created specially for the fundraiser and then finished by local artists. In addition, raffle tickets are being sold for a Henry Rifle Lever Action .22.

From 6 to 8 p.m. wine and “elaborate” hors d’ oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will also be available. A live auction, featuring Dan Sullivan as auctioneer, will begin at 8:10 p.m. Dancing to live music by Rob Staffig will begin at 8:30.

Tickets are $50 for individuals, $90 for couples, and $400 for a table of six, which will include sponsor recognition and a mineral specimen.

To purchase tickets, or for more information, contact Deanna Schaff, director of museums at 268-2077 ordschaff@caspercollege.edu.

All proceeds of the event will go to the Tate Geological Museum.