Auditions Oct. 22-23 for "The Butler Did It!"

Announcement from the Cheyenne Little Theatre: Auditions for "The Butler Did It!" tonight (Oct. 22) & tomorrow night (Oct. 23) at 6:30 pm, Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne. Lots of great roles! Directed by Shawn Casey. Performances Nov. 9th & 10th. "The Butler Did It!" is the winner of the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players New Play Project award. 

Call for applications: Creative Fusion residency program in Cleveland

Creative Fusion is an urban-based artist residency and Fellowship initiative of the Cleveland Foundation, the United States' oldest community foundation. It provides support for local cultural institutions to host international artists who have been awarded Fellowships though the Creative Fusion program's selection process. The award includes a four month residency in Cleveland, which provides the visiting artist-Fellow with opportunities to undertake innovative work in his/her discipline while making strong connections and exchanges with local artists, diverse young persons and with the greater Cleveland community.

Twelve artists are in residency annually each hosted by a local cultural institution during two four-month residency periods which take place in Spring (March-June) and Fall (August-November). The program is focused on artists from non-western European countries who can bring a contemporary view of their culture through their art making process to the Greater Cleveland community. Artistic excellence, the desire to be part of an engaged residency program with a focus on working with young persons and dialoging and creative exchange with local artists will be key criteria for selection.

1422 Euclid Avenue, Suite 1300
Cleveland , Ohio 44115
United States

Email: kcerveny@clevefdn.org

Web site: http://www.clevelandfoundation.org/CreativeFusion.html

UW Theatre for Young Audiences holds auditions on June 6

Children ages 8-17 are invited to audition Wednesday, June 6, for a University of Wyoming Theatre for Young Audiences production of "Evo-Cete: The Big Blue Journey."

The auditions will be held from noon-3 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. in the UW Fine Arts Building Mains Dance Studio. The production calls for three speaking parts -- evolution sister (a talking robot), Sea Queen and a pirate -- with the remaining cast members performing different styles of dance ranging from hip-hop to classical.

Callbacks are scheduled at 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 8-9. Those selected will rehearse for approximately two hours daily June 13-14, June 18-21, June 25-28 and July 9-12. The public performances will be July 13 at 7:30 p.m. and July 14 at 2:30 p.m. in the College of Education auditorium.

Produced by the UW departments of Theatre and Dance and Geology and Geophysics, the performance is an educational program using dance, puppetry and drama to teach young people about the evolution of the whale. Veteran dance choreographer Wendy de la Harpe directs the production. She hopes to use at least 40-50 students in the production, and encourages both experienced dancers and kids with little or no dance experience to audition.

Cecilia Aragon, UW Theatre and Dance associate professor, and Mark Clementz, associate professor of Geology and Geophysics, are co-creators of the Evo-Cete project and have collaborated as producers. UW playwriting student Jeremy Smith wrote "Evo-Cete: The Big Blue Journey."

For more information, call de la Harpe at (307) 742-9568.

Photo: Wendy de la Harpe is the director and choreographer for "Evo-Cete: The Big Blue Journey."

Call for applications: USArtists International

USArtists International provides support for American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists invited to perform at significant international festivals or engagements that represent extraordinary career opportunities anywhere in the world outside the United States and its territories. The application deadline for the second of three grant rounds of the 2012 program is Friday, December 9, 2011 for projects taking place between March 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013. This is a receipt deadline. For links to the online eGrant system, program guidelines and application click here. Questions about USArtists International should be directed to Adam Bernstein, at adam@midatlanticarts.org.

Register now for Wyoming Arts Alliance Block Booking Conference Nov. 13-15 in Evanston

This invitation comes from WyAA's Shasta Wiggington:


We are pleased to announce that registration is now open!  The Wyoming Arts Alliance Annual Booking Conference is coming up fast, so don't delay! Visit www.WyomingArts.org to get all of the latest information on conference details, and get registered online.

Conference dates are Sunday, Nov. 13, through Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the newly renovated historical Roundhouse and Railyards Complex in downtown Evanston, Wy.

We have a wide variety of activities to offer at this year's conference, and are especially pleased to be including a whole segment of Visual Arts related components including an Artist's Gallery, and visual arts-related professional development.

As usual, we are looking forward to some excellent showcases from performing artists, and new this year, we will have a four-track workshop series featuring workshops for Visual Artists, Performing Artists, Business and Non-Profit Management, and Arts Advocacy.

Interested in sponsoring?  Help promote your business, artist, agency or  arts service industry at the WyAA conference this year!  Choose one of the many sponsorship options we have available, and expose the entire conference to your name!  Details and pricing are available by replying to this email.

Please forward this to artists, performers, presenters, board members, art lovers, elected officials, educators, or anyone else you think might be interested.

If you have any questions, or trouble registering, please contact Shasta Wigginton, Conference Administrator, (307)679-6575 or shasta.smith.wigginton@gmail.com.

Call for entries: American Songwriter Amateur Lyric Contest

From American Songwriter magazine online:

For 27 years, the American Songwriter Amateur Lyric Contest has helped thousands of songwriters become involved in our community. Established in 1984, America Songwriter magazine sponsors six (6) contests per year that run in conjunction with each issue published. Entrants should send lyric sheet only, no cassettes or musical direction. The winning lyric, along with three (3) additional runners-up and up to ten (10) honorable mentions from each contest, will be published in the issue of American Songwriter that follows the deadline of each contest.

Honorable Mentions: Up to ten honorable mentions are recognized in each issue.

Finalists: Top four finalists have their lyrics printed in American Songwritermagazine. One of the four finalists will also be chosen for American Songwriter's one-page Q&A feature in the coinciding issue. 

First Place: First place winner receives a Martin DCX1E acoustic-electric cutaway guitar and a legendary Shure SM58 Microphone.

Grand Prize: One bi-monthly First Place winner will win a trip to Nashville for a dream co-writing session with RCA Recording Artist Chris Young, who recently scored his fourth “No. 1” hit on the U.S. Country charts with the hit single “Tomorrow.” The winner will also receive a full-band demo recording session at a leading Nashville recording studio.

Past Grand Prize Lyric Contest winners have co-written with hit songwriters such as Rodney Crowell ("Stars on the Water," Jimmy Buffett, "Please Remember Me," Tim McGraw, "Making Memories of Us," Keith Urban), Bobby Braddock ("He Stopped Loving Her Today," George Jones, "People Are Crazy," Billy Currington, "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," Tammy Wynette) and Chris Stapleton ("Your Man," Josh Turner, "Never Wanted Nothin' More," Kenny Chesney, "Swing," Trace Adkins). 

Remember, this is a LYRICS ONLY contest, so it is not necessary to have an Audio File attached to the lyric/song you would like to enter (although it is fine if you do). Both Members and non-Members of AmericanSongspace.com only need to account for the LYRIC SHEET for each song entry! 

Upcoming Lyric Contest DEADLINE: September 21, 2011 11:59 P.M. (CST) (November/December Issue).

Details at http://www.americansongspace.com/contest/nov11lyric

Call for applications: UW's Friday Night Fever Battle of the Bands competition

UW announces an opportunity for local bands to win $1,500 during Friday Night Fever's 2011 Battle of the Bands competition at 8 p.m. Friday, April 15.

Applications will be accepted no later than 5 p.m. Friday, March 25, by e-mail at fnf@uwyo.edu or by mail to Friday Night Fever, Dept. 3625, 1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071. All bands are required to submit an MP3 or musical CD demo and stage plot along with the application.

A total of six bands will be selected to compete at the Battle of the Bands 2011 for a chance to win the $1,500 grand prize. A panel of three individuals will judge the competition. Band members wanting to enter do not have to be University of Wyoming students.

For complete rules and the application form, visit www.uwyo.edu/union/cac/fnf/battleofthebands.html .

For more information call Friday Night Fever at (307) 766-6340 or e-mail fnf@uwyo.edu .

Deadline April 1 for WAA showcases

From a press release:

Western Arts Alliance (WAA) is now accepting applications for artists in music, spoken word, and small-scale theatre performance for its 2010 Juried Showcase Program. The showcase will take place during the WAA Annual Conference on September 1 and 2, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Long Beach,California.

Juried Showcasing artists are selected from a competitive pool of applicants by a committee of WAA members, and their performances are part of the core conference program.

The application fee is $65; you need not be a member of WAA at the time of application.

The application form and full details may be found at http://www.westarts.org/pdf/conf/2010_Juried_Showcase_Application.pdf.

All materials must be received in the WAA Office by Thursday, April 1, 2010.

Western Arts Alliance is a membership association of touring and performing arts professionals engaged in promoting and presenting performing arts throughout the western states and provinces.

The WAA Annual Conference will convene presenters, artists, and agents Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 2010, around the shared goal of programming live performances. Opportunities for meetings, exhibits, performances, networking, speakers, classes and workshops will be featured throughout the conference week. Artists, Managers and Agents will be able to share their or their artists' work with more than 200 presenting organizations based in the West, making The WAA Conference one of the best resources for connecting with presenters and colleagues.

Learn more at www.westarts.org

Correction to application dates for Arts Northwest showcases

Correction on dates:

The deadline for applying for an Arts Northwest showcase this year is March 22, not the 8th as I originally posted. Please make a note of it!

The 2010 Northwest Booking Conference will be held Oct. 14--17 in Bellevue (Seattle), Washington. Visit the Arts Northwest website at http://www.artsnw.org or www.artsnw.org for more information and to apply. You (or your agent) must be a current member to apply for a showcase. To join, or to renew your membership, go to our web site.

The applications for the Northwest on Tour book will be posted online in mid-March. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Jean Gilliam, Arts Northwest, 360.457.9290, mailto:artsnwadmin@olympus.net>

"Gillette's Got Talent" Jan. 16 at CAM-PLEX

From a press release:

Here’s your chance to audition to SING ON STAGE in NEIL BERG’S 100 YEARS OF BROADWAY at the CAM-PLEX Heritage Center Theater in Gillette, Wyoming on Wednesday, January 27, 7 p.m.

All contestants auditioning in “Gillette’s Got Talent- the Search for Gillette’s Broadway Stars” will perform on stage Saturday, January 16, at 7 p.m. Contestants perform a 90-120-second audition in the afternoon at the CAM-PLEX on January 16. Audition tapes will be filmed and submitted on behalf of all contestants. Winners picked by the audience will be announced after the show.

To sign up, please e-mail the CAM-PLEX Heritage Center Theater Manager at jaymi@cam-plex.com. "Gillette’s Got Talent" is free to the public. Patrons will receive a discount coupon to Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway on January 27, 2010. Contestants should plan to bring friends and family, as the audience will vote to select one finalist!

Venue: CAM-PLEX Heritage Center , 1635 Reata Drive, Gillette.

FMI: 307-682-8802

Feb. 5, 2010 deadline announced for WAC performing arts fellowships

The Wyoming Arts Council is accepting applications for its 2010 performing arts fellowships in theatre direction, dance choreography and design for the stage.

Postmark deadline is Feb. 5, 2010. The WAC welcomes applications from Wyoming residents 18 or older who are not full-time students pursuing high school, college or university art-related degrees.

The WAC will award up to three fellowships of $3,000 each to honor the most exciting, creative work by Wyoming directors, choreographers and stage designers. Jurors for the competition are theatre director Eric Hayashi from Walnut Creek, Calif., and dancer and choreographer Lisa Wymore, dance professor at University of California, Berkeley.

The agency’s fellowships are on a four-year rotation schedule among music composition; theatre and dance performance; music performance; and theatre direction, dance choreography and design for the stage.

Fellowship applications have been mailed to those on the WAC performing arts mailing lists. If you need an application or more info about the fellowships, contact Michael Shay at the WAC in Cheyenne at 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.

Here are bios for the fellowship jurors:

Eric Hayashi was a founding member of the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco and served as its first executive director. During his tenure, the AATC presented more than 30 theatrical runs annually – including performances by Culture Clash, Chicano Secret Service, Thick Description and David Cohen, among many others. During that time, Hayashi also produced the national and European tours of Lane Nishikawa’s critically-acclaimed one-man shows and helped adapt “I’m on a Mission From Buddha” for airing on PBS in 1991. He directed the theatrical version of that show. In 1993, he joined the national staff of the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. as the assistant director of the Theater Program. Two years later, Hayashi was made the executive director of the Kansas Arts Commission. He also was a board member of the Kansas Film Commission. From there, he became the Interim Director of the Institute for Teledramatic Arts & Technology at California State University, Monterey Bay. In 1999, Hayashi relocated to Los Angeles to serve as the executive director and chief executive officer of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and its 880-seat Japan America Theater. In 2000, Hayashi served as the line producer on Nishikawa’s second film, “Forgotten Valor,” which won the award for Best Short Feature at the Hawaiian International Film Festival a year later. He was one of the producers of the 2008 film “Only the Brave” about the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, a World War II unit made up of Nisei volunteers, many from the internment camps throughout the West. Most recently, he was the Arts Division Manager for the City of Walnut Creek’s Arts, Recreation & Community Services Department. Hayashi holds a B.A. in Film/Creative Arts from San Francisco State University. He is currently a member of the executive committee of the Board of Directors for the Western States Arts Federation, a funding and service organization covering the 12 western states.

After graduating with an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Illinois in 1998, Lisa Wymore moved to Chicago and began her career as dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She was a faculty member within the Northwestern University Dance Program from 2000 to 2004, where she was the faculty advisor for the Northwestern University Dance Ensemble, the touring and outreach company of the dance program, and twice was the co-artistic director of Danceworks, the annual Northwestern University faculty choreographed concert. For her choreography, Lisa has been twice awarded an Illinois Arts Council Fellowships, and has been awarded several Community Arts Assistant Program Grants from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. In January 2004, she was invited to travel to Vietnam to work on a project entitled Artistic Voices Across Cultures in Collaboration. Wymore is the co-artistic director of Smith/Wymore Disappearing Acts; a dance-theater-performance group based in San Francisco. The company’s work has been presented by numerous national and international festivals including: the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art Summer Solstice Celebration; Dance Chicago; the Dublin Fringe Festival, in Dublin, Ireland; the Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal, Ireland; and the [Kon.[Text]] Symposium in Zurich, Switzerland. Her current project is entitled The Resonance Project. It involves a team of choreographers, computer engineers, and visual and sound artists who are investigating 3-D presence/co-presence and corporeal and code interactivity within live and media based performance. A recent project, Parking Space, was a site-specific community based dance performance which took place in a local parking lot in the city of Los Banos, California in June 2007. Wymore is an assistant professor in the dance program at University of California-Berkeley.

KUWR invites music submissions

From the Wyoming Public Radio web site:

If you’d like to submit your music for airplay on Wyoming Public Radio for Morning Music or Ranch Breakfast, please mail CD’s to address below. (We may also consider downloads online.) We’ll try and review within a few weeks for airplay consideration. You can follow up by calling Grady at (307) 766-6624 Tuesdays between 1-3 p.m.

Grady Kirkpatrick
Wyoming Public Media
Dept. 3984, 1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, Wyoming 82071
wkirkpa1@uwyo.edu

Opportunities for art students via AmeriCorps

From a UW press release:

AmeriCorps is helping to connect University of Wyoming students to their communities through Scholarships for Service positions.

Students can receive a $1,000-$1,250 education award and college credit by completing internships, students teaching roles, clinical hours or a practicum.

Applications and more information are available on the UW Center for Volunteer Service Scholarships for Service Web page at www.uwyo.edu/uwvolunteers/info.asp?p=4813 , or by e-mailing Nellie Simon at nsimon@uwyo.edu. Applications for the spring and summer are due Nov. 20.

AmeriCorps is one of the programs in the Corporation for National & Community Service.

Note to UW students in fine arts, creative writing and theatre/dance: The Wyoming Arts Council in Cheyenne is always on the lookout for interns. The positions are unpaid, but we've worked with faculty at UW and LCCC to provide course credit for internships. All the better if you can also get paid for your time through AmeriCorps. E-mail Mike Shay or call 307-777-5234.

Details for 2009 Northwest Booking Conference

Here's information for Wyoming arts organizations and performers interested in the annual Arts Northwest conference:

The 29th Annual Northwest Booking Conference will be the largest gathering of artists, their management and presenters of the performing arts in the region. In 2009 hundreds of participants from the Northwest and well beyond will attend the conference in Boise, Idaho, October 12-15, 2009.

Attendees will enjoy activities including dynamic performance showcases, an expanded roster of late night showcases, keynote speakers, professional development seminars, workshops, block-booking sessions, networking opportunities, a packed exhibit hall, sales spotlights and social events, all adding up to four fun and highly productive and professional days. Presenters of the performing arts can discover untapped resources, ideas and inspiration. Performers / artist's management have a medium that allows them access to the presenting organizations and individuals throughout the northwest, and helps get them in front of the audience most capable of booking them into the western U.S. market!

Who Should Attend the Arts Northwest Booking Conference?

Performing Arts Presenters: The Annual Northwest Booking Conference allows you as a performing arts presenter, to see, hear and meet with hundreds of artists, their agents and management in a friendly yet professional setting. From the well seasoned and well known, to the cutting edge and the “about to be known”, you will find artists and ensembles to fit you every need and budget. Participate in the block booking activities to get a jump on your season or event.

Performing Artists, Managers, and Agents: Share your work with western based performing arts presenting organizations – theatres, festivals, community concert associations, college presenters and more. Spend time with the presenters, widening your network of connections, educating them as to your work, or that of the artists you represent. Broaden your skills and take advantage of the possibilities that will allow you to plan tours, performances and residency activities in the many communities they represent.

Arts Associates and vendors to the performing arts: (any individual, business or organization supportive of the performing arts or active therein).

All Attendees will enjoy extensive professional development opportunities, along with opportunities for networking and conversation with peers and colleagues. Enjoy keynotes, social activities and the opportunity to renew, refresh, and remember why it is you do what you do with commitment and passion.

Click here for a PDF of the 2009 Conference Registration Brochure.
Click here for the Schedule at a Glance.

Apply: Artist's Enclave at I-Park

The Artist's Enclave at I-Park offers two- to four-week residencies from May to November 2009.

Residencies include a private studio and living quarters, and allow artists time and space to work on existing projects. Successful candidates may also apply for a $1,000 travel grant. Note that the staff and studio space at I-Park are primarily geared toward visual arts, environmental art, landscape and garden design, music composition, creative writing, new media, and architecture.

Further details are available at www.i-park.org/residency.html.

From the New York Foundation for the Arts web site at www.nyfa.org.

Helpful hints on performing arts fellowships

Wyomingarts has fielded a number of calls from performers about guidelines for the 2009 Wyoming Arts Council performing arts fellowships. Inquiring minds want to know whether the inclusion of a DVD is a non-negotiable aspect of the application or whether it is more like a suggestion.

Good question. We stipulate that all applicants send in both an audio CD and a DVD of a performance. The rationale behind that? Most musicians have either a demo or a commercial CD. This gives the judging panel the best possible sampling of the performer's style and ability.

However, since this fellowship is in the category of musical performance, the judges also need to see the artist in action. The WAC would love it if all applicants sent in a professional quality DVD of a recent concert. We do know that this can be cost prohibitive. We also know that many of you might have VHS tapes of a performance from a few years ago done with the family's videocam. Some of you don't even have that, but have offered to talk your spouse into filming you with the family's mini-digi-cam in the living room.

Here's the bottom line: we want some recorded evidence of you performing. It can be in the following forms: DVD, VHS, or a digital file e-mailed to the WAC at mshay@state.wy.us.

You don't have much time to decide, as the postmark deadline is Dec. 12 (this Friday). Call Mike Shay at 307-777-5234 if you have questions. He received a call yesterday from a pianist who had decided not to apply because she didn't have a performance DVD. She does have a friend with a digital movie camera who can film her at the piano. Mike said: "Go for it." And she did.

Call now. Operators are standing by.

Deadline approaches for WAC performing arts fellowships in music performance

The Wyoming Arts Council invites Wyoming individuals involved in music performance to compete for the 2009 Performing Arts Fellowships. Postmark deadline is Dec. 12, 2008. The WAC welcomes applications from Wyoming residents 18 or older who are not full-time students pursuing high school, college or university art-related degrees.

The WAC will award up to two fellowships of $3,000 each to honor the most exciting, creative work by Wyoming instrumentalists and vocalists. Two jurors from Arizona, vocalist/musician Ruth Lara Vichules and guitarist/composer Brad Richter, will choose the winners.

You can find a printable application in the WAC web site at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/IndArtist/Performing.asp.

If you need further information, contact Michael Shay at the WAC in Cheyenne at 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.

Wyoming The Heritage Films sends out a casting call

A Western Reality series of films will be produced beginning in January, 2009. They are looking for people who will be participating in the 2009 Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Send the following bulleted information either by email to westernreality@yahoo.com, or by regular mail:

• Your name, phone number and email


• How long you have been a Rodeo Competitor


• If you have competed in the CFD Rodeo previously


• What you will be competing in at CFD 2009


• A brief bio on yourself, including what you do for a living and any family history with CFD or rodeo in general


• Why you would like to be featured in this Film

There are limited slots for this Film and we regret that we cannot feature everyone. Those that are not chosen to be featured may have a chance at being involved with some fill in footage as the film progresses.

Final casting cut for Rodeo Competitors will be December 15th, 2008 - So get your bios in. If you have any questions about this please feel free to email us those questions or call us at 505-795-2508.

The mailing address:
551 W Cordova #181
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505-795-2508

For other questions, email them at wthfilms@yahoo.com
Copyright © Wyoming the Heritage Films

Dec. 12 deadline for WAC performing arts fellowships in music performance

The Wyoming Arts Council invites Wyomingites involved in music performance to compete for the 2009 Performing Arts Fellowships.

Postmark deadline is Dec. 12, 2008. The WAC welcomes applications from Wyoming residents 18 or older who are not full-time students pursuing high school, college or university art-related degrees.

The WAC will award up to two fellowships of $3,000 each to honor the most exciting, creative work by Wyoming instrumentalists and vocalists. Two jurors from Arizona, vocalist/musician Ruth Lara Vichules and guitarist/composer Brad Richter, will choose the winners.

The agency’s fellowships are on a four-year rotation schedule among music composition; theatre and dance performance; music performance; and theatre direction, dance choreography and design for the stage.

Fellowship applications will be mailed by the end of October to those on the WAC performing arts mailing lists. You can find a printable application in the WAC web site at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/IndArtist/Performing.asp. If you need further information, contact Michael Shay at the WAC in Cheyenne at 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.

Here’s some background information on the jurors:

Ruth Lara Vichules is a vocalist, musician, and educator from Phoenix. Ruth was sung to sleep by her Mother with German and Hebrew children’s songs, Carter Family and Woody Guthrie ballads. After Suzuki violin in elementary school, guitar, saxophone and Aebersold jazz camps in high school, Ruth went on to receive university degrees in music and art. Visiting Guadalajara, México in the early 1980s, Ruth was overwhelmed by the beauty and depth of Latin American folk music. She moved to Tlacotalpan, Veracuz, land of Agustín Lara & Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and scoured the countryside for traditional music. She received a master’s degree in the process, conducting an ethnographic collection of children’s verse from oral traditions. Fascinated by the use of improvisation in Mexican folk music and verse, Ruth studied son jarocho -- a tradition from southern Veracruz that is highly improvisatory -- with Gilberto Gutiérrez and the legendary group Mono Blanco. Go to her web site at www.ruthlaravichules.com.

Brad Richter has performed as a soloist, with renowned chamber ensembles and in duos with artists such as Grammy winning cellist, David Finckel of the Emerson String Quartet. His performances and compositions are frequently heard on NPR and PBS stations around the United States and he has also written and performed the score for the Emmy award winning PBS television series, The Desert Speaks. Festival appearances have included the Guitar Festival of Great Britain, The London International Guitar Festival (with Carlos Bonell, Alirio Diaz and John Williams), The Aspen Music Festival and the Walnut Valley Festival, where he won the National Finger-picking Championship, a competition that features some of the world's finest guitarists from all genres. Brad teaches music at the University of Arizona in Tucson and is the Artistic Director of Lead Guitar!, a non-profit he co-founded in 2006 which establishes guitar programs in schools around the country with large populations of at-risk-youth. The rugged beauty of the American southwest continues to be a source of inspiration for much his music. Go to his web site at www.bradrichter-guitar.com.

Applications available for WAC artist roster

The Wyoming Arts Council invites artists to apply for its 2009-2010 artist roster. Applications are accepted from all artistic disciplines. You must be a current Wyoming resident, 18 years of age or older. Postmark deadline is Dec. 1, 2008.

The roster gives a WAC “stamp of approval” to the roster artist and also serves as a resource to Wyoming communities, organizations and schools seeking quality artists for their local programs. A printable roster application is available on the WAC web page at wyoarts.state.wy.us/. Paper copies of the application have been mailed to all individual artists in the WAC database.

New artists may apply each year, while current roster artists will be carried forward to 2011. In 2011, all artists will need to re-apply.

For more information, contact one of these Wyoming Arts Council staffers: Karen Merklin, grants manager and roster coordinator, 777-7743, kmerkl1@state.wy.us; Annie Hatch, folk and traditional arts specialist, 777-7721, ahatch@state.wy.us; or Mike Shay, performing, literary and visual arts specialist, 777-5234, mshay@state.wy.us