Wyomingarts attended a reading and release party at Laramie County Community College for the 2011 High Plains Register. Congrats to Amanda Fry who won the HPR Prize for her story, "The Ring." She joined other contributors reading from their work: Bob Simkins, Jack Kirk, Nicole McGee, Jeff Eatmon, Eugene Shea, Danielle Sage, Tina O'Toole, Ruth Kannaris, Kristin Abraham, Alicia Padilla and Steve Harrington. Photographers Heidi Gurov and David Larsen showed some of their work and talked about it.
Copies of the issue will be available May 13 at the Wyoming Arts Council offices, the LCCC Bookstore and City News in downtown Cheyenne.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Dubois summer concerts to benefit Chance Phelps Foundation and Needs of Dubois
Suzy Bogguss (shown in photo) and Western Underground will perform in concert in the Dubois Town Park on Friday and Saturday,
WY SPCR Commission meets May 12-13 in Rock Springs
Members of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources Commission will meet in Room 1309, Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs, May 12-13.
The Commission will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 12; and tour the Piedmont Kilns and Lincoln Highway Bridge on May 13.
During the meeting, the Commission will receive divisional updates and discuss a variety of State Parks and Cultural Resources issues, including a Glendo State Park flood update.
The Commission has advisory responsibility for both divisions of the department – State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails and Cultural Resources -- which involves the planning, acquisition, development and management of all state parks, state trails program, state recreation areas, state historic sites and archaeology sites. The Commission also advises the Wyoming State Museum, Wyoming Arts Council, the official State Records Center and Archives, the Office of the State Archeologist, historical research activities, the State Historic Preservation Office and the management of the Cultural Trust Fund.
Members of the Commission are: President Ernie Over, Pavillion; Dan Barks, Gillette; William Vines, Wheatland; Mary Hawkins, Devils Tower; Dudley Gardner, Ph.D, Rock Springs; Chuck Engebretson, Lost Springs; Carolyn Buff, Casper; Karen Haderlie, Thayne; and Barb Vietti, Thermopolis.
The Commission will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 12; and tour the Piedmont Kilns and Lincoln Highway Bridge on May 13.
During the meeting, the Commission will receive divisional updates and discuss a variety of State Parks and Cultural Resources issues, including a Glendo State Park flood update.
The Commission has advisory responsibility for both divisions of the department – State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails and Cultural Resources -- which involves the planning, acquisition, development and management of all state parks, state trails program, state recreation areas, state historic sites and archaeology sites. The Commission also advises the Wyoming State Museum, Wyoming Arts Council, the official State Records Center and Archives, the Office of the State Archeologist, historical research activities, the State Historic Preservation Office and the management of the Cultural Trust Fund.
Members of the Commission are: President Ernie Over, Pavillion; Dan Barks, Gillette; William Vines, Wheatland; Mary Hawkins, Devils Tower; Dudley Gardner, Ph.D, Rock Springs; Chuck Engebretson, Lost Springs; Carolyn Buff, Casper; Karen Haderlie, Thayne; and Barb Vietti, Thermopolis.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
"Laramie: A Gem City Atlas" at UW Art Museum sees the city from other points-of-view
LuLing Osofsky, Paulius Staniunas, and Shizue Seigel, Wild Wild East, 2011, ink on paper, 22 x 34 inches, courtesy of the MFA in Creative Writing Program.
From the UW Art Museum blog:
Opening this Saturday is the exhibition, Laramie: A Gem City Atlas, which features 16 maps and associated artwork that offer new insights into how we view and could map Laramie. The project originated with the UW MFA in Creative Writing Program who hosted Eminent Writer in Residence Rebecca Solnit earlier this semester. Solnit, who did a similar project of re-mapping San Francisco, worked with students to generate ideas of how the many factors and facets of Laramie could be translated onto a map. The project was then opened up to members of the community, who also provided maps that were a testament to the varied ways in which Laramie could be viewed.
Many students partnered with local and student artists who provided an artistic interpretation of the data on the maps. The result is 16 very different maps and accompanying art, which outline things from the locations of stray animals or doctors, the influence of Asian culture on Laramie, or the ratio of salons to saloons.
The Art Museum is open on Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, and admission is free. For more information on this or any other exhibition, please call 307.766.6622.
Aircraft as art
Here's something interesting that came across the blog desk.
Mimmo Paladino’s art has in 2011 been interpreted and displayed using the distinctive Piaggio P.180 Avanti II aircraft. This is the first time in the world an aircraft has been painted by a contemporary artist and the Master Paladino was inspired to create this work of art from the Piaggio P.180 Avanti II because of its unique, unmistakable design.
The P.180 Avanti II “Cacciatore di Stelle” (Star Hunter) will be displayed in the breathtaking location of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan from March 28th to April 28th 2011.
The metamorphosis of the P.180 Avanti into” Cacciatore di Stelle” recalls both the past and the future, through its decoration with ancestral symbols and possible new ways of communicating: constellations of signs, encompass geometrical spaces to create a celestial map.
This extraordinary work of art in the heart of downtown Milan, will be positioned on a white base which, according to the artist, is linked to the “Montagna di Sale” (Salt Mountain) and the Duomo di Milano.
The whole exposition dedicated to Paladino will take place along a 500 meters path, which makes it the longest display dedicated to a contemporary artist.
The “Cacciatore di Stelle” is part of the anthological and personal exhibition of the artist Mimmo Paladino hosted by the Palazzo Reale (including more than 50 artworks from the 70’s to the present day), which will be enhanced by the renowned “Montagna di Sale” ( 37 meters) that will be placed in the Piazza Reale.
According to Mimmo Paladino “Art is not an end in itself, and it doesn’t mean yielding to poetic attitudes: Art always implies investigating language”.
“We are very proud that Master Mimmo Paladino has now been inspired by a Piaggio Aero P.180 aircraft and that he would turn it into a unique work of art.”Alberto Galassi, CEO of Piaggio Aero Industries said: “The P.180 Avanti has been chosen because it can be considered a work of art itself, as an expression of Italian genius in design and engineering, that’s why this creation is an unprecedented event.”
The “Cacciatore di Stelle”, the Palazzo Reale exhibition and the “Montagna di Sale” were made possible by the appreciation for art and culture by Piaggio Aero, Banca Popolare dell’Emilia Romagna and Meliorbanca.
Mimmo Paladino was born in Paduli, Benevento, in 1948. He became interested in art in the late 60’s, fascinated by the cultural and artistic atmosphere of the time. His first personal art exhibition was held in Caserta in 1969. In the 70’s the artist started focusing on figures: colorful geometrical shapes, branches and masks are more and more recurring on his canvases.
In 1980 he participated in the Biennal of Venice with this group: Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi and Nicola De Maria. All together they are the co-founders of the Italian Trans-avant-garde movement, which gained momentum during the 80’s and was widely shown in museums and galleries.
During this decade, Mimmo Paladino created the renowned and colorful canvases where he examined the basis of Italian culture as the artist painted unusual animals, hybrids and distorted persons. He created his works using traditional techniques: mosaic, forms in “tondo”, triptych, and wooden sculptures. Paladino focused his art in all that is mysterious, forgotten and secretive and preferred body movements instead of portraits as one never sees facial expressions in his paintings.
From 1982 onwards, he became famous in the United States, in South America, and organized exhibitions all over the world. From 1985 he dedicated himself to huge bronze sculptures and installations. Paladino had a mountain of salt built in Trapani in 1990. Next he made a mountain of salt in Naples at the end of 1995.
On the Piazza Plebiscito, between Palazzo Reale and the Chiesa di San Francesco, Paladino created a mountain of salt on whose slopes he arranged 20 black horses in random disarray surprised in a moment following the end of a violent battle.
In the 90s, the artist progressed to represent hierarchal persons and archaic heads, creating a set of oval paintings in which he included engraved wood, pictograms and figures.
In 2003 Paladino has been chosen to represent Italian Art during Italian Presidency at Brussels: one of his sculptures “Zenith” has been placed in front of the European Commission. His culture and his memories are close to those of the Mediterranean culture. From 1964 till 1969, he studied in Paduli’s Liceo artistico and in the 70s, worked with post abstract photos, a work which he abandoned little by little, in order to turn to more meaningful artistic representations
PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES S.P.A.
Piaggio Aero Industries S.p.A.is active in Aircraft design, manufacturing, maintenance and overhaul. The company also manufactures Aero-Engines parts and maintains repairs and overhauls engines under license. Piaggio Aero has facilities in Genoa, Finale Ligure and Naples, Italy and a subsidiary covering North, Central and South America, in West Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A. (Piaggio America, Inc.). Piaggio Aero’s core product, the P.180 Avanti II, is the fastest and most advanced executive/multi-utility turboprop in the world. The Avanti II offers the speed of a light/mid size jet aircraft, the comfort of a large, whisper quiet full stand-up cabin, with fuel efficiencies that are nearly 40% higher than most business jets. The P.180 Avanti II features fully digital, automatic flight control and utilizes the latest generation “Pro Line 21” avionics system that it is also single pilot certified. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 12,100 lbs gives the P.180 Avanti II greater payload range, and the introduction of the updated engines (P&WC PT6A-66B) provides both higher performance and faster cruise speed. The Piaggio Aero aircraft is able to operate out of smaller peripheral airports with landing and take-off distances that are simply unachievable in a comparably sized jet. The P.180 is able to fly at a maximum cruise speed of 402 kts, 745 km/h (MMO 0.70), and has an endurance of just under 1,500 nautical miles and a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet. Piaggio Aero shareholders structure is composed of Tata Limited, the British Company part of the Indian Tata Group, Mubadala Development Company, the development and investment company driving the economic diversification of Abu Dhabi, the Italian Ferrari and Di Mase families.
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| Click for larger image |
The P.180 Avanti II “Cacciatore di Stelle” (Star Hunter) will be displayed in the breathtaking location of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan from March 28th to April 28th 2011.
The metamorphosis of the P.180 Avanti into” Cacciatore di Stelle” recalls both the past and the future, through its decoration with ancestral symbols and possible new ways of communicating: constellations of signs, encompass geometrical spaces to create a celestial map.
This extraordinary work of art in the heart of downtown Milan, will be positioned on a white base which, according to the artist, is linked to the “Montagna di Sale” (Salt Mountain) and the Duomo di Milano.
The whole exposition dedicated to Paladino will take place along a 500 meters path, which makes it the longest display dedicated to a contemporary artist.
The “Cacciatore di Stelle” is part of the anthological and personal exhibition of the artist Mimmo Paladino hosted by the Palazzo Reale (including more than 50 artworks from the 70’s to the present day), which will be enhanced by the renowned “Montagna di Sale” ( 37 meters) that will be placed in the Piazza Reale.
According to Mimmo Paladino “Art is not an end in itself, and it doesn’t mean yielding to poetic attitudes: Art always implies investigating language”.
“We are very proud that Master Mimmo Paladino has now been inspired by a Piaggio Aero P.180 aircraft and that he would turn it into a unique work of art.”Alberto Galassi, CEO of Piaggio Aero Industries said: “The P.180 Avanti has been chosen because it can be considered a work of art itself, as an expression of Italian genius in design and engineering, that’s why this creation is an unprecedented event.”
The “Cacciatore di Stelle”, the Palazzo Reale exhibition and the “Montagna di Sale” were made possible by the appreciation for art and culture by Piaggio Aero, Banca Popolare dell’Emilia Romagna and Meliorbanca.
Mimmo Paladino was born in Paduli, Benevento, in 1948. He became interested in art in the late 60’s, fascinated by the cultural and artistic atmosphere of the time. His first personal art exhibition was held in Caserta in 1969. In the 70’s the artist started focusing on figures: colorful geometrical shapes, branches and masks are more and more recurring on his canvases.
In 1980 he participated in the Biennal of Venice with this group: Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi and Nicola De Maria. All together they are the co-founders of the Italian Trans-avant-garde movement, which gained momentum during the 80’s and was widely shown in museums and galleries.
During this decade, Mimmo Paladino created the renowned and colorful canvases where he examined the basis of Italian culture as the artist painted unusual animals, hybrids and distorted persons. He created his works using traditional techniques: mosaic, forms in “tondo”, triptych, and wooden sculptures. Paladino focused his art in all that is mysterious, forgotten and secretive and preferred body movements instead of portraits as one never sees facial expressions in his paintings.
From 1982 onwards, he became famous in the United States, in South America, and organized exhibitions all over the world. From 1985 he dedicated himself to huge bronze sculptures and installations. Paladino had a mountain of salt built in Trapani in 1990. Next he made a mountain of salt in Naples at the end of 1995.
On the Piazza Plebiscito, between Palazzo Reale and the Chiesa di San Francesco, Paladino created a mountain of salt on whose slopes he arranged 20 black horses in random disarray surprised in a moment following the end of a violent battle.
In the 90s, the artist progressed to represent hierarchal persons and archaic heads, creating a set of oval paintings in which he included engraved wood, pictograms and figures.
In 2003 Paladino has been chosen to represent Italian Art during Italian Presidency at Brussels: one of his sculptures “Zenith” has been placed in front of the European Commission. His culture and his memories are close to those of the Mediterranean culture. From 1964 till 1969, he studied in Paduli’s Liceo artistico and in the 70s, worked with post abstract photos, a work which he abandoned little by little, in order to turn to more meaningful artistic representations
PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES S.P.A.
Piaggio Aero Industries S.p.A.is active in Aircraft design, manufacturing, maintenance and overhaul. The company also manufactures Aero-Engines parts and maintains repairs and overhauls engines under license. Piaggio Aero has facilities in Genoa, Finale Ligure and Naples, Italy and a subsidiary covering North, Central and South America, in West Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A. (Piaggio America, Inc.). Piaggio Aero’s core product, the P.180 Avanti II, is the fastest and most advanced executive/multi-utility turboprop in the world. The Avanti II offers the speed of a light/mid size jet aircraft, the comfort of a large, whisper quiet full stand-up cabin, with fuel efficiencies that are nearly 40% higher than most business jets. The P.180 Avanti II features fully digital, automatic flight control and utilizes the latest generation “Pro Line 21” avionics system that it is also single pilot certified. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 12,100 lbs gives the P.180 Avanti II greater payload range, and the introduction of the updated engines (P&WC PT6A-66B) provides both higher performance and faster cruise speed. The Piaggio Aero aircraft is able to operate out of smaller peripheral airports with landing and take-off distances that are simply unachievable in a comparably sized jet. The P.180 is able to fly at a maximum cruise speed of 402 kts, 745 km/h (MMO 0.70), and has an endurance of just under 1,500 nautical miles and a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet. Piaggio Aero shareholders structure is composed of Tata Limited, the British Company part of the Indian Tata Group, Mubadala Development Company, the development and investment company driving the economic diversification of Abu Dhabi, the Italian Ferrari and Di Mase families.
“Construyendo Latinidad" exhibit at Wyoming State Museum May 1-June 25
“Construyendo Latinidad,” an exhibit at the Wyoming State Museum , examines the history of Hispanics in Wyoming
Maps and historic black and white and color photographs demonstrate the effects and changing needs and interests of Hispanics on Wyoming
The exhibit serves as an example of what American Studies and Anthropology professor, Arlene Davila defines at “Latinidad,” or the ongoing social, economic and political construction of Latino identity by various public and private entities that have portrayed Hispanics as a homogenous racial/ethnic minority.
Undeniably, the sociohistorical Hispanic influence on contemporary Wyoming “Latinidad” from approximately the mid-16th century through the early-19th century has proved indelible and provides substantive legitimacy for the northern New Mexico
For more information about this exhibit, please contact Manny Vigil at 307-777-7025.
Breaking news: Robots take over Casper College
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| Poster for a W.P.A. stage performance of R.U.R., circa 1939 |
“Written by Capek 90 years ago, ‘R.U.R.’ is a fascinating vision of a future that is not too far removed from our present. A landmark in the genre of science fiction, ‘R.U.R.’ is the great-grandfather of every novel, film, or TV show in which robots are important aspects of the plot. In fact, it is because of this play, originally written in Czech, that the word ‘robot’ (meaning ‘worker’) became part of the English language. This far-seeing play is more socially relevant now than it was when it was written,” said Conte.
Despite its social relevance today, Conte noted that two words from Capek’s description of “R.U.R.” – “fantastic” and “melodrama” – “are guiding our interpretation of the work. In the 1920s, the melodrama found a home in the exciting new technology of film. Our production embraces this history and the acting style is a replica of the highly emotive and presentational techniques of the melodrama, a style that carried over into the films of the day.”
In addition to the acting style, Douglas Garland’s costume and make-up designs “were developed from the perspective of how a designer in the 1920s film industry might imagine the future, while Sean McIntosh’s set and lighting design are executed in the stark, unsettling style of the German Expressionist silent filmmakers. Of course, as in all movies of the time, music underscores the action in good melodramatic fashion, and we have some terrific music composed especially for this show by Gary DePaolo,” Conte added.
“R.U.R.” will run April 28 through 30 and May 3 through 7 each evening at 7:30 in the Black Box Theatre located in the Gertrude Krampert Theatre Complex. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students ages 5 to 18.
Tickets can be purchased at the Krampert Theatre Complex box office between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, by phone at 268-2500, or one hour before each performance, for that performance only.
Delta Sonics perform at Plains Hotel April 29
Watch Wyoming's Sara Ellingrod in live webcast today for Poetry Out Loud semifinals in D.C.
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| Sara Ellingrod (center) receives her first-place award for the Wyoming Poetry Out Loud competition March 1 from Secretary of State Max Maxfield (left) and Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt. |
Sara Ellingrod, a ninth-grader at Arvada-Clearmont High School in Sheridan County , will be representing Wyoming in the national finals today in Washington , D.C.
Ellingrod will be one of the youngest competitors. She also comes from one of the smallest schools -- there are 23 students in grades 9-12 at Arvada-Clearmont. This is the second straight year that a student from her school has represented Wyoming
Poetry Out Loud is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. In Wyoming, the Poetry Out Loud program is administered by the Wyoming Arts Council. For more info, contact Linda Coatney at the WAC at 307-777-7742.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Stanislas Sextet in concert at UW April 28
Tickets, $7.50 for general admission and $5.50 for students and senior citizens, are available at the Fine Arts Box Office.
The program will include two blockbuster chamber music masterpieces: Mendelssohn's "String Octet," in collaboration with the UW String Faculty's Summit Chamber Players, and Tchaikovsky's sweeping "Souvenir de Florence."
The Stanislas Sextet brings together members of the French-based string quartet, the Quatuor Stanislas and two American musicians, violinist John Fadial and cellist Beth Vanderborgh, both UW faculty members. Since first performing in 1996, the sextet has enjoyed many fruitful collaborations and has performed regularly on both sides of the Atlantic.
The sextet's other members are: Laurent Causse, violin and viola; Bertrand Menut, violin; Marie Triplet, viola; and Jean de Spengler, cello.
The sextet will be in residence with the UW Department of Music for five days of rehearsals, master classes and discussions.
Photo: The Stanislas Sextet performs April 28 at the University of Wyoming (Stanislas Sextet)
Casper College Chamber Orchestra performs Mozart May 1 at St. Mark's
Mozart’s “Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Major and his composition “Vesperae de Dominica,” will be the highlights of the 2011 Music of the Masters Concert featuring the Casper College choirs, the Casper College Chamber Orchestra and soloists Jerome Fleg, Gary DePaolo, and Douglas Bull on Sunday, May 1 at 2 p.m.
The concert will begin with a performance of Mozart’s “Concerto” featuring Fleg on clarinet, followed by “Concerto for Viola and Orchestra in G Major” by George Phillip Telemann featuring DePaolo on viola, and ending with “Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra” by Johann Nepomuk Hummel featuring Bull on trumpet.
The second half of the concert the Casper College Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, and Collegiate Chorale will perform Mozart’s “Vesperae.”
The chamber orchestra is under the direction of Jennifer Cowell, Casper College strings and orchestra instructor, while the choirs are under the direction of Patrick Patton, Casper College voice and choir instructor.
The concert, which is free and open to the public, will take place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church located on the corners of 7th and Wolcott streets in Casper. A free-will offering will be accepted at the door. Proceeds will go to help defray the costs of music-related events.
FMI: Lisa S. Icenogle, Information Coordinator, Casper College, 800-442-2963, ext. 2372
The concert will begin with a performance of Mozart’s “Concerto” featuring Fleg on clarinet, followed by “Concerto for Viola and Orchestra in G Major” by George Phillip Telemann featuring DePaolo on viola, and ending with “Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra” by Johann Nepomuk Hummel featuring Bull on trumpet.
The second half of the concert the Casper College Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, and Collegiate Chorale will perform Mozart’s “Vesperae.”
The chamber orchestra is under the direction of Jennifer Cowell, Casper College strings and orchestra instructor, while the choirs are under the direction of Patrick Patton, Casper College voice and choir instructor.
The concert, which is free and open to the public, will take place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church located on the corners of 7th and Wolcott streets in Casper. A free-will offering will be accepted at the door. Proceeds will go to help defray the costs of music-related events.
FMI: Lisa S. Icenogle, Information Coordinator, Casper College, 800-442-2963, ext. 2372
Fifth-grader from Lander wins Arbor Day poster contest
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Call for proposals: American Film Showcase
Call for proposals:
The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to administer the American Film Showcase's Contemporary Voices in Documentary and Fiction Film program. Full details may be found at: http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/open2.html. The application deadline is May 25, 2011.
The American Film Showcase seeks to bring award-winning independent American documentaries and narrative films to audiences around the world to offer contemporary new insights into American life and culture, as well as issues affecting democratic societies. The films and their filmmakers will be showcased at international venues, including U.S. Embassy-organized events and/or international documentary and feature film festivals. This program will provide for travel by documentary and feature filmmakers and film experts in conjunction with public presentation of the films overseas. Participating filmmakers and film experts will be expected to conduct or participate in master classes, workshops, lectures and other outreach activities designed for a variety of audiences, with a focus on younger and underserved audiences. The classes are expected to include filmmaking workshops and training in digital technology, emergent media, and creative use of social media. The Showcase also will provide for follow-up programming that could include return visits overseas by American filmmakers or visits by young foreign filmmakers to the United States.
Through this solicitation, ECA seeks an organization to identify and select a collection of contemporary American documentary and narrative films that offer a broad overview of the best in current American independent filmmaking. The films should demonstrate high artistic quality, illustrate diverse viewpoints, address a variety of social issues, and reflect the creativity inherent in an open, democratic society. Documentaries are the priority focus of the American Film Showcase. They should address important and compelling themes and represent more than half of the films in the Showcase, with the remainder being narrative/fiction films. The Showcase also should include a small collection of animated shorts.
U.S. public and non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue code section 26 USC 501 (c) (3) may submit proposals for the American Film Showcase. For this competition, all applicants must demonstrate sufficient experience successfully exhibiting, distributing, or otherwise promoting American documentaries and narrative films. They also should demonstrate extensive knowledge of independent filmmaking -- especially the documentary field -- both in the U.S. and overseas.
BBHC Plains Indian Museum Powwow celebrates 30th year June 18-19
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s longest-running public program celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this June when the Plains Indian Museum Powwow fills the Robbie Powwow Garden with drumming, competitive dance, and the vibrant cultural traditions of Northern Plains tribes. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19, with grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
The powwow began in 1982 with just a few dancers and one group of singers who stopped to participate on their way to another powwow. It has since grown to include several hundred dancers—men, women, and children ranging in age from “tiny tots” to golden age—representing some thirty tribes from across the Plains, at least a dozen drum groups, about four thousand spectators, and more than forty arts vendors. Dancers compete for more than $30,000 in cash and other prizes.
Grand entries usher the dancers into the arena with a welcome and an opening prayer, flag and victory songs from the host drum, the posting of flags by the color guard, and a pipe invocation. Competitive dance categories include traditional, jingle dress, fancy, grass, team dancing, tiny tots, golden age, and chicken dance. Spectators are invited to watch the competition and can also visit the Powwow Learning Tipi hosted by Lakota educator Gloria Goggles to learn about powwow dances, etiquette, traditions, and songs. Powwow runs until about 9 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets for the Plains Indian Museum Powwow must be purchased at the gate and are good for one day of the event only. Admission is $7 for adults 18 and older, $3 for youths 7 to 17, and free for children 6 and younger. Historical Center members receive a one dollar discount with presentation of their membership card. The Robbie Powwow Garden is an outdoor grass amphitheater with limited bleacher seating; visitors may bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. each day.
Interested arts vendors and dancers may contact Rebecca West at rebeccaw@bbhc.org or 307.578.4049. For general information visit www.bbhc.org or contact Nancy McClure at nancym@bbhc.org or 307.578.4102. Press passes are available through prior arrangement with McClure in the Center’s public relations office.
Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily through April; on May 1, hours expand to 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.
Photo: Men’s Fancy Dancer Corey LeClaire, Lakota/Navajo from Durango, Colorado, dances at the 2010 Plains Indian Museum Powwow. Photo by Ken Blackbird.
"Starry Night" -- as seen from a Landsat satellite
In the style of Van Gogh's painting "Starry Night," massive congregations of greenish phytoplankton swirl in the dark water around Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine plants that form the first link in nearly all ocean food chains. Population explosions, or blooms, of phytoplankton, like the one shown here, occur when deep currents bring nutrients up to sunlit surface waters, fueling the growth and reproduction of these tiny plants. Taken July 13, 2005.
Monday, April 25, 2011
WyoPoets annual workshop in Casper on Hybrid-Genre poetry
WyoPoets gathered on Friday evening and Saturday, April 21 and 22, for their annual open mike readings and all-day poetry workshop. Workshop presenter was Lee Ann Roripaugh.
We gathered on Friday evening at Metro Coffee Company to have our poetry reading. Beginning with Lee Ann, twelve poets read selections of their own work against the buzz of the coffee shop, while two of us, one of them myself, the other Susan Mark, a terrific poet who also lives in Cheyenne and works at the state library, played our instruments, me on the ukelele and Susan on guitar, sang our original songs. Susan also plays the penny whistle really well! This was the first year that WyoPoets has had their reading outside of the venue where the next day's workshop is held. A few of the customers at Metro drifted into the back room and listened. One young man stood off to the side of the stage and began to sing back-up with one of Susan's songs. That's one reason I love the atmosphere of the coffee shop setting for things like this -- there is always an element of spontaneity, kind of like having a party. Metro has been a big supporter of the arts since they opened for business. Visual art is always on display, and there have been many poetry slams held there, thanks to Casper poet and teacher George Vlastos, who organizes many of them.
The next morning Lee Ann introduced us to hybrid-genre poetry by way of asking us to try and define what makes a poem a poem, and what makes a story a story. The lines begin to blur, as what seems to hold true for what makes a poem a poem are also the same devices that make a story a story, with a few exceptions. Here are some of the definitions from the class:
Poems make an immediate emotional connection to the reader; reader allowed more license to interpretation; contains complexity in shorter form, yet large themes emerge; imagery important; condensed, fast; poetry most true of the forms; prevailing trend is to assume that poetry is autobiographical; bigger truths in poetry; poetry a denser onion; microscopic in a sense.
What makes a story: linear; facts and details move the narrative; usually has more characters; plot; craft feature technical talents of the fiction writer; fiction allowed to wear mask of fiction; different field of vision; wide-angled; moments where the close-up lens is used.
Lee Ann handed out some examples of some terrific work by Robert Hass, Julia Alvarez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Kimiko Hahn, Li-Young Lee, Erin Noteboom and a sample of a prose poem experiment of Lee Ann's, modeled in the form of e-mail spam.
Publishing houses and presses still want to categorize works of creative writing -- prose poem, flash fiction, novel, braided essay -- and want authors to name them, too, but it does sometimes become problematic in identifying a piece of creative writing that doesn't necessarily fit neatly into a category.
Here is short prose poem by Robert Hass, "A Story About the Body"
"Ain't No Small Thing"
We gathered on Friday evening at Metro Coffee Company to have our poetry reading. Beginning with Lee Ann, twelve poets read selections of their own work against the buzz of the coffee shop, while two of us, one of them myself, the other Susan Mark, a terrific poet who also lives in Cheyenne and works at the state library, played our instruments, me on the ukelele and Susan on guitar, sang our original songs. Susan also plays the penny whistle really well! This was the first year that WyoPoets has had their reading outside of the venue where the next day's workshop is held. A few of the customers at Metro drifted into the back room and listened. One young man stood off to the side of the stage and began to sing back-up with one of Susan's songs. That's one reason I love the atmosphere of the coffee shop setting for things like this -- there is always an element of spontaneity, kind of like having a party. Metro has been a big supporter of the arts since they opened for business. Visual art is always on display, and there have been many poetry slams held there, thanks to Casper poet and teacher George Vlastos, who organizes many of them.
The next morning Lee Ann introduced us to hybrid-genre poetry by way of asking us to try and define what makes a poem a poem, and what makes a story a story. The lines begin to blur, as what seems to hold true for what makes a poem a poem are also the same devices that make a story a story, with a few exceptions. Here are some of the definitions from the class:
Poems make an immediate emotional connection to the reader; reader allowed more license to interpretation; contains complexity in shorter form, yet large themes emerge; imagery important; condensed, fast; poetry most true of the forms; prevailing trend is to assume that poetry is autobiographical; bigger truths in poetry; poetry a denser onion; microscopic in a sense.
What makes a story: linear; facts and details move the narrative; usually has more characters; plot; craft feature technical talents of the fiction writer; fiction allowed to wear mask of fiction; different field of vision; wide-angled; moments where the close-up lens is used.
Lee Ann handed out some examples of some terrific work by Robert Hass, Julia Alvarez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Kimiko Hahn, Li-Young Lee, Erin Noteboom and a sample of a prose poem experiment of Lee Ann's, modeled in the form of e-mail spam.
Publishing houses and presses still want to categorize works of creative writing -- prose poem, flash fiction, novel, braided essay -- and want authors to name them, too, but it does sometimes become problematic in identifying a piece of creative writing that doesn't necessarily fit neatly into a category.
Here is short prose poem by Robert Hass, "A Story About the Body"
The young composer, working that summer at an artist's colony, had watched her for a week. She was Japanese, a painter, almost sixty, and he thought he was in love with her. He loved her work, and her work was like the way she moved her body, used her hands, looked at him directly when she made amused or considered answers to his questions. One night, walking back from a concert, they came to her door and she turned to him and said, "I think you would like to have me. I would like that too, but I must tell you I have had a double mastectomy," and when he didn't understand, "I've lost both my breasts." The radiance that he had carried around in his belly and chest cavity--like music--withered, very quickly, and he made himself look at her when he said, "I'm sorry. I don't think I could." He walked back to his own cabin through the pines, and in the morning he found a small blue bowl on the porch outside his door. It looked to be full of rose petals, but he found when he picked it up that the rose petals were on top; the rest of the bowl--she must have swept them from the corners of her studio--was full of dead bees.In the afternoon session, we talked about Haibun, (also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haibun), a combination of prose and haiku poetry. Here's one I did.
"Ain't No Small Thing"
What else can be said, what else can I tell you about love? How it must start from a new place every day? That it is best to forget everything about yesterday? I once saw three horses roll over onto their backs in a mostly bare-dirt, mushroom-colored, field, patchy with scruffy sagebrush bushes. The horses, one black, one paint, one appaloosa, squirmed about, their heads and hindquarters arcing one way, then the other, then just lying still, twelve hooves running on the sky. But I would never see this again. One horse was sold. Another died. The last one stood at the fence and listened for all of us to return.
A cloud of red dust
Hangs in the air questioning
Why are you going backOther links to read about Lee Ann:
Lander Art Center sponsors Jenny Dowd workshop
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"Shelf 1 and 2," Jenny Dowd, Porcelain, mixed media, 23 x 20 x 4, 2008 |
Non-Traditional Surface Design on Clay
Two-Day Workshop with Jenny Dowd
Explore non-glaze related surfaces and finishing techniques for bisqueware with a goal of exploring surface options for non-utilitarian sculpture. Using a variety of non-traditional materials such as tea, graphite, gesso, and wax, a surface will be built up then layered and rubbed through to create atmospheric painterly surfaces. Painting and drawing techniques will be used as well as wax transfer and other transfer methods. These unique and varied surfaces will be able to find their way into a variety of work.Two-Day Workshop with Jenny Dowd
Instructor: Jenny Dowd (WAC roster artist)
Fee: $60 (supplies included)
Date: May 14-15, 2011
Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
WAC offers summer professional development courses
The Wyoming Arts Council is offering several professional development opportunities in the arts this summer. All of these classes offer opportunities to learn and hone arts skills, and get credit towards re-certification or lane changes! Classes are open to anyone interested. Please click on the links to learn more about them:
Reception tonight at UW's Gallery 234 for "Installation Experimentation"
A public reception for the artists is scheduled for Monday, April 25, from 6-8 p.m.
Throughout the semester, 13 students within this installation course have created three works each, exploring the many facets of working with installation as an art form. The exhibition includes documentation and aspects of each installation created during the semester.
Photo: Green Belt Connection is among the site specific installations in "Installation Experimentation" on display from Monday, April 25 through Friday, April 29, in Gallery 234 of the University of Wyoming Union. (Dakotah Konicek Photo)
Friday, April 22, 2011
WhatFest fund-raiser April 23 in Laramie
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