Todd Dereemer and Friends perform this Sunday at Botanic Gardens Ice Cream Social & Rally

Todd Dereeemer and Friends will perform at an Ice Cream Social & "Save the Gardens" Rally this Sunday. Great music and free ice cream! Compliments of the Save the Gardens committee.

Where: At the Paul Smith Children’s Village at the Botanic Gardens, Lions Park, Cheyenne.

When: Sunday, August 5, 2-​​4 p.m.

Filmmaker plans second premiere on Sept. 8 for "The Coach: An American Crossroads"

This article was in the latest issue of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter: What happens when you have a film premiere event that sells out quickly and you have a waiting list of a 100+ folks…well, if you are Jennifer Tennican and the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, you hold a Second Premiere! Okay, technically it is called a second screening. This locally produced film will be shown at 8 p.m. on September 8 at the Walk Festival Hall in Jackson, as part of the Jackson Hole Arts Festival. “The Coach: An American Crossroads” is a documentary film on the renowned Stagecoach Bar which serves as a prism projecting 70 years of Jackson Hole’s cultural evolution. The film introduces a multifarious cast, including the beloved Stagecoach Band, which has been serving up musical entertainment every Sunday for more than 40 years. Meet the Stagecoach Bar’s first owner Walt Callahan and attend his rowdy rodeos beginning in the 1940s. Then roll through the decades with ranchers, hippies, second homeowners, skiers, downhill bikers, Sunday night toe-tappers, Stagecoach Band members and Disco Night dancers, who all mix it up at this unpretentious and cherished community watering hole. The high-definition film features rarely seen and new discovered historic footage and photos along with interviews from everyone from old timers to newcomers to Western scholars. The WCTF is proud to have helped support this film with a grant to the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum. Additional funders include the Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming Humanities Council, the Wyoming State Historical Society and the Wyoming State Historical Records Advisory Board. Tennican donated her $25,000 prize money from the 2011 Wyoming Short Story Film Contest sponsored by the Wyoming Film Office and the Wyoming Office of Tourism for this project. In addition to grants and prize winnings, over 200 individuals, foundations and businesses have supported the project through tax deductible donations. 

Nina McConigley reads from "Cowboys and East Indians" on Aug. 2 at Wind City Books in Casper

Nina McConigley on Medicine Bow Peak, August 2010 (from Nina's Facebook photo album)

Wyoming author Nina McConigley will be reading from her short-story collection COWBOYS AND EAST INDIANS, at Wind City Books, 152 S. Center St., Casper, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2. She was the 2010 recipient of the Wyoming Arts Council’s Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Writing Award. She read from her work – and served as emcee – for the Wyoming Arts Council’s annual fellowship reading at the 2010 Equality State Book Festival at Casper College. Nina was born in Singapore and grew up in Wyoming. She holds an MFA from the University of Houston. She has received scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. She also received a full fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for The Best New American Voices 2009. Her work has appeared in The Virginia Quarterly Review, American Short Fiction, Slice, Asian American Literary Review, Puerto del Sol, and others.

Rabbi Joe Black in concert Aug. 5 in Cheyenne

Rabbi Joe Black will perform in concert on Sunday, Aug. 5, 1:30 p.m. at the Mt. Sinai Synagogue in Cheyenne. He is a nationally known musician, poet, composer, humorist, and recording artist.  He only does a few performances each year. Tickets are $20. For more information and ticket info, please check out the web site, http://mtsinaicheyenne.org/special_events.asp. Ice cream social to follow. 

The Wyoming Symphony's "Wine on the River" event is Aug. 1 in Casper

From the Casper Star-Tribune:

The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra's Wine on the River, Casper's premier wine event of the year, is Wednesday, August 1, at Jonah Bank from 6 to 10 p.m.

Experience the perfect summer evening on the North Platte River with friends, and sample wine and food from Casper’s favorite restaurants and food vendors. The 6th annual Wine on the River will continue its tradition as Casper’s premier wine event with exciting wines, live music and inspired culinary creations from the chefs at Lai Thai, Firerock, The Market & More, Silver Fox Lounge, Grant Street Grocery, and Vintage Wine Bar. You also won’t want to miss the specialty wine auction, so join us on the river August 1.

 A live auction will feature a trip to Cabo San Lucas for a week at a condo that sleeps 8; dinner for 8 with MasterChefs' Jake Gandolfo, dinner with the maestro at Dr. Steven and Helen Brown's home; a Broncos weekend with tickets and two nights in a downtown condo; and a conducting the orchestra package.

Tickets are $75 each or two for $125, available at the usual symphony ticket outlets or call the symphony office at 266-1478 or visit the website at www.wyomingsymphony.org.

Cathedral Home students display their leathercraft at the Albany County Library

Leathercraft items made by students at the Cathedral Home for Children recently were on display at the Albany County Public Library in Laramie. The project was funded by the Wyoming Arts Council and the Wold Foundation. 

"Esse Quam Videri: Muslim Self-Portraits" exhibit at Heart Mountain Interpretive Center through Sept. 18

From the Heart Mountain Foundation web site:

The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center at the site of a World War II Japanese-American internment camp outside of Cody, Wyo. will present a new exhibit featuring self-portraits that reveal Muslim Americans in everyday life. The exhibit is intended to counteract stereotypes and preconceived notions about Muslims in America at this time in history. Esse Quam Videri: Muslim Self-Portraits will be exhibited in the Ford Foundation Special Exhibition Area through Sept. 18, 2012.

"This exhibit is the first in a series of exhibits at the Interpretive Center that will encourage visitors to think about prejudice, stereotyping and religious, racial and ethnic profiling," said Stevan Leger executive director.

"Esse Quam Videri" means "to be rather than to seem." The exhibit includes photographs, collaged images and self-drawn portraits of and by Muslim Americans are presented with short essays to add context.

For more information, please contact Steve Leger at 307-754-8000 or by email at sleger@heartmountain.org. The Heart Mountain Interpretive Learning Center hours are 10 to 5 Wednesday through Saturday.

Caldera Festival, Jackson, August 17-18

If you are in the Jackson area (or if you like music and art), don't miss the annual Caldera Festival, presented by the Teton Artlab! 

The festival kicks off on August 17th with the Terra: Textile runway show at the Center for the Arts Theater, billed as "a multi-dimensional event...exploring the relationship between cloth & landscape." The show features Ashley Ernest, Lizz Basinger, and Wyoming's own Orwell Ashelter and Abbie MIller. 

August 18th promises a big night of music on the Center's lawn, with internationally renowned headliner Andrew Bird supported by critically acclaimed musicians Kelly Hogan and Sharon Van Etten. 

General admissions tickets for both events are each $20, and available online. VIP tickets are also available for $75 and offer special seating/ viewing areas and complimentary beverages.

"Wyoming Landscapes" by Niclaus Wegner at The Corridor Gallery August 10-12

"Killer Rainbow," Niclaus Wegner

Event: “Wyoming Landscapes,” Original Photography by Casper Artist Niclaus Wegner

Location: The Corridor Gallery, 120 E. 2^nd St. Casper, WY 82601

Opening & Showing: Opening reception on Friday August 10^th at 7pm and showing Saturday, August 11^th from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, August 12^th 12 to 4pm.

Catering: Cash Bar

General Admission: Free

Contact info: 307-333-7035 or email appointment@thecorridorgallery.com with any questions.

Call for applications: USArtists International

From USArtists International:

The guidelines and new online application are now available for the 2013 USArtists International (USAI) program. USAI 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 first of three grant rounds of the 2013 program will be Friday, September 7, 2012 for projects taking place between November 1, 2012 and October 31, 2013. This is a receipt deadline.

Additional deadlines for the 2013 program cycle include:

• December 7, 2012 for projects taking place between March 1, 2013and February 28, 2014
   
• April 19, 2013 for projects taking place between July 1, 2013 andJune 30, 2014

For a copy of program guidelines click here. The program's online application has been revised for 2013.  Applicants now complete and submit the application and upload their work samples electronically.  To access the application, click here. Questions about USArtists International should be directed to Brigid Myers, at brigid@midatlanticarts.org.

Big West Arts Festival in Sheridan

Head to Sheridan next weekend for the seventh annual Big West Arts Festival! This year’s festival, celebrating the visual, culinary and performing arts, will be held at the center of the Sheridan College campus on August 4^th & 5^th.

There is something for everyone, with a diverse and full slate of performers, a “Welding Rodeo” on the 4^th, food by students in the College’s Culinary Arts program and visual artists from all over the West!

The event opens at 10 am each day, with free admission and free parking.

25th Annual "Western Visions" in Jackson

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Western Visions Show and Sale. Presented by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Western Visions is a part of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival and offers events to suite art lovers of all stripes. Even better, funds raised go to support the Museum’s educational programming.

Western Visions offers four distinct shows and sales:

· The Paintings and Sculpture Show and Sale

· The Jewelry & Artisan Show and Sale

· The Original Prints Show and Sale

· The Sketch Show and Sale

Some shows open for viewing in August and events start in September, but don’t miss a thing by checking out the calendar and registering early (by September 5th)!

Not in Jackson? You can still view work and bid online!

Flutter Tunnel: From Nevada's Burning Man to small villages in Sierra Leone

Flutter Tunnel

Jackson's Bland Hoke, who worked with the Center of Wonder, recently graduated from Parsons and and says that he is "a bit nomadic at this point. He is "working on a project called Flutter Tunnel and trying to get the word out about it. Here is the scoop:"

In late August, I am coordinating a group of 12 people that will be creating Flutter Tunnel for Burning Man. As you may know, this festival takes place in the desert of Nevada and lasts 7 days. Our project is designed to last much longer as we are lighting it with solar powered lamps, which are sent to Sierra Leone after the installation is dismantled. We have partnered with Books for Africa and Schools for Salone to distribute the lights to rural schools for reading at night. We realized how powerful this idea is after receiving notice from the schools exclaiming how useful the lights are for promoting a culture of reading.

Our group received some support from Burning Man, and we have raised $3000 in ten days. We are using Kickstarter, and have a week left to raise the remaining funds. If it feels appropriate to feature the project on the blog we would appreciate any extra exposure. Or if you are stirred by the concept feel free to donate! We have crafted a series of interesting rewards for your contribution! Thanks in advance and have a splendid day.

Benefit concert for devastating Ash Creek & Taylor Creek fires set for Sheridan on Aug. 8

The New Vaudevillians perform each Wednesday at Wyoming's oldest vaudeville theater

The New Vaudevillians feature a NEW line-up of comedy, magic, singing and dancing every Wednesday at 8 p.m. through Aug. 15 at the WYO Theater in downtown Sheridan. It's fast paced, it's fun, it's new vaudeville in the oldest vaudeville theater in Wyoming and it's an event you won't want to miss. Every Wednesday you'll see a new show with different acts, different sounds and different people. Sounds like fun doesn't it? Come find out for yourself! FMI: www.wyotheater.com 

WANTED: Artists and Craftspeople to help install exhibits at SE Wyoming Welcome Center

HELP WANTED

WHO: Artists and Craftspeople

WHAT: To help with the installation of exhibits at the Office of Tourism's new Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center

WHEN: Most of August, starting around 8/6/12

WHERE: New Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center, south of Cheyenne on I-25

SKILLS: Sculpting cement, scenic painting, basic assembly, some carpentry, some welding, set dressing, general handyman skills

COMPENSATION: Contract work, $12-15/hour, dependent upon skill set

CONTACT: annetoxey@tmdaexhibits.com

PROVIDE: 1) a telephone number, 2) photos of work or link to portfolio, and 3) resume or references

Lander Art Center announces new director

Lisa Hueneke

News from the Lander Art Center:

The Lander Art Center Board of Directors is please to announce the appointment of Lisa Hueneke as the new executive director of the Lander Art Center, beginning in Sepetmber 2012.

Ms. Hueneke brings over five years of nonprofit experience including one year as the Lander Art Center Program Coordinator. Ms. Hueneke has worked for nonprofits both nationally and internationally including with the Academy for Educational Development (Washington, DC), Wilderness Medical Institute (Lander, WY), Octagon Center for the Arts (Ames, IW), T.F. Chen Art and Culture Center Foundation (New York, NY), and Museo Tanga Tanga delos Niños (Sucre, Bolivia). Additionally Ms. Hueneke’s received a Bachelors of Arts in Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science in International Studies from Iowa State University.

As Executive Director, Ms. Hueneke will be responsible for the daily operation of the Lander Art Center including the education and exhibition programming, professional artist development programming, community outreach, and financial management. Her leadership and vision will guide the implementation the Lander Art Center’s strategic goals. "I am honored by this opportunity to serve such an important organization and creative community. It is an exciting time to be involved in the arts here in Lander," noted Ms. Hueneke.

Wyoming Summer Music Festivals

Summer is the time to get out and enjoy Wyoming’s great outdoors and great musicians! Luckily there are still plenty of music festivals coming up across the state.

The Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole is celebrating its 51st season with concerts Tuesday through Saturday nights until August 18th. Music fans have a variety of choices, from the Festival’s renowned classical offerings to bluegrass and jazz.

This coming weekend (July 27-29) head to Kemmerer and take part in the Oyster Ridge Music Festival, Wyoming’s “largest, free music festival”! Don’t just come for the music though, Oyster Ridge has planned workshops, competitions and vendors.
Travel to Casper Mountain August 4-5 for an exciting weekend of great bluegrass music at the Beartrap Summer Festival! Beartrap promises a variety of vendors including artists, craftspeople and, of course, food!
 
Music fans have a couple of choices the weekend of August 10-12! Head to Ten Sleep for the twelfth Nowoodstock festival, only $30 for a weekend pass!
 
Or, if you find yourself in the south of the state on August 11^th, join the Sweetwater Blues and Brew Festival at Bunning Park in Rock Springs.

Casper and Cheyenne Artists’ Guilds: Workshops for Adults and Kids

There are still some workshops coming up this season at the Casper Artists’ Guild:

August 4^th Photographer Clint Saunders will lead the workshop “Using Light in Photography” from 9 am to 4 pm. Saunders holds an M.F.A from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University and has been working as a professional photographer for the last fourteen years. The workshop is only $25 for guild members and $35 for non-members, payments must be at the Artists’ Guild by tomorrow, July 21^st.

September 13^th- 15^th Carl Purcell will offer a Watercolor Workshop from 9 am to 4 pm. The workshop will examine “the hidden order of patterns in nature”. The cost is $220 for members and $280 for non-members, entry is due by August 19^th, though there is currently a waiting list.

Weekly group meetings continue: 

Monday Painters 10 am to 3 pm “Bring your own projects to work on. Bring food to share for lunch. For more information call Maria Campo 436-2495”

Life Drawing Group Monday’s at 7 pm, “model fee $5. Call Bob Odell 235-5408 for more information.”

Portrait Group Wednesdays from 9 am to 12 pm, “model fee $5 call Marj Haass 234-4775 for more information”

Interested children can still attend the Cheyenne Artists’ Guild’s sixth week of summer art classes, July 30-August 3. Each session is led by local artist and educator, Jenny Paulk, with the morning session examining mixed media and the afternoon examining nature. Classes are popular and registration is required at least 3 business days before each weekly session begins. Visit the CAG website for more information.     

Wyoming ska and reggae band It Gets Worse performs at UW July 25

From a UW press release:

Wyoming ska and reggae band It Gets Worse will perform a free show from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, on the University of Wyoming Simpson Plaza.

With half of its members from Laramie and the other half from Cheyenne, It Gets Worse is an eight-piece band that came together with a shared love of modern and old Jamaican ska and reggae. The band also enjoys rock and roll, and has worked to incorporate all of these styles into its music.

Ska music is a genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. Combining elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues, ska has become popular throughout Jamaica, England and the United States.

Having started in 2011, It Gets Worse has since played shows throughout Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. The band also has performed with such artists as Afroman, Dead Generation and The Ska Skank Redemption.

For more information on It Gets Worse, visit www.reverbnation.com/itgetsworse.

The performance is part of a weekly concert series sponsored by the Campus Activities Center. Individuals needing assistance to attend should call (307) 766-6340. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/cac.

Photo: Ska and reggae band It Gets Worse will perform a free show from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, on the University of Wyoming Simpson Plaza.