Spoken-word artist performs for UW's "Martin Luther King Jr. "Days of Dialogue"

New York City spoken-word artist and author Saul Williams is the keynote speaker for the 2008 Martin Luther King Jr./Days of Dialogue (MLK/DOD) celebration Jan. 21-25, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Williams will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, in the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom. He will read his poetry earlier that day from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., also in the Yellowstone Ballroom. Williams is the author of "The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop" and had the lead role in the movie "Slam."

MLK/DOD is UW's annual celebration of the continuing impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and ideals. The theme for the seventh annual event, "The Politics of Dialogue," reflects the importance -- and difficulty -- of honest, open communication in a pluralistic society, according to the organizing committee.

The week of special activities renews UW's commitment to make its campus a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations or abilities, says MLK/DOD committee co-chair Malinda Daniel. Several UW organizations and Laramie businesses sponsor the week's activities.

Most events are free and all are open to the public. Activities during the week are:

Monday, Jan. 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, community service projects, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Laramie; Martin Luther King Jr. March and Dr. Willena Stanford Community Supper, begins at the Albany County Courthouse and ends at the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom, 4-6:30 p.m. The 2008 Willena Stanford Diversity Award will be presented at the dinner.

Tuesday, Jan. 22: Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning book discussion of "Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators, a book written in wartime by Michael Newman", noon-1:30, Coe Library Room 307; performance by Day Acoli, Denver hip-hop poet, 6 p.m., Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom; "One Arab, One Jew, One Stage" comedy show, featuring stand-up comic duo Bob Alper and Azhar Usman, 8 p.m., UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Wednesday, Jan. 23: "Food of Diversity" smorgasbord, featuring foods from around the world, 4-7 p.m., $10 per person or free to students with UW meal plan, Washakie Dining Center; exhibition of African mud paintings from Kenya and Ghana, reception and gallery viewing with curator Godwill Mock, 5-7 p.m., Wyoming Union Senate Chambers, with the exhibition on display in the ASUW Gallery in the lower level of the Wyoming Union.

Thursday, Jan. 24: Keepers of the Fire Talking Circle, "Going Home Again After College," panel discussion and lunch, including guests Trivia Afraid of Lightning, student from Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and Patterson Yazzie, communications specialist at American Indian College Fund, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Wyoming Union Senate Chambers; "Don't Let Others Define You," presentation by Trivia Afraid of Lightning, 3-4 p.m., Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom; performance by Boston-based Soulfege, global urban fusion band, 8 p.m., Yellowstone Ballroom.

Friday, Jan. 25: Talk by Guy Padgett, youngest-ever mayor of Casper and first openly gay mayor in Wyoming, 4 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room; Poetry Slam, 9 p.m., Washakie Center King Street Market.

Among other events are a book display at Coe Library, presentations sponsored by the College of Law and the President's Advisory Council on Minorities' and Women's Affairs (PACMWA), and a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Art Show, featuring art by Laramie K-12 students.

For a detailed listing of all events, visit the UW Web site at http://www.uwyo.edu/mlk.

Jentel application deadline is Jan. 15

Time is growing short, but artists and writers can apply for a month-long residency at Wyoming's Jentel Foundation by Jan. 15.

Jentel has two sessions and two deadlines. Applications and letters of reference must be postmarked no later than Jan. 15 for the summer/fall residency, May 15 through Dec. 13. Postmark deadline is Sept. 15 for winter/spring residencies, Jan. 15 through May 13.

Jentel staff notes that delivery by Express Mail, Next Day Air or Second Day services are an added expense and not necessary.

FMI: http://www.jentelarts.org/

Eggstraordinary Eggxibit needs you

The application and guidelines for the Wyoming Arts Council's "Eggstraordinary Eggxhibit" are now on our web site at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us.

This exhibit was prompted by the flap last year when the egg was on Wyoming’s face. The White House Egg display included an egg representing Wyoming that was created by a non-resident artist. To wipe the egg from our face, the Wyoming Arts Council is implementing a process to ensure that Wyoming artists will have the opportunity to represent us in the future. We are celebrating this with an exhibit in our Gallery.

Interested artists can apply in one of three categories: White House Eggs, which are decorated eggs which meet the guidelines of the American Egg Board and which will be considered for the 2009 exhibit in Washington, DC; Egg-themed 3-D and 2-D art, which will be juried. In the last two categories, artists may interpret the theme of the egg, but are asked to provide a short statement of how their work relates to the theme. Applicants may apply in more than one category. For information on how to apply, please go to our web page and scroll down to the "news" section. If you have any questions, call us at 307-777-7742.

Ostlind exhibition now at Casper College

The Casper College Goodstein Gallery will host the University of Wyoming Art Museum’s touring exhibition of Joel Ostlind's work through Thursday, Jan. 24.

"I was raised in Wyoming and have chosen . . . to live in this region and work to interpret the things I value here: the light, the land, and the people who move through it," says Casper-born Ostlind.

A master printmaker, Ostlind, moves fluidly between the intaglio printmaking processes of etching, drypoint, aquatint, sugar lift, and lithography, as well as monoprint, a process of applying ink to a flat surface that results in a single, unique print.

Ostlind, who now lives near Big Horn, has followed in the footsteps of Wyoming's earlier cowboy-turned-artists Hans Kleiber and Bill Gollings, and draws on his cowboy life experience as the subject of his images.

The Goodstein Gallery is located in the Goodstein Visual Arts Center at Casper College and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FMI: http://www.caspercollege.edu/students/academicinfo/degrees/finearts/visualart/goodstein.html

Apply now for the 2008 Governor's Exhibition

Printable applications are now available on the Wyoming Arts Council's web site for the 2008 Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition. Deadline is March 7. The annual exhibition will take place June 23-Aug. 3 at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne.

You must be a Wyoming resident to enter. Artists accepted for the exhibit will be notified by April 18.

Judging the competition will be Constance K. Mohrman, exhibits manager of the Wildlife Experience Museum in Parker, Colo.

Access the application at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us.

Call for entries: Owen Wister Review

This comes from Zach Parrie at UW's Owen Wister Review:

My name is Zach Parrie, and recently I was chosen as the editor for the 2008 Owen Wister Review. The schedule for submissions has been skewed somewhat this year, and on top of that, our web site is out of date. The 2008 OWR is still in need of submissions, however, especially prose, art and photography.

I invite anyone who would like to be considered for this year's OWR to submit work, along with a SASE, by Feb. 20 to:

Owen Wister Review
University of Wyoming, Dept. 3625
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, Wyoming 82071

I encourage anyone to submit, and there are no restrictions on content, but I will be looking more closely at work that includes a western theme. Please send only non-original slides when submitting art and/or photography. Prose and poetry can be submitted in hard copy form. Sorry about the late notice, and we're working on the web site. As I said, it's been a transition year here, but we're back on track and we hope to put out a great publication.

Questions? Please email me at zparrie@gmail.com.

Wyomingites on stage at Arvada Center

The 19th annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering will be held Jan. 10-13 at the Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities’ Main Stage Theater.

According to a press release, “this four-day roundup features some of the world's best rhyming, yarn-spinners, sagebrush side-ticklers, yodelers, singers and western musicians. Our January 2008 event will pay tribute to Buck Ramsey, who profoundly influenced the writing and music of contemporary Western performers. Buck's widow, Bette, will be in attendance as we honor his life, outstanding achievements and contributions to the art of cowboy poetry."

The program will also feature over 30 poets and musicians with the current line-up including Wyomingites Andy Nelson (Pinedale), Leslie Kletner (Cody), and Georgie Sicking (Kaycee). Also on tap will be Chuck Pyle of Palmer Lake, Colo.; Cowboy Celtic from Turner Valley in Alberta, Canada; and Andy Wilkinson, Lubbock, Texas.

Tickets prices: Evening concerts with featured artists, Thurs.-Sat., Jan. 10-12, 7:30 p.m., $28; matinee concerts with featured artists, Sat.-Sun., Jan. 12-13, 1 p.m., $28; Saturday combo that combines one daytime session with one Saturday matinee concert, $35.

FMI: http://arvadacenter.org/on-stage/cowboy-poetry-gathering-2008--evening-performances

Equality State Bookfest set for Sept. 18-20

The Equality State Book Festival planning committee has set the dates for its second annual event for Sept. 18-20. Events will take place at various Casper venues, including Casper College and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. As we did in 2006, the Wyoming Arts Council plans to hold its annual reading of creative writing fellowship winners during the bookfest.

The ESBF will feature readings, panel presentations and workshops by writers from Wyoming and the West. All events are free except for the workshops. Invitations to writers will go out during the next few months. One of the confirmed featured presenters will be Gary Ferguson, essayist and nature writer from Red Lodge, Mont., long considered a suburb of the Cody-Powell metroplex. Children's writer Jack Gantos has been invited. Gantos, formerly of New Mexico and now living in Boston, is the author of the "Rotten Ralph" series of children's books.

The bookfest's web site will be updated soon. For a peek at what we did in 2006, go to http://www.equalitystateboookfest.org/.

See you in September in Casper!

Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund awards more than $700,000 in 2007 grants

Renee Bovee, our former Wyoming Arts Council colleague and now Wyoming Cultural Trust administrator, sent this press release:

Wyoming’s citizens and visitors enjoyed an enhanced calendar of cultural events and activities during 2007 thanks to the initial year of funding by the state’s Cultural Trust Fund and the granting of more than $700,000.

Additionally, through a required local match for each funded project, and donated goods and services, each Cultural Trust dollar granted received a return of 26 to 1 on the investment.

During the past year, the Cultural Trust Fund conducted two granting rounds and awarded $709,709 to 52 nonprofit and governmental agencies throughout the Cowboy State for a wide variety of projects. These projects include historic preservation grants, educational programs, organizational infrastructure and cultural events and activities.

"These grants provide an incredible opportunity for these organizations and for their communities," Renee Bovee, (pronounced Bo-Vay) administrator of the Cultural Trust said. "For the investment of a little more than $700,000 this year, the grant recipients will be raising and bringing to their communities investments exceeding $18 million. This means these programs; services, projects and events not only have a good chance of succeeding, but of having a noticeable and significant impact on the quality of their citizens’ lives."

As many as 94 applications from 85 separate organizations requested more than $3 million in grant support.

The Cultural Trust Fund was established with a $5 million endowment established by the Wyoming Legislature in 2005 and then increased by another $5 million during the 2006 session. The Cultural Trust Fund operates on interest earnings from this endowment and doesn’t have the resources to fund all of the quality projects at a full level. Through a strenuous evaluation process, 52 projects received partial funding.

"The Cultural Trust Fund is dedicated to assuring that innovative, quality projects are given the chance to make a difference in our Wyoming communities," David Reetz, Powell, chair of the Cultural Trust Fund Board said. "The variety of projects funded demonstrates the depth and breadth of cultural resources in this state. The commitment community’s show in providing quality experiences for their citizens is admirably strong.

"Wyoming’s history and historic resources, arts and cultural experiences broaden and enhance the lives of the people in these communities…and they are coming forward to ensure that these projects and events succeed," Reetz continued.

The Cultural Trust’s mission is to support Wyoming’s culture and heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation and protection of the state’s arts, cultural and historic resources; and to support and invest in Wyoming institutions that help further this mission.

For more information about the Cultural Trust Fund, visit http://www.artsparkshistory.com/ or call Renee at 307-777-6312.

Ann Ward offers tie-dye class at AVA

John Byrne Cooke on war reporting

Teton County Library presents an author talk with Jackson author John Byrne Cooke, who explores the enduring tensions between a free press and government during times of war in his new book.

Cooke will discuss his book, "Reporting the War: Freedom of the Press from the American Revolution to the War on Terrorism" on Wednesday, Jan . 16 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the library's Ordway Auditorium in Jackson. The program is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow.

Published in October, Cooke's book has garnered accolades from reviewers, who have deemed it "an incisive, well researched account of war-time reporting and a must-read for those who want to be critical consumers of news." Cooke explores how the press has opposed government war policies; how the government has tried to intimidate and suppress dissenting opinion; and
how the press has worked to inform the public while preserving the principles of the Founding Fathers.

Cooke's first novel, "The Snowblind Moon" (1985), was a featured alternate selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. His second novel, "South of the Border" (1989), received praise from The Washington Post, which wrote: "Like Michener, Cooke is a historian in novelist's clothing, but he is not as long-winded and his sentences are more graceful."

FMI: Contact the library's Adult Program Coordinator at 733-2164 ext. 135. You can also visit the library online at http://www.tclib.org/.

Call for entries: Paddlefish

PADDLEFISH, Mount Marty College’s literary journal is now accepting submissions for its 2008 issue. The editors are interested in poetry, short/short fiction (2,500 words or less), graphic fiction, nonfiction, illustrated essays, graphic memoir, and narrative documentary photography in all genres and styles. Its online extension is also accepting a variety of media arts including: video, motion graphics, and animation (submitted via CD/DVD and limited to 10 minutes). Submissions should be sent to Mount Marty College c/o Paddlefish, 1105 West 8th St. Yankton, SD 57078 from November 1 to February 29. Web site: www.mmcpaddlefish.com.

Keown painting featured in national magazine

Laramie watercolor artist Joy Keown dropped into the Wyoming Arts Council today while she was in Cheyenne. She dropped off a copy of the February 2008 Watercolor Artist magazine out of Cincinnati. Joy's piece, "Buffalo Bull," was featured in the magazine's "Best of 2007" section. The Wyoming Watercolor Society honored "Buffalo Bull" with its Best of Show and Best Wyoming Artist awards last fall at at its annual gathering in Sheridan.

Joy is racking up a series of awards these days. In addition to the WWS honors, she also designed the 2007 Massachusetts Archery and Firearms Stamps, received purchase awards from the 2006 Wyoming Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibit and from the Rock Springs Community Fine Arts Center, submitted the featured painting for the 2006 West Virginia Wildlife Art Calendar, and was chosen for the 2005 Hawaii Conservation Stamp. She has two books and has just been asked to compose a children's coloring book for about Yellowstone National Park, where she's worked ten seasons as a ranger-naturalist ranger since 1988. She worked as a high school science teacher for 14 years in Rock River and Torrington.

To find out more about Joy and her work, go to http://www.joykeown.com.

Call for entries: E. Nebraska Vets' Home

From a press release:

The Eastern Nebraska Veteran's Home announces a Request for Proposals (RFP) and Direct Purchase call for two-dimensional interior wall artwork to be installed within the newly constructed ENVH facility.

This request for proposals/direct purchase project competition is open to all professional public artists or artist teams from throughout the United States, including those who are new to the field of public art. The call is specifically directed to the acquisition of two-dimensional art.

The Eastern Nebraska Veteran's Home (ENVH) is a care facility that provides a full range of long term care and assisted living services for veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Its mission is "Making A Positive Difference by Focusing on Living Well".

This call for art includes both a Request for Proposals, for potential commissioned work; as well as a Direct Purchase call for art, for potential purchases of existing artwork. Artists may apply for either option, or submit to be considered for both. Details are outlined in the downloadable prospectus- see link below.

Appropriate artwork themes include military and patriotic themes, as well as landscapes relating to the Midwest region. Subjects that invite conversation and reminiscence among resident members, their families and staff are desired.

Buget for the project is $50,321.

FMI: JD Hutton, Nebraska Arts Council, Artist Services and Communications Manager, at (800) 341-4067 or within Omaha area at (402) 595-2142, or email at jhutton@nebraskaartscouncil.org

High Plains novel hits the stage

“Plainsong,” Kent Haruf’s award-winning novel about life on Colorado’s High Plains, struck a chord with readers in Wyoming. Haruf was one of the presenters at the 2005 Literary Connection in Cheyenne, sharing the podium with his pal, Wyoming’s Mark Spragg, author of “An Unfinished Life.” Both of these chroniclers of rural life in the Rocky Mountain region have had their works translated into electronic versions. “Plainsong” was adapted for TV; “An Unfinished Life” became a major motion picture.

Now “Plainsong” makes it stage debut at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Stage Theater in downtown Denver. See it Jan. 25-Feb. 23. Curtain Times: Mon.-Thur. at 6:30 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. matinee at 1:30 p.m.

The play was written by Eric Schmiedl (“based upon” the novel written by Kent Haruf) and directed by Kent Thompson.

In case you don’t know the book, here’s a description from the DCPA:

Set on the high plains of eastern Colorado, this adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel unflinchingly portrays love and loss in a small ranching community. A school teacher is left alone to care for his vulnerable sons, while two gruff bachelor brothers – knowing little about life beyond the ranch – awkwardly offer a home to a pregnant teenage girl. As their lives intertwine, they survive harshness and cruelty to recreate family and community. Warm, stark, unsentimental, yet poetic – this story taps a deep well of human emotion.

"Artscapes" explores creative communities

The Wyoming Arts Council's intrepid correspondent, Linda Coatney, is up in Torrington this week investigating Goshen County's blossoming arts scene.

By now, you've probably read Linda's profile of Cokeville in Lincoln County which appeared in our fall print newsletter, Artscapes. In August, the WAC launched its quarterly publication with Linda's article on the burgeoning arts community that is Gillette.

If you have any suggestions about arts events and artists in Goshen County, either e-mail Linda or me (see sidebar for links). If you have any suggestions for future profiles of "Wyoming's Arts Communites," let me know.

At the Wyoming Arts Summit last October in Casper, speakers from all over the U.S. discussed the rise of "creative communities." Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, predicted that the West will play a major role in this effort. "I'm a Westerner and believe that the future of this country is going to be pioneered in the West," he said.

Read about Wyoming's "creative communities" in the WAC's Artscapes newsletter. If you're not receiving it via mail, let me know and I'll get you on the mailing list. You also can pick up a copy at your local library.

It's grant application time again

Grants to Organization applications are now being accepted for Fiscal Year 2009, which begins July 1, 2008.

Draft applications for this annual grant category must be submitted by March 1, and final applications must be submitted by March 15. Apply on-line at the WAC web site.

If you and your organization or school would like a hands-on grants training session by one of the WAC staffers, contact the WAC at 307-777-7742.

Music Festival exceeds fund-raising goal

This great news comes from Amanda Flosbach at the offices of the Grand Teton Music Festival:

The Grand Teton Music Festival announced last night that its campaign to raise money for the recently completed Walk Festival Hall Preservation Project closed successfully Dec. 31, and exceeded its $4.85 million goal. Under the leadership of co-chairs and Festival Board Members Margot Walk and Bob Paulson $4,880,000 were raised.

“The response of the festival family has been heartwarming and incredibly generous,” said Capital Campaign co-chair Margot Walk. “Together we literally have ‘set the stage’ for an ever-so-bright future for the Grand Teton Music Festival.”

Designed by Larry Berlin of Berlin Architects with consultation of Jaffe Holden Acoustics, Inc., and constructed by Big D Signature, Inc., the Walk Festival Hall Preservation Project began with intensive renovations to preserve this acoustical treasure, update the aesthetics of the building, improve audience comfort, facilitate more year round use of the facility, and ensure the future of this community resource.

Construction began in August of 2006, and was completed in time to re-open the Hall with a grand opening gala concert of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra on July 11. “We are tremendously proud of all the dramatic improvements in Walk Festival Hall that we accomplished within a limited budget and very demanding schedule,” said Bob Paulson, Capital Campaign co-chair. “As our patrons will tell you, Walk Festival Hall has been reborn. We can all take pride in the successful completion of this important community project.”

Grand Teton Music Festival’s newly refurbished facility is home to the Festival’s summer and winter concert seasons, and serves as the venue for diverse events, such as Off Square Theatre Company’s black box theater series and The Alpinist Film Festival, and is rented year-round for a host of conferences and other private events. The 750-seat, all-wood facility is acclaimed by listeners and musicians alike for its superb acoustics and intimate atmosphere, and has been the home of the Grand Teton Music Festival since its construction in 1974.

FMI: Amanda Flosbach, 307-733-3050 ext. 107.

Call for entries: Carbon Co. Arts Guild

Submit your work now for the Rocky Mountain Regional Juried Art Exhibition at the Carbon County Arts Guild and Depot Gallery in Red Lodge, Mont.

March 10 is the deadline for receipt of entries. The exhibit opens at the Depot Gallery April 1 and continues through April 30.

The competition is open to residents of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Idaho. Oil, water media, drawings, and small sculptures are welcome.

Montana artist Terry Osslund will serve as judge..

For details, call 406-446-1370.

Teens! D.I.Y. at the Teton Co. Library

From a Teton County Public Library press release:

Hey! Wanna Crochet? Teton County Library offers teens two Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) opportunities to hand craft creations using recycled goods and crochet hooks in January.

Jackson Hole High School graduate and online artist Meleta Buckstaff leads the first D.I.Y.: Teen Green Crafting from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, January 10 in the library’s Ordway Auditorium. She will demonstrate how to make crafts from recycled goods, including a wrist cuff from vintage neckties and books from recycled paper. The program is free and open to teens in grades six through 12. No advance sign up is required.

Buckstaff sells her own creations made from recycled goods, including sleek wallets fashioned from local newsprint, under the label “papercutdesign” at the online shop Esty.com. She also makes purses, jewelry, scarves, belts and occasionally books, collages, drawings and paintings. She originally made her crafts as gifts before discovering Etsy.com, a sort of eBay for crafts. Etsy demonstrates how the D.I.Y. craze is taking off online, according to BusinessWeek magazine.

Jackson High School Student Angela Palomba guides participants through the library’s second teen D.I.Y.: Hey! Wanna Crochet? from 4 to 5 p.m., Thursday, January 17. She will share basic crocheting skills with fellow teens to create a bracelet or colorful cover for an MP3 player. An avid crafter, Palomba makes and sells crocheted hats, mittens and more. The library will provide crochet hooks for this event and to take home. The program is free and open to teens in grades six through 12 with no advance sign up required.

Teen programs at the library are funded by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, through the general support of the Teton County Library Foundation. For information, contact Youth Services by calling 733-2164 ext. 103 or emailing youngadults@TCLib.org. Visit online at www.TCLib.org/teens.