"The greatest living interpreter of Groucho Marx's material," Frank Ferrante will appear in An Evening With Groucho, Thursday, October, 18, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. at the John F. Welsh Auditorium in the Natrona County High School. From Animal Crackers to A Night at the Opera, co-author Morrie Ryskind called him "the only actor aside from Groucho who delivered my lines as they were intended."
Discovered in 1985 by Groucho's son playwright Arthur Marx when Ferrante was attending the University of Southern California Division of Drama, Ferrante went on to portray Groucho from age 15 to 85 in the New York, London and PBS television versions of Arthur's play. Ferrante was 23 years old when Groucho: A Life in Revue opened off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 1986.
Ferrante played the Groucho inspired roles off-Broadway in The Cocoanuts in 1996 and regional productions of Animal Crackers at Goodspeed Opera House, The Huntington Theatre, Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse and Arena Stage.
Ferrante acts and directs throughout the region, most notably at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre where he directed and developed the premiere of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Old Wicked Songs. There Ferrante starred as playwright/director George S. Kaufman in the one-man play written by Frank entitled By George.
Since 2001, Ferrante performs his improvisationally based comedy in the European style cirque show Teatro ZinZanni playing an outrageous Latin lover named Caesar. In Zinzanni, Ferrante played opposite legendary cabaret star Liliane Montevecchi, Joan Baez, Sally Kellerman and The Motels' Martha Davis. In 2004, he became a question on the television program Jeopardy.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Longfellow's reach a long, enduring one
Join thousands of people across Wyoming this fall who will read, discuss and fall in love with one book: My Ántonia by Willa Cather. It's all part of the Wyoming Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Until November 15, local libraries in 13 counties will have book discussions, living history performances, children's activities, dances, displays and their own book giveaways. Sen. Mike Enzi and his wife Diana, longtime supporters of reading and literacy, are serving as honorary co-chairs of Wyoming's Big Read project.
Here's more info on Big Read:
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation announced that Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, is the first grant recipient in a pilot initiative, a component of the NEA's Big Read, to celebrate great American poets and the nation's historic poetry locales. Longfellow's Wayside Inn will receive an inaugural NEA Chairman's Extraordinary Action grant of $15,000 to support a community-wide program to encourage multi-generational reading of the poetry of New England writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).
NEA Chairman Dana Gioia and Poetry Foundation President John Barr announced the grant on September 26, 2007, during an evening keynote presentation on Longfellow at Cambridge Forum at the First Parish Church, co-sponsored by the Longfellow National Historic site, the Poetry Foundation, and the Paul Revere House. This marks the second partnership for the NEA and the Poetry Foundation, which jointly present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. Now in its third year, this national arts education program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country.
"I am delighted to announce this new expansion of the Big Read to celebrate the deep connection between this great American poet and communities in which he lived. It's fitting that we announce this new program in Longfellow's own home in the heart of literary Massachusetts, a state with an extraordinary literary heritage," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "Longfellow's poetry has helped to preserve and popularize much of that early heritage, and I look forward to working with the Poetry Foundation on further projects to reacquaint Americans with the depth of our nation's literary heritage."
Poetry Foundation President John Barr said, "Two hundred years of American history and culture found voice, face, and culmination in the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Poetry Foundation is delighted to join with the NEA in celebrating the work of this major American poet."
The Wayside Inn will kick off its Longfellow celebration on February 27, 2008, the poet's 201st birthday, with a keynote presentation. The program will continue through the April 19 Patriot's Day holiday, which commemorates the historic ride by Paul Revere immortalized in Longfellow's poem "The Landlord's Tale" from his collection Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863). The Wayside Inn will host an array of activities throughout those six weeks, including community reading groups, and develop an on-line Longfellow Library with the poet's work and curriculum materials for teachers.
"The Trustees of Longfellow's Wayside Inn are ecstatic about this opportunity that has come from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It is a great opportunity to educate our own community about the importance of the Wayside Inn in Longfellow's life and works and to remind people of his prominence as a poet," said Frederick M. Pryor, President of Longfellow's Wayside Inn's Board of Trustees. "We are working with Project Director Cindy Hall Kouré to provide fun and engaging programming that will reintroduce Longfellow's poetry to as many people and groups throughout Sudbury as possible."
Planned events also include a three-part lecture series with noted Longfellow historians and biographers, a lifelong learning course sponsored by the Sudbury Senior Center, and a musical presentation of Longfellow's poetry. Sudbury public elementary, middle, and high schools will participate by incorporating the poet's work into their curricula, hosting cultural assemblies, and presenting student-created multimedia projects.
The NEA will provide the Inn with supplementary materials -- underwritten by the Poetry Foundation -- similar to those created for the agency's national Big Read program. These materials include reader's and teacher's guides to Longfellow's works and a promotional poster. These materials also will be available to the public at two additional Longfellow historic sites: the Longfellow House (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and the Wadsworth-Longfellow House (Portland, Maine).
The NEA and the Poetry Foundation expect to announce additional grants for site-based poetry programs this fall. In addition, it's expected that a competitive phase of the program will launch at the conclusion of the pilot phase.
Until November 15, local libraries in 13 counties will have book discussions, living history performances, children's activities, dances, displays and their own book giveaways. Sen. Mike Enzi and his wife Diana, longtime supporters of reading and literacy, are serving as honorary co-chairs of Wyoming's Big Read project.
Here's more info on Big Read:
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation announced that Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, is the first grant recipient in a pilot initiative, a component of the NEA's Big Read, to celebrate great American poets and the nation's historic poetry locales. Longfellow's Wayside Inn will receive an inaugural NEA Chairman's Extraordinary Action grant of $15,000 to support a community-wide program to encourage multi-generational reading of the poetry of New England writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).NEA Chairman Dana Gioia and Poetry Foundation President John Barr announced the grant on September 26, 2007, during an evening keynote presentation on Longfellow at Cambridge Forum at the First Parish Church, co-sponsored by the Longfellow National Historic site, the Poetry Foundation, and the Paul Revere House. This marks the second partnership for the NEA and the Poetry Foundation, which jointly present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. Now in its third year, this national arts education program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country.
"I am delighted to announce this new expansion of the Big Read to celebrate the deep connection between this great American poet and communities in which he lived. It's fitting that we announce this new program in Longfellow's own home in the heart of literary Massachusetts, a state with an extraordinary literary heritage," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "Longfellow's poetry has helped to preserve and popularize much of that early heritage, and I look forward to working with the Poetry Foundation on further projects to reacquaint Americans with the depth of our nation's literary heritage."
Poetry Foundation President John Barr said, "Two hundred years of American history and culture found voice, face, and culmination in the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Poetry Foundation is delighted to join with the NEA in celebrating the work of this major American poet."
The Wayside Inn will kick off its Longfellow celebration on February 27, 2008, the poet's 201st birthday, with a keynote presentation. The program will continue through the April 19 Patriot's Day holiday, which commemorates the historic ride by Paul Revere immortalized in Longfellow's poem "The Landlord's Tale" from his collection Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863). The Wayside Inn will host an array of activities throughout those six weeks, including community reading groups, and develop an on-line Longfellow Library with the poet's work and curriculum materials for teachers.
"The Trustees of Longfellow's Wayside Inn are ecstatic about this opportunity that has come from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It is a great opportunity to educate our own community about the importance of the Wayside Inn in Longfellow's life and works and to remind people of his prominence as a poet," said Frederick M. Pryor, President of Longfellow's Wayside Inn's Board of Trustees. "We are working with Project Director Cindy Hall Kouré to provide fun and engaging programming that will reintroduce Longfellow's poetry to as many people and groups throughout Sudbury as possible."
Planned events also include a three-part lecture series with noted Longfellow historians and biographers, a lifelong learning course sponsored by the Sudbury Senior Center, and a musical presentation of Longfellow's poetry. Sudbury public elementary, middle, and high schools will participate by incorporating the poet's work into their curricula, hosting cultural assemblies, and presenting student-created multimedia projects.
The NEA will provide the Inn with supplementary materials -- underwritten by the Poetry Foundation -- similar to those created for the agency's national Big Read program. These materials include reader's and teacher's guides to Longfellow's works and a promotional poster. These materials also will be available to the public at two additional Longfellow historic sites: the Longfellow House (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and the Wadsworth-Longfellow House (Portland, Maine).
The NEA and the Poetry Foundation expect to announce additional grants for site-based poetry programs this fall. In addition, it's expected that a competitive phase of the program will launch at the conclusion of the pilot phase.
Juan Laden exhibit opens in Denmark
"Passing Memories, Descansos: Roadside Memorials of the West," an exhibition of photographs by Juan Laden of Lander, will be on display at the Skive Bibliotek in Skive, which is on Denmark's Jutland Peninsula. Exhibit dates are Nov. 3-Dec. 29. Juan will depart next week for Denmark to oversee the exhibit and talk about his work.For those readers fluent in Danish, here's the announcement on the Skive Bibliotek web site:
Juan Laden udstillede på Skive Bibliotek for nogle år siden, og viste da en fremragende og varieret udstilling.
Denne gang koncentrer han sig om ét enkelt emne, nemlig afbildning af mindesmærker for mennesker der har mistet livet langs vejstrækninger i USA.
Fremkomsten af disse mindesmærker er en relativ ny tradition i USA, og med sine sort/hvide fotos opnår Juan mesterligt på én gange at indfange det vemod og den sorg der er forbundet med døden. Samtidig er der noget åbenlyst storslået ved disse øde vejstrækningers natur, og det moment af frihed der ligger i at kunne bevæge sig hvorhen man vil i sin bil.
GTMF holds "StringFest" for students
From a press release:
The Grand Teton Music Festival announced plans today for its annual StringFest for area middle school music students. The unique three-day string clinic brings the orchestra students
of Jackson Hole and Star Valley Middle Schools together with Festival veteran violinist Barbara Scowcroft for an intense collaborative rehearsal and concert experience. StringFest 2007 runs November 13-15 and culminates in a public performance by the young musicians in the Festival's newly renovated Walk Festival Hall, Thursday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, no tickets required. All ages are welcome.
StringFest launches the GTMF in-school programs each year -- the students of Jackson Hole Middle School and Star Valley Junior High School begin working on their music for this performance as soon as the school year begins. The clinician, GTMF veteran musician and Utah Symphony violinist Barbara Scowcroft, will visit the seventh and eighth grade orchestra classes of Vincent Gutwein (Jackson) and Brian Ashton (Star Valley) November 13 and 14 to work with each group separately before they join forces for an all-day rehearsal followed by their combined performance in Walk Festival Hall on Thursday, November 15. A transformative
experience, StringFest helps students learn and indeed participate in the practices and policies of a professional orchestra. On the final day, students work with peers they¹d never met before and play their way though intense rehearsals and finally a public concert. They themselves can hear a marked change in their musicianship over the course of one very intensive and rewarding day.
"It is really wonderful to see the students supporting each other, working together," said StringFest clinician Barbara Scowcroft. "There is such joy in seeing them make new friends through their interest in classical music -- there's this incredible synergy, and that's the ultimate magic of music."
The Grand Teton Music Festival announced plans today for its annual StringFest for area middle school music students. The unique three-day string clinic brings the orchestra students
of Jackson Hole and Star Valley Middle Schools together with Festival veteran violinist Barbara Scowcroft for an intense collaborative rehearsal and concert experience. StringFest 2007 runs November 13-15 and culminates in a public performance by the young musicians in the Festival's newly renovated Walk Festival Hall, Thursday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, no tickets required. All ages are welcome.
StringFest launches the GTMF in-school programs each year -- the students of Jackson Hole Middle School and Star Valley Junior High School begin working on their music for this performance as soon as the school year begins. The clinician, GTMF veteran musician and Utah Symphony violinist Barbara Scowcroft, will visit the seventh and eighth grade orchestra classes of Vincent Gutwein (Jackson) and Brian Ashton (Star Valley) November 13 and 14 to work with each group separately before they join forces for an all-day rehearsal followed by their combined performance in Walk Festival Hall on Thursday, November 15. A transformative
experience, StringFest helps students learn and indeed participate in the practices and policies of a professional orchestra. On the final day, students work with peers they¹d never met before and play their way though intense rehearsals and finally a public concert. They themselves can hear a marked change in their musicianship over the course of one very intensive and rewarding day.
"It is really wonderful to see the students supporting each other, working together," said StringFest clinician Barbara Scowcroft. "There is such joy in seeing them make new friends through their interest in classical music -- there's this incredible synergy, and that's the ultimate magic of music."
Literary conference features worldly line-up
The 21st annual ARTCORE/Casper College Literary Conference, with the theme of "Spiritual Warriors," features an international line-up of poets and writers Oct. 17-19 in Casper.Presenters include Nick Flynn, New York City poet and essayist and author of the memoir "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City;" Ekiwah Adler-Belendez (shown at right), a 19-year-old poet prodigy raised in the small village of Amatlan, Mexico, who has captivated his country’s literary scene with three poetry collections; Valzhyna Mort from Minsk, Belarus, whose first poetry collection, "I’m as Thin as Your Eyelashes, addresses the upheaval of anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, when poets became prophets for their nations and when poetry, the only voice of freedom, had to be carefully hidden – because poetry was considered both a sin and a weapon; Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, author of "Goddesses in Older Women: Archetypes in Women Over Fifty" and "Urgent Message From Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World;" Chad Hanson, Casper essayist and fiction writer whose story collection, "Swimming with Trout," was published by the University of New Mexico Press; and Colorado musician and songwriter Jeff Finlin.
Each of them will conduct a writing workshop and read from their work during the course of the conference. There is a fee for the workshops, but the readings are free and open to the public. A free public reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 18, 5-7 p.m., at Casper’s Izaak Walton Clubhouse, followed by a "Spiritual Warriors" panel session and reading by Ekiwah Adler-Beléndez, Valzhyna Mort, Nick Flynn, and Chad Hanson. Special guest Dana Gioia, poet and chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, will say a few words and introduce the panel. Gioia will be in town to speak at the Wyoming Arts Summit Oct. 19 at the Casper Events Center.
For a full schedule of events, and to register for the workshops, go to <http://www.caspercollege.edu/events/literary/>.
FMI: Michael Shay, Wyoming Arts Council, 307-777-5234.
Box gets Booklist stars for "Blue Heaven"
Keir Graff has written a positive review of C.J. Box’s upcoming thriller, “Blue Heaven,” for Booklist Online. C.J., or “Chuck,” as the writer (a WAC fellowship winner) is known throughout his native Wyoming, is the author of seven Joe Pickett mysteries, five of which have received starred reviews on Booklist, considered the Bible of "books to buy" for U.S. librarians. Here’s a clip from the Booklist article:It takes guts to tinker with a successful formula, but the Wyoming native (recently photographed sans cowboy hat) has done just that. In January, St. Martin’s Minotaur will publish Blue Heaven, his first stand-alone thriller. It’s different from the Joe Pickett books in a number of ways, most notably in the larger cast and the breakneck pacing. Set in north Idaho, dubbed “Blue Heaven” by the California cops who are retiring there, it starts with two kids watching a man get executed–and then things really get hairy. Does Box pull it off? Make that six starred reviews in total.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Jeffe Kennedy at Cheyenne YMCA
Jeffe Kennedy, Laramie author of the essay collection "Wyoming Trucks, True Love, and the Weather Channel," will talk about all these topics (and more) at a presentation at the Cheyenne Family YMCA on Thursday, Oct. 18, 7-8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. You don't have to be a YMCA member to attend.
FMI: Chris Shay, 307-634-9622, ext. 16.
FMI: Chris Shay, 307-634-9622, ext. 16.
Hurwitz & Reece team up for CD release
On October 27, 6-8:30 p.m., the Parks Reece Gallery in Livingston, Mont., will hold a reception to unveil Parks Reece's original painting he did for Michael Hurwitz’s new “Cowboy Fandango” CD. Then, at a 9 p.m. in a show at Livingston's Owl Lounge, Hurwitz debuts music from this new CD. He will appear with satirical singer/songwriter and poet Greg Keeler. Keeler and his sonnets appear in Reece’s critically acclaimed book of art “Call of the Wild.” Keeler has received the Montana Governor’s Award in the Humanities.Hurwitz (pictured above) lives in Alta, just over the Tetons from Jackson. He’s featured on the Wyoming Arts Council Artist’s Roster, and is available for gigs through the Arts Across Wyoming grants program. He is a singer-songwriter with a style somewhere between Western swing and Southern country blues. He has toured extensively for over three decades.
Here’s some info from a press release about how Michael Hurwitz and artist Parks Reese collaborated on this project (courtesy of Robin Hoggan Ebinger):
Wyoming singer/songwriter Michael Hurwitz saw the art and satirical humor of artist Parks Reece and it clicked -- Hurwitz had found the cover art for his upcoming CD "Cowboy Fandango." After Hurwitz and Reece had a long conversation about their similarly strange culinary habits -- from eating porcupines to marmots, pine squirrels to rattlesnakes, and of course the much-loved antelope -- Reece took a road trip across the US with Hurwitz’s previous CDs as his traveling companions. The music made sense and, with that, Reece agreed to do an original painting for "Cowboy Fandango." A relationship was cemented.
It was evident when Hurwitz spoke of his song about dancing badgers that Reece, who considers himself a student of dancing badgers and other bizarre natural phenomena, was the perfect match. Many of the creatures from Hurwitz’s songs and Reece’s imagination appear on the CD, including a centaur cowboy with a striking resemblance to Hurwitz himself.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Arts Summit Profile: Stuart Rosenfeld
Stuart Rosenfeld, president of RTS, Inc., in Carrboro, N.C., will conduct a workshop on "Strengthening Rural Economies" on Friday, Oct. 19, 2:45 p.m., for the Wyoming Arts Summit at the Casper Events Center.Cost for the two-day Summit is $125. Go here to register.
Here's some bio information on Rosenfeld:
Dr. Rosenfeld has over 30 years of work experience in public policy research and analysis, with an emphasis on education and workforce training, rural development, and technology policy. He is principal and founder of RTS, Inc., and started the Trans-Atlantic Technology and Training Alliance. Stu is known for his work with networks and clusters. He wrote the Guides to Cluster-Based Economic Development for both the National Governors’ Association and the European Union and, in 2004 was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Competitiveness Institute in Barcelona. He has published and spoken extensively on rural development, community colleges, clusters, networks, education policy, and creative economies.
Previously Stu served as Deputy Director of the Southern Growth Policies Board, where he founded and directed the Southern Technology Council and Consortium for Manufacturing Competitiveness. Before that he was a Senior Associate at the National Institute of Education in Washington, DC, where he designed and worked on a Congressionally mandated national assessment of vocational education and co-authored the final report. Rosenfeld has carried out comparative research across Europe and has presented papers to eight international meetings of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and has advised or testified before various panels and committees of the U.S. Congress and National Academy of Sciences on technology and education policies. Other past experiences include directing a private elementary school in Vermont and eight years in manufacturing/operations research at the General Electric Company.
Stu holds an Ed.D. in Educational Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science cum laude in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently is a Senior Policy Fellow with the Southern Growth Policies Board and Senior Research Associate with the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Cheney pens "valentine" to old Casper
Reporter Jennifer Frey snagged a rare interview with Wyoming native Lynne Cheney and wrote about her new book in the Oct. 9 Washington Post, reprinted in today's Casper Star-Tribune. Lynne Cheney's book, entitled "Blue Skies, No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family," was published by Threshold Editions, the Simon & Schuster imprint directed by Cheney family friend and conservative commentator Mary Matalin.
Here's an excerpt from the Post article:
Here's an excerpt from the Post article:
What Lynne Cheney has written.... is an homage to her childhood, her husband's [V.P. Dick Cheney] childhood and the American West -- specifically Casper -- where they were raised. A place and a time she describes as "heaven for little girls" and "paradise for little boys."
"Is it nostalgia?" she said, balking a bit. "Nostalgia implies to me, a little bit, you've got your rose-colored glasses on at all times. And I certainly do mean this book to be a valentine to the place and time I grew up. But there are also just sort of facts you can look at, and I think the facts form a different pattern then than they do now."
Rumor has it that Lynne Cheney will be conducting a book signing at Casper College on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m. Haven't heard any confirmation on that. Any of you wyomingarts readers have any details? If so, e-mail me. We'd like to get it on the calendar.
"Swingtime Canteen" opens with WYO gala
The World War II-era musical, Swingtime Canteen, opens with a gala on Saturday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m., at the WYO Theater in Sheridan. For $75, you get a ticket to the show, drinks, and heavy hors d'oeuvres.
Encores will be staged Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 25-27, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. Tickets for these performances are $18 adult, $16 senior & military, $10 Student, $8 12-and-under. Call the WYO Box Office at 307-672-9084.
Here's a description from the WYO Theater web site:
Swingtime Canteen is by Linda Thorsen Bond, William Repicci, and Charles Busch.
It's London, 1944. Join MGM star Marian Ames and her all-girl band from the Hollywood Canteen for the rip-roaringest canteen show of them all. Swingtime Canteen, the "Star Spangled Musical Hit", enjoyed over 300 performances Off Broadway before beginning a London production. It has since become a staple of musical theatres across the country. The show takes its inspiration from the films and personalities that helped to define the national consciousness know as "the war effort".
In the new millennium, Swingtime Canteen fondly looks back to a time universally heralded as America's finest hour. Featuring the real hits of 1940s swing, Swingtime Canteen brings a USO show right to the stage of the WYO Theater. The local cast and band of Sheridan's most talented performers are led by Directors Marva Craft and Tami Davis. Special appearances by Kelly Miller Smart, Mary Jo Johnson, and Julio and Suzanne Quintana.
Encores will be staged Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 25-27, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. Tickets for these performances are $18 adult, $16 senior & military, $10 Student, $8 12-and-under. Call the WYO Box Office at 307-672-9084.
Here's a description from the WYO Theater web site:
Swingtime Canteen is by Linda Thorsen Bond, William Repicci, and Charles Busch.
It's London, 1944. Join MGM star Marian Ames and her all-girl band from the Hollywood Canteen for the rip-roaringest canteen show of them all. Swingtime Canteen, the "Star Spangled Musical Hit", enjoyed over 300 performances Off Broadway before beginning a London production. It has since become a staple of musical theatres across the country. The show takes its inspiration from the films and personalities that helped to define the national consciousness know as "the war effort".
In the new millennium, Swingtime Canteen fondly looks back to a time universally heralded as America's finest hour. Featuring the real hits of 1940s swing, Swingtime Canteen brings a USO show right to the stage of the WYO Theater. The local cast and band of Sheridan's most talented performers are led by Directors Marva Craft and Tami Davis. Special appearances by Kelly Miller Smart, Mary Jo Johnson, and Julio and Suzanne Quintana.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Student's work at ASUW Gallery
Art paintings by University of Wyoming senior Travis Ivey will be on display Oct. 11-16 at the ASUW Gallery in the Wyoming Union
The gallery is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. An opening reception is scheduled Friday, Oct. 12, from 5-7 p.m.
Ivey's project, titled "Booms and Busts," portrays several sites across Wyoming that have been significantly altered by industry and commerce and examines the impact on the landscape.
The gallery is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. An opening reception is scheduled Friday, Oct. 12, from 5-7 p.m.
Ivey's project, titled "Booms and Busts," portrays several sites across Wyoming that have been significantly altered by industry and commerce and examines the impact on the landscape.
Flynn offers more bewilderment, less B.S.
On Thursday, October 18, 2-5 p.m., writer Nick Flynn will conduct a workshop on “Bewilderment” at the Casper College Literary Conference. Nick is the author of “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City” (Norton, 2004) which won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir and has been translated into 10 languages. Nick grew up on Boston’s South Shore and spent six years working at a Boston homeless shelter. In “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City,” he recounts a tumultuous childhood and family life – with the uncanny trajectory that ultimately led his homeless father to seek shelter at the Pine Street Inn while Nick worked there. Poet Mark Doty states, “Nick Flynn has given us one of the most terrifying families in American letters, though he approaches each character in this ferocious, inventive memoir with an almost radical sense of compassion, as if all that any of us could do were to stumble ahead with the burdens we are given. The result is a book so singular, harrowing and loving as to be indelible.”
Nick, making his first foray to Wyoming, describes his Oct. 18 workshop this way:
Participants will be asked to consider bewilderment and how it gets acted out in our writing – either through syntax, access to the duende, leaps into the unconscious, or simply circling around what is unsaid, unknown, unrealized. Or, as Aristotle puts it, "The mind in the act of making a mistake. . . ." Participants will be asked to read classmates’ work with an eye toward bewilderment, marking and naming those places they see it enacted or embodied. During the workshop, the group will try to find ways to push a little further into this shadow world. In “Robert Frost, a Life,” Jay Parini writes, “as in so many of his dramatic poems, Frost dwells on points of miscommunication, the fathomless depths of isolation inherent in all acts of utterance, the gaps that cannot be bridged by words. As Frost said at his readings: 'Poems are about what you don’t mean as well as what you do mean.' "
If Nick's session doesn't strike your fancy, try a songwriting workshop with Jeff Finlin (of Casper favorite, the Jeff Finlin Band); or maybe a "Women's Story" workshop by Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen. All these -- and more -- will be offered as part of the "Spiritual Warriors" literary conference Oct. 17-19 at Casper College.
Click here to register for workshops.
FMI: Kathy Coe, 307-268-2533 or 1-800-442-2963
Nick, making his first foray to Wyoming, describes his Oct. 18 workshop this way:
Participants will be asked to consider bewilderment and how it gets acted out in our writing – either through syntax, access to the duende, leaps into the unconscious, or simply circling around what is unsaid, unknown, unrealized. Or, as Aristotle puts it, "The mind in the act of making a mistake. . . ." Participants will be asked to read classmates’ work with an eye toward bewilderment, marking and naming those places they see it enacted or embodied. During the workshop, the group will try to find ways to push a little further into this shadow world. In “Robert Frost, a Life,” Jay Parini writes, “as in so many of his dramatic poems, Frost dwells on points of miscommunication, the fathomless depths of isolation inherent in all acts of utterance, the gaps that cannot be bridged by words. As Frost said at his readings: 'Poems are about what you don’t mean as well as what you do mean.' "
If Nick's session doesn't strike your fancy, try a songwriting workshop with Jeff Finlin (of Casper favorite, the Jeff Finlin Band); or maybe a "Women's Story" workshop by Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen. All these -- and more -- will be offered as part of the "Spiritual Warriors" literary conference Oct. 17-19 at Casper College.
Click here to register for workshops.
FMI: Kathy Coe, 307-268-2533 or 1-800-442-2963
Richard Renaldi exhibit at the Nicolaysen
Western Lives by Richard Renaldi runs through December 30, 2007. Curator of the Nic, Lisa Hatchadoorian, writes, "The beautiful, insightful, and poignant photographic portraits by Richard Renaldi convey a universe in a single moment. They are deeply empathetic to our shared human condition, as well as documenting lives lived in certain places: the expansive and mythological West, the Great Plains region, Bus Travelers, and the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Renaldi's photographs stop us in our tracks as they force us to see beyond the outwardly mundane scrim of yet another anonymous persona to something more poignant, strong, fierce, unique and human underneath."FMI, go to http://www.thenic.org/
Cheyenne Artists Guild hosts Tim Collins
October 20th at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the watercolor workshop by Tim Collins in the Artists Guild Loft. Fee is $40.
Tim Collins paints in Laramie, Wyoming. He is well noted for his landscape and wildlife images, often combining the realism of local Wyoming wildlife with abstract foregrounds, or animals emerging from pictograph inspired backgroungs. Tim has an M.A. from UW. He has painted for over 45 years and has recently retired as the Laramie High School art teacher. Tim can't escape the joys of teaching, often instructing classes for the Laramie County Community College and local Art Guild lessons. Tim shows his work in Laramie and Nebraska.
Call Norm at 632-2263 or Nesl at 638-7080 for more information.
Tim Collins paints in Laramie, Wyoming. He is well noted for his landscape and wildlife images, often combining the realism of local Wyoming wildlife with abstract foregrounds, or animals emerging from pictograph inspired backgroungs. Tim has an M.A. from UW. He has painted for over 45 years and has recently retired as the Laramie High School art teacher. Tim can't escape the joys of teaching, often instructing classes for the Laramie County Community College and local Art Guild lessons. Tim shows his work in Laramie and Nebraska.
Call Norm at 632-2263 or Nesl at 638-7080 for more information.
Mother-Daughter book discussion at library
October 13, at the Laramie County Library -- Mother-Daughter Book Club (for daughters in grades 8-12). Meeting time is at 4 p.m. The book discussion will be on Gabrielle Zevein's Elsewhere.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Jon Lodge featured in NWC exhibit
From Renee Claire Tafoya, Division of Visual and Performing Arts, Northwest College in Powell:You're invited to an exhibition featuring the work of Jon Lodge from Oct. 23-Nov. 16, Northwest Gallery, Cabre Building on the NWC campus. A public reception for the artist will be held in the gallery from 7:30-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23.
A multi-talented artist and musician, Lodge typically composes from a central concept by systematically following a careful plan of execution. An admirer of Miles Davis, Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, Richard Serra, John Cage, John Coltrane, Antoni Tapes, Cy Twombly and Robert Ryman, he appropriates freely from the past in pursuit of new materials and ideas. The idea of deliberately distancing the artist from the creative equation tends to bypass any form of literal representation, while also producing a higher probability for expressions of pure randomness.
Hubbard Street 2 at UW
Hubbard Street 2, a contemporary dance group based in Chicago, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, in the College of Arts & Sciences auditorium in Laramie as part of the University of Wyoming Cultural Program's fall concert series.
Tickets cost $20 for the general public and $16 for students and seniors. Tickets are available by calling the Fine Arts Center box office at (307) 766-6666 or at the Web site www.uwyoedu/finearts.
Tickets cost $20 for the general public and $16 for students and seniors. Tickets are available by calling the Fine Arts Center box office at (307) 766-6666 or at the Web site www.uwyoedu/finearts.
Humanities Council: "Between Fences"
Between Fences weaves the history of fences into the development of the United States and the West as we know it today. From colonial stockades to the range wars to today’s gated communities, the exhibition explores the many ways that fence building has transformed our nation. Visitors will walk through and around actual fences as they explore the nature of space and boundaries.
The Wyoming Humanities Council offers statewide programming on the fences theme, including "Border Lines: A Film Discussion Series;" "Reading Wyoming: Living Between Fences;" and special "Humanities Forum" speakers. The council sponsored an anthology, Wyoming Fence Lines, featuring the prose and poetry of 57 writers from Wyoming and beyond. It also is sponsoring the year-long tour of a new Smithsonian Museum on Main Street exhibition, "Between Fences." Visit "Between Fences" in one of these five Wyoming communities:
Pinedale, Sublette Co. Library, Sept. 22-Nov.10, 2007, schedule of events
Evanston, Uinta Co. Museum, Nov. 17, 2007-Jan. 12, 2008, schedule of events
Sheridan, Sheridan Co. Library, Jan. 19-March 15, 2008
Meeteetse, Meeteetse Museum District, March 22-May 10, 2008
Sundance, Crook Co. Museum and Library, May 17-July 7, 2008
Visit Museum on Main Street for more information on Between Fences.
Visit Between Fences on MySpace at www.myspace.com/BetweenFences.
The Wyoming Humanities Council offers statewide programming on the fences theme, including "Border Lines: A Film Discussion Series;" "Reading Wyoming: Living Between Fences;" and special "Humanities Forum" speakers. The council sponsored an anthology, Wyoming Fence Lines, featuring the prose and poetry of 57 writers from Wyoming and beyond. It also is sponsoring the year-long tour of a new Smithsonian Museum on Main Street exhibition, "Between Fences." Visit "Between Fences" in one of these five Wyoming communities:
Pinedale, Sublette Co. Library, Sept. 22-Nov.10, 2007, schedule of events
Evanston, Uinta Co. Museum, Nov. 17, 2007-Jan. 12, 2008, schedule of events
Sheridan, Sheridan Co. Library, Jan. 19-March 15, 2008
Meeteetse, Meeteetse Museum District, March 22-May 10, 2008
Sundance, Crook Co. Museum and Library, May 17-July 7, 2008
Visit Museum on Main Street for more information on Between Fences.
Visit Between Fences on MySpace at www.myspace.com/BetweenFences.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Frolander featured at Mont. event
Pat Frolander, long-time member of Bear Lodge Writers in Crook County, will be the featured poet for the 19th annual Alzada Cowboy Poetry, Music, and Art Show at the Alzada, Mont., Community Club on Sunday, October 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Here's some bio info about Pat from an Oct. 4 article in the Black Hills Pioneer:
Here's some bio info about Pat from an Oct. 4 article in the Black Hills Pioneer:
Pat Frolander from Sundance, Wyoming tries to balance family, ranching and writing and has a passion for each of them. She and her husband Robert own the family ranch in the Black Hills of Wyoming. Her ties to land and livestock have provided a variety of subjects for her to write about. She is blessed with a family of three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild which also provide enrichment for her pen. She writes that "managing family or ranching is like trying to rope the wind. Wyoming wind is either bringing a storm or ushering in sunshine." She admits to loving change but as she grows older moderate
weather is appreciated.
Frolander began writing poetry in 1969 and became published "by accident" through a friend's submission of her work to an anthology. Frolander also writes" I am proud of the people, who remain on the land, work and cherish it, as their ancestors have. It isn't an easy life but those who claim it understand how fragile the balance in nature is." That is why she writes about the people of the ranching community and was very popular with the Alzada audience last year.
Frolander's poetry and essays have been published in several anthologies including the Woven on the Wind and Crazy Woman Creek by Houghton Mifflin, Cowgirl Poetry by Gibbs-Smith, Hard Ground IV by Pronghorn Press, Farm Journal Magazine and several other publications.
Deadline Nov. 2 for folk arts apprenticeships
In support of the state’s diverse folk and traditional arts, the Wyoming Arts Council is awarding a number of apprenticeship grants to artists who strive to preserve their cultural and traditional talents.
These Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants are awarded by the Arts Council to financially support the continued participation in traditional practices preserving the cultural heritage of Wyoming.
Previous recipients have shared the arts of overshot weaving, old-time fiddle tunes, Wyoming cowboy music, basketmaking and bead and buckskin work from the Wind River Reservation.
From the artists of Shoshone beadwork to Basque dancing to Scottish bagpipe music, the Folk and Traditional Arts program encourages all those who understand the importance of artistic traditions, as well as the continuation and sharing of these traditions to submit an application.
This year, six grants of $2,000 each will be provided for master artists to teach their skills to qualified apprentices. The apprenticing artist must study with a master that shares a common heritage, whether it is a family, ethnic, occupational, tribal, religious or geographic community.
The deadline to apply for a Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant is Nov. 2, 2007.
FMI: Anne F. Hatch, 307-777-7721.
These Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grants are awarded by the Arts Council to financially support the continued participation in traditional practices preserving the cultural heritage of Wyoming.
Previous recipients have shared the arts of overshot weaving, old-time fiddle tunes, Wyoming cowboy music, basketmaking and bead and buckskin work from the Wind River Reservation.
From the artists of Shoshone beadwork to Basque dancing to Scottish bagpipe music, the Folk and Traditional Arts program encourages all those who understand the importance of artistic traditions, as well as the continuation and sharing of these traditions to submit an application.
This year, six grants of $2,000 each will be provided for master artists to teach their skills to qualified apprentices. The apprenticing artist must study with a master that shares a common heritage, whether it is a family, ethnic, occupational, tribal, religious or geographic community.
The deadline to apply for a Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant is Nov. 2, 2007.
FMI: Anne F. Hatch, 307-777-7721.
Readers Theatre Series in Cheyenne
From Harry Woods, director of the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players:
I want to invite you all to see "Doubt, A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley on Friday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., at the Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne. The play was the winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. If you did not purchase that part of the season, all tickets are $10. If you did, your ticket will be at Will Call. Remember for the Readers Theatre Series, all seats are general admission, so you can sit wherever you want.
Here's are reviews, provided by Dramatists Play Service:
"All the elements come invigoratingly together like clockwork in John Patrick Shanley’s provocative new play, DOUBT, a gripping story of suspicion cast on a priest’s behavior that is less about scandal than about fascinatingly nuanced questions of moral certainty. A laudable new American play." — Variety
"#1 show of the year. How splendid it feels to be trusted with such passionate, exquisite ambiguity unlike anything we have seen from this prolific playwright so far. Blunt yet subtle, manipulative but full of empathy for all sides, the play is set in 1964 but could not be more timely. In just ninety fast-moving minutes, Shanley creates four blazingly individual people. DOUBT is a lean, potent drama…passionate, exquisite, important and engrossing." — New York Newsday
"A beautifully balanced drama. Shanley is a writer working at the top of his craft, making the most of a muted but evocative palette in the pursuit of truth’s shadows. Here, for the first time in a long time, is a play that is about something." — Chicago Tribune
"An eloquent and provocative investigation of truth and consequences. A gripping mystery, tightly written." — Time Out
I want to invite you all to see "Doubt, A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley on Friday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., at the Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne. The play was the winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. If you did not purchase that part of the season, all tickets are $10. If you did, your ticket will be at Will Call. Remember for the Readers Theatre Series, all seats are general admission, so you can sit wherever you want.
Here's are reviews, provided by Dramatists Play Service:
"All the elements come invigoratingly together like clockwork in John Patrick Shanley’s provocative new play, DOUBT, a gripping story of suspicion cast on a priest’s behavior that is less about scandal than about fascinatingly nuanced questions of moral certainty. A laudable new American play." — Variety
"#1 show of the year. How splendid it feels to be trusted with such passionate, exquisite ambiguity unlike anything we have seen from this prolific playwright so far. Blunt yet subtle, manipulative but full of empathy for all sides, the play is set in 1964 but could not be more timely. In just ninety fast-moving minutes, Shanley creates four blazingly individual people. DOUBT is a lean, potent drama…passionate, exquisite, important and engrossing." — New York Newsday
"A beautifully balanced drama. Shanley is a writer working at the top of his craft, making the most of a muted but evocative palette in the pursuit of truth’s shadows. Here, for the first time in a long time, is a play that is about something." — Chicago Tribune
"An eloquent and provocative investigation of truth and consequences. A gripping mystery, tightly written." — Time Out
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
"Bell, Book, and Candle" in Sheridan
The Civic Theater Guild, 419 Delphi Avenue in Sheridan, presents "Bell, Book, and Candle," written by John Van Druten and directed by Ann Quick.
In this romantic comedy, the author assumes that a few modern people can cast spells and perform feats of supernaturalism. Gillian Holroyd casts a spell over an unattached publisher – partly to keep him away from a rival and partly because she is attracted to him. He falls head over heels in love with her at once and wants to marry her. But witches, unfortunately, cannot fall in love and this minute imperfection leads to a number of entertaining difficulties. Witches, warlocks and cats - what better way to kick of the fall season!
Cast includes Colleen Eccles, Regis Michelena, Rick Overholt, Sharon Bedard, Eileen Lyons, and Speck McKinley.
Show Dates: October 5, 6, 12,13, 14, 18, 19, 20, and 21.
FMI: 307-672-9886
In this romantic comedy, the author assumes that a few modern people can cast spells and perform feats of supernaturalism. Gillian Holroyd casts a spell over an unattached publisher – partly to keep him away from a rival and partly because she is attracted to him. He falls head over heels in love with her at once and wants to marry her. But witches, unfortunately, cannot fall in love and this minute imperfection leads to a number of entertaining difficulties. Witches, warlocks and cats - what better way to kick of the fall season!
Cast includes Colleen Eccles, Regis Michelena, Rick Overholt, Sharon Bedard, Eileen Lyons, and Speck McKinley.
Show Dates: October 5, 6, 12,13, 14, 18, 19, 20, and 21.
FMI: 307-672-9886
The 2008 Governor's Arts Awards
Save the date - February 22, 2008 to attend the 26th Annual Governor’s Arts Awards dinner and celebration!
Watch this site for more information about the event and the recipients of the 2007 Governor’s Arts Awards.
For the past twenty-five years, the Governor’s Arts Awards have recognized those who dedicate their time, passion and financial support to Wyoming’s cultural life, and have emphasized the importance of the arts in daily life. Individuals, organizations or communities selected to receive awards for 2007 will be honored on Friday evening, February 22, 2008 in Cheyenne.
Watch this site for more information about the event and the recipients of the 2007 Governor’s Arts Awards.
For the past twenty-five years, the Governor’s Arts Awards have recognized those who dedicate their time, passion and financial support to Wyoming’s cultural life, and have emphasized the importance of the arts in daily life. Individuals, organizations or communities selected to receive awards for 2007 will be honored on Friday evening, February 22, 2008 in Cheyenne.
Christopher Cokinos coming to UW
The University of Wyoming Art Museum and the MFA Program are pleased to announce a talk by award-winning nature and science writer Christopher Cokinos. Cokinos will speak on The Fallen Sky: A Private History of Shooting Stars, an account of his experiences as a meteorite hunter in the polar regions. The talk will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22 in the Art Museum. Afterward, he will answer audience questions, and sign books at a short reception. The event is free and open to the public. The talk is held in concert with the Art Museum’s "Antarctica" exhibit, which celebrates the anniversary of the NSF’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. For 50 years, the NSF has funded artists and writers to work side by side with scientists in Antarctica, helping them to translate the experience of that remote landscape into word and image. Antarctica also celebrates 2007-08 as the International Polar Year, the 100th anniversary of the discovery and exploration of the polar regions. The exhibit runs through Dec. 22.Cokinos is Assistant Professor of English and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environment and Society at Utah State University, where he also edits Isotope: A Journal of Literary Nature & Science Writing. His poems, essays and reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in Science, Birder's World, Poetry, Iowa Review, Shenandoah, Orion, Turnrow and Ecotone. The recipient of both a Whiting Award and the Glasgow Prize for an Emerging Writer, Cokinos is the author of Hope Is the Thing with Feathers: A Personal Chronicle of Vanished Birds (Warner, 2001). The result of 10 years of detective work, the book gives us, "poetically and movingly," (Scientific American), the histories of six extinct North American birds, along with stories of the people who killed them off and those who tried to save them. "Even readers with no special interest in birds will be caught up in this marvelous book, a deeply moving cautionary tale about how we have systematically diminished the planet," writes Publishers Weekly.
"Cokinos… transforms each extinction into a deeply disturbing tragedy—both for the species itself, and for human civilization."
Hope Is the Thing with Feathers received the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, and will be reprinted in 2008. Cokinos has also published a book of poems, Killing Seasons (Woodley Press, 1993). In 2003, Cokinos was awarded a National Science Foundation fellowship to join the Antarctic Search for Meteorites Expedition. While collecting meteorites with scientists, he spent five weeks on the Antarctic polar plateau, living with a stranger, in an unheated tent, in 24-hour daylight—an experience he found "beautiful and grueling." He found himself battling insomnia and depression, passing the time with his tent-mate by doing impersonations of Mr. Burns and Smithers from The Simpsons. In the end, the expedition found more than 1,000 meteorites, including one from Mars. Still, the payoff for the journey was as much personal as scientific. "Sometimes," Cokinos says, "we go out hunting something in the world—meteorites, histories, orchids, you name it—and end up finding ourselves too." The full tale of his time in the Antarctic will appear in a non-fiction book, The Fallen Sky, which will be published by Tarcher/Penguin in 2008.
Cokinos’ talk is co-sponsored by the Art Museum and by the Haub School and Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources. His visit is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art.
The MFA Program is Wyoming’s graduate creative writing program, mentoring a new generation of writers and bringing to the state a wealth of literary talent from the region, the nation and the world. Each semester, the MFA Visiting Writers Series brings a number of
distinguished authors to Wyoming. Past guests include Terry Tempest Williams, David Quammen, Francine Prose, Pico Iyer, Alexandra Fuller and U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser.
The Art Museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive. Hours for the museum and the Museum Store are 10am - 5pm Tues. - Sat. and 10am - 9pm Mon. For more information, please call 307-766-6620 or visit www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum
Further info: www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting
Joy Harjo and Larry Mitchell to visit Northwest College
Joy Harjo and Larry Mitchell will be performing at Northwest College's Annual Native American Heritage Month Celebration and Feast. The activities begin at 10 a.m. on Nov. 8, and includes a library display presentation by Harjo. Harjo and Mitchell will have lunch with the Writing and Literary Guild (a student club), and then visit selected classes on the NWC campus. At 5 p.m. the Buffalo Feast dinner takes place in the DeWitt Student Center Lounge. Harjo, the guest speaker will discuss the significance of Native American Heritage Month and the Buffalo Feast. 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is the writer's series presentation in the NPA Auditorium, where Harjo will read poetry, followed by Harjo and Mitchell giving a musical performance. Following this performance, Harjo and Mitchell will be signing books and their cd and will have one-on-one discussions.Joy Harjo was born in 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a member of the Muscogee Tribe. She studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the University of New Mexico, earning her B. A. She then attended the Iowa Writers Workshop, earning her M. F. A. Her books include How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems (2002); A Map to the Next World (2000); The Woman Who Fell from the Sky (1994); In Mad Love and War (1990); Secrets from the Center of the World (1989); She Had Some Horses (1983); and What Moon Drove Me to This (1979). Along with Patricia Blanco, Beth Cuthand, and Valerie Martinez, Harjo edited Reinventing the Enemy's Language: Contemporary Native Women's Writings of North America (1997).
In addition to working with Native American issues, Harjo shares concerns with indigenous and Third World people globally. Her love of jazz led her to the alto sax and the forming of her band Poetic Justice. She has recorded three CDs of her work: Letter from the End of the Twentieth Century (1997); Native Joy for Real (2004); and She Had Some Horses (2006).
Harjo has won the American Indian Distinguished Achievement in the Arts Award, the Josephine Miles Poetry Award, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, the William Carlos Williams Award, and fellowships from the Arizona Arts Commission, the Witter Bynner Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. As a teacher, Harjo has been a frequent leader of workshops and has taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts, the University of Colorado, and the University of Arizona. She divides her time between Honolulu and Albuquerque.
Larry Mitchell has performed with a wide range of artists; his latest collaboration before working with Joy Harjo was with Native American artist Shelley Morningsong. In 1986 and 1987 Mitchell won the New York City Limelight guitar solo contest. In 1988, he toured with Spanish/Italian artist Miguel Bose. He's toured and worked with Folk pop singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, T. M. Stevens, and Sandra Bernard. Other notable performances include the Jon Stewart show with Coolio, Montel Jordan, Pete Rock, and C. L. Smooth. He's also won a vast range of awards, including his most recentm with the New Mexico Music Awards.
Music highlights Wyo. Arts Summit Gala
Registration continues for the state’s first Wyoming Arts Summit and Wyoming Arts Council 40th Anniversary Dinner Gala to be held at the Casper Events Center Oct. 19-20.The Arts Summit brings together artists and governmental leaders from throughout the state to discuss how the arts and other cultural events can enhance economic prosperity in Wyoming communities. This is an initiative of First Lady Nancy Freudenthal.
In conjunction with the Arts Summit, the Arts Council will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a Dinner Gala hosted by Nancy Freudenthal and attended by honored guest and evening speaker Senator Mike Enzi. The Dinner Gala will begin at 6:30 p.m., October 19, at the Casper Events Center.
The evening will feature one hour of choral, symphonic and jazz music presented by performers from throughout Wyoming.
Dr. Michael Griffith and the 93-member University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra will perform "Wind River" from Joseph Curiale’s "The Music of Life." Curiale composed this piece specifically for the UW Orchestra’s millennium concert. Joining the symphony are 18 additional Wyoming musicians. Photographs of the landscapes, which inspired Curiale’s music, will be featured in a video/photographic presentation during the concert.
Saxophonist Dr. Scott Turpen will conduct and perform with the University of Wyoming Jazz Ensemble I. The group will be joined by trumpeter, Dr. Thomas Pfotenhauer, guest professor of saxophone at UW. They will open the program with a modern version of the jazz classic, Joe Garland’s, "In the Mood," as well as other jazz selections.
Under the direction of Pat Patton of Casper College, four choruses will sing various selections, concluding a combined program with a 150-voice and symphonic rendition of "America the Beautiful." The choruses scheduled to perform are the Casper College Chorale; the Cheyenne Chamber Choir, Jane Iverson, director; Lyman High School Choir, T.J. Dick, director; and the Casper Children’s Chorus, Marcia Patton, director.
The Wyoming Arts Council has collaborated with Casey Kearns, assistant professor of Theater, UW, for the effects and technical aspects of the multi-faceted evening.
Register for the Summit by contacting the Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742 or ebratt@state.wy.us. The cost is $125.
To attend the Friday evening banquet only, reserve your $25 dinner tickets by contacting the Arts Council.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Vote for your favorite Yellowstone song
The Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nevada, sent out this announcement:
Vote For Your Favorite Song in the Yellowstone Teton Song Contest
Sixteen songs have been selected as finalists from 139 songs submitted for the Yellowstone Teton Song Contest. Please vote for your favorite song here. You may only vote once. The poll will detect whether you have voted more than once and will prevent you from voting again. The winner of the Audience Award will receive a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Guitar valued at $2833. Grand Prize ($1,000) and Gold Prize ($500) winners will also be selected from these finalists by our judges. Voting will end at midnight, Oct. 7. Winners of all three awards will be announced Oct. 15. If you would like to be notified when the Songs from Yellowstone and the Tetons CD is released and when the Yellowstone-area concerts are scheduled, please sign up for our E-News here.
Notice that several of the songwriters are from Wyoming. One, Michael Hurwitz, is on the Wyoming Arts Council's artists' roster. You don't have to vote for Michael's song, but check out the roster if you want to bring him to your community via an Arts Across Wyoming grant.
Vote For Your Favorite Song in the Yellowstone Teton Song Contest
Sixteen songs have been selected as finalists from 139 songs submitted for the Yellowstone Teton Song Contest. Please vote for your favorite song here. You may only vote once. The poll will detect whether you have voted more than once and will prevent you from voting again. The winner of the Audience Award will receive a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Guitar valued at $2833. Grand Prize ($1,000) and Gold Prize ($500) winners will also be selected from these finalists by our judges. Voting will end at midnight, Oct. 7. Winners of all three awards will be announced Oct. 15. If you would like to be notified when the Songs from Yellowstone and the Tetons CD is released and when the Yellowstone-area concerts are scheduled, please sign up for our E-News here.
Notice that several of the songwriters are from Wyoming. One, Michael Hurwitz, is on the Wyoming Arts Council's artists' roster. You don't have to vote for Michael's song, but check out the roster if you want to bring him to your community via an Arts Across Wyoming grant.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Quilt art topic of Palma talk
From a Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources press release:
Do Palma of Cheyenne will discuss the growing genre of quilt art during a presentation at the Wyoming State Museum, October 6, from 9-10:30 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Palma’s presentation is held in conjunction with the State Museum’s current temporary exhibit, “Elements from the Front Range: Contemporary Quilters.”
Palma, who is featured in the exhibit, will discuss the various artists with pieces in the show, their techniques and provide a brief history of art quilting. She will also provide advice to the public on how to get involved in the world of fiber arts and show some of her own quilt art collection.
FMI: Call 307-777-7022 or go to http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/Press/index.asp.
Do Palma of Cheyenne will discuss the growing genre of quilt art during a presentation at the Wyoming State Museum, October 6, from 9-10:30 a.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Palma’s presentation is held in conjunction with the State Museum’s current temporary exhibit, “Elements from the Front Range: Contemporary Quilters.”
Palma, who is featured in the exhibit, will discuss the various artists with pieces in the show, their techniques and provide a brief history of art quilting. She will also provide advice to the public on how to get involved in the world of fiber arts and show some of her own quilt art collection.
FMI: Call 307-777-7022 or go to http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/Press/index.asp.
Amazon.com announces novel contest
Amazon.com is accepting unpublished English language works of fiction for entry in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award through November 5, 2007.
Once the submission period ends, Amazon editors and top Amazon customer reviewers will read submissions and select authors for the semi-final round, beginning January 15, 2008. Each semi-finalist will receive a full review of their manuscript by Publishers Weekly and a book page on Amazon.com featuring a short excerpt from their novel that customers can download, read, and review. Penguin will select manuscripts to read from the semi-final round based on customer feedback and Publishers Weekly reviews and announce the Top Ten finalists on March 3, 2008. Amazon.com customers will then select the winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Award, to be announced on April 7, 2008.
Register now at https://abna.createspace.com/Register.do;jsessionid=68F95F73A44075728F171CC89D9BA03F.abnaworker00
Only the first 5,000 submissions will be accepted.
Once the submission period ends, Amazon editors and top Amazon customer reviewers will read submissions and select authors for the semi-final round, beginning January 15, 2008. Each semi-finalist will receive a full review of their manuscript by Publishers Weekly and a book page on Amazon.com featuring a short excerpt from their novel that customers can download, read, and review. Penguin will select manuscripts to read from the semi-final round based on customer feedback and Publishers Weekly reviews and announce the Top Ten finalists on March 3, 2008. Amazon.com customers will then select the winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Award, to be announced on April 7, 2008.
Register now at https://abna.createspace.com/Register.do;jsessionid=68F95F73A44075728F171CC89D9BA03F.abnaworker00
Only the first 5,000 submissions will be accepted.
The Bard -- Abridged version
A performance of "William Shakespeare (Abridged)" will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m., at the Cam-plex Heritage Center in Gillette. Tickets are $25-$30.
FMI: http://www.cam-plex.com.
FMI: http://www.cam-plex.com.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Red Desert the topic at UW Art Museum
I attended the sessions today at the Red Desert Symposium at the UW Art Museum in Laramie. Photographer Marty Stupich started the day with some background on the 57 photos displayed in the museum's main gallery. One of them -- a distant shot of Boar's Thumb under a big sky -- is featured on the conference's poster (see above). This was followed by a panel discussion of the people behind the book "Red Desert," due for a 2008 release by the University of Texas Press. The project was edited by Annie Proulx of Saratoga, who also wrote and researched some of the text. Stupich's photos add visual pizzazz to the book. Other panelists were anthropologist Dudley Gardner and geologist Charles Ferguson.Proulx became interested in the Red Desert when Stupich asked her to write the intro to his book of photos. She set off for the Coe Library at UW, figuring she'd grab a sack of books on the subject, read them, and write her intro. But she found not a single book on the Red Desert. At the UW Heritage Center, she found an old volume on the region's botany -- but that was it. The lack of publications spurred her to consult Dudley Gardner and they talked to other researchers and scientists. "It just grew after that," she said.
In the afternoon, UW entymologist and grasshopper expert (and WAC creative writing fellowship winner) Jeff Lockwood talked about the amazing amount and diversity of bugs he found during a Red Desert survey. He compared its biological richness similar to that of the Amazon River Basin in South America.
Lockwood was one of 14 presenters who had been sent to the Red Desert by conference organizers with the charge that they return with a 20-minute presentation. None knew what the other would present. Frieda Knobloch composed an essay on her travels and read it to the crowd. Anthropologist Robert Kelly read an imaginative essay, cued to a Powerpoint show, about the arrival of the first people to Wyoming in "Who First Saw the Red Desert?"
More sessions tomorrow (Sept. 29) at the Art Museum. Laramie's Linda Lillegraven will talk about her paintings about the desert. Bryce Reece of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association will speak about the history of the sheep industry in the Red Desert.
The Red Desert is 6,000 square miles of Wyoming. It's made up of thousands of species and scores of natural wonders. It also has -- at last count -- more than 15,000 oil and gas wells. The threats are clear, but the first step is gaining some information on this little-known place in the state.
--Michael Shay
Antarctica coming to UW Art Museum in October
Monday Night at the Museum at the UW Art Museum during October will feature programs on Antarctica. The first in a series of public programs will be held October 1.
Photographer Joan Myers is joined by photographer Martin Stupich for a Gallery Walk at 10 a.m. Myers will conduct an Open Forum in the museum at 2 p.m. and will present an Art Talk at 7 p.m. entitled Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey. Joan Myers is a landscape photographer who has worked in the American Southwest and most recently Antarctica. "I don’t do portraits or social commentary," writes Myers. "What interests me is living – the way human beings affect the landscape in which they live. My job is to see clearly." Myers is one of seven artists in the current exhibition Antarctica, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Artists and Writers Program and the 100th anniversary of the discovery and exploration of the Polar Regions.
The October 8th Art Talk, Science in cold/miserable places: geoscience at the poles of the earth, is presented by Neil Humphrey, UW Professor of Geology & Geophysics.
Laramie resident Jerry Bucher will present an afternoon travelogue of Antarctica, Saturday, October 20, beginning at 3 p.m. Join Jerry for an armchair tour as he discusses the trips he has taken and how others can participate in guided tours to this area.
On October 22nd, the UW MFA Creative Writing Program and the Art Museum host writer Christopher Cokinos who will read from his book, The Fallen Sky: A Private History of Shooting Stars, which is the culmination of his Antarctic trip in 2004.
Guy Guthridge, former director of the National Science Foundation ’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, will present the talk, ANTARCTICA: Artists, Writers, and the "Continent for Science" on October 29th. Immediately following, a pre-release screening of Werner Herzog’s newest film, Encounters at the End of the World (Discover Films) will be shown.
Antarctica and this series of programs have been funded in part by Richard and Judith Agee, the Guthrie Family Foundation, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum, the Argosy Family Foundation and the UW Haub School and Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, the UW Program on Ecology, the Wyoming Council for the Humanities, and the Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts which believes a great nation deserves great art. Each program is free and open to the public. Monday Nights at the Museum begin at 7 p.m.
Bringing the world of art to Wyoming, the Art Museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 22nd & Willett Drive in Laramie. Hours for the Museum and Museum Store are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, please call the Art Museum at 307-766-6622 or visit http://www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.
Photographer Joan Myers is joined by photographer Martin Stupich for a Gallery Walk at 10 a.m. Myers will conduct an Open Forum in the museum at 2 p.m. and will present an Art Talk at 7 p.m. entitled Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey. Joan Myers is a landscape photographer who has worked in the American Southwest and most recently Antarctica. "I don’t do portraits or social commentary," writes Myers. "What interests me is living – the way human beings affect the landscape in which they live. My job is to see clearly." Myers is one of seven artists in the current exhibition Antarctica, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Artists and Writers Program and the 100th anniversary of the discovery and exploration of the Polar Regions.
The October 8th Art Talk, Science in cold/miserable places: geoscience at the poles of the earth, is presented by Neil Humphrey, UW Professor of Geology & Geophysics.
Laramie resident Jerry Bucher will present an afternoon travelogue of Antarctica, Saturday, October 20, beginning at 3 p.m. Join Jerry for an armchair tour as he discusses the trips he has taken and how others can participate in guided tours to this area.
On October 22nd, the UW MFA Creative Writing Program and the Art Museum host writer Christopher Cokinos who will read from his book, The Fallen Sky: A Private History of Shooting Stars, which is the culmination of his Antarctic trip in 2004.
Guy Guthridge, former director of the National Science Foundation ’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, will present the talk, ANTARCTICA: Artists, Writers, and the "Continent for Science" on October 29th. Immediately following, a pre-release screening of Werner Herzog’s newest film, Encounters at the End of the World (Discover Films) will be shown.
Antarctica and this series of programs have been funded in part by Richard and Judith Agee, the Guthrie Family Foundation, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum, the Argosy Family Foundation and the UW Haub School and Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, the UW Program on Ecology, the Wyoming Council for the Humanities, and the Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts which believes a great nation deserves great art. Each program is free and open to the public. Monday Nights at the Museum begin at 7 p.m.
Bringing the world of art to Wyoming, the Art Museum is located in the Centennial Complex at 22nd & Willett Drive in Laramie. Hours for the Museum and Museum Store are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, please call the Art Museum at 307-766-6622 or visit http://www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.
Thoroughly Modern Millie at Casper College
The Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance presents Thoroughly Modern Millie, book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan, new lyrics by Dick Scanlan, new music by Jeanine Tesori. Directed and choreographed by guest artist and Casper native Kurt Stamm, TMM will run October 12-13, 16-20, 23-27 at 7:30 p.m. on the McMurry Mainstage of the Gertrude Krampert Theatre. Thoroughly Modern Millie takes place in the roaring 20's and tells the story of young MIllie dillmount, who moves to New York city to follow her dreams. It's a New York City to follow her dreams. It's a New York filled with mystery and jazz -- skirts are shorter, women are entering the workforce, and the rules of love and social behavior are changing forever. Based on the popular movie, Thoroughly Modern Millie includes a fantastic score of new songs and bright dance numbers. Filled with frisky flappers, dashing leading men and a dragon-lady villainess audiences will love to hate. An evening of madcap comedy.
FMI call (307) 268-2500, 800-442-2963, ext. 2500 or go online at www.caspercollege.edu/theatre
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Poetry
A Dandelion for My Mother
How I loved those spiky suns,
rooted stubborn as childhood
in the grass, tough as the farmer's
big-headed children--the mats
of yellow hair, the bowl-cut fringe.
How sturdy they were and how
slowly they turned themselves
into galaxies, domes of ghost stars
barely visible by day, pale
cerebrums clinging to life
on tough green stems. Like you.
Like you, in the end. If you were here,
I'd pluck this trembling globe to show
how beautiful a thing can be
a breath will tear away.
by Maryland poet, Jean Nordhaus
Register now for Wyoming Arts Summit
Registration forms for the Wyoming Arts Summit in Casper must be postmarked by Oct. 1 to receive the early-bird rate of $100. That includes entry to an opening-night reception on Thursday, Oct. 18, at the Nicolaysen Art Museum, two days of informative talks by nationally known experts, tickets to the Friday night gala (which includes dinner and entertainment) and several other meals.
Fee for registrations after Oct. 1 is $125. Tickets for the Friday gala only are $25 apiece.
Find a printable form at the Wyoming Arts Council web site. Call 307-777-7742 for more information.
Fee for registrations after Oct. 1 is $125. Tickets for the Friday gala only are $25 apiece.
Find a printable form at the Wyoming Arts Council web site. Call 307-777-7742 for more information.
Free screening: "In the Valley of the Wolves"
The Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival presents a free world premiere screening of “In the Valley of the Wolves” at 7 and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, in the theater of the Center for the Arts in Jackson.Here’s a description from the Center for the Arts web site:
As the first wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone, the Druids are the most celebrated wolf pack in North America. New pioneers in the wilderness, they were at the heart of a massive scientific experiment to restore an entire ecosystem which began to break down without its wolves. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Bob Landis spent over three years with these remarkable wolves, creating a spectacularly dramatic and intimate record of their lives, their great battles with rival wolf packs, and the changing fortunes of the coyotes and foxes who share their home range in Yellowstone's beautiful Lamar Valley. Filmmaker Q/A will follow the screening.
Another great year for UW Music Dept.
From a press release:
Each year, the University of Wyoming Department of Music faculty in Laramie perform an array of vocal and instrumental combinations. This season, the UW Faculty Recital Series will feature 12 performances.
All concerts are held in the Fine Arts concert hall. Cost is $5 for students and senior citizens, and $7 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased individually or as a series from the UW Fine Arts Box Office by calling (307) 766-6666 or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. The schedule:
Friday, Sept. 28 -- Dave Cooper, guest artist trumpet recital, performs works by Telemann, Fasch, Goedicke, Bartok and Plog.
Sunday, Nov. 11 -- UW Brass Quintet performs operatic duets with UW faculty and guest artists.
Monday, Nov. 12 -- Maureen Sorensson, soprano, and Theresa Bogard, fortepiano, perform works by Haydn and Mozart.
Monday, Nov. 19 -- Javier Pinell, violin; Maureen Sorensson, soprano; Theresa Bogard, piano and harpsichord; and the UW Percussion Ensemble offer an evening of masterpieces, directed by Steve Barnhart.
Thursday, Dec. 6 -- Summit Chamber Players presents works by Mozart, Dvorak and Shostakovich.
Saturday, Feb. 2 -- Thomas Pfotenhauer, trumpet, and Theresa Bogard, piano, offer an evening of 20th century works.
Feb. 11-18 -- Anne Guzzo directs the New Music Concert Series, featuring diverse music by contemporary composers. For a detailed schedule visit the Department of Music Web site at www.uwyo.edu/music.
Wednesday, Feb. 13 -- Concert featuring Barbara Thiem on cello and Theresa Bogard on piano.
Thursday, March 6 -- James Przygocki, viola, and Rubia Santos, piano, perform works by Brahms, Schumann, and other composers.
Saturday, March 29 -- Belle Donna Piano Duo: Rubia Santos and Alexandra Mascolo-David perform "Brazil: New Sounds for Four-Hand Piano Literature."
Wednesday, April 23 -- Summit Chamber Players present works by Schumann, Turina and other composers.
Saturday, May 3 -- The Globe Saxophone Quartet performs works by Jean Rivier, Frederick Fox and other composers.
Each year, the University of Wyoming Department of Music faculty in Laramie perform an array of vocal and instrumental combinations. This season, the UW Faculty Recital Series will feature 12 performances.
All concerts are held in the Fine Arts concert hall. Cost is $5 for students and senior citizens, and $7 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased individually or as a series from the UW Fine Arts Box Office by calling (307) 766-6666 or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. The schedule:
Friday, Sept. 28 -- Dave Cooper, guest artist trumpet recital, performs works by Telemann, Fasch, Goedicke, Bartok and Plog.
Sunday, Nov. 11 -- UW Brass Quintet performs operatic duets with UW faculty and guest artists.
Monday, Nov. 12 -- Maureen Sorensson, soprano, and Theresa Bogard, fortepiano, perform works by Haydn and Mozart.
Monday, Nov. 19 -- Javier Pinell, violin; Maureen Sorensson, soprano; Theresa Bogard, piano and harpsichord; and the UW Percussion Ensemble offer an evening of masterpieces, directed by Steve Barnhart.
Thursday, Dec. 6 -- Summit Chamber Players presents works by Mozart, Dvorak and Shostakovich.
Saturday, Feb. 2 -- Thomas Pfotenhauer, trumpet, and Theresa Bogard, piano, offer an evening of 20th century works.
Feb. 11-18 -- Anne Guzzo directs the New Music Concert Series, featuring diverse music by contemporary composers. For a detailed schedule visit the Department of Music Web site at www.uwyo.edu/music.
Wednesday, Feb. 13 -- Concert featuring Barbara Thiem on cello and Theresa Bogard on piano.
Thursday, March 6 -- James Przygocki, viola, and Rubia Santos, piano, perform works by Brahms, Schumann, and other composers.
Saturday, March 29 -- Belle Donna Piano Duo: Rubia Santos and Alexandra Mascolo-David perform "Brazil: New Sounds for Four-Hand Piano Literature."
Wednesday, April 23 -- Summit Chamber Players present works by Schumann, Turina and other composers.
Saturday, May 3 -- The Globe Saxophone Quartet performs works by Jean Rivier, Frederick Fox and other composers.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Cowboy poets come to Pinedale
From a press release:
The second annual Pinedale Cowboy Roundup will be held Saturday Oct. 6, at the Pinedale High School auditorium. Many of our old friends are coming back to entertain us again and there will also be a few new ones for you to get to know. One thing is for sure and for certain, the same quality of cowboy entertainment that was at the PCR last year will be present and accounted for this year.
This year's line-up includes the returning 2006 favorites Yvonne Hollenbeck, Jesse Smith, Chris Isaacs, and Jerry Hall and Trick Shot. Joining them on stage are the unequaled talents of Jean Prescott and Chuck Larsen.
As always, all proceeds go the Small Miracles Foundation and Kickin' Cancer in Sublette County.
FMI: 307-367-6710 or info@pinedalecowboyroundup.com
The second annual Pinedale Cowboy Roundup will be held Saturday Oct. 6, at the Pinedale High School auditorium. Many of our old friends are coming back to entertain us again and there will also be a few new ones for you to get to know. One thing is for sure and for certain, the same quality of cowboy entertainment that was at the PCR last year will be present and accounted for this year.
This year's line-up includes the returning 2006 favorites Yvonne Hollenbeck, Jesse Smith, Chris Isaacs, and Jerry Hall and Trick Shot. Joining them on stage are the unequaled talents of Jean Prescott and Chuck Larsen.
As always, all proceeds go the Small Miracles Foundation and Kickin' Cancer in Sublette County.
FMI: 307-367-6710 or info@pinedalecowboyroundup.com
Chekhov on stage at UW Oct. 2-6
The University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance opens its fall season with "Uncle Vanya," Anton Chekov's bittersweet comedy about love, loss and desire.
The play, directed by UW Department of Theatre and Dance Professor (and WAC Governor's Arts Award winner) William Missouri Downs, runs Oct. 2-6, at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. on the Fine Arts main stage. Tickets are $14 for adults, $11 for seniors and $7 for students. To purchase tickets, call (307) 766-6666 or go to the Web site at http://www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
Set in pre-revolution Russia, Chekov's painfully funny tale, completed in 1899, tracks the intertwined lives of the pretentious Professor Serebryakov, who has led a charmed life; Vanya, the professor's brother-in-law whose life has followed a less fortunate path; and Sonya, the professor's daughter who has become an old maid while working to support her father.
FMI: Kathy Kirkaldie, Fine Arts programs coordinator, at (307) 766-2160 or kirisk@uwyo.edu.
The play, directed by UW Department of Theatre and Dance Professor (and WAC Governor's Arts Award winner) William Missouri Downs, runs Oct. 2-6, at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. on the Fine Arts main stage. Tickets are $14 for adults, $11 for seniors and $7 for students. To purchase tickets, call (307) 766-6666 or go to the Web site at http://www.uwyo.edu/finearts.
Set in pre-revolution Russia, Chekov's painfully funny tale, completed in 1899, tracks the intertwined lives of the pretentious Professor Serebryakov, who has led a charmed life; Vanya, the professor's brother-in-law whose life has followed a less fortunate path; and Sonya, the professor's daughter who has become an old maid while working to support her father.
FMI: Kathy Kirkaldie, Fine Arts programs coordinator, at (307) 766-2160 or kirisk@uwyo.edu.
Olson & Olson at LCCC Gallery
"From Paper to Clay," an exhibit of work by Michael Olson and Amber Battista Olson, will be held Oct. 4-31 at the Esther and John Clay Fine Arts Gallery at Laramie County Community College at 1400 East College Drive in Cheyenne.
The exhibit documents how these artists work from sketchbook or concept to the finished piece.
The Clay Gallery is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
FMI: 1-800-522-2993.
The exhibit documents how these artists work from sketchbook or concept to the finished piece.
The Clay Gallery is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
FMI: 1-800-522-2993.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
An evening with Mark Spragg
"An Evening with Wyoming Author Mark Spragg" will be held on Friday, Oct. 12, 7:30-8:30 p.m., at the Teton County Public Library in Jackson. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
The Cody-based writer and Wyoming native will read from and discuss his memoir, “Where Rivers Change Direction,” and his two novels, “An Unfinished Life” and “The Fruit of Stone.”
FMI: 733-2164 ext. 135. To register for the Saturday, Oct. 13, discussion on memoir writing with Jackson Hole Writers and Spragg, call Tim Sandlin at 307-413-3331.
The Cody-based writer and Wyoming native will read from and discuss his memoir, “Where Rivers Change Direction,” and his two novels, “An Unfinished Life” and “The Fruit of Stone.”
FMI: 733-2164 ext. 135. To register for the Saturday, Oct. 13, discussion on memoir writing with Jackson Hole Writers and Spragg, call Tim Sandlin at 307-413-3331.
Classical guitarist featured at Arts Summit
Robert Bluestone, a classical guitarist, teacher and arts advocate from Santa Fe, N.M., will perform and talk about his work at the Wyoming Arts Summit in the Casper Events Center on Oct. 19-20. To register for the conference, go to the Wyoming Arts Council web site.Here’s a bio on Bluestone:
Classical Guitarist Robert Bluestone has earned an international reputation as an artist of the first rank. His programs are celebrations of the splendid diversity of the repertoire of the classical guitar, often playing music from four continents and four centuries. He is not afraid to talk with his audiences. His charm, wit, and humor are always evident in his insightful and often spontaneous commentary on the music, its composers, and historical context. He puts audiences at ease and gives them a portal through which to enter his world and the music. Bluestone is in the vanguard of a select group of musicians who are reinvigorating the classical tradition.
The musician’s critically acclaimed recordings -- "Recital," "Alchemy," and "Convergence" -- are available on the Linares label.
Celebrate the arts in October
October is Arts & Humanities MonthNational Arts and Humanities Month, a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture coordinated by Americans for the Arts, is the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation.
You can get involved by celebrating the arts in October -- attend an event, gets your kids more involved, or share information with your friends about National Arts and Humanities Month! Attend the Wyoming Arts Summit Oct. 19-20 in Casper!
Send news about your October arts events to Michael Shay or Linda Coatney at the WAC, and we'll put it on the blog.
FMI: 307-777-7742.
Monday, September 24, 2007
New anthology features state's writers
The Wyoming Humanities Council and the Wyoming Arts Council announce Wyoming Fence Lines, an anthology of original work by 57 writers from Wyoming and beyond. Edited by Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt, the anthology celebrates the Wyoming tour of the Smithsonian exhibition "Between Fences."The 228-page anthology explores the nature of both real and metaphorical fences. In his introduction to the collection, editor David Romtvedt writes, “It is clear that the fence represents something important in our psyches. And clear, too, that like most things that have a psychological dimension, the fence reveals the diversity of our experience and of our response to experience.”
In these pages, the fence sometimes inspires ambivalence. Fences isolate, yet they also bring us together. They separate us from outsiders while creating a space where strangers can meet and talk. What is it we need to fence in, or fence out? Wyoming Fences Lines invites readers to explore this question and, in the words of the editor, to “build fences only when you think they’re needed, and only where you want them to stand.”
To order your copy of Wyoming Fence Lines, contact Jenn Koiter, Communications Coordinator, at (307) 721-9243 or jkoiter@uwyo.edu. Copies are $14.95 each; please inquire about wholesale discounts. Also available through your local bookseller.
Railroad stories at Evanston Depot
For "Working on the Railroad" on Saturday, Oct. 20, 6:30-8 p.m., the spirits of engineers and tiehacks and hoboes return to Evanston's Depot Square to talk about their lives on the railroad. Tours will be scheduled every half hour. Admission is $10.
There will be resfreshments offered at the Uinta County Museum.
FMI: 307-789-8248.
There will be resfreshments offered at the Uinta County Museum.
FMI: 307-789-8248.
Arts festival set for Green River
"Fall Festival of the Arts" will be held Sept. 28-29 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Green River.
Opening reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Friday. Festival hours on Saturday will be 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Featured art forms include jewelry, painting, pottery, photography, fiber arts, music, and books.
FMI: 307-875-7034 or 875-5567.
Opening reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Friday. Festival hours on Saturday will be 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Featured art forms include jewelry, painting, pottery, photography, fiber arts, music, and books.
FMI: 307-875-7034 or 875-5567.
Two artists chosen for portraits of governors
Two artists, Michele Rushworth and Galina Perova, have been selected by the Governor’s Portrait Selection Committee to complete five portraits of former Wyoming Governors in the coming year.
Rushworth and Perova were selected from 37 applications received in a regional search of artists from Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.
Rushworth, of Sammamish, Wash., has previously completed portraits of Governor Gary Locke of Washington and Governor Kenny Guinn of Nevada. She has also done portraits of corporate executives and professional athletes, including baseball player Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners.
She appeared on a national CBS television broadcast when she donated a portrait of a firefighter, who died in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.
Rushworth has been an artist for more than 30 years, and is a member of the Portrait Society of America. She recently received a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission, and averages 10-12 portraits a year.
Galina Perova, of Salt Lake City, had her formal training in St. Petersburg, Russia, and taught at the University of Utah from 1989 to 1991. In 2004, she received the Utah Governors’ Mansion Artist Award, and in 2005, completed a 500-square-foot mural at UU. She is currently completing a portrait of the former president of the World Bank.
The highly competitive artist selection process took into account the current portraiture work done by the artists, their experience in commission portrait work, and the quality of the submitted images viewed by the Committee.
The portraits to be painted include Governors Stan Hathaway, John Joseph Hickey, Cliff Hansen, Mike Sullivan and Jim Geringer. These will be the first portraits to be painted thanks to funding provided by the Wyoming State Legislature to complete the process of painting the portraits of all of the state’ s former governors. The portraits are expected to be completed next year and will be displayed in the Wyoming State Capitol building in Cheyenne.
Rushworth and Perova were selected from 37 applications received in a regional search of artists from Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.
Rushworth, of Sammamish, Wash., has previously completed portraits of Governor Gary Locke of Washington and Governor Kenny Guinn of Nevada. She has also done portraits of corporate executives and professional athletes, including baseball player Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners.
She appeared on a national CBS television broadcast when she donated a portrait of a firefighter, who died in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.
Rushworth has been an artist for more than 30 years, and is a member of the Portrait Society of America. She recently received a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission, and averages 10-12 portraits a year.
Galina Perova, of Salt Lake City, had her formal training in St. Petersburg, Russia, and taught at the University of Utah from 1989 to 1991. In 2004, she received the Utah Governors’ Mansion Artist Award, and in 2005, completed a 500-square-foot mural at UU. She is currently completing a portrait of the former president of the World Bank.
The highly competitive artist selection process took into account the current portraiture work done by the artists, their experience in commission portrait work, and the quality of the submitted images viewed by the Committee.
The portraits to be painted include Governors Stan Hathaway, John Joseph Hickey, Cliff Hansen, Mike Sullivan and Jim Geringer. These will be the first portraits to be painted thanks to funding provided by the Wyoming State Legislature to complete the process of painting the portraits of all of the state’ s former governors. The portraits are expected to be completed next year and will be displayed in the Wyoming State Capitol building in Cheyenne.
Author Joy Williams at UW
The University of Wyoming MFA Program’s Visiting Writers Series is pleased to announce a visit by critically acclaimed novelist, essayist and short story writer Joy Williams. Williams will read from her work at 5:10 PM on Monday, October 1st in the UW Classroom Building, Room 214. After the reading, she will answer questions from the audience and sign books. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is free on campus after 5 PM. Williams is the author of four novels, including The Quick and the Dead (2000), which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Widely anthologized in the Best American series, she has been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship, a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, and the Harold and Mildred Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has also won a National Magazine Award and a Rea Award. A Massachusetts native and daughter of a minister, Williams earned an MFA from the University of Iowa, but "decided she needed to live someplace more mysterious and exotic so she moved to a trailer park in northern Florida surrounded by swamps and alligators and snakes." The result was her first novel, State of Grace (1973), which was a finalist for the National Book Award. William’s second novel, Changeling (1978) will be reissued next year by Vintage. She has also authored three collections of short stories, Taking Care (1982), Escapes (1990) and Honored Guest (2004), as well an illustrated history and guide to the Florida Keys. Her book of essays Ill Nature: Rants and Reflections on Humanity and Other Animals (2001) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Her most recent book, Honored Guest, "contains among the best American short stories of the past two decades" (The Atlantic Monthly). They are "so vibrant and alive they have heartbeats, the prose so electric and dazzling it makes the pulse race" (Vanity Fair). "If Joy Williams's publisher made cigarettes rather than story collections," writes The Philadelphia Inquirer, "it would be required to slap a consumer warning on her latest collection…Williams is so good she merely has to wave her characters' melancholia under our noses and we crave more." Williams claims that she cannot write unless she's chewing gum. She said, "Big Red is great. Or Wrigley's or Trident, or bubble gum. I'm very faithful to my gum. Some people just chew it for a minute or two. I chew it and chew it and chew it. ... I use it up. I'm a dutiful person." She has taught at the University of Iowa as well as at the University of Houston, the University of Florida, the University of Arizona and the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. She now divides her time between Tucson, Arizona and Key West. Williams’ visit is made possible by a generous endowment from the state of Wyoming, and is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art.
The MFA Program is Wyoming’s graduate creative writing program, mentoring a new generation of writers and bringing to the state a wealth of literary talent from the region, the nation and the world. Each semester, the MFA Visiting Writers Series brings a number of
distinguished authors to Wyoming. Past guests include Terry Tempest Williams, David Quammen, Francine Prose, Pico Iyer, Alexandra Fuller and U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser.
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