Platte River Photography Show accepting entries

Click on images for larger view

Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition accepting applications from Wyoming artists

All Wyoming visual artists working and livng in the state who meet the eligibility requirements are invited to enter. All artistic interpretations are encouraged.

Postmark deadline to apply is February 1, 2010. Artists selected for the exhibit are notified March 12, 2010. Art work by selected artists are due at the State Museum the week of April 12-17. The exhibit opens May 8. The exhibit reception will be held May 21 from 5-7 pm. The exhibit closes June 5.

Eligibility:
Current Wyoming resident living in state
Wyoming visual artist working in any medium
Must be an Artist Image Registry (AIR) member with the Wyoming Arts Council. Please contact the Arts Council for an application or go to http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/ for more information.

Artwork on application by Jon Madsen, Down in the Valley

Crawford presents "Shop Class as Soulcraft"

Join motorcycle mechanic, author and philosopher Matthew Crawford as he talks about and reads from his book "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work" (The Penguin Press, 2009) on Thursday, Jan. 14, 7-8 p.m., at the Teton County Public Library in Jackson.

Crawford presents a fascinating analysis of what we've lost by ceasing to work with our hands -- and how we can get it back. He muses on how to live a pragmatic, concrete life in today's ever more abstract world and issues a call for reviving trade and development classes in American schools. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium.

Contact: Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org.

Arts participation topic of NEA gathering

This comes from a Dec. 10 press release from the National Endowment for the Arts:

Senior Deputy Chairman Joan Shigekawa convened a roundtable discussion with national arts service organizations, regional arts organizations, and NEA staff to discuss the NEA's 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, the nation's largest and most representative study of adults' arts participation habits.

Representatives from 40 service organizations participated in the convening, including the Association of Art Museum Directors, Dance/USA, the Future of Music Coalition, the National Association of Latino Art and Culture, the National Center for Creativity in Aging, the National Network for Folk Arts in Education, and the New England Foundation for the Arts.

The survey was conducted in partnership with the United States Census Bureau and asked more than 18,000 people 18 years of age and older about their frequency of arts engagement. It has been conducted five times since 1982.

Among the findings that were discussed:
Audiences for ballet, classical music, jazz, and theatre are both declining and growing older -- Nearly 35 percent of U.S. adults – or an estimated 78 million – attended an arts performance in the 2008 survey period, compared with about 40 percent in 1982, 1992, and 2002.
Performing arts attendees are increasingly older (between 46 and 49 years old) than the average U.S. adult (45 years old) -- Forty-five to 54-year-olds – historically dependable arts participants – declined for all art forms except musical theatre.
People with higher levels of education have curtailed their participation in nearly all art forms since 1982 -- High school graduates had the steepest rate of decline – 25 percent – between 2002 and 2008.
Americans are increasingly participating in the arts through new media -- The Internet and broadcast media are popular ways to engage with the arts. Forty seven million adults downloaded, watched, or listened to music, theater or dance performances online – and most said they did so at least once a week. More Americans view or listen to broadcasts and recordings of arts events than attend them live (live theater being the sole exception).
Photography/videography/film-making increased in popularity as art-making activities, from 12 percent to 15 percent, since 1992, supplanting weaving/sewing as the most popular creative activity reported.
Generation Y reports taking fewer arts classes/lessons -- When people ages 18-24 were asked if they had taken an art class/lesson at some point in their lives, they reported lower rates of participation than previous generations for all art forms compared in this study (by 6-23 percentage points, depending on the art form, from 1982 to 2008).
Different demographic groups described different cultural preferences -- African Americans are almost twice as likely to sing in a choir or other vocal group as adults in general. Almost 11 million adults attended a live Latin, Spanish, or salsa music performance in the previous 12 months. Audiences for these performances were younger and less affluent than audiences for other art forms. The 2008 survey was the NEA's first attempt to measure attendance at Latin/Spanish/salsa concerts.
Arts participation correlates with higher civic participation -- People who participate in the arts are 2 to 3 times as likely to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sporting events, and participating in outdoor activities – than non-arts participants.
Participation in most leisure activities (except volunteering and charity work) among all adults declined from 2002 to 2008 -- The average time spent watching television (about three hours daily) has not changed significantly since 1982.
Regional differences in arts participation -- New England and Pacific region residents had some of the highest rates of attendance (42 percent of adults in each region) for the arts activities traditionally measured in the survey. In personal performance or creation of art, the Plains states of Kansas and Nebraska have some of the highest participation rates nationwide. Twenty percent of adults in Kansas said they played a musical instrument. In Nebraska, that rate was nearly 18 percent. Nationwide, 13 percent - or 29 million Americans - reported playing a musical instrument.

FMI: www.arts.gov.

Bar J Wranglers perform 12/21 at CWC

The Bar J Wranglers perform in concert in the Robert A. Peck Arts Center Theatre on the Central Wyoming College campus in Riverton on Monday, Dec. 21, 7-9 p.m. FMI: http://www.cwc.edu/

Michael McIrvin's new novel hits the stands

Michael McIrvin of Cheyenne has a new book, "The Blue Man Dreams of the End of Time."

Here's a description of the book from Michael's publisher, BeWrite Books:

Sonny, a drunken convenience store clerk living uneasily in a relationship with twin sisters, woke up naked and blue. Not sad, but actually blue from head to toe.

A warped warning from a former CIA colleague? A message from a deranged hit man that he and those he loves are marked for death? Or is his blueness a more invidious omen?

Sonny's search for answers will lead him to a perverse reconciliation with his former bloody role in geopolitics - and his destiny - on the bloody trail to Chiapas.

Along the way he will befriend a people struggling to survive, reconsider the nature of terrorism and the drug trade, and decipher an ancient Mayan vision of the end of time.

He will also meet another former CIA operative who doubles as a jaguar shaman, a Mayan holy man whose prophesies include Sonny, and a mysterious boy whose role in his people's future is both mythic and deadly.

Sonny's flashbacks to his gore-stained government work in Mesoamerica, including the act for which he was 'excommunicated', constitute proof of power's inhumanity, but his darkest revelation is that violence and greed are the true mechanisms of history.

Michael McIrvin's high-octane, intelligent novel is an immaculately researched, powerful indictment of brutal counterintelligence, including torture and murder, an exploration of how ends are achieved by a nation-state. This book is frighteningly timely.

Yellowstone Jazz ALIVE!

Jeff Troxel

Yellowstone Jazz ALIVE!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

free concert

Location: http://www.codycafe.com/Businesses/detail.asp?iData=445&iCat=852&iChannel=18&nChannel=Businesses in Cody featuring:

Jeff Troxel& Parker Brown

6:00 - 9:00 PM

call for dinner reservations

307 587-5555

Photographer's On Photography

Grand Rainbow taken by Rebecca Stern

Photographer's On Photography

Jon Stuart and Rebecca Stern

January 25-February 22 (no class 2/15)/ Monday/ 6-9 pm

$125 ($100 members) Registration Deadline: January 18

In this class, students will lean the process of how to critique as well as be able to receive feedback on their own projects. Each week there will be a different type of photographer (sports, event, portrait, commerical and landscape) who will talk about their own work and students will learn the various methods and critiquing.

Art Association of Jackson Hole

In The Center For The Arts

240 S. Glenwood Ave

PO Box 1248

Jackson, WY 83001

307-733-6379/ http://www.artassociation.org/

Free Christmas Concert-Tuba Christmas

Tuba Christmas

Saturday, December 19

1:30 P.M to 2:45 P.M.

Sheridan Holiday Inn Atrium

(If you play Tuba or Baritone or Euphonium, come to the Sheridan High Band Room at 9:15 AM for the rehearsal.)

Join them and experience the beautiful sounds of low brass playing over 30 favorite Christmas selections. For more info contact Ariel Downing

751-2303

or

Dale Hoffmann; 751-5826

Jalan Crossland Band heads up New Year's Eve concert in Sheridan

Lander Photo Group releases book just in time for Christmas

Wyomingarts is always glad to receive new books. The latest comes from David Schuster in Lander. The title is “Representations: A Collective Work. Photographs by the Lander Photo Group.” Inside are black-and-white and color photos from some of Lander’s finest: Mary Allen, Brad Christensen, Tony Henry, Ken Kidder, Juan Laden, Chris Robisch, David Schuster, and Sara Wiles. You may recognize some of these names. Sara Wiles has received the Governor’s Arts Award for her documentation of life on the Wind River Reservation. Juan Laden has exhibited his work extensively, both in the U.S. and overseas. He is best known for his series entitled “Passing Memories, Descansos, Roadside Memorials of the West.”

Here is a snippet from the book’s introduction:

Just as photography is perhaps the most diverse of all art forms, our photographs are equally diverse. We use color and black-and-white film or digital formats, and experiment with a variety of alternative techniques. The photographs we produce are documentary, landscapes, portraits, architectural or abstract forms, or combinations of them all. This book represents our first formal attempt to present ourselves to you.

“Representations” was published by CreateSpace, the print-on-demand arm of Amazon.com. The square-format paperback (8.2 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches) is 202 pages and sells for $29.99 (free shipping) on Amazon. You can order it through your favorite bookstore, or online at http://tinyurl.com/ybwz7mn.

Wyomingarts leaves you with this sage holiday advice: Buy a book by a Wyoming writer/artist today!

Philip Gourevitch at Teton Co. Public Library: "Crimes Scenes & Aftermaths"

From the Teton County Public Library in Jackson:

On Friday, January 22, 7 p.m., the library presents "Crime Scenes & Aftermaths: Reporting & Writing from Rwanda to Hell's Kitchen to Abu Ghraib and Beyond," with author Philip Gourevitch.

Gourevitch reads from his books and talks about how he got the stories and what is at stake in them -- politically, morally and dramatically. Gourevitch is an award-winning author of books on the Rwandan genocide and Abu Ghraib, an intrepid correspondent for The New Yorker and editor of The Paris Review.

He is the 2009-2010 Eminent Writer in Residence for the MFA program in Creative Writing at the University of Wyoming, a copresenter with the Jackson Hole Writers Conference. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium.

Contact: Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org.

Help wanted: Wyoming Territorial Prison/Park

The Territorial Prison/Park in Laramie, an historic site within the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, is looking for an Historic Program Supervisor.

"This position manages a large historic site and state park to fulfill the department objectives of preservation, protection, and interpretation of the cultural resources, and the historic and archival collections for the citizens of this state and the nation."

Apply online at http://statejobs.state.wy.us/JobSearchDetail.aspx?ID=16081 or submit a State of Wyoming Employment Application to the Human Resource Division, Emerson Building, 2001 Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0060 (307-777-7188, Fax: 307-777-6562), along with transcripts of any relevant course work.

Donkey Creek Jazz Festival receives NEA grant

Northern Wyoming Community College District in Sheridan has received a $10,000 Challenge America FastTrack grant to support the Donkey Creek Jazz Festival at its Gillette campus. The free, outdoor event will feature artists including pianist Dana Landry, bassist Erik Applegate, and the Scott Turpen Jazztet.

Patrice Walker Powell, deputy chairman for States, Regions and Local Arts Agencies at the National Endowment for the Arts, notified the Wyoming Arts Council that the NWCCD’s Donkey Creek Jazz festival was one of 170 Challenge America FastTrack grants totaling $1,700,000 in awards to organizations throughout the United States. These grants offer support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Applicants may apply under one of the four following project types: guest artist, civic design, public art, and cultural tourism.

A full listing of awards made in this can be found at http://www.arts.gov/grants/recent/index.html

Guidelines for the next round of these grants will be posted on the NEA Web site in January 2010. FMI: Erin Waylor, 202/682‐5411.

For more info about the Donkey Creek Jazz Festival, call Gillette College at 307.686.0254.

Washakie Museum grand opening events set for May 14-15, 2010

The staff at the Washakie Museum in Worland alerts the Wyoming Arts Council about its grand opening gala set for May 14, 2010, at the museum, 2200 Big Horn Avenue.

Tickets will be on sale in April.

Events will include the dedication of bronze plaques for Legacy and Pioneer Society members and the debut performance of the Washakie Museum Women’s Choir Group.

There also will be a grand opening public event on May 15.

FMI: http://www.washakiemuseum.org/

Register for "Rural America" book discussion

Registration is underway for the Wyoming State Museum-hosted reading and discussion series, “Rural in America.”

A part of the Wyoming Humanities Council’s Reading Wyoming program, “Rural in America” is a discussion group scheduled to meet January 20, February 17, March 17 and April 21 at 6:30 p.m., at the Wyoming State Museum.

The program is free and open to the public. However, participants are asked to register as the group size is limited to 20. Rose Wagner will lead the discussions.

To register and borrow books, contact Sarah Ligocki at 777-7021. Participants are encouraged to register soon as the first book must be read by January 20.

Participants will read and discuss “The Memory of Old Jack, by Wendell Berry; “Winter Wheat,” by Mildred Walker; “The Egg and I,” by Betty McDonald; and “A Painted House,” by John Grisham. All of these books offer both romantic and realistic views of rural life.

The program is offered by the Wyoming Humanities Council. Reading Wyoming provides reading and discussion series’ to nonprofit organizations around the state and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

FMI: 307-721-9243 or www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

Call for entries: Ciao Gallery Photo Competition

This comes from Michele Walters at the Ciao Gallery of Jackson:


Ciao Gallery is pleased to offer our first “Photography Competition.”


This competition is open to landscape, wildlife, candid, portrait/studio, abstract & architectural and any other style not mentioned. This competition is also open to B&W and color photography.


Eligibility: Semi-Professional and beginning photographers (Income from photography revenue must be less than 50% of your gross income)

Guidelines:
• Photos of people must have release forms.
• Work must be ready to hang, and clearly labeled with the artists name and contact information. • No substitutions of accepted work.
• All work will remain on display during the duration of the exhibit.
• Art work must be for sale.

Prizes include: 1st Place-$500 Cash Prize and one months representation of selected works 2nd Place-1 month free representation in featured artist section on gallery. 3rd Place- 6 months free representation in featured artist section on gallery website.

DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 18th 2009!

Click this link to download an application http://ciaogallery.com/images/uploads/Photography%20Application.doc

UW Western Thunder Marching Band rehearsing for New Mexico Bowl appearance

From a UW press release:

They performed at the Sun Bowl in 1958, and later entertained the crowds at the Sugar, Fiesta, Holiday, Copper and Las Vegas bowls.

The University of Wyoming Western Thunder Marching Band (formerly known as the Cowboy Marching Band) will continue the tradition when it leads the crowd in the popular "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" and other songs during the Dec. 19 New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M.

The 153-member band, led by Director Brad Williamson, will rehearse Wednesday in UW's indoor practice facility, before heading to Albuquerque the next day.

"It's nice to reward them with this opportunity after they've worked so hard this semester," says Williamson. "We appreciate the athletic department's efforts to make this happen."

Western Thunder features musicians from nearly every major on campus. They started the season the week before classes began in the fall. Students learned drills and practiced music for the season, and learned about the band's pride, spirit, and tradition.

During the school year, practices are held during class hours and on game days. The band plays at every home football game and travels with the football teams on some road trips.

Albany County Theatre presents "A Company of Wayward Saints"

Final weekend (Dec. 18-20) at the Trading Post Theatre in Centennial. FMI: http://www.albanycountytheatre.org/ACT/Albany_County_Theatre.html

Holiday reading, anyone?

I've been reading this holiday season, in between a couple bouts of shopping and lots of making. It seems there's always books that come out with the holiday theme, and three I picked up for gifts but have read, am still reading, before I give them away are Stephen King's new mammoth, Under the Dome, David Sedaris's re-released story collection, Holidays on Ice, and Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story. My penchant for reading books released at the holidays with holiday theme began a few years back with Grisham's Skipping Christmas. This book was then made into a dreadful holiday movie consisting of silly tricks that didn't hold muster with the story. King's new one is definitely movie-worthy.

I dove into King's first, thinking I'd have to burn reading rubber to get done with it before Christmas. It ended up taking me only about five days. If you enjoy crushing mayhem and a short survivor list, this is a novel you oughta get. At 1074 pages, its physical and fictional girth will keep you in your reading chair no matter what kind of Christmas merry making or fighting is going on around you. It's quintessential King, with psychic phenomenon between dogs, people and aliens, lots of gushing blood even if from a chip on the head, extraordinary circumstances and people being killed from the very beginning. If you like Stephen King books, you'll love this one, although I felt it could have ended some sooner, or taken some scenes out here and there--there are some "aw, come on," reader moments. I was wrung out by the end, but got a couple of good written pages during the afterglow. I'm just glad to have gotten through it in one piece. You can feel the experimentation King was up to that he talks about in his autor's note at the end of the book. Oddly, the edition has a few typos, the bulk of them after page 955.

Any of you familiar with Sedaris's stories know that this re-released collection of stories, with a few new ones added, will be anything but "traditional," but then that's what we love about him. I haven't finished this one yet, and hadn't read it when it was first released in 1997, so it's a treat without the warm and fuzzy sitting-by-the-fire-drinking-hot-chocolate-looking-at-the-pretty-tree feeling. Go with David as he recounts his days as an elf for Macy's in New York City; as he tells the story of the Dunbars as a Christmas letter that becomes an appeal from Mrs. Dunbar for her true friends to become character witnesses in court; and kids' Christmas plays the nation over that stagger with enthusiastic lack of all talent.

I'll let you know about Lamb's. Are books that have been bought as presents, read before given, then wrapped and bowed considered regifting? I think this is the only gift item that could be considered not. And I'm not just saying that because I'm doing it! Merry Christmas!

If you're so inclined, email me and let me know what you're reading this season. If I get a list, I'll publish it here.

Linda Coatney

Call for proposals: Shepard Symposium on Social Justice at UW

The 14th Annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice is seeking proposals for its gathering on the theme of "environmental justice" on April 7-9, 2010, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Call for proposals: Download PDF

Submit Proposals (deadline January 13, 2010): Online Submission

Symposium registration begins January 11, 2010.

UW prof's book explores ancient stone tools

From a UW press release:

Modern humans and their hominid ancestors relied on chipped-stone technology for more than two million years and colonized more than 99 percent of the Earth's habitable land. Yet there currently exist only a handful of informal models to explain variability in archaeological lithic (stone) assemblages.

Because the fundamental processes of making, using and discarding stone tools are at root exercises in problem solving, Todd Surovell, assistant professor in the University of Wyoming Department of Anthropology, asks what conditions favor certain technological solutions.

He addresses those questions theoretically in formal mathematical modeling in his recently published book (see above), "Toward a Behavioral Ecology of Lithic Technology: Cases from Paleoindian Archaeology," published by University of Arizona Press.

Surovell constructs a series of models designed to link environmental variability to human decision making as it pertains to lithic technology. To test the models, Surovell uses data from the analysis of more than 40,000 artifacts from five Rocky Mountain and Northern Plains Folsom and Goshen complex archaeological sites. The primary result is the production of powerful new analytical tools useful in interpreting archaeological assemblages.

In his 280-page book, Surovell promotes modeling and explores the general issues governing technological decisions. His models can be applied to any context in which stone tools are made and used.

Surovell's research interests are in behavioral ecology, hunter-gatherer studies, mathematical modeling, lithic technology and Paleoindian archaeology.

For more information, contact Surovell at (307) 766-3239 or e-mail surovell@uwyo.edu.

"Annie" coming to Casper

The national tour of "Annie" will be coming to Casper on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at the Casper Events Center. Ticket prices are $47.50, $42.50, $37.50 and a $10.00 discount for students 18 and under. Show begins at 7:30 pm. For tickets, go to http://www.caspereventscenter.com/

From the Casper Events Center website:

Leapin' lizards! The timeless tale of Little Orphan Annie is back giving a whole new generation the chance to experience this classic musical about never giving up hope. Boasting one of Broadway's most memorable scores, including "It's the Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "N.Y.C." and the ever-optimistic "Tomorrow," Annie is a delightful theatrical experience for the entire family. Don't miss this all-new production that Variety calls "a winner!"

Bead Fest Santa Fe

Bead Fest Santa Fe takes place March 18-21, 2010. There will be a large selection of workshops featuring beading designs, metal working, precious metal clay, micro macrame jewelry, glass beading and more by instructors versed in jewelry making. For much more information, go to Bead Fest Santa Fe.

Conference on all things PORCELAIN!

February 5-7, 2010 San Diego, California at Holiday Inn Express
Hosted by Clay Artists of San Diego and Potters Council
P.O. Box 22524
San Diego, CA 92192
Email: info@clayartistsofsandiego.org
Website: www.clayartistsofsandiego.com

This conference brings together five of North America’s most adept and experienced porcelain potters--Elaine Coleman, Tom Coleman, Mary Cuzick, Meira Mathison and Tom Turner. With an average of 42 years of working with porcelain between them, this porcelain dream team will share their expert tips and techniques for working with this beautiful yet challenging ceramic material. Space is limited. (A check of their website says registration is sold out, but they have a waiting list...)

To register for PORCELAIN! or to learn more about the presenters, the event, and Clay Artists of San Diego, go to http://ceramicartsdaily.org/education/porcelain or phone 800-424-8698.

Travel the globe with the Jackson Wildlife Film Festival

Winter Film Series

Tuesdays, Fridays, and (most) Sundays
2:00PM Cook Auditorium FREE!

Travel the globe as we screen films from the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (JHWFF).

Films are one hour or less.

December 8, 11, & 13: NATURE: Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History, JHWFF Finalist, Editing

December 15, 18, & 20: The Meadow, JHWFF Finalist, Cinematography

December 22 & 27: Christmas in Yellowstone, JHWFF Finalist, Original Music Score

National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Hands In Harmony's Gift to Cheyenne -- a free performance

CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCE

December 20, 2009

4:00 p.m.

HANDS IN HARMONY PUBLIC CHRISTMAS SHOW

Central High School Auditorium, 5500 Education Drive, Cheyenne, WY

Free to the public as “Our Gift to the City"

http://www.handsinharmonywy.com/schedule.html

A Christmas Carol showing in Sheridan!

A Christmas Carol

Dec.10-13
Thur.-Sat. 7:30 pm; Sun. 2 pm

42 N Main

Sheridan, Wyoming

307.672.9084

$20 Adult/$18 Senior & Military/$11 Student/$9 12 and under

The WYO Theater will once again produce the annual holiday classic A Christmas Carol. Scrooge and the ghosts of past, present and future and all the rest of the colorful characters from Charles Dickens's classic are brought to life by an all local cast and crew. Mary Jo Johnson returns as director of A Christmas Carol working from the stage adaptation by local writer/playwright Craig Johnson. Beautiful costumes, elaborate set, and special effects continue to make the production exciting for all audiences.

www.stormfax.com/dickens.htm

Brave the cold! Support your local Laramie artists at Dec. 11 Gallery Walk

Terry R. Reid from NorthernFront.net sends this:

Come to the Gallery Walk in Laramie on Friday evening, December 11. See our ad in the Laramie Boomerang for individual discounts and incentives at these fine shops.

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTISTS! Brave the Cold!!!

Annual Art Walk & Craft Bazaar (co-sponsored by NorthernFront.net)

Big Hollow Food Co-op, 119 S. 1st St. Fine art and quality crafted gifts for the holiday season!Featuring Jon and Ginnie Madsen, Ronnie Roo, Jerry Glass, Terry R. Reid, Tad Anderson, Bruce Allemani, Dennis Fonfara, Gail Shive, Garth Cossairt, Jerry Glass, Jennifer Leon, and Ray Jordan. Photography by Deborah Kratzer-Reid, Betsy Mock,Doreen Granke, Bob Strayer and Dan Mead; with craftspeople Bren Lieski, Alex Ewing, and more!

The Jeweler, 213 S. 3rd St., (307) 721-3854. Featuring members of the artists’ collective, "Artists of the NorthernFront”: Raymond L. Jordan,Ginnie Madsen, Jon Madsen, & Terry R. Reid…. with Jeweler Dave Perry, sculptor John Baker.

The Bead Shop, 119 Ivinson, (307) 742-0004. Check Us Out During the Gallery Walk.

Green Gold Jade Products, 215 S. 3rd, (307) 742-0003. Presents jewelry by owner, Vivian Tracy

High Performance Sports Medicine, P.C., 406 S. 2nd, (307) 742-0900. Photography by local artist Susan Davis. Refreshments provided by Home Bakery. Open 6-8 p.m.

Gallery Wine Bar, 404 S. 2nd St., 742-3864. At the end of the evening, drop into the Gallery Wine Bar, Laramie's premier art & wine venue (downstairs from Hart's Alley). Open at 4:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday. 21 & Over Only.

The following Directory is provided by NorthernFront.net. Discover Laramie's other Alternative Art Venues for fine art, dining and refreshments at http://www.northernfront.net/GNF/links/laramie_art_venues.htm

Night Heron Books & Artist Salon - See the works of over 16 artists. For info contact Ken Koschnitzki at 742-9028 or 1-888-742-9028. At 107 Ivinson Ave.

The Copper Kettle Coffee Loft, 209 S 2nd St. Laramie, 742-1800 Fresh Food paintings by Terry R Reid, thru January 2010 Copper Kettle Kitchen Store on the web

Art in the lobby of the Laramie Reproductive Health Center, 413 S. 21st. Laramie Reproductive Health presenting new works by Bianca Allemani, Deborah Kratzer-Reid, Jon & Ginnie Madsen, Anthony and Sandra Guzzo, and Terry R. Reid

Sweet Melissa's Vegetarian Café, 213 So. 1st, 307-742-9607, fine art photography

Grand Avenue Pizza, currently showing the oil paintings of Laramie artist Mack Brislawn

Jeffrey’s Bistro, 123 Ivinson Ave, 307-742-7046

Coal Creek Coffee House, see the work of local artisans, 110 E. Grand Ave., 307-745-7737. And at their Uptown location (near the Hilton Garden Inn and UW Convention Center) see works from Coal Creek’s personal collection, 2317 E Grand Av. Laramie, 307-742-9316

The Grounds Internet and Coffee Lounge, 171 N. 3rd, Laramie, 307-742-5208. Local artists regularly featured

Turtle Rock, 270 N. 9th, 307-745-3741. "The Photography of Nancy Zenor."

Craig Johnson signs books in Sheridan Dec. 11-12 and Story Dec. 17

Mystery writer Craig Johnson of Ucross will read from his work at the Inner Circle of the Sheridan County Library at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. On Saturday, Dec. 12, he will be at the Sheridan Historical Society Museum at 2 p.m. Craig and his books will be at the Story Branch Library in Story on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. FMI: http://www.craigallenjohnson.com/

"It's a Wonderful Life" radio drama in Cheyenne

"It's a Wonderful Life Radio Drama" will be performed Dec 18, 19, 20 at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne.

Most people know the story from the film of the same name. But here's a short description from the CLTP web site:

This uplifting drama centers on George Bailey, who is on the brink of committing suicide until his guardian angel Clarence appears to help George realize the lives he has touched and the imprint he has left on his community. An uplifting, inspiring holiday classic presented as a live 1940s radio broadcast.

Directed by Keith Thomson.

The $12 general admission tickets may be purchased on the CLTP website at http://www.cheyennelittletheatre.org/; call the Box Office at (307) 638-6543

KUWR invites music submissions

From the Wyoming Public Radio web site:

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

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

WinterMart Arts & Crafts Sale Dec. 12-13

The WinterMart Arts & Crafts Sale will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12-13, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3005 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne.

Set-up will be on Friday, Dec. 11, 3-6 p.m., and on Saturday morning before the sale opens.

For more information or to sign-up for a table, please call Lynda Gentry at 307-637-7622.

Cheyenne's Connie Norman makes "ceramics that speak to you"

Connie Norman's ceramics were featured in a cover story in the Great Lakes Airlines Peaks & Plains magazine. The story, "Ceramics That Speak to You," is by Kay Bjork.

Visit WAC biennial exhibit during holidays

“Blessed Union," David Henderson, oil and watercolor on gypsum board, 24 x 24 in.

You still have a month to view the Wyoming Arts Council's biennial fellowship exhibit at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne.

The exhibit opened Nov. 5 and continues through Jan. 9. It's free and open to the public.

It features the work of the winners of 2008 and 2009 WAC visual arts fellowships: David Henderson, Florence McEwin, Matt Flint, Doug Russell, Ricki Klages, Leah Hardy and David Henderson.

Three artists, one reception, Dec. 11 at Arts Center in Jackson

Earth Wave, Valerie Seaberg, hand built clay wave form, carved, sagger fired & woven with pine needles, 11 x 22 in. Available at http://www.theartspiritgallery.com/

Three artists will be feted on Friday, Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m., at the opening reception for exhibits that will be on display through Jan. 29, 2010. It will be held in the ArtSpace Galleries at the Center for the Arts, 240 S. Glenwood St., Jackson. Free and open to the public.

Jackson artist Valerie Seaberg and guest exhibitor Martin John Garhart are showing their work in the ArtSpace Main Gallery, and Wilson painter Miga Rossetti exhibits in the ArtSpace Theater Gallery.

Here is bio info about the arists, courtesy of the Center for the Arts web site:

A contemporary American painter and printmaker, Martin John Garhart received his B.A. from South Dakota State University (1969), his M.A. from West Virginia University (1970) and his M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University (1972). He has served as Professor of Drawing, Painting and Printmaking at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, for over 30 years.

Garhart maintains working studios in both Ohio and South Dakota. His art has been the subject of recent one-man exhibitions at such institutions as the Holter Museum of Art, the Sioux Falls Civic Art Center, West Virginia University Library, Southern Illinois University and the Butler Institute of American Art. Such institutions as the New York Public Library; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes, Colo.; the British Museum, London; and the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., include examples of his paintings and prints in their permanent collections.

"I am a story teller," Garhart writes in his artist's statement. "The story is yours and mine. The theme is ours. The specifics are mine. It is about life and it is told in fragments and with pictures. It is honest. Some of it may be true. "My art work is about life as it occurs through human intellect, experience, and the disquietude of the soul. … My work is a search for insight and understanding. … My art work is an exploration of visual language, a consideration of how a visual dialogue conveys meaning through formal and narrative elements. It is the symbolic use of setting, time and character aesthetically gathered to create content and beauty. It is an inquiry into the merger of traditional and contemporary visual voices in an attempt to expand expression. It is a search for the visual equivalent of the narrative poem."

Valerie Seaberg describes herself as "an ocean child" destined for mountain life. Her mixed media vessels are like great, tumbled beachcombing finds, undulating clay forms encircled by pine needles or horsehair. They are high country marriages between an ancient ocean and raw land. Seaberg's works are muscular, sensual and convey a deep sense of time, earth, and element.

Seaberg discovered basket making while living and teaching in a remote northern California healing arts school. She was thrilled to craft vessels from the grasses at her feet. "Coiling is slow art," she writes. "It takes a long time to express an idea and to see the movement of a form realized. It is both meticulous and profoundly meditative work. I enjoy teaching this craft to others as I believe slow art to be one of the antidotes to the franticness of modern life." A desire to work more spontaneously led Seaberg to working in clay. She began replacing basket centers with clay forms. The hand built centerpieces became so large that they are now an integral part of her work.

Seaberg welcomes risk as an essential learning tool. Risk brings exploration, and exploration, illumination. Valerie Seaberg's intimate art springs from her ever-inquisitive mind and heart. In all her endeavors Valerie Seaberg joyously bears discovery’s weight. "I am continually inspired by the knowledge that I practice an ancient artistry, creating objects at once functional and sacred," she writes in her artist's statement. "Intact indigenous cultures all over the world still weave and fire their work as I do. That art has provided beauty and sustainability from the first moment. I see myself as standing in a long, line of artisans creating these vessels. As time moves forward, my work will become a part of the natural evolution of this art's history."

Miga Rossetti studied fine arts and graphic design and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan. She also studied at Fortman studios in Florence, Italy. Her education is a lifelong process drawn from both nature and creative workshops. She exhibits frequently in group shows nationwide and has enjoyed several solo shows. In addition to gallery exhibitions and the inclusion in numerous private collections, Miga Rossetti's paintings have been featured on the cover of Oregon Public Broadcasting magazine, the cover of the Wyoming Cultural Guide and in other publications.

Deadline extension announced for Art Works for Wyoming grants

It has come to the Wyoming Arts Council's attention that the e-mails informing grantees of the second deadline for Art Works for Wyoming grants may not have been sent due to a glitch in the mailing system. Because of that, WAC has decided to extend the deadline to accept Art Works for Wyoming (AWW) grants to December 31, 2009.

Only organizations which have applied for grants from WAC in the last four years and successfully completed them are eligible to to apply. For current guidelines and to apply, go to: http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Grants/index.asp.

These grants may be used only to retain jobs which would otherwise be eliminated, or to retain/extend contracts which would be cut short or canceled. Guidelines are also attached for your convenience. Applications will be accepted online only by 11:59 pm December 31, 2009.

Art Works for Wyoming grants are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies.

WAC would appreciate, if possible, for grants to come in sooner. Any grant received prior to the deadline will be considered a draft and returned with comments.

View online art exhibit at www.wildlifeart.org

The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson is featuring the online exhibit "A Diverse View of the West: Works on Paper." View the work in the warmth and comfort of home through April 18 by going to http://www.wildlifeart.org/ArtLibrary/OnlineExhibitions/

Here's info on the featured painting:

Buffaloes Approaching Water Hole, 1860, Charles Ferdinand Wimar, (Germany, 1828 – 1862)Pastel on Paper, 18 x 24 inches. This purchase made possible by the generosity of the Soka'piiwa Foundation, the P.A.B. Widener Charitable Trust, Morton Quantrell, and the Robert S. and Grayce B. Kerr Foundation.

Call for entries: Owen Wister Review

Submissions from writers and artists are being accepted for the University of Wyoming's nationally acclaimed literary and arts journal, the Owen Wister Review.

Journal editors will select original works of fiction, poetry, photography and art for inclusion in the 2010 edition. Submission deadline is Friday, Jan. 29, 2010.

"We are expecting another great year and can't wait to start looking through this year's submissions," says Joshua Watanabe, OWR editor.
In October, OWR won its second Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award.

All submissions must be unpublished, original works and may not be simultaneously submitted elsewhere. For detailed submission requirements and contact information, visit www.uwyo.edu/studentpub/owr.

Buffalo Bill Dam celebration features book signing by Beryl Gail Churchill

Officials at Buffalo Bill State Park are preparing for the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Buffalo Bill Dam with a formal commemoration and public centennial photograph on January 16.

During the celebration, the Buffalo Bill Visitor Center will open at 9 a.m. Refreshments will be available and Beryl Gail Churchill will sign the centennial edition of her book, “Challenging the Canyon.”

The centennial photograph will be taken at 11 a.m. The public is invited to participate in the taking of the photograph. The Cody Trolley will be available to transport event participants from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center parking lot beginning at 9:45 a.m.

The Buffalo Bill Dam, originally called the Shoshone Dam, was completed in 1910, and at the time, was the highest dam in the world at 325 feet. Today, water stored behind the dam offers great recreational opportunities, and provides drinking and irrigation water to the Big Horn Basin.

The Buffalo Bill Visitor Center first opened in May 1993, and provides information about the dam, Cody and the Greater Yellowstone area. The center is staffed with local volunteers, paid staff and a Bureau of Land Management volunteer.

A gift store offers educational books and DVDs, and a small theater offers the visitor a one-of-a-kind experience in which to learn about the dam.

FMI: http://www.bbdvc.com/.

CWC Opens The Wind In the Willows

The Central Wyoming College (CWC) Theatre Department opened The Wind in the Willows yesterday. Directed by Mike Meyer, the production stars CWC students. Performances are Dec 5, 11, & 12 in the evening. Matinees are offered at 10 AM on Dec 5 and 2:30 PM on Dec 13. The play is being held at the rober A. Peck Art Center Theatre and tickets are $8 for adults/$6 for seniors.

The play is based on a popular childrens book of the same name by Kenneth Graham and features Toad, Badger, Mole and Rat as the starring characters. The book also inspired Disney's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The play is a family friendly experience which also appeals to adults.

Hairy Hanging Holidays!

For those who write about art, Arts Writers Grant Program Announces 2009 Grants

The Creative Capital Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2009 grant cycle.
Designed to encourage and reward writing about contemporary art that is rigorous, passionate, eloquent, and precise, as well as to create a broader audience for arts writing, the program aims to strengthen the field as a whole and to ensure that critical writing remains a valued mode of engaging the visual arts.
In its 2009 cycle, the Arts Writers Grant Program has awarded a total of $710,000 to twentysix individual writers. These grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 in five categories-articles, blogs, books, new and alternative media, and shortform writing-and support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences.
Representing a range of genres from scholarly studies to selfpublished blogs, the twenty-six selected projects, listed below within categories, are united by their dual commitment to the craft of writing and the advancement of critical discourse on contemporary visual art.
　
ARTICLES
Christoph Cox, Conceptual Art and the Sonic Turn; Amherst, MA
Jen Graves, Regrade: Rediscovering Seattle’s Artificial Roots; Seattle, WA
Chris Kraus, Tiny Creatures; Los Angeles, CA
Fionn Meade, Loose Ends: The Mimetic Faculty & Narrative in Contemporary Film and Video; Brooklyn, NY
Judith Rodenbeck, Once More With Feeling; New York, NY
BLOGS
Greg Cook, The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research; Malden, MA
Gene McHugh, PostInternet; Brooklyn, NY
Mira Schor, A Year of Positive Thinking; New York, NY
BOOKS
Bill Anthes, Hock E Aye Vi: Edgar Heap of Birds; Los Angeles, CA
Huey Copeland, Bound to Appear: Art, Slavery, and the Radical Imagination; Chicago, IL
Craig Dworkin, There Is No Medium; Salt Lake City, UT
Lisa Farrington, Emma Amos: Art as Legacy; New York, NY
Martin Friedman, Artist Stories; New York, NY
Ed Halter, New Experimental Cinema in America, 1990-now [working title]; Brooklyn, NY
Pamela Lee, Think Tank Aesthetics: MidCentury Modernism, the Social Sciences, and the Rise of "Visual Culture"; San Francisco, CA
Barbara Moore, Observing the AvantGarde: Peter Moore & The Photography of Performance; New York, NY
John Yau, Martin Puryear; New York, NY
NEW AND ALTERNATIVE MEDIA
Geeta Dayal, Locative Art and Urban Space: Mapping an Emerging Field; Boston, MA
SHORTFORM WRITING
Amy Bernstein, Portland, OR
Janet Estep, Minneapolis, MN
Jeffrey Kastner, Brooklyn, NY
Kelly Klaasmeyer, Houston, TX
Morgan Meis, Brooklyn, NY
John Motley, Portland, OR
Cameron Shaw, Brooklyn, NY
Christian ViverosFaune, Brooklyn, NY

FMI go to http://www.artswriters.org/

Art Writing Workshop
The Creative Capital Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program is pleased to announce a new partnership with the International Art Critics Association/USA Section (AICA/USA) designed to give practicing writers the opportunity to strengthen their work through oneonone consultations with leading art critics. For a list of 2009 Art Writing Workshop Recipients see http://www.artswriters.org/writing_workshop.php

WAC's fall issue of newsletter now out

Fall issue of the newsletter should have arrived in your mailbox this week. You can also read it online at http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/.

This issue features:

Front page--A recap of Arts Summit 2009 audience favorite Kelly Barsdate's presentation. Kelly works for NASAA, the National Assembly of State Arts Agency. There's also a terrific photo of Leah Hardy's artwork, a WAC Visual Arts Fellowship 2009 winner.

Our director Rita Basom talks about surveys and the inconvenience for the answerer, but the necessity for the asker, of filling them out. WAC board member Susan Stubson, a concert pianist from Casper, laments Natrona County's plans to take instrumental music out of grade schools.

Page 5 features the visual arts fellowship winners and a piece of art work from each.

Our Wyoming Artist Spotlights feature Sundance poet Patricia Frolander, cowboy poet and performer Cora Wood, and visual artist Georgia Rowswell.

Since it's cowboy poetry season, we listed several well-known cowboy poets in the footer and also featured eighty-nine year old cowboy poet Georgie Sicking.

Andrea Graham is the new Folklife Specialist at UW, and will be working with our folk arts specialist Annie Hatch on projects throughout the state. We also introduced you to our new cultural resources intern Ji Eun Kim, from South Korea, also a talented visual artist.

If you'd like to receive a paper copy of the newsletter, just call Linda at 307-777-6393 or email me through the blog address with your mailing address and I'll get one to you.

Blanchan/Doubleday apps on way to juror

Mailed the box filled with Blanchan/Doubleday manuscripts to juror Aaron Abeyta this morning. There are 37 applications in the Frank Nelson Doubleday category and 41 in Neltje Blanchan. This is about the same number we had last year.

The Doubleday is given for the best writing informed by a relationship with the natural world. The Blanchan is given for the best writing by a woman author.

These are the Wyoming Arts Council's only privately-funded fellowships. In the 1980s, artist and arts patron Neltje of Banner established an endowment for the writign awards named after her grandfather, founder of Doubleday & Company Publishers, and her nature writer grandmother. The WAC supervises the endowment and administers the competition.

The WAC will anounce the juror's choices by Feb. 1, 2010. Each winner receives a $1,000 cash prize.

E-mail me for info on the Blanchan/Doubleday competition or any of the WAC's fellowship programs.

--Michael Shay

Cheyenne Winter Market at Depot Museum features local food, arts and crafts

This comes from the Northern Colorado Food Incubator

Cheyenne will host two winter farmers' markets this fall, patterned after the Fort Collins Winter Market model. One was held Nov. 7; the next one will be held indoors on Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Cheyenne Depot Museum in downtown Cheyenne. Please note, due to careful planning, the Cheyenne and Fort Collins market dates do not conflict so that vendors may attend all markets.

For more information, and to access the vendor application and guidelines, click here

Happy first birthday, Wyo. Humanities blog!

The Wyoming Humanities Council's Vistas Online e-letter celebrates a cyber-milestone:

It's been a successful first year for the Wyoming Humanities Network, the Wyoming Humanities Council's blog! Our most popular post this year was "Why I Love Vintage Advertising," by Communications Coordinator Jenn Koiter.

Here is a short excerpt:

"If the questions of what beauty is and whether it matters are still fit subjects for philosophical speculation (and Elaine Scarry would certainly argue that they are), then thinking people ignore advertising at their peril, since it both reflects and shapes ideas of what is beautiful." (Click here to read the rest of the post.)

Paper Bird performs in Jackson Dec. 7

Denver's Paper Bird, voted Westword's 2009 best music group in the Roots/Americana category, will perform at Jackson's Hole Bar & Grill in Jackson on Monday, Dec. 7, 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $8. At 6 p.m. that day, they will be do a live interview and perform live on 89.1 KHOL Radio. FMI: http://www.myspace.com/paperbirdband. Photo by Gary Isaacs, Paper Bird

David Carson exhibit at Gallery 211

Cover of David Carson's new book, Trek


From a UW press release:

An exhibition by renowned graphic designer David Carson can be seen through Sunday, Dec. 20, at the University of Wyoming art department's downtown gallery, Gallery 211, located at 211 S. 1st Street, Laramie.

A reception for Carson will be held will be held Saturday, Dec. 5, from 7-9 p.m. The exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.

The exhibition will feature paintings and photographs Carson has made since relocating to Wyoming, plus works by students in two classes he teaches. Gallery 211 is open Fridays from 3-7 p.m. and Saturdays from noon-4 p.m.

Carson's clients include MTV, Quicksilver, Giorgio Armani, Nine Inch Nails and Ray Ban. He is also the chief designer for David Carson Design, Inc. with offices in Del Mar, Calif., and Zurich, Switzerland.

For more information on Carson's designs, visit http://www.davidcarsondesign.com/. For more information about the Gallery 211 exhibition, e-mail Diana Baumbach at dbaumbac@uwyo.edu.

"Sun Ergos" Dec. 18 in Casper

"Sun Ergos" will be on stage Friday, Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m., in the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School in Casper. FMI: http://www.artcorewy.com/event.php?id=166

Updated air times for "Cowboys & Outlaws"

Saratoga's Lori Van Pelt, 2010 WAC creative writing fellowship recipient, sends this update:

Just wanted to let you know that the History Channel's "Cowboys & Outlaws" series will be broadcast on Saturday, Dec. 5 in the 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. EST time slot. Our episode, "Range War," wherein I discuss Cattle Kate, etc., will be in the 11 p.m. to midnight (EST) slot. Check at www.history.com for listings/updates.

The other episodes will be "Lonesome Dove," and "Frontier Hitman" (10 p.m. EST), which focuses on Tom Horn. Some of the footage for the Horn episode was also filmed here at the Walck Ranch.

Ark in Laramie opens new exhibit 12/4

The Ark Creative Arts Program in Laramie, recipient of a Governor's Arts Award, will be having an opening for its new exhibit, "Under the Influence: Painting in New Genres," that includes the work of Ark artists as well as their artist instructors, Joe Arnold and Robert Seabeck. The free event is on Friday, Dec. 4, 6-7:30 p.m., at Ark, 1150 N. 3rd St., Laramie. Both Joe and Bob will be on hand to talk about their work with the Ark artists.

FMI: 307-742-6641

Art show at Margo's benefits Buffalo's Crazy Woman Square Project

Margo's Pottery and Fine Crafts in Buffalo is having an art show to celebrate the holidays and to benefit the Buffalo Development Association's Crazy Woman Square Project. A percentage of all sales will go to the Buffalo Development Association. "A Progression" is an installation by artist Haylee Bolinger, that celebrates her recent travels to India.

The free event will be held on Thursday, Dec. 3, 5-7 p.m., at Margo's Pottery and Fine Crafts, 1 North Main.

Pair of Wyoming Arts Council roster artists on stage in Elko Jan. 23-30

Two Wyoming Arts Council roster artists will be performing at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering Jan. 23-30 at the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nevada. They are Miss V the Gypsy Cowbelle from Cora and Andy Nelson from Pinedale. Coincidentally, they are both Sublette County residents.

Here's some bio info on them:


Andy Nelson is a second-generation farrier who was raised in Oakley, Idaho, and traveled with his father on farrier jobs throughout the Great Basin until he went off to college. He's released one book and three CDs of his poetry and humor. With his brother Jim, Andy co-hosts the award-winning, weekly syndicated radio show "Clear Out West (C.O.W.) Radio." In 2004 Andy was named the Western Music Association's Male Poet of the Year, and for 2009, Andy was awarded the Skinny Rowland Humor Award by the Academy of Western Artists. Andy now lives in Pinedale, Wyoming, where among other things, he and his wife Jaclyn raise horses and children. Visit http://www.cowpokepoet.com/


Miss "V" the Gypsy Cowbelle has lived on a remote ranch in Wyoming for the past 13 years, honing her homesteader skills such as haying and logging with horses, sewing clothes and tack on treadle machines, building saddles and her signature "plank" banjos with hand tools, hunting and canning elk, grocery shopping once a year, concocting herbal remedies and dandelion wine, running pack strings and helping her neighbors trail cattle through the Rocky Mountains. Miss “V” has self-produced four CDs and is currently listed on the Wyoming Arts Council Artist Roster.

You can bring either of these performers to your community through a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. For more info, go to the WAC web site at http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/ and click on "grants" on the left sidebar.

"From light-hearted to sacred" at UW Gala Holiday Concerts Dec. 6

From a UW press release:

University of Wyoming music ensembles will perform holiday favorites during the annual Gala Holiday concerts Sunday, Dec. 6. The matinee performance is at 3 p.m., and the night performance is at 8, both in the Fine Arts Center concert hall in Laramie.

The Symphony Association holiday dinner will be held between the two performances at 6 p.m. in the Alice Hardie Stevens Center at the Laramie Plains Museum.

Tickets for the concerts cost $10 for the public, $7 for seniors and $6 for students. Dinner tickets are $40, with proceeds going to the Symphony Association scholarship fund. All tickets are available through the Wyoming Union ticket office and the Fine Arts ticket office by calling (307) 766-6666 or visiting www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

"The music will range from light-hearted to sacred, and the concert will end with a sing-along version of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas,'" says Michael Griffith, UW director of orchestral activities. "These concerts are always favorites for audiences of all ages."

Among the UW concert ensembles performing are the Bel Canto Women's Choir, Civic Chorus, Happy Jacks, Singing Statesmen, Symphony Orchestra, Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the Wind Symphony. Conductors include Robert Belser, James Bowyer, Griffith and Nicole Lamartine. A tuba ensemble will perform in the lobby before the concert.

Art Works for Wyoming deadline approaching

The deadline for the second round of Art Works for Wyoming grants is fast approaching on December 11, 2009. This is the last time these grants, supported by American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, will be available.

Grants may only be used to retain jobs which have either been laid off or reduced due to the recession, or are in danger of being laid off. It may also be used to retain contracts which would be cut short or terminated due to the recession. Please review the guidelines carefully.

To be eligible, organizations must have received a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) in the last four years and completed all requirements satisfactorily. Application must be made online via our online granting system from the WAC webpage.

Drafts will be reviewed if applications are submitted by December 8, 2009. Questions may be directed to Camellia El-Antably, 307-777-5305.

Casper students to perform at Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta

This news comes from Candice Cochran, executive director of the Casper Children's Theatre:

The Casper Children's Theatre (CCT) has once again been invited to participate and compete at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta.

The CCT was one of only 50 children's theatres throughout the nation invited to participate in this festival.

Last year 17 CCT students ages 12 and older represented Casper at the festival. They performed selections from last fall's "Pirates of Penzance" production and scored very high in an adjudication from professionals in the field. Emma Narotzky won the Outstanding Technical Theatre Award for her set design of the same production.

In January 2010, the Acting in the Afternoon class will present selections from "Mulan" (in photo above) at the festival. Over 30 kids and chaperones will travel to Atlanta to expand their knowledge of the theatrical arts and to compete against other theatres in the country.

Students are working exceptionally hard to raise funds to offset the expense of the trip. To date, over $8,100 has been raised. Planned activities include a 50/50 raffle, Christmas-Grams and selling Papa Murphy's Pizza Coupon Cards.

On Dec. 12-13, Schwan's Food will have their truck parked in the parking lot of the theatre, 138 S. Kimball, Suite 6, in the Commissary Mall . A percentage of all sales from items sold from that truck will support our JTF fundraising efforts.

If you would like information about how you can help the kids get to Georgia, call the theatre at 307-473-8470 or e-mail candice@casperchildrenstheatre.com

Tell a story, win a prize

From the Cheynne Little Theatre Players:

Tell an impromptu story (not memorized or read) based on an established theme (i.e., “My Brush with the Law,” “The Worst Date I Have Ever Had,” “My Parents Still Don’t Know the Whole Story About…,” etc.). A Master of Ceremonies will introduce the panel of judges, explain the rules and perform the first story to get things started. Each participant must register to perform before the storytelling begins and the order will be randomly selected. Each story must stay within a 5-7 minute time limit.

The Story Slam starts at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. It will be held at the Atlas Theatre, 211 W 16th St., Cheyenne. Two winning stories will be selected — first place and runner-up. The popular audience vote will be added to the judges’ overall scores. Each winning story will receive a prize. This is an adult event not appropriate for children.

The admission fee is $5. FMI: 307-635-0199

The theme for the Story Slam on Saturday, December 5, will be: “My brush with the law…”

Artist Show & Sale in Cheyenne this weekend

"Winter Solstice" show at Ciao Gallery 12/4

This info comes from Ciao Gallery:

"Winter Solstice" Fine Crafts and Jewelry Show will be at CIAO Gallery, 66 S. Glenwood St., Jackson, on Friday, Dec. 4, from 6-9 p.m.

Jewelry, pottery, glass works, wood pieces, textiles, paintings and more will be on display for sale. This is a great opportunity to buy special one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts!

Happy Holidays and hope to see you at the show!

FMI: www.ciaogallery.com or (307)733-7833

PND: Artists hit hard by sour economy! Artists: So what else is new?

From a Nov. 30 article in Philanthropy News Digest (wyomingarts thanks Ellen Sue Blakey of Thermopolis, who sent the article):

A new survey of American artists — two-thirds of whom say they earned less than $40,000 and a third less than $20,000 last year — found that slightly more than half experienced a drop in income in 2009, the New York Times reports.

Commissioned by nonprofit artist-support organization Leveraging Investments in Creativity and funded in part by the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the survey found that 51 percent of the more than fifty-three hundred respondents saw their incomes fall in the past year, while 18 percent reported a drop of at least 50 percent.

The report, The Artists and the Economic Recession Survey: Selected Findings (8 pages, PDF), found that the most commonly reported impact of the recession was a decline in sales, followed by lower rates or fees. In addition, more than a third of the surveyed artists reported fewer and smaller grants, fewer grant opportunities, and fewer scheduled bookings and chances to exhibit, perform, or present their work.

The survey also provided statistical support for long-held beliefs about artists, such as they tend to work day jobs to support themselves, musicians and architects tend to do better financially than writers and painters, and more than a third of working artists lack adequate health insurance.

According to Judilee Reed, executive director of Leveraging Investments in creativity, "A lot of the artists who were reporting were telling us, 'I live in a recession all the time, so this downturn has really not been so different for me.'"

Kennedy, Randy. “A Survey Shows Pain of Recession for Artists.” New York Times 11/24/09.