Artists in Greybull "Sitting Pretty"

Greybull will have another artistic fundraiser to look forward to this year as Pronghorn Press, a local publishing company, organizes a painted chair project to benefit the Greybull Chamber of Commerce.

“I have a relatively low profile as a Greybull business,” says publisher Annette Chaudet, “and I’d like to do something to benefit Greybull and our Chamber which will, in turn, benefit the whole town.”

Chaudet participated in the last chair project herself and has been included in a number of fiberglass animal projects around the region including “Horse of Course” and “Big Horn Magic” in Billings, “Where the Buffalo Roam” in Casper and two of Rawlins’s “Pronghorn Pride” projects in Rawlins. She has also designed a project called “Art of the Books” as a fundraiser for libraries and arts groups all over the country and has written a book on how to put the projects together.

“The chairs seemed to resonate here and this year ‘Sitting Pretty’ will include anything which is intended for sitting which could be chairs, benches, or stools but could also include cushions or even something like a rocking horse. It will be fun to see where the artists’ imaginations take them,” says Chaudet.

Chaudet is asking for “suitable seat” donations. They should be sturdy, not upholstered (though a covered seat on a chair is acceptable) and probably not metal though there are a few styles of older metal chairs that were made to resemble wooden ones that will work. “We need things that have a paintable surface for our artists to work on. Many artists may supply their own seats but we want to have something to offer those who don’t.”

For artists wishing to participate, you can pick up an entry form at the Chamber of Commerce, or call and one will be sent to you. “We need to know how many people want to participate so that we will have display space.” The deadline for entry reservations is March 1. Finished pieces will be delivered no later than May 24. Artists and groups from around the region are invited to participate.

Chaudet will also be looking for some community sponsors to contribute to advertising and the planned posters, tee shirts and the project book she intends to produce. “I’ll also be happy to have a few volunteers when it comes time to place the chairs for display and then to help with the auction!”

“Sitting Pretty’s” pieces will be displayed downtown throughout the summer so that visitors and locals can enjoy them and then will be auctioned at a September event.

“This is a great opportunity for community involvement. I would encourage teachers to have their classes work on chairs. Groups, organizations and businesses as well as individual artists can all become a part of the project. How fun it would be if groups like the Red Hats, the Arts Guild, and Headstart created pieces. It will bring the community together and benefit the community through the Chamber. It’s a win-win event.”

For any questions, entry forms or pick up and delivery information for donated seating contact Annette Chaudet at Pronghorn Press 307-765-2979 or at pronghorn@tctwest.net. The Chamber will also have information sheets and artist forms.

PHOTO: "Aspen 5" by Annette Chaudet is an example of what "Sitting Pretty" is all about.

Wyoming author Barbara Graham's upcoming book events

Meeteetse Library, Saturday January 19 at 3:00 PM for reading and discussion.

Cody Public Library on Tuesday, January 22 at 7:00 PM for reading and discussion about writing mysteries.

Wheatland Mercantile, Wheatland on January 30 signing 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

Natrona County Public Library, Casper on January 31 at 7:00 PM for reading and discussion.

Douglas, signing at Whistle-Stop Books on February 1 from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

Casper, February 2 signing at Ralph's Books & Records from 12:00 to 2:00 PM

Gift Me, Martin

Many of you know Montanan Chris Valentine, member of Wyoming Writers and WyoPoets, who sends out the newsletter for WyoPoets and the poems with Ted Kooser's comments. I've known her since way back, during the 2000 and 2001 Casper College Literary Festivals, when I met her in the first poetry workshop we did with Utah poet David Lee. Here is her tribute to Martin Luther King.

Dear Page,
I know you well.
You are white just like me,
And blank like my mind.
I wish I had black paper
To write on, in celebration
Of Martin Luther King.
Maybe I will find some
And write a poem on it.
I think I have a silver pen
Somewhere. Now wouldn’t
That be nice? Silver words
On black paper. A fitting
Tribute for an eloquent orator.
Can he see me from the Eye
Of Heaven, struggling to learn
About black people in this
White world of mine?
I know Martin Luther King
And Langston Hughes
Write poetry in heaven.
Maybe they will send me some
While I sit, pen poised,
Ready for inspiration.
And I will interpret their words
As my own, not knowing
They were gifted to me
By those amazing men.
So here am I, with a blank mind,
And a blank page,
Gift me, Martin.

© Christine Valentine 2007

Call for entries: Chicano/Latino writing

PALABRA, print litmag of Chicano/Latino writing, invites submissions of inventive fiction, poetry, novel excerpts, and short plays that explore new directions in Chicano and Latino literary art. Some pay. Guidelines on web site: www.palabralitmag.com. Queries at info@palabralitmag.com. Submit via USPS only to PALABRA, P.O. Box 86146, Los Angeles, CA 90086-0146.

Christy Leskovar on Speaking of Writing

This week on Speaking of Writing, Julianne Couch will play an October, 2006 interview recorded with Christy Leskovar by KGLT radio in Bozeman, Montana, with their permission. Speaking of Writing will not be able to podcast this program on the Speaking of Writing site, but you can visit http://www.onenightinabadinn.com/ for access. Speaking of Writing airs each week on KOCA FM, 93.5, Laramie’s community radio station.

Christy was born in Butte, Montana, and grew up in Kennewick, Washington. In 1982 she graduated cum laude from Seattle University with degrees in mechanical engineering and French. She then joined Bechtel in Gaithersburg, Maryland. After stints in Kansas, Barcelona, and San Francisco, she transferred to Las Vegas. During a trip to her hometown of Butte in 1997, she learned the shocking news about her great-grandmother being arrested for murder. She ultimately left her engineering career to devote all her time to finding out what happened and writing a book about it. The research and writing took eight years. The result, One Night in a Bad Inn, was a finalist for the 2007 High Plains Best New Book Award.

“Fire ravages a Montana homestead, a dead body is found in the ruins, tragedy turns to mystery which turns to scandal.” So begins One Night in a Bad Inn, a lively tale of war, murder, and mayhem, courage and fortitude, set during one of the most turbulent eras in American history, and it’s all true.

Through this compelling story, we meet the beautiful Aila, the daughter of Welsh immigrants who lives a Dickensian life, orphanage and all, and grows up to be an impeccable woman of indomitable will, rejecting the debauchery and brutality in which she was raised and overcoming tremendous trials; her father, Arthur, the Welsh stonemason turned homesteader who loses all in a reckless scheme; her mother, Sarah, the bawdy boarding house matron, a debutante of the demimonde, who tries to drive her children into misdeeds and succeeds with Aila’s brothers; her husband, Peter, the handsome Irish miner turned soldier who goes off to fight with the 91st “Wild West” Division on the bloody battlefields of the Western Front in the First World War, he saves a man’s life and returns home a decorated hero.

The people are larger than life, some notorious, some heroic; the events, the times, and the settings are fascinating, much of it taking place in early twentieth century Butte, Montana—a bustling, cosmopolitan, industrial metropolis that could have been plucked from the northeast and dropped in the Rocky Mountains, a delicious melange of eastern sophistication amid a mining camp’s outlandishness. It is indeed a remarkable saga through which the reader learns some intriguing history through the lives of some very intriguing people.

New C.J. Box novel hits NYT charts

C.J. Box’s new novel, "Blue Heaven," has debuted at number 25 on the New York Times’ best-seller list. This is the Cheyenne author’s first published novel that doesn’t feature game warden Joe Pickett. It is, however, set in the Rocky Mountain West, Idaho to be specific.

Here’s a description from C.J.’s web site:

A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother go on the run in the woods of North Idaho, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder—four men who know exactly who William and Annie are, and who know exactly where their desperate mother is waiting for news of her children’s fate. Retired cops from Los Angeles, the killers easily persuade the inexperienced sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children.

William and Annie’s unexpected savior comes in the form of an old-school rancher teetering on the brink of foreclosure. But as one man against four who will stop at nothing to silence their witnesses, Jess Rawlins needs allies, and he knows that one word to the wrong person could seal the fate of the children or their mother. In a town where most of the ranches like his have turned into acres of ranchettes populated by strangers, finding someone to trust won’t be easy.

With true-to-life, unforgettable characters and a ticking clock plot that spans just over 48 hours in real time, C.J. Box has created a thriller that delves into issues close to the heart: the ruthless power of greed over broken ideals, the healing power of community where unlikely heroes find themselves at the crossroads of duty and courage, and the truth about what constitutes a family. In a setting whose awesome beauty is threatened by those who want a piece of it, BLUE HEAVEN delivers twists and turns until its last breathtaking page.

Here’s C.J.’s book tour info for Wyoming:
Cheyenne, Thurs., 1/24, 4 p.m., City News, 1722 Carey Avenue, (307)-638-8671
Laramie, Fri., 1/25, 5:30 p.m., Chickering Bookstore, 203 South Second St. Contact Lois Chickering, (307) 742-8609 or chickeringbooks@wyo2u.com
Casper, Mon., 1/28, 4 p.m., Ralph’s Books, 215 S. Montana Ave.
Sheridan, Tue., 1/29, 7 p.m., The Book Shop, 117 N. Main St. Contact Pennie Vance, (307) 672-6505 or http://www.bookshoponmain.com/
Yellowstone National Park, Mon., 9/22, noon. Details TBA.

Cho conducts Utah Symphony in Pinedale

The Pinedale Fine Arts Council presents the Utah Symphony on Friday Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m., at the Pinedale Auditorium. The Pinedale performance will be conducted by David Cho (pictured). The Utah Symphony will also be performing for the Pinedale Elementary and Middle school earlier in the day. Tickets for the Feb. 8 performance go on sale later this month and will be available at the usual outlets.

FMI: http://www.pinedalefinearts.com.

Hear from new author at Cheyenne YMCA

On Thursday, Jan. 17, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Cheyenne Family YMCA, newly published local author Cindy Keen Reynders will be discussing writing and published her book, "The Saucy Lucy Murders." A book signing will follow.

The event is free and open to everyone.

FMI: Chris at the Cheyenne Family YMCA, 307-634-9622, Ext. 16.

41 IDEAS WHOSE TIME HAS COME

Creative Capital, the national organization that supports individual artists, announces the recipients of its 2008 grants. Fifty-two artists representing forty-one projects in film/video and the visual arts received initial awards of $10,000. As the projects develop, the organization offers additional funds; projects may receive as much as $50,000 each through the tenure of the multi-year grant. Creative Capital artists also participate in the organization’s distinctive Artist Services Program valued at $25,000 per artist. This program offers artists skills-building assistance in areas such as fundraising, networking, marketing, and strategic planning with the goal of advancing both their projects and their careers. So far Creative Capital has devoted more than $6 million to the Artists Services Program and has served 349 artists in its nine-year history.

The panelists who chose the twenty-one film/video projects were Andrea Grover (Aurora Picture Show, Houston), Effie Brown (Duly Noted Films, Los Angeles), Sean Elwood (Creative Capital, New York), Vicki Funari (Creative Capital artist, San Francisco), David Kwok (Tribeca Film Festival, New York), Scott Macauley (independent producer and journalist, New York) and Sheryl Mousley (Walker Art Center, Minneapolis). The seven panelists who selected the twenty visual arts projects were Romi Crawford (Studio Museum in Harlem, New York), Valerie Cassell Oliver (Contemporary Arts Museum Houston), Sean Elwood (Creative Capital, New York), Douglas Fogle (Carnegie Art Museum, Pittsburgh), Maria Elena González (Creative Capital artist, Basel and New York), Rita Gonzalez (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and Abby Messitte (Clementine Gallery, New York).

Selected from among 2,535 applications, the funded projects come from across the country. Creative Capital artists now represent twenty-eight states in total. About the new class of grantees, Creative Capital President Ruby Lerner said, “I am struck by these artists’ depth of engagement in issues critical to citizens of the world today. They fulfill art’s duty to inspire reflection, understanding and thought beyond the limits of the ordinary.”

With these awards, Creative Capital’s roster of artist projects grows to 283. In 2006 the foundation issued grants in emerging fields, innovative literature and the performing arts. Many of those grantees attended Creative Capital’s Artist Retreat in August 2006, the kickoff event of the Artist Services Program. Through the grant program and its Professional Development Program (a series of public workshops for artists held nationwide), Creative Capital has served more than 1,700 artists.

Nine years ago, Creative Capital embarked on a mission to reinvent the existing model of arts philanthropy, to construct a new paradigm, and to fulfill the specific needs of the country's most innovative artists. Today, it is the premier national artist support organization, committed to the principle that time and advisory services are as crucial to artistic success as funding. Over the lives of its funded projects, Creative Capital provides artists with a flexible program of multi-faceted, sequential support and partners with them to determine how those targeted funds and services can best work in concert to progress towards the grantees’ own goals. Since its founding in 1999, the organization has committed more than $12 million in financial support and services to 283 projects representing 349 artists. A complete list of grantees, profiles of funded projects, and up-to-date grant cycle information can be found online at the foundation’s website at www.creative-capital.org.

Go to http://creative-capital.org/evites/07announce/announce_2.html to see the complete list of winners.

Rock’n & Roll’n By The Rails

The Cheyenne Depot Museum is hosting a Rock’n & Roll’n party with a 50’s twist on Saturday, January 26, 2008. Rock’n & Roll’n By the Rails will be held in the lobby of the Cheyenne Depot and will begin at 6:00 pm with cocktails. Dinner will be served at 7:00pm. Tickets are $50 per person. The party will feature soda fountain desserts, DJ music by Sound Connection and a award winning dance exhibition by Linda and Joe Fabian. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and clothes from the 50’s, otherwise dress is semi-formal. Reservations are required, with a reservation deadline of Wednesday, January 23rd. Rock’n & Roll’n By the Rails is a fundraiser for the Cheyenne Depot Museum.

Rock’n & Roll’n By the Rails will offer an excellent dinner, outstanding desserts and a chance to relive the 50’s.

For more information on this event, please contact Pam Crochet, Events Coordinator for the Cheyenne Depot Museum, at 307-632-3905. The address of the Cheyenne Depot is 121 West 15th Street, downtown Cheyenne.

Call for Exhibitors

A great exhibition opportunity! If you have any questions, please contact Professor Donahue or Professor Bird at the information listed below. These exhibitions are for the display space in the Fine Arts building at Chadron State College, not for the Mari Sandoz Center. Works in all genre and mediums are encouraged. Please feel free to share this information to those that you think may be interested.

The deadline is Feb. 15, 2008 for the Chadron State College Galaxy Series. Seeking proposals for one-month shows, to run from Aug. 2008 - April 2009. Open to all artists 18+; all media. Size restrictions: Must fit through a standard double door. 20% commission. Artist must supply insurance; security is provided on the premises. Send 6 slides or CD with jpegs or PowerPoint images of work, brief statement expressing the exhibition concept, send a SASE to:

Richard Bird
Chadron State College
1000 Main St.
Chadron, NE 69337
308-432-6326
rbird@csc.edu

or:

Mary P. Donahue
Associate Professor of Art
Chadron State College
1000 Main St.
Chadron, NE 69337-2690
(308)432-6325
mdonahue@csc.edu

National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors

For the first time in 25 years, the National Endowment for the Arts has created the new lifetime achievement award. It will be the nation's highest honor in opera.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today did something it hasn't done in more than a quarter century: it announced new awards to honor lifetime achievement and individual excellence, this time in the field of opera. "Opera in the United States is a vibrant, healthy art form and it's only fitting that we give it the added recognition of an honor bestowed by the United States government -- just as we do with jazz and folk and traditional arts. This is a way to honor our great opera artists and their work," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia.For the full press release, please go to http://www.nea.gov/news/news08/OperaHonors.html

MUSEUM TO DISPLAY UW ART DEPARTMENT FACULTY ARTWORK

Exhibition to include new and adjunct faculty

The University of Wyoming Art Museum is pleased to feature the UW Art Department in an exhibition of recent artwork by current faculty. “Art Department studio faculty are nationally and internationally recognized creative artists,” said Ricki Klages, art department head. “The commitment to the creative process is equal to the commitment to excellence in arts education. We are fortunate to have a faculty dedicated to their respective media and working across a broad range of aesthetic and technical approaches to studio practice. There is not a universal departmental approach or style. Instead, faculty express their individual artistic vision with integrity and passion.”

In addition to paintings by Klages, the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition is comprised of artwork by Ashley Hope Carlisle (sculpture), Mark Ritchie (printmaking), Leah Hardy (metals), Pat Kikut (painting), Doug Russell (drawing), Shelby Shadwell (drawing), Diane Baumbauch (mixed media), Jenny Venn (graphic design), Margaret K. Haydon (ceramics), and David Jones (sculpture).

An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 1 from 6-8 p.m. The UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition continues through March 1.

Artists of the Northern Front exhibition

Artists of the Northern Front, a virtual co-op of artists from the northern Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming, will feature work at Sweet Melissa's, 213 S. 1st, Laramie, through Jan. 31.

The show includes these artists: Bruce Allemani, Amy Irish, Beth Buskirk, Jim Jereb, Deborah Kratzer-Reid, Mack Brislawn, Gail Shive, Terry Reid, Raymond Jordan and Barry O'Riley.

FMI: http://www.northernfront.net/.

Maturis publish their own books

Karla Pomeroy wrote in today's Casper Star-Tribune about Laramie County writing couple Richard and Mary Maturi. As have many writers, they've turned to publishing their own books. You can read the entire story at http://www.trib.com/.

Eight years after the initial release of "Will Rogers, Performer," the authors-turned-publishers have re-released the book in paperback.

Laramie County residents Richard J. "Rick" and Mary Buckingham Maturi collaborated on the biography, which McFarland & Co. published with library binding in 1999.

Rick Maturi said the 275-page book sold for $60 and was marketed mostly for libraries. Now, with their own publishing company, 21st Century Publishers, the
Maturis have a new foreword in the book and added more information on Rogers' connection with aviation.

The book, available on-line and at some local bookstores, has an actual release date of April 2008. The paperback book is 304 pages but weighs much lighter than the first-edition library-bound book, Rick Maturi said. It also sells for much less, at $24.95.

2008 Jackson Hole Writers Conference line-up

From a press release:

An international best-selling writer, the fellow who was nearly pecked to death by ducks, and the smartest man Alexandra Fuller ever met are among the guests scheduled to attend the 16th Jackson Hole Writers Conference Jun. 26-29 at the Center for the Arts in Jackson.

Tim Sandlin, co-director of the summertime gathering of writers in search of agents and publishers, recently announced the line-up for this year’s conference. In addition to well-known writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, the guest faculty will include editors from major publishing houses, literary agents, successful magazine writers and representatives from the universe of young adult books.

Here’s the complete faculty list:

Fiction:

• Elizabeth George (pictured above) – The best-selling author of 22 novels, most of them made into BBC Masterpiece Theatre movies, her latest is “What Came Before He Shot Her.”
• Gail Tsukiyama – The bestselling author of six novels, the latest being “Street of a Thousand Blossoms,” Tsukiyama was the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Award and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award.
• Jane Hamilton – Her first novel, “The Book of Ruth,” won the PEN/Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award for best first novel and was a selection of the Oprah Book Club. Her second novel, “A Map of the World,” was an international bestseller. Her latest is “When Madeline Was Young.”
• Bob Mayer – The speaker, instructor, West Point graduate and former Green Beret has written 35 books – fiction and nonfiction – including many New York Times bestsellers.

Nonfiction:

• Michael Perry – The author of “Population 485,” “Truck” and “Big Rigs Elvis and the Grand Dragon Wayne,” Perry also has a CD entitled “Never Stand Behind a Sneezing Cow.”
• Tim Cahill – The founding editor of Outdoor Magazine and a frequent contributor to National Geographic Adventurer, Cahill is author of 10 books about adventure, travel and nature, including “Pecked to Death by Ducks” and “Road Fever.” He lives in Livingston, Mont.

Magazine:

• Bryan Christy – The author of “The Lizard King: A True Tale of Reptile Lover” is a former lawyer, a Fulbright Scholar, and a freelance writer for National Geographic and Playboy. In the course of his years of research on reptiles, he has been bitten between the eyes by a blood python, chased by a mother alligator, sprayed by a bird-eating tarantula, and ejaculated on by a Bengal tiger. Alexandra Fuller called him “the smartest man I ever met.”

Young Adult:

• Melissa Manlove – The young adult editor at Chronicle Books blogs about children’s book at www.ChronicleBooks.com/blog.
• Christian Burch – An artist and real-life “manny” (male nanny), Burch is the author of the popular and funny novel, “The Manny Files.”

Poetry:

• Christopher Merrill – Author of four collections of poetry, including “Brilliant Water and Watch Fire” – for which he received the Peter I. B. Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets – Merrill also is a translator, editor and director of the international writing program at The University of Iowa.
• Cecily Parks – Parks’ poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Five Points, The Paris Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Yale Review and elsewhere. In December, she will publish her first book, “Field Folly Snow.”

Editors:

• Sam Douglas – An associate editor at Picador, Douglas works mostly on literary fiction, memoir and narrative nonfiction. He also has worked as a newspaper reporter, a freelancer and an MFA student at Columbia.
• David Cashion – A senior editor at Penguin Books, Cashion has worked in the publishing industry for 15 years, including stints at Hyperion and Dell Books. He graduated from NYU with a degree in film and English literature.

Agents:

• Joëlle Delbourgo – The president of Joëlle Delbourgo Associates, based in Montclair, N.J., Delbourgo has been an editor, editor-in-chief and associate publisher at HarperCollins and Random House. Her agency’s clients include Julie Fenster, Geeta Anand, Pamela Duncan, Chris Farrell and Jackson Hole’s own John Byrne Cooke, among many others.

Literary Management, Publishing Consultants:

• Doug Stewart – Before joining Sterling Lord Literistic in December 2003, Stewart was an agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd. Specializing in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction and young adult fiction, his clients include Carolyn Parkhurst, David Mitchell, Alison McGhee, Jane O’Connor, T Cooper and Lindsay Moran, among others.
• Katharine Sands – An associate with Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency in New York City, Sands is the editor of “Making the Perfect Pitch: Advice from 35 Top Book Agents” and author of “PitchCraft.”

Local faculty: Karol Griffin, Tina Welling, Broughton Coburn, Amanda Gersh, Lise McClendon, Debbie Atkinson, Christian Burch, Leah Shlachter, Tim Sandlin, Tiffanie DeBartolo, John Byrne Cooke.

Fees: "Early Bird" registration (before May 10) is $360 USD. On May 10, the rate goes up to $390 USD. Your registration fee includes all events at the conference plus three 15-minute individual manuscript critiques with published writers, editors, or agents; a welcome cocktail party; and a barbecue.

If you are a parent, you can register for both yourself and your teen writer for a combined $575 USD.

There are a few scholarships available to qualified candidates. Scholarships are for the conference fee only.

FMI: 307.413.3331; tim@jacksonholewritersconference.com

Soul Street Dance performs in Casper

Soul Street Dance (formerly Fly Dance Company) will perform on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m. in the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School in Casper.

Here's a description from the ARTCORE web site:

"Soul Street performances consist of high-energy movement that will keep members of any audience at the edge of their seats. Soul Street crosses street dance with classical choreographic principles creating a visual spectacle! The rhythmic sophistication of Debussy, Vivaldi and even B.B. King go toe-to-toe with the physicality and bravado of Soul Street Dance Company's break dance and hip-hop style. These guys are tough with a streetwise, sideways charm; and they know how to move . . . from their knuckles all the way down to their toenails. Soul Street presents a concert that will make you laugh and keep an audience of all ages entertained -- 300,000-plus to date!"

For tickets: 307-265-1564.

Upcoming events at Cheyenne Artists Guild

The Cheyenne Artists Guild conducts programs on the first Monday of the month at 1701 Morrie Ave. in Holliday Park, Cheyenne. Its workshops are free and open to the public.

On Feb. 4, 7 p.m.: Marilyn Miller, the guild’s publicity chairwoman, will conduct a program on cartoon-style caricature drawing.

On March 3, 7 p.m., David Cronk will conduct a presentation on children’s book publishing and illustrating.

Membership in the Cheyenne Artists Guild is open to any artists interested in networking with other artists in and around the Cheyenne area. Annual membership is $35 for an individual and $50 for a family. If you are interested in becoming a member you can call The Cheyenne Artists Guild at (307) 632-2263 and request a membership package OR complete the online form and a Guild representative will contact you.

Help wanted: Lander Art Center E.D.

The Lander Art Center is seeking an executive director.

The LAC, located on Main Street in Lander, is a 2,500 sq. ft. visual arts facility serving Lander and Fremont County.

Qualified candidates will have a degree in the arts or equivalent work experience, must be able to delegate and oversee a wide range of activities, and must have expertise in two of the following with a working knowledge of the others:
• Exhibition Curation
• Art Class and Workshop Coordination
• Budget Management
• Volunteer Management
• Grant Writing
• Newsletter Writing
• Fundraising
• Training
• Managing Senior Citizen Staff
• Community outreach

Position is part-time with flexible hours, salary base is $1,500 per month. Studio space is available at the art center for this position.

Send a letter of interest with resume, writing samples, and a list of 3 references to:
Lenore Poitras, Chair
Lander Art Center Board of Directors
P.O. Box 362
Lander, Wyoming 82520

Contact Lenore Poitras for further information at 307.332.6561, in the evenings.

Position is open until filled.

Casper fiddler listened to teacher's advice

Great article by Hannah Wiest in Sunday’s Casper Star-Tribune about a Casper fiddler who's made good in Nashville.

Justin Williamson is returning to Casper this week as a member of Brad Paisley’s band. Justin grew up in Casper and had the benefits of a great violin teacher in Jim Mothersbaugh. He prepped Justin for his 1996 college audition at Nashville’s Belmont University. Justin practiced the last movement of Mendelssohn's violin concerto, which, Mothersbaugh said, is faster, higher and harder than most classical violin pieces. It enabled Williamson's fingers to fly like a fiddle player's, but showed his grasp of classical technique.

A few years later, when Jim saw Justin playing with Paisley’s band on Jay Leno, he knew that his student has followed his advice:

"I knew what kind of talent he was. I knew how hard he worked. And I knew he'd listened to my advice: Be on time, be prepared, do what people ask, and don't play with a beer in your hand."

Read the entire article at http://www.trib.com/.

Brad Paisley and band will be at the Casper Events Center for the "Bonfires and Amplifiers" tour on Thursday, Jan. 17.