Make holiday "treets" at Ava Center

You're invited to Readers Theater Dec. 14

Just received this e-mail from Cheyenne author and actor Jim Rolf:

Every so often, I get an opportunity to do something that really moves me and that gives me great pride. This is one of those occasions. The Cheyenne Little Theatre Players are presenting "Tuesdays With Morrie" as a Readers Theater presentation at the Atlas Theatre on December 14. I have been selected to read the part of Morrie and I really hope those of you who can will come share the evening with me.

You all know the story - the author/playwright comes back to visit a former teacher who has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease, and ends up renewing a friendship by spending every Tuesday with him. Andy Dennis reads the part of Mitch (the author) and does one of the finest jobs on stage I have ever heard him do. Rory Mack joins us on stage to help the audience understand the stage directions, and Carol Serelson has taken on the directing duties.

Readers Theater is a truly unique form of communication. With no sets, costumes, or technical effects to divert the attention of the audience members, they focus more on the script than they otherwise would. As an audience member, you hear words and feel emotions that are too often lost behind the smoke and mirrors of the stage. I seldom invite people to come watch me perform, but I feel so strongly about this production that I have to ask.

41st Kinser Jazz Festival

The Casper College Kinser Jazz Festival mission is to promote jazz education in Wyoming. It strives to foster and celebrate greater cultural awareness and diversity within the community.

In concert Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School, catch Australia's "The Idea of North." As a quartet of vocalists, their voices are their instruments: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, with a little bit of vocal percussion thrown in. Their sound and style is distinct, yet they cross many musical genres: jazz, folk, gospel, pop, classical, even comedy, and so defy categorization. They are the first non-U.S. group to win The Harmony Sweepstakes, the largest and most prestigious international open acapella competition in the world. Tickets are $15.

High school and junior high/middle school ensembles perform in noncompetitive settings, with the option of receiving an assessment score and rating from adjudicators, who base their assessment on high, professional standards, which may not coincide with the standards of the Wyoming Music Educators Association.

Each ensemble is scheduled for a 30-minute public performance, which includes set up, a brief public clinic with an adjudicator, and a strike. Thereafter, each ensemble receives an additional 30-minute clinic with an adjudicator in a nonpublic setting. The ensemble receives the adjudicators’ written comments, rating scores (if required), and a digital video recording of the performance and clinic.

Casper College is an institutional member of the International Association of Jazz Educators and the National Association of Schools of Music.

Kinser Jazz Festival Committee:
Robert Kleinschmidt, Executive Director 268-2246 rkleinschmidt@caspercollege.edu
Patrick Patton, Vocal Director268-2603 ppatton@caspercollege.edu
Tracy Pfau, Instrumental Director268-2629 tpfau@caspercollege.edu
Deanna Dyer, Coordinator268-2606 ddyer@caspercollege.edu
Jean Tichenor, College Audition Coordinator268-2607 tichenor@caspercollege.edu

FMI information about the Kinser Jazz Festival, call (307) 268-2021 or contact Deanna Dyer at ddyer@caspercollege.edu or order online at www.caspercollege.edu/jazz. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover accepted.

Riding Wyoming's artistic skies

While you're flying Wyoming's turbulent skies, don't forget to pick up the winter issue of Great Lakes Airlines' Peaks & Plains magazine featuring a number of artists from Campbell County.

Christopher Amend, recently retired art teacher at Campbell Co. H.S. in Gillette, is profiled and his art featured in living color. Chris grew up in Worland and earned bachelor's and master's degrees at University of Wyoming. He describes his work this way:

"For me, metaphor is more powerful that literal truths. I think poetry is more powerful language than prose. It provides a deeper understanding of ideas than literal statements do, because it provides leaps across chasms of understanding. That's what I try to do with my paintings."

Also in the issue are Gillette's Herb Kalenberg, a 27-year-old "architectural artist" (see his work at the AVA Center web site) and sculptor Dr. Patrick Love. In an article "Studio Tours Highlight Art in Gillette, Wyoming," we read about Ronni Barbula, Janice Hamilton, Dara Corkery, Joan Sowada, Susan Hladky, and Chris Amend (that guy gets around).

Also in the mag is an excellent article about the threats poses by energy development in the Red Desert. Entitled "Adobe Town: Wilderness in the Red Desert," it was written by Laramie's Julianne Couch. Another piece by Jackson's Jack McNeel focuses on the Heyteyneytah Project on the Wind River Reservation, run by Arapaho horseman Stanford Addison. The program teaches life skills to at-risk youth through horsemanship. A remarkable thing: Addison is a paraplegic.

Pick up a copy of the mag on your next Great Lakes flight.

NEA Chair addresses national arts conference

NEA Chair Dana Gioia addressed last week's National Assembly of State Arts Agencies' conference in Baltimore. This is the second time in the past two months that Wyoming Arts Council staff members have heard him speak. In mid-October, Gioia traveled to Casper to speak at the first-ever Wyoming Arts Summit. This time, he spoke to us from a big screen in a hotel ballroom.

He returned to a topic he discussed at the Summit. There, he said that there were two kinds of people in the world: consumers, and consumers who do things. This first group tends to spend most of its time consuming. You get the image of couch potatoes and teens plugged into their electronic gaming devices. The second group conjures those people who watch TV and play video games, but who also play games together, attend plays, bowl, join a local club, march in the Fourth of July parade, sing in a choir, etc.

In Baltimore, Gioia slightly changed the definitions of these two groupings of Americans: non-participants on the one hand; participants/readers on the other. Different labels, same groups. The facts remain the same. Those people who do things together volunteer at a rate 400 percent higher than those who don’t. Studies show that arts participants also are more likely to join a bowling league or coach soccer. Readers, especially, have a tendency to exercise more and volunteer more than non-readers.

He chastised this national gathering of arts administrators. He said we've done a poor job of reaching out to the greater society. This is odd because most arts administrators seem to be participants to the core. But maybe we're spending too much of our time talking to each other. This oversight and/or neglect may have alarming consequences.

"One-third of American teens are dropping out of high school," said the electronic Gioia on the big screen. "Arts are the missing piece of the equation, both in education and in public life in general."

Gioia likes the fact that a program he started three years ago, Poetry Out Loud, is appealing to some of those at-risk kids. This has been true in most states, Wyoming included. Five of the 12 particpating states in the first year of Wyoming Poetry Out Loud were from so-called "alternative high schools," such as Triumph in Cheyenne. The third-place finisher in POL's first year was a young man from Pathfinder High School in Lander.

But NEA programs such as Poetry Out Loud and The Big Read have "reached millions of people in each of your states," said Gioia. "That's a powerful way of making people your allies.

"And members of Congress want to see that we're reaching every community in their state. We've been doing that and thousands of articles are being written about it." He added with a laugh: "Poetry Out Loud is getting the same kind of coverage as high school football."

For more info about Wyoming Poetry Out Loud, contact Mike Shay at the WAC at 307-777-5234.

"Signatures" explores threats to bird habitats

From a UW press release:

The semi-monthly University of Wyoming television series, "Wyoming Signatures," will feature segments on dinosaurs and Wyoming birds.

The public affairs program will air on KCWC, Wyoming Public Television, at 7:30 p.m.,Thursday, Dec. 13. The show will repeat Sunday, Dec. 16, at 5:30 p.m.

Brent Breithaupt, director of the UW Geological Museum, will discuss his research that shows parallels between dinosaurs and modern emus. He will also discuss important dinosaur discoveries in Wyoming in the late 19th century.

Also on the show, Audubon Society of Wyoming Executive Director Brian Rutledge will talk about bird species' dependence on Wyoming's sage brush and how development in Wyoming gas fields can threaten their habitat.

"Wyoming Signatures" is produced by UW Television. KCWC can be seen off-air or via cable in communities throughout Wyoming, including Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie, Riverton, Lander, Rock Springs, Green River, Powell, Cody, Sheridan, Gillette, Jackson, Pinedale and Big Piney. Check local listings for specific channel information.

Utah Symphony performs in Lander Feb. 7

The Utah Symphony Orchestra will perform on Thursday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m., at the Lander Valley High School Auditorium in Lander.

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony has become a vital presence on the American music scene. Under Keith Lockhart, whose tenure as music director began in 1998, and Joseph Silverstein, music director from 1983 to 1998, the orchestra has continued its commitment to the music of our time, recording and premiering a number of American works.

The event is sponsored by Lander Community Concerts Association.

For ticket information, go to http://www.landerconcerts.org.

Writin' (and ridin') the range with Page

One-time Wyomingite Page Lambert, an award-winning author and two-time WAC fellowship winner, will be leading a five-day riding and writing adventure, “Exploring the Literature and Landscape of the Horse,” June 1-6, 2008, at the Vee Bar Guest Ranch located between Laramie and Centennial.

“During the retreat,” Page says, “we will ride our horses across the Vee Bar’s beautiful Wyoming landscape and journey into the mysterious dimension between the verbal world and the non-verbal world. As writers, we reach out to others through the written word. Yet often our work lacks the energy and vitality necessary to engage the reader. We often fail to trust our instincts when writing a story.”

Page also leads River Writing Journeys for Women around the West, as seen in Oprah’s O magazine. She is the author of the best-selling memoir In Search of Kinship. “In Search of Kinship is a book of wisdom,” wrote Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods. “It reveals the intricate and powerful influence of land on human character, and suggests the importance of finding, and protecting, one’s true and special place.” She is also the author of the novel Shifting Stars, a finalist for the Mountains and Plains Bookseller’s Award. Page’s work is featured in 20 different literary anthologies including the 2007 release Wyoming Fence Lines from the Wyoming Humanities Council.

Fee for “Exploring the Literature and Landscape of the Horse” is $1,275 per person includes lodging and meals, riding and writing instruction, and tack. Each guest will have his/her own horse for five days. No previous riding or writing experience is required. A deposit of $300 and registration deadline is due by February 1.

FMI: Page Lambert, 303-842-7360, http://www.pagelambert.com.

The Big Read continues to grow

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION IN BIG READ GRANTS FOR FIRST HALF OF 2008.

One hundred twenty-seven grantees include libraries, arts groups, science organizations, colleges, and municipalities. U.S. military bases overseas and Russian cities join the Big Read. Institute of Museum and Library Services partnership helps program continue to grow.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) continued its drive toward making the Big Read the largest federal reading program in U.S. history. The NEA announced that it will award grants totaling $1,598,800 to 127 libraries, municipalities, and arts, culture, higher education, and science organizations to host Big Read celebrations of 16 classic novels from January-June 2008. The newest Big Read grantees represent 38 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The NEA inaugurated the Big Read as a pilot project with ten communities in 2006. By 2009, approximately 400 communities in the U.S. will have hosted a Big Read since the program's 2007 national launch. For the full release and a list of the new grantees, please visit: http://www.arts.gov/news/news07/BigReadJan2008.html

"Engaging Art" in the Gen-Y world

One of the major issues discussed at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies conference in Baltimore is this: how to get more young people involved in the arts.

The best session (thus far) devoted to this topic was entitled "Engaging Art" taken from Steven Tepper's book, "Engaging Art: The Next Great Transformation of America's Cultural Life." Tepper is a staff member of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

As you can imagine, the next great transformation in America's cultural life involves technology. Along with that, it's the ways that the up-and-coming generations use it. Gen-X and Gen-Y and the Millennials and all the other post-Baby Boomer generations, are using the Internet to create and exhibit their own art. No surprise there. What is surprising are the number of Boomers that are following in the children's (and grandchildren's) footsteps. People are creating movies on YouTube, blogging on their favorite passion, and composing old-timey-style cowboy songs.

According to Tepper, if you don't know some of these terms you're hopelessly out of the loop: cosplay, machinima, fanfic, blogging, podcasting, and life catching. All these types of multimedia forms are being composed electronically, without the help of grants from Arts Councils, mainly because we (including the WAC) don't give grants for these art forms.

Young people, especially, aren't waiting for some sort of approval or mediation for their elders. They create and download, waiting for a response from their peers.

This isn't just happening in the U.S. Tepper showed surveys that attendance at public art events is down all over the western world. All kinds of participation in the public sphere has decreased. That includes voting, going to church, playing sports, and joining clubs and organizations. New social networks are evolving on the web, ones that are more conducive to the tastes of the new generation of pro-ams and omnivorous learners (more about those descriptions in later posts).

A very interesting time. Some of us in the arts biz are freaked out by it. Others see new opportunities. One thing seemes clear: a big change is already underway.

Can't find machinima in your Funk & Wagnall's? Better get Tepper's book.

At the Muse

A Champagne & Chocolate holiday celebration takes place December 14, 2007 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. Intaglio prints and fine jewelry will be available by Mari Andrews, Ross Bleckner, Squeak Carnwath, Caio Fonseca, Aron Suley, Arey Hawks, Sue Fleming, Mimi Favre, Sarah Graham, and Jules Smith.

Nominate someone to the CFD Hall of Fame

Nomination forms are now available online for the Hall of Fame Class of 2008. Nomination deadline is December 31, 2007.

FMI or to download a nomination form, please visit us online at

http://www.oldwestmuseum.org/ or call (307) 778-7290.

The CFD hall of Fame showcases individuals, livestock and organizations whose distinctive contributions to Cheyenne Frontier Days have helped grow one man's dream into "The Daddy of 'em All." Whether contestants, contract personnel, entertainers, livestock, organizations, families or volunteers, those voted into the CFD Hall of Fame represent the competitive and cooperative spirit that has remained the hallmark of CFD since 1897.

While nominations to the CFD Hall of Fame are open to the public, only members of the CFD Old

West Museum at the Associate Level or above will be eligible to vote when the ballots for the Class of 2007 are mailed in March. FMI on becoming a voting member or for more information about the CFD Hall of Fame, please visit the website or call the phone number listed above.

Central Wyoming College Student Art Show

This evening is the reception, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for the Central Wyoming College Student Art Show, which runs from December 4 - 28, 2007 at the Lander Art Center.

"The student shows that the center hosts each year are like a breath of fresh air. These students are learning to master their materials and explore new frontiers in their art as they challenge cultural and artistic conventions, and have created the bright, exuberant and challenging work exhibited in this show."

Garth Brooks on Chris LeDoux

Going through the mail this morning, I saw in the Cheyenne Area Convention & Visitor's Bureau this tribute, and had to pass it along. This is from a recent AOL Music interview.

"I have two moments that I would say have been the highlights of my career: getting to play the 100th anniversary of Cheyenne's Frontier Days -- the daddy of them all -- with Chris LeDoux, and getting into the Grand Ole Opry. With Cheyenne Frontier Days, Sandy was pregnant with Allie Colleen, the last of my three children, and she was right at her due date. So, unbeknownst to me, they had called Chris and he had driven his band and crew up to be "on hold" in case we couldn't do the show. When I found out, I found him backstage and I said, "Pal, you've got to let me pay for all your expenses up here." It looked like we were going to go ahead and do the show. And he said, "Not on your life, man. This was my treat." And I said, "No, no, you don't understand. I need to pay for this." And it was the only time I'd seen this look on his face, and he said as calm as he could be, "I'd let it go if I was you." And that look on his face -- wow, you talk about a man's man. so, I couldn't thank him enough. I went out and played the show, and we did a duet together of "Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy." And I gotta tell ya, I thought I had that crowd worked up and I thought I was the man until LeDoux walked on stage. that place went to another level. I loved that man; I miss that man. He was just the greatest."

Terry Tempest Williams talks about environmental responsibility, action at community level

From assistant editor Linda Coatney:

On December 5, Terry Tempest Williams came to Cheyenne for a reading and discussion. The presentation took place at the new Laramie County Public Library, a brand new three story facility with fantastic new space and all kinds of activities. We were up on the children's floor in the arts and crafts room. The acoustics were great. Alan Paul Barstow, the graduate assistant for the project that Terry is currently working on, and an excellent writer himself, opened up, explaining about the purpose of the environmental "Weather Report" that Terry is undertaking in the state of Wyoming. They will visit several cities and towns in the state, talking to the people who live and work there, finding out what the pressing issues are concerning these communities.

Terry introduced herself to all of the approximately twenty-five people that attended, shaking their hands, asking about their lives. It was an intimate and relaxed gathering. Alan introduced me and I read part of a piece that I had worked on during her MFA workshop that she also instructed as the Eminent Professor at UW this semester. The workshop has centered around "place," and however we interpeted that theme from the maps we made of our lives. There was such amazing scope and a wealth of writing from all of the talented students in that class. And though she needed no introduction because she had done that already with each person in the room, I introduced her.

She read excerpts from "Red," a collection of writing about the desert and canyon country of southern Utah. Her stance is for the land and the protection of it, because it cannot protect itself. "What stories do we tell that evoke a sense of place," is an overarching theme not only to Terry's writing, but to the way she lives her life. She said that conversation is the first and last place to reconcile our differences over environmental issues. She also read a beautiful piece, "Why I Write," and it was poetic and wonderful. She also related her story of the group of people (herself included) in the community she lived in near Moab who got together to stop the development of 600 acres of land along the Colorado River corridor. Sometime during the night of the day when the offer to buy the land from the developers had been finalized, the for sale sign was mysteriously moved to the Arches National Park and placed in front of the arch. Several people called. The Park Service was called in and eventually removed the sign. It is this passion and commitment to saving the last wild and "minimalist" places on earth that takes Terry far and wide, and near and close at the same time.

She opened up the floor for discussion and it was interesting to hear so many diverse opinions about this community: from a school teacher and her husband who had lived here 60 years, another man who had lived here 25 years, a woman who had come from California to retire, a young woman who was visiting from Michigan and another from northern Colorado.

The library made us leave because the lights turn off at 9:00 p.m. sharp and nothing can be manually turned back on. As the last of us scurried out, the evening seemed much too short.

Former WAC director wins NASAA award

Some Wyoming-related anecdotes from your on-the-road crew in Baltimore for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies conference....

David Fraher was just named the recipient of NASAA"s 2007 Gary Young Award. Those who've been in Wyoming longer that 25 years may remember David as the director of the Wyoming Arts Council in the early eighties. Before that, he was in charge of the agency's Poets in the Schools program, which later morphed into Arts in Education (AIE) and the Literature program. On the dais at the awards luncheon today, he remembered how he came to Wyoming.

Thirty-one years ago, he was working in Washington, D.C., for a non-profit that specialized in legal issues. He'd finished graduate school and was living in a tiny apartment on D.C.'s Capitol Hill. His poet mentor, Carolyn Kizer, called from Lander, Wyoming. "Darling," said Ms. Kizer, "the Wyoming Arts Council needs somebody to run its Poets in the Schools program." She thought that David would be perfect for the job. He was a budding poet and a college graduate, after all, and he was gainfully employed, that proved he was educated and and at least somewhat reliable.

He got the job, which surprised him because he considered himself woefully under-qualified. The arts administration field was young back then, he said at the luncheon today, and a state agency was willing to take a chance on him. These days, with the growth in professionalism and heavy-duty competition for jobs, he guessed he would never be interviewed, let alone get the job.

Wyoming gave David the jump-start for a long career. For more than 25 years, he's been executive director of Arts Midwest, the regional arts agency with nine member-states, from Ohio to North Dakota. He's served on the boards of NASAA, the Western States Arts Federation, and the Hennepin Arts Center in Minneapolis, Minn. He's worked with governments and arts organizations in 14 countries, and travels widely.

Congratulations to this one-time Wyomingite who's made a huge impact on the national arts scene.

Cockeyed, by William Missouri Downs

Catch the final performances of "Cockeyed," a new comedy by William Missouri Downs, directed by Patti Kelly, December 7, 8, and 9 at the Historic Atlas Theatre at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00.

Presented by Cheyenne Little Theatre Players and KGWN-TV, A-Frame, Cheyenne Skin Clinic, The Plains Hotel, Rocky Mountain Capital and Pepsi/7-Up Bottling Company of Cheyenne.

For ticket information, please call 638-6543

There will be a pre-show reception in honor of the author beginning at 6:30 p.m.on Friday night only. A live talkback will follow the Friday performance.

Brad Paisley coming to Casper Events Center

Brad Paisley's Bonfires and Amplifiers Tour will be in Casper January 17, at 7:30 p.m. Reserved tickets are $32.75 and $48, and will be on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, December 8. Charge by phone at (307) 577-3030 or (800) 442-2256 or go online at http://www.caspereventscenter.com/.

Paisley was named Male Vocalist of the Year for 2007 by the Country Music Association. He's known for his great voice and mind-blowing live performances. This tour is no exception, with virtual fire, an almost holographic Alison Krauss and 56 amplifiers that turn into televisions. A sponsorship by Hershey's has allowed him to keep prices low. Rodney Atkins and Chuck Wicks open.

Inda Eaton releases sixth independent album

Recorded live in Casper in May during her performance at Kelly Walsh Auditorium, "Inda-Live in Casper," is being relesed exclusively to Casper residents and Inda fans. Featuring her band and special guests and Casper performers Cory McDaniel and Todd Scott, the album was produced with Grammy award winning engineer Cynthia Daniels in New York. Inda's planning a tour to support the album in the spring and summer.

The CD is available to preoreder now on Inda Eaton's website at http://www.indaeaton.com/ Preorders will ship Tuesday, December 11. Apart from online orders, the CD will be sold exclusively at Sonic Rainbow (307) 577-5947, 140 S. Center St., starting December, 15. Cost of the CD is $15.

Esasy on essay

From Craig Arnold, poetry instructor for the M.F.A program at the University of Wyoming:
Thought you might be interested in this fascinating and contentious essay about the state of the contemporary essay. Click on
http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/print/