wyoming artscapes

W Y O M I N G

WYOMING ARTS COUNCIL NEWS • FALL 2014

Meet the WAC board: Janelle Fletcher-Kilmer ......................PAGE 2

Singer/songwriter conjures Amelia Earhart ........................ PAGE 10

Afro-Louisiana sounds come to Buffalo ................................ PAGE 16

In Memoriam .............................................................................. PAGE 22

cover storyArt of the Hunt “is really about memories” PAGE 4

stablished in 1982, the Governor’s Arts Awards recognize excellence in the arts and outstanding service to the arts in Wyoming. These awards were first made possible

by an endowment from the Union Pacific Foundation in honor of Mrs. John U. Loomis, a lifelong patron of the arts. Over the years, individuals and organizations from more than 21 Wyoming communities and statewide organizations have been honored for their dedication to the arts in Wyoming.

Any Wyoming citizen, organization, business or community may be nominated for a Governor’s Art Award. Noted accomplishments should reflect substantial contributions, made in Wyoming, that exemplify a long-term commitment to the arts. Special consideration will be given to nominees whose arts service is statewide.

Previous GAA recipients are not eligible for nomination, but nomination of previously unselected nominees is encouraged. Current Wyoming Arts Council board members, staff members, contractors and members of their families are not eligible for nomination.

Nominations must be postmarked no later than October 3, 2014.

Nominations forms have been sent to those on the WAC mailing list. You may download a form by going to the WAC web site at www.wyomingartscouncil.org

Send completed applications to:2013 Governor’s Arts AwardsWyoming Arts Council2320 Capitol AvenueCheyenne, WY 82002

t w o t h o u s a n d f o u r t e e n

Submission deadline october 3, 2014

Join us for the Governor’s Arts Awards celebration anddinner on the evening of February 27, 2015 in Cheyenne!

For more information, visit wyomingartscouncil.org or call 307-777-7742

our MissionThe Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) provides

leadership and invests resources to sustain, promote and cultivate excellence in the arts.

WAC StaffMichael Lange : ARTS COUNCIL MANAGEREvangeline Bratton : OFFICE MANAGER

Katie Christensen : ARTS EDUCATION SPECIALIST Camellia El-Antably : DEPUTY MANAGER/WAC

EVENTS AND VISUAL ARTS SPECIALIST

Annie Hatch : FOLK AND TRADITIONAL ARTS/ UNDERSERVED PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Karen Merklin : GRANTS MANAGER Michael Shay : COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING/

LITERARY ARTS SPECIALIST

WAC BoardJanelle Fletcher-Kilmer (Chair) : LARAMIE

Stefanie Boster : CHEYENNENeil Hansen : POWELL

Chloe Illoway : CHEYENNENina McConigley : LARAMIE

Sharon O’Toole : SAVERYKaren Stewart : JACKSON

Erin Taylor : CHEYENNETara Taylor : MOUNTAIN VIEW

Holly Turner : CASPER

magazineArtscapes is published quarterly and supported

with funding from the Wyoming Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

wyomingartscouncil.org

Managing Editor : Michael ShayPhotographers : Richard Collier, Michael Shay

Printing : Pioneer Printingwyoming arts council

2320 Capitol Avenue • Cheyenne, WY 82002 Phone: 307-777-7742 • Fax: 307-777-5499

Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. wyomingartscouncil.org

ON THE COVER: A staffer from Split Rock Studios seems to be sitting around the campfire with a group of hunters as he attaches a wall decal for the Art of the Hunt exhibit at the State Museum. Photo by Richard Collier.

ON THE BACK COVER: A “Thin Air Shakespeare” performance at the Center for the Arts in Jackson. Photo by Andy Bardon.

table of contentsMeet the WAC board .......................................... 2

Art of the Hunt .................................................... 4

Cody Art Show .................................................... 8

Wyoming artists in Venice ................................. 9

Miss “V” and Amelia in Meeteetse ................. 10

Art and science meet at summer workshop .. 14

Worlds of Music ................................................ 16

NEA Chair Jane Chu on creativity .................... 20

In Memoriam .................................................... 22

Sign up now for Poetry Out Loud ..................... 24

Art is Everywhere.............................................. 26

Poetry ambush in Buffalo ................................ 28

Upcoming events .............................................. 33

This space is usually reserved for a column by the Wyoming Arts Council manager. Rita Basom retired

from that position on Aug. 1 and our new manager, Michael Lange, doesn’t start until Sept. 22. So we decided to put our board chair on the spot. The first thing we noticed when compiling this Q&A with Laramie’s Janelle Fletcher-Kilmer is that her name bears some very famous initials:

Artscapes: How did you become a WAC board member?

JFK: I put an application for service in to the Governor’s Office, expressing interest in service to the Wyoming Arts Council. My first appointment was made by Governor Freudenthal and my second by Governor Mead.

Artscapes: What are your duties as board chair?

JFK: As board chair it is my responsibility to work with the Arts Council manager and staff on setting an agenda for the quarterly board meetings and, then, preside over those meetings. Additional duties are interesting and varied. Communication with the Governor’s office is often asked, and currently I’m serving on the committee that is searching for a new manager to take the helm at the Wyoming Arts Council.

Artscapes: How does your job as an arts administrator figure into your role as an artist and a WAC volunteer board member?

JFK: Because my every day is centered around arts education programming and, also, arts presenting, I feel it gives me a depth and breadth of understanding of various specialties in the arts. As Director of University of Wyoming Fine Arts Outreach, I’ve gained a great amount of knowledge about Wyoming communities through program outreach and in-reach, allowing me a great appreciation for all that is happening in Wyoming and the opportunities we have in this state to be arts leaders for the nation.

Meet the board

Seven Questions: WAC Board Chair Janelle Fletcher-Kilmer

PAGE | 2 Wyoming arts council

Artscapes: Is there one pressing issue that you would like to see addressed during your time as board chair?

JFK: I have a great concern about millennial retention and recruitment in Wyoming. I think it’s critical we take young artists, musicians, arts educators, and those interested in non-profit and presenting into serious consideration as we plan for the cultural future of Wyoming. Their voice will be critical in creating a Wyoming in which they want to stay in, work in, and raise their families.

Artscapes: How has the arts scene changed in Wyoming since you arrived?

JFK: I can’t speak as much to its change as I can to the change in myself. Prior to my involvement as an Arts Council board member my knowledge of the depth and breadth of the arts in Wyoming was but a speck compared to where it stands now. Wyoming is a national arts leader and there are so many wonderful, exciting arts events and opportunities in every community. It’s astounding!

Artscapes: What is your view of the volunteer’s role in the arts?

JFK: I think the role of the arts volunteer is critical in making arts events happen in communities. It’s no secret that funding is declining nationwide (although Wyoming has

been well supported thanks to our Legislative support… thank your local legislators!), and that makes the arts volunteer all-the-more critical in not only sustaining arts opportunities and activities, but working toward greater opportunities and fulfilling the potential that exists everywhere in our beautiful state!

Artscapes: The Arts Council celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017. Look into your crystal ball and tell us what the WAC will look like in 2027. 2037.

JFK: I think the Wyoming Arts Council is going to continue to lead the nation in service to its state, but I think that service will look different

than it does now. The continual advancement of technology will make us more connected than ever, and I think that’s going to change the landscape of the arts in wonderful and profound ways. I’ve no doubt there will be bumps along

the road, but I do think that the future will allow unprecedented access to art-making opportunities, collaborative opportunities, and the chance for patrons to support and enjoy the arts in ways that we’ve yet to understand.

WAC board members are appointed by the gov-ernor and serve three-year terms. To apply, go to Governor Matt Mead’s web site at http://governor.wy.gov/resources/pages/boardsandcommissions.aspx. See the current line-up of WAC board mem-bers on our web site at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/about/wac-board-and-staff/

The continual advancement of technology will make us

more connected than ever, and I think that’s going to change the landscape of the arts in

wonderful and profound ways.

PAGE | 3artscapes • fall 2014

folk arts

By Mariah West

Hunting is a way of life.

As such, it’s described in many ways. Some call it a sport while others consider it an opportunity to commune with nature. Hunting involves killing – that’s a fact – but it goes beyond that. It’s a tradition as old as humankind. It has roots in the mammoth hunters of Ice Age Europe and the “buffalo jumps” of America’s native cultures. Today’s hunters say that harvesting wild animals helps manage our natural resources, preventing overpopulation and overgrazing. Hunters and urban hipsters may not agree on much, but they might see eye-to-eye on the fact that venison from a Snowy Range deer is more local that a Dallas steak or an Omaha hamburger. Want to be a meat-eating locavore? Learn to hunt and fish.

And, when you investigate the tools of hunting and fishing, you find that there’s an art to it.

“Art of the Hunt” was organized by Anne Hatch of the Wyoming Arts Council and Andrea Graham from the University of Wyoming American Studies Program. It is on display at the Wyoming State Museum through July 2015. It is an exhibition exploring what hunting and fishing mean to Wyomingites. Much of this meaning is derived from the resulting artistic expression growing from the relationship between humans and animals —

Art of the Hunt celebrates a Western way of life

in both life and death. The gallery is full of hunting gear — knives, guns, bows, and fishing flies — as well as art which comes before and after the hunt itself.

For many hunters and anglers in Wyoming, there is more than just a nature outing or a provisional purpose to a hunting trip.

Chad Leopold of Split Rock Studios works with Andrea Graham of UW on the Art of the Hunt leatherwork case.


“Art of the Hunt is an important title,” according to Scott Bragonier, a Cody native who’s also a singer/songwriter of traditional and Western music. “I have been around this hunting business long enough to see the good and the bad. And when it’s bad, it’s really bad. I think some people feel it’s the art of the kill. And that’s a minority, but hunting is all about the nature of the hunt and what makes it up. It’s not necessarily the kill.

“There is a thrill that comes along with it, don’t get me wrong, but for some people that is what it’s all about. When it’s all about the thrill of the kill, what happens is you lose all sense of ethics, and you

lose all sense of compassion. It’s really important that the future generations grow up with a sense of conservation…of respect. It’s an ethic, not only

for the wildlife, but for the land.”

The purpose of the exhibit is to showcase the artists and their work through the lens of folklore and invite visitors to appreciate the inspirations and skills involved in the creation and use of each piece. The

collection of stories, images and objects amplifies the fact that hunting and fishing have larger effects on our community and land.

Staffers from the Wyoming A&I Department helped transport taxidermy from the Wyoming Arts Council to the State Museum.

continued on page 6

... this is an opportunity to examine the people

behind the hunt and their experiences, as well as the way that these experiences

affect creative output.


continued from page 5

Hunting is a cyclical experience. With the changing of the seasons comes the changing of the harvest. As such, this show reflects the generational learning of hunting. Knowledge, gear, and trophies are passed down through the lines, each holding special and specific memories for each member involved.

“When we go hunting or we go fishing, 95 percent of it isn’t necessarily that we were going to get to kill something or whatever, it was getting away from everything,” said Bryan Ragsdale of Rock Springs.

Hunting or fishing is more than the activity – it’s all

the work that had to come before the trip, as well as all the tools that are needed, or the product that comes post-hunt. Each piece holds a legacy and a story, maybe one of a winning trophy or of a first kill. Each meal reminds families of the respect needed for the land and for the wildlife resources.

For most hunters and anglers, “hunting is really about memories,” Bragonier said. “It’s about sharing time with people, spending time with people that you love out among the wildlife.”

In Wyoming, the weight of such tradition is not a burden, but something that makes us stronger. The gathered years of knowledge and expertise provide a safe grounding for exploration and experimentation, and — most importantly — success and survival while hunting.

Each piece holds a legacy and a story, maybe one of a winning

trophy or of a first kill.

Visitors to the exhibit were welcomed by a ranch gate made by Don Schmalz and metal work by Carla Snook.


Art of the Hunt is an opportunity to see what creativity can come from interactions with nature. Even before the hunt, the sheer artistry which takes place is astounding. Beading and leatherwork masters bring the vitality and strength of the wild into fashion and with the delicate engravings on guns and knives to the well-made laminated wooden bows, hunters bring the force of nature with them on all levels of their work.

During the hunt, it is well known that it takes a certain level of imagination and technique to track and skillfully take down a wild animal. In Wyoming, this level of skill and artistry continues long after the hunt—from the butcher who makes a hunt last, to the taxidermist who preserves the success, to the blade maker who utilizes the antler and bone. For hunters, all parts of the animal have purpose and the animal does not stop providing, even long after its death. The animal lasts eternally on the walls of the lodge, on the blade of the hunter, in the mind of the artist.

Art of the Hunt is working to show how wild animals are a focal point for many members of the community. On some level, everyone has hunting or fishing stories or a product that has come from the hunting and fishing community. Household products such as lamps or quilts, as well as fashion elements for clothing are often heavily inspired by the animals seen on a hunt or a fishing trip, or have been repurposed from the animal into useful items around a home.

For hunters, all parts of the animal have purpose and the animal does not

stop providing, even long after its death. The animal

lasts eternally on the walls of the lodge, on the blade of the hunter, in the

mind of the artist.

Interviews of Scott Bragonier and Bryan Ragsdale were conducted by UW student Julian Saporiti on September 23 and 28, 2012.

Mariah West was the summer 2014 intern with the Wyoming Arts Council, working primarily on the Art of the Hunt exhibit. A recent graduate of the University of Wyoming, she earned her bach-elor’s degree in American Studies with an empha-sis on art history and museums. This fall, she will continue her education through a master’s degree

in American Studies, focusing on museums and communities, at Trinity College in Hart-ford, Conn. A lifetime Cheyenne resident, Mariah has always been fascinated by the museum world and the processes it takes to make a public exhibit come together. Working with the Wyoming Arts Council has provided her with additional ex-perience to examine the art world from a differ-ent perspective.

Sen. Mike Enzi (right) shares a hunting story with packsaddle maker Tex Frazier and the WAC’s Annie Hatch at the Aug. 1 opening.


arts & the community

It’s renowned for its French-made cherrywood bar sent to Cody as a thank you gift from England’s Queen Victoria. Restaurant patrons dine under the watchful gaze of taxidermied animal heads and surrounded by landscape art.

History and the arts play a major role in the Irma Hotel. For the seventh year, the Irma will be home to the Blue Buffalo Artists’ Cody Art Show Sept. 18-20, beginning at 10 a.m. Fifteen artists will display their work in (and stay in) guest rooms decorated in a style Queen Victoria would recognize. The 21st-century artists featured at the Cody Show also will conduct painting and sculpture demonstrations throughout the weekend.

Artists in the show are John Kosel, Joan Kosel, Brent Flory, Phyllis Waltman, Diane Greenwood, Karen Petrovich, Pat Schermerhorn, Berna Ost, Christy Daniels, Dolly Stuber, John Peterson, Melody Christensen, Sonja Caywood, Bobby Jo Leonhardt and Jacque Goodrich.

At the same time, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West holds its annual Rendezvous Royale. It features the annual Buffalo Bill Art Show & sale, Sept. 19-20, which attracts some 800 buyers and hundreds of tourists. It’s the biggest arts weekend in the Big Horn Basin. With all of those arts appreciators in town, it was only natural to put on a show featuring local artists at one of the area’s

Cody Art Show keeps the arts alive at the legendary Irma Hotel

Legendary Western artist Frederic Remington’s first published sketch appeared in the February 25,

1882, issue of Harper’s Weekly. His subject was a Wyoming cowboy.

It would be 17 years until Remington actually set foot in the State of Wyoming. He had travelled and worked in Montana, Kansas, Arizona and the Canadian Rockies. By 1899, he’d drawn and painted hundreds of cowboys and Indians, broncs and buffalo. As a war correspondent in 1898, he documented Teddy Roosevelt’s charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba. He came late to sculpture. But when he began sculpting small bronzes in the 1890s, they sold like hotcakes fresh off the chuckwagon griddle. Remington also was a published novelist, with a new book set to debut at the same time as a little volume entitled The Virginian by his friend and collaborator, Owen Wister.

Remington travelled to Wyoming for the first time in June 1899. Buffalo Bill invited him on an expedition to the mountains outside of Cody. Remington’s first artistic creation in Wyoming was a sketch, “Irma Going to Irma,” which showed Cody’s youngest daughter, Irma, on horseback on the trail to Lake Irma.

Three years later, Remington was back in Cody, this time for the dedication of the Hotel Irma, named for the same Irma from the sketch. Buffalo Bill wanted his hotel to be the stop for adventurers on their way to Yellowstone. And 112 years later, it remains a must-see on Wyoming travel guides. continued on page 25


Mixed-media artist Wendy Lemen Bredehoft, pho-tographer Susan Moldenhauer and dancer Mar-

garet Wilson were featured in an exhibit at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts in July and August.

“Sequencing Through Time and Place: Venice” was the result of a joint trip to Venice, Italy, in 2013 by collaborating artists Bredehoft, Moldenhauer and Wilson. This exhibition was the fourth in a series, extending prior explorations at the Ucross Foundation in 2009, London in 2010 and Fort Laramie in 2009 and 2011.

The exhibit was based on an exploration of place within the art historical context of the relationship of place to artistic development, specifically inspired by J.M.W. Turner and Thomas Moran – each of whose stylistic development was impacted by travels to Venice. Moran’s connections to Wyoming made their trip to Venice all the more intriguing.

According to the artists’ statement:

“ ‘Sequencing Through Time and Place: Venice’ is the first presentation of our artwork created onsite and in our respective Wyoming studios. While we explore place collectively, we work individually, coming together periodically to review, discuss and reflect. Common threads of exploration emerge: the human scale of Venice and its architecture,

the repetition of brick and ironwork as pattern and grid, shadow and form, and the undercurrent of water and reflection.”

All three artists have positions at the University of Wyoming. At the UW Art Museum, Moldenhauer is the director and chief curator and Bredehoft is the education curator. Wilson is an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance. They have been working together creatively since 2008.

“Sequencing Through Time and Place: Venice” was funded in part by an anonymous donor and the Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

arts & the community

“Sequencing Through Time and Place: Venice” culmination of six-

year artistic collaboration

Susan Moldenhauer, Wendy Bredehoft, and Margaret Wilson on location in Venice, Italy, 2013


By Linda Coatney

Amelia Earhart: her name elicits thoughts of her disappearance, overriding her myriad accom-

plishments during her shortened life. But she was the reason I was pulling into the Oasis Motel in Meeteetse – to meet up with Amelia that weekend at the Double Dee (DD) Ranch, outside of town.

In 1934, the legendary aviator and her husband, publishing magnate George P. Putnam, vacationed at the historic ranch. Part of their month-long stay included a two-week pack trip to Kirwin, the old-mining settlement that Carl Dunrud also owned along with the DD. Another nine miles from DD, and one mile upstream from Kirwin, Earhart found a spot for which she would

artist roster

Meeteetse: A Meeting Place, Past and Present

Miss “V” performs on the front porch of the main cabin at the Double Dee Ranch.


file a claim and contract with Dunrud to build her a summer cabin. Three summers later, Dunrud had the foundation and part of the walls up when he heard with the rest of the world the sad news that her plane had gone down over the Pacific Ocean. Dunrud halted construction. Today, there is little that remains of that structure.

Amelia Earhart returned to the Double Dee the weekend of July 18, when Meeteetse held their Cowboy Day celebration weekend, (one week ahead of the National Day of the Cowboy, celebrated on the Fourth Saturday of July) in the form of Miss “V” the Gypsy Cowbelle, her latest adventure in recreating the life of the aviation pioneer who almost became a resident of Park County, Wyoming.

On Friday, I found Miss “V” rehearsing with Les Hamilton and Dan Seelye in Les’s RV. Hamilton is a fourth generation fiddler, harmonica player and vocalist from Worland; many of you may remember Les from Prickly Pair, a well-known duo with his late wife, Locke. Seelye is a bassist, banjo and guitar picker from Riverton. He started the Casper chapter of the Wyoming Fiddler’s Association some 30 years ago. Les and Dan have been playing together as Packin’ the Mail. Miss “V” has joined the band. All three are skilled professionals, having performed throughout Wyoming and well beyond, and the Friday night performance was their collaborative debut.

As a performer, Miss “V” has risen steadily since I first met her seven years ago while I was working as a contract staffer at the Wyoming Arts Council. Landing almost two decades ago

into her Wyoming adventure at the Moore Ranch outside of Cora, (she’d had a few before that, too) her passion for exploration has kept her busy. A singer and songwriter, she performs, teaches workshops in instrument making and presents her Modern Day Homesteader video in programs

around the country. She is on the Wyoming Arts Council’s Artist Roster, has performed at Elko’s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and was even an extra in Robert Redford’s movie, The Conspirator. In her spare time she chinks log homes and retrofits her house outside of Thermopolis to “live off the [energy] grid.”

It was she who proposed the idea of an Amelia performance (she was working on an Amelia tribute song at the time) to David Cunningham, director of the Meeteetse Museum. With a larger grant from the Arts Council to expand the Cowboy Day program,

A singer and songwriter,

she performs, teaches workshops in instrument making and presents her Modern Day Homesteader video in programs around

the country.

continued on page 12

The Packin’ the Mail band (from left): Les Hamilton, Miss “V” and Dan Seelye.

artscapes • fall 2014 PAGE | 11

David was able to finally make that pitch a reality.

As a kid, I remember seeing horses tied to hitching posts in Ten Sleep when we’d tent camp at Sourdough. Meeteetse’s businesses on the main drag are still lined by boardwalks and hitching posts, but now the cowboys mainly drive Ram Tough pick-ups hauling their horses in trailers when they come to town. On Saturday, the cowboys arrived, bound for the ranch rodeo on the grounds at the edge of town, just one of the events that made this summer weekend a lively ride indeed. After the rodeo, attendees were invited to a potluck dinner, auction, with live music and dancing under the big yellow tent at the Oasis. Close to 100 came. One tall cowboy wearing a wide brimmed hat said, “How do you do,” to me!

National Day of the Cowboy (NDOC) was launched by American Cowboy magazine in 2004, and

the idea of having a national day of recognition was picked up by Craig Thomas, Wyoming’s late U. S. Senator. He first sponsored the legislation in 2005. In 2008, the year following his death from cancer, the bill was sponsored and passed simultaneously in the U. S. House and Senate. Although Arizona was the first to recognize the legislation by passing a state resolution, Wyoming was the first state to pass the NDOC Resolution in perpetuity, thanks in large part to NDOC volunteer Susan Thomas, Craig’s widow, and Representative Tom Lockhart, who sponsored the bill. It was signed by Governor Mead in 2012.

I spent some time in the Meeteetse Museum talking with Joan Dunrud, Collections Assistant, Bookstore Manager, and wife of Jim Dunrud, Carl’s youngest son. The Museum has a trove of artifacts, and Joan filled me in on the rich history of the families of the area.

Meeteetse is Shoshone for “meeting place.” Pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable, something like Mat´-at-see, the language allowed for describing if you were far away from the place by stretching out the word, or if you were close, by saying it fast. On Sunday, about 40 of us were heading to the Double Dee Ranch Tour. Whether you got there sooner or later didn’t matter, it was the arrival that took you by surprise: after riding along steep drop-offs, a fast running river down below, suddenly, the semi-circle of towering mountains around the property, where the unobtrusive buildings rose into view. It was breezy and hot. “V” had gone to the cabin sitting closest to the river where Earhart stayed in for the month long visit. Joan, Jim, I and two Forest Rangers waited for the caravan of cars to arrive around 10:30 a.m.

The performance “V” gave that Sunday morning drew from the Amelia of 1934: a confident, accomplished woman who had achieved many firsts for women in aviation, which attracted


Miss “V” as Amelia Earhart.


numerous speaking engagements and celebrity endorsements thanks in part to Putnam’s promotional efforts of her. Amelia had progressive ideas about a woman’s role: taking education more seriously, staying single longer to achieve more with their lives. “V” enthralled the 40-plus member crowd by answering questions from a few plants in the audience in a well-scripted and remarkably well-delivered performance from the small porch. She received a few unscripted questions as well, and delivered answers as if they’d been in the script. “V’s” admiration for Earhart was apparent in the carefully prepared dialogue of the heroine’s life.

We all filtered back to what had been the main residence cabin of Double Dee. The Forest Service now owns both the Double Dee and Kirwin. Some of the buildings have been “stabilized,” having also been boarded up. We’d brought our sack lunches and sat around in loose groups. “V” appeared and played a few songs from the porch of the main cabin. The tour wrapped up, and a few people went with David on to Kirwin.

I imagine Earhart found a solitude and isolation at Kirwin that may have been something like being in a sky with nothing but the stars and

clouds, and the hum of her plane’s engine, sounding almost something like that river by the cabin.

“V” is off to a chinking job and work on her next recording project. She played at NoWoodstock in Ten Sleep in August, followed by more play dates. And there’s always that list of projects to do at her house. She bids farewell to Amelia for now, but is invited back next year for a reprisal of her role

as someone who inspires her deep admiration: Amelia Earhart.

Linda Coatney has worked in the floral industry for over three decades, and recently earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Wyoming while also working in arts administration. She writes in all genres, has been active in WyoPoets and Wyoming Writers, and continues to work on several writing projects.

“V’s” admiration for

Earhart was apparent in the carefully

prepared dialogue of the heroine’s life.

Miss “V” in blue surrounded by a sea of orange during an artist’s residency at a prison in Colorado.


Teachers from throughout the state recently explored how art and science can be combined

to provide new areas of exploration for students in Wyoming schools.

The weeklong Art and Science Collaborative attracted 23 science teachers and 16 art teachers to the University of Wyoming for a workshop that was inspired by the UW Art Museum exhibition “Starstruck: The Fine Art of Astrophotography.” The event combined the annual Transforming Learning Workshop hosted by the Art Museum and the Exploring Science Workshop for Teachers hosted by the Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium and the UW Science Posse.

“It gave teachers an opportunity to consider how art and science intersect as investigative processes as they explored a variety of materials and methods that are appropriate for both art and science classrooms,” says Wendy Bredehoft, UW Art Museum education curator.

“Participants joined group discussions, took several tours and learned ways to encourage inquiry within their students,” adds Jan Truchot, UW Science Posse coordinator.

Combined workshop sessions investigated the connections between art and science through viewing the “Starstruck” exhibition; explored the historical symbiotic relationships between science

arts education

Wyoming Teachers Combine Art and Science at UW Workshop

and art, presented by UW Art Mobile Curator Erica Ramsey; experience a night of star gazing and photography; and worked on a parachute inquiry activity.

Additionally, UW Honors Program Lecturer Diane Panozzo illustrated how writing can reinforce the art and science connection by engaging students in writing exercises that promote thoughtful reflection. Dave Winsch, an art teacher from Pine Bluffs, introduced blogging as a way to promote such writing.

Workshop participants explored art and science connections through hands-on studio projects, too. Working with Visual Art Ceramics Professor Margaret Haydon and studio assistant Mike Hurley, they considered and responded to the work of scientists engaged in replicating DNA from ancient species, and the growth of potential new life forms that combine DNA from disparate entities.

In the photography studio, teachers produced images first in the digital lab, then in the darkroom using chromate printing processes developed in the 1800s, directed by photography instructor Bailey Russel and studio assistant Holly Wood. NASA education specialist Tony Leavitt and Science Posse graduate students taught the students how to access NASA’s library of lesson plans and activities.


One art teacher commented on the parachute inquiry project, noting that, ”We worked together to figure out all the aspects of our inquiry and to make certain that it worked with what a science teacher would love.”

A science teacher added, “I thought it was interesting how the culmination of projects covered so many aspects about the behavior of parachutes. The teacher-led conversation at the end helped to synthesize all the information. This was amazing.”

An elementary teacher was impressed with the lessons that combined science with art.

“I am so looking forward to trying to use them in my classes,” the teacher wrote. “ Many of my students love art and hate science. So any way that I can connect the two, I have more success in my class.”

Through its Museum as Classroom approach, the UW Art Museum places art at the center of learning for all ages.

The Science Posse works to increase public appreciation and awareness of science, improve students’ understanding of science, inspire students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and develop and enhance partnerships between UW and the Wyoming energy industry.

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium promotes science, math, engineering and technology education from elementary through university levels and offers programs to recruit women, underrepresented minorities and the disabled for careers in these areas.

Art and science educators attending this year’s workshop at UW, listed by hometown, were:Casper -- Daryl Amador, Joni Bunce, Debi Coca, Connie Edleman, Michelle Long, Amy McCormick,

Ellen Parke, Barbara Ray, Karen Rudd-Litell, Toni Sweet and Jennifer Wistisen.Cheyenne -- Cynthia Bruder, Craig Held, Heidi Heald, Mary Kinstler, Mark Nowotny and Julie Schwartz.Douglas -- Pat Gamble and Mariah Walker.Dubois -- Janet Lee.Green River -- Jeff Bernal.Kaycee -- Milo Warren.Kemmerer -- Jacob Parks.Kuwait City, Kuwait -- Brian Wright.Laramie -- Kristin Cortney, Reynold Candelaria, Kadria Drake, Shawn Green, Amy Irish, Shelley Miller, Tara Pappas, Patricia Smith and Mark Williams.Medicine Bow -- Heather Booth.Pine Bluffs -- David Winsch.Rock Springs -- Pamela Sipe.Wheatland -- Josie Voight.

Source: University of Wyoming press release, Aug. 22, 2014

Laramie teacher Reynold Candelaria prepares to drop a parachute from the top floor of the UW Visual Arts Building during the recent Art and Science Collaborative workshop.


Worlds of Music brings Afro-Louisiana music to Buffalo

worlds of music

On September 25-27, Worlds of Music will present a series of workshops, performances, and talks

along with a community dance featuring Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots of New Orleans. All events will take place in Buffalo and are free and open to the public. For their Wyoming performances, the Sunspots will appear with Buffalo native Caitlin Romtvedt.

While the music of the Louisiana Sunspots strongly reflects the historical Cajun and French influences in Louisiana, it is also a great example of the diversity of Louisiana’s peoples. A journalist who was interviewing Sunspots founder Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes asked how to describe the music.

“We play Afro-Louisiana music,” Sunpie answered.

“Some people might call your music zydeco,” the journalist suggested.

And Sunpie said, “They might call it all kinds of things, but it’s really

a combination of zydeco, rhythm and blues, Caribbean, West African, gospel, and spiritual elements. It’s Afro-Louisiana music.”

Louisiana has long been a meeting place of the world. The original Acadian exiles settled there in the late eighteenth century. The French and

Spanish monarchs fought over the area and sent soldiers, traders, and priests to the swamplands. German, Italian, and Irish immigrants sought new lives in New Orleans. Slave traders brought West Africans to work on plantations and farms. The original Indian people watched it all and influenced life for each newly arrived group.

Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots reflect both the region’s musical and cultural mixtures. Sunspots accordionist Sunpie Barnes is an active member of the Black Men of Labor Social Aid and Pleasure Club while also serving as the Big Chief

Worlds of Music performances, lectures, and workshops look at the role music plays in

our lives, and how music changes over time and

across cultures.


of the North Side Skull and Bone Gang. The Black Men of Labor parade every Sunday in New Orleans for forty weeks of the year. The Skull and Bones Gang carries on a tradition begun in 1819. Dressed as skeletons the gang goes door to door at dawn on Mardi Gras day, calling on people to get up, to welcome the Mardi Gras and be ready to celebrate.

But the Skull and Bones Gang has a bigger purpose than simply opening Mardi Gras day. Over their skeleton costumes, the masqueraders wear aprons that read “You next. So don’t be acting the fool ‘cos you can’t get around it. You next.” The Skull and Bones Gang reminds us of our mortality, of our ultimate “shedding of the flesh” as Sunpie Barnes says. At the same time, the Skull and Bones Gang encourages us to enjoy the pleasures of music and dance, to honor our family spirits, and to avoid violence and cruelty in our interactions with each other.

A long-time member of the Lafayette and New Orleans musical scenes, Sunpie Barnes first learned to play harmonica from his father, a prominent local blues musician. Another influence came from an uncle who played blues piano. A person of wide and diverse interests, Sunpie has said that what he wanted most in life was to work with nature and to play music. And he has. He received a degree in ichthyology and taught high school biology. After serving for many years as a ranger at Jean Lafitte National Historic Park, Sunpie took a position as an interpretative ranger and archivist at the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park. Mixed in there with being a musician and biologist, Sunpie was an All-American football player who after college played professionally with the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the Louisiana Sunspots, Sunpie has performed in thirty-five countries. In the spring of 2014, he spent two months touring with Paul Simon and Sting. But home is New Orleans. It’s a city “built on hard times,” he says, “a place of ritual.” In another interview about New Orleans Jazz Fest, Sunpie wondered if thousands of years from now archaeologists might dig up the city to discover that the New Orleans natives worshipped on a big cylindrical track while having dance and food rituals. “They’ll unearth all kinds of stuff like Crawfish Monica and Palmer’s Jerk Chicken bones.” Will chicken bones last that long?

“All this history,” said Worlds of Music organizer David Romtvedt, “the Louisiana Sunspots know it and have been shaped by it. At the same time they are doing some shaping. They are custodians of the past and future of New Orleans. As Sunpie Barnes said of the near disappearance of the Skull and Bones gang, “The only way to keep any tradition going is to be consistent.” To that end Sunpie has engaged the next generation of young African-American men to dress out with him in the

continued on page 18



Skull and Bones Gang and awaken to both the physical and spiritual parts of life.

The appearance of Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots in Wyoming is made possible by Worlds of Music, a not for profit organization that seeks to understand what music means to people. Worlds of Music performances, lectures, and workshops look at the role music plays in our lives, and how music changes over time and across cultures. Above all, Worlds of Music programs examine the ways that music is unique to particular communities while remaining a universal human phenomenon.

On Thursday, September 25, the Sunspots will perform from 6-7 p.m. at the Occidental Hotel, 10 N. Main, preceding the regular Occidental Jam. On Friday, the Sunspots will perform and talk about their music at 12:45 p.m.at the Buffalo Senior Center, 671 W. Fetterman. On Saturday, they will play for a dance at 8 p.m. at the Buffalo American Legion Hall, 18 Veteran’s Ave.

Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots will also offer a free workshop at the Cowboy Carousel Art Center, 59 N. Lobban, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 27. Singers, dancers, and players of all instruments are welcome. The

workshop is open to people of all ages and skill levels. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to play at the Saturday night dance.

Support for this program comes from the Johnson County Tourism Association, the Johnson County Recreation District, and the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. For further information on the performances or to sign up for the workshop, call 307-684-2194 or 307-217-0028.

All this history, the Louisiana Sunspots

know it and have been shaped by it. At the same time

they are doing some shaping. They are custodians of the past and future of

New Orleans.

Buffalo musician Caitlin Romtvedt will perform with Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes at Worlds of Music events Sept. 25-27.


The Wyoming Arts Alliance has condensed its annual Block-Booking Conference into one action-packed day.

Saturday, October 4, will include workshop tracks, showcasing, exhibit hall time, and a members meeting. For those arriving in Casper early, join in on the networking reception Friday evening. Presenters can also participate in a block-booking meeting on Sunday morning.

A newly constructed 32,000-square-foot Casper College Music Building has been selected as this year’s conference site.

Main conference events:Friday, October 3 — Reception at the Nicolaysen Art Museum 6-8 p.m. Enjoy an artist talk, snacks, and networking.

Saturday, October 4 – Main conference activities: professional development, showcases, and exhibit hall

time. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and in the evening, enjoy our featured showcase from the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra.

Sunday, October 5 — Block Booking meeting, 9 a.m., at the Hampton Inn

Visual Artists will have an opportunity to share their work through 20:20 presentations. Advance sign-up is required and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Whether you’re an artist, educator, elected official, arts advocate, you belong to a school board or a nonprofit, or you’re just interested in learning more about current issues in the Arts world, come and join us for a conference filled with professional development, educational, and networking opportunities as we hear from artists and leaders around the state about what’s happening, and where the future of the arts in Wyoming is headed.

FMI: http://wyomingarts.org/booking-conference

Wyoming Arts Alliance holds annual conference in Casper on Oct. 3

wyoming arts alliance

Three of Abbie Miller’s sculptures were included in an exhibition by the American Academy of Arts and Letters

(AAAL) at its Audubon Terrace Galleries in New York City. One of those pieces, “SubRosa,” was the recipient of the 2014 Hassam, Speicher, Betts and Symons Fund Purchase. Materials in “SubRosa” were “dress form, thread, vinyl, zipper and wood.

The AAAL exhibit featured paintings, sculpture, works on paper, video, and photographs; architectural models and renderings; and original manuscripts by newly elected members and recipients of honors and awards. Works were on view in May and June.

Miller from Jackson was one of 10 arts award winners from throughout the U.S. In 2013, she received a visual arts fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council and her work was in the recent biennial show at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper.

MILLER’S ARTWORK FEATURED IN AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS EXHIBIT


National Endowment for the Arts Chair Jane

Chu made the following remarks at her swearing-in ceremony July 23 in Washington, D.C.:

I want to express my sincere and deep appreciation to you for

giving me the opportunity to be the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Each of you in the room this afternoon has played a role in this process.

I’d like to acknowledge our two Missouri Senators, Senator Claire McCaskill and Senator Roy Blunt, for your sponsorship and endorsement, and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, of Missouri’s 5th Congressional District, for your willingness to administer the oath of office. Thank you also to Members of Congress who are here for your support of the arts, and for the key roles your own staff have played in keeping the confirmation process moving. Thank you to Herb Kohn from Kansas City, for your personal guidance through the selection, nomination, and appointment process, and to Amanda Moose from the

Presidential Personnel Office, for shepherding me through the personnel and vetting procedures. I’d also like to give a shoutout to the 25-30 people who jumped on a plane from Kansas City to get here. You didn’t go the second mile to attend this event; you went the 1,000th mile to be here and support me. There are also around 40 NEA staff members here today. I’m so proud of them, and I hope you will talk with them. You’ll find that the NEA team has unparalleled knowledge in their areas of expertise.

We have an opportunity to start a new dialogue on the ways in which the arts, and the ways the NEA supports them, are an essential component of our everyday lives. Although many people don’t realize it, the arts actively intersect with areas such as the economy, human development, and community vitality – all connections we have been working to build and showcase.

There are three things that I believe are priorities for the National Endowment for the Arts right now. These priorities lie in the areas of: how we foster Value; how we foster Connection; and how we foster Creativity and Innovation; all from being engaged with the arts.

NEA Chair Jane Chu: “Creativity and innovation is at the heart

of what America is about”

NEA


In terms of Value: My most important job is to help all Americans understand the value and meaning the arts have in their lives. To do that, we have to tell the story of why the NEA’s work is so important and vital to individuals, to communities, and to the economy through the grants we give out to thousands of nonprofits and other organizations across the nation each year.

In terms of Connection: I’m taking this message straight to the people. I’ll do a fair bit of traveling across the country to see for myself the great work that is being carried out by our grantees. The objective here is to show how the arts impact individuals and communities and to paint a vivid picture of why the arts matter on a larger level; how they connect us to each other, and to something greater, and provide us with a sense of belonging.

In terms of Creativity and Innovation: Creativity and innovation is at the heart of what America is all about! And it’s at the heart of the NEA too, especially in

two main areas. One of them is arts education. Numerous studies show that students engaged in the arts perform better academically, socially, and participate in other civic activities. Arts education is critical to raising America’s next generations of Creative, Innovative thinkers. The other area we will further delve into lies at the intersection of art, science, and technology. We believe that synthesizing these differing perspectives can foster those Creative and Innovative thinkers to help us solve problems, think out of the box, and provide new insights. We want to turn the focus from STEM education to STEAM education, and integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math into our nation’s classrooms.

Conclusion:There is no other agency or organization that has the combination of resources, the national platform, and the vision that can help all Americans engage with and benefit from the arts. I am honored to be your new Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Thank you again for giving me this opportunity.

See more at: http://arts.gov/about/chariman/swearing-in-marks#sthash.7wwzmFzC.dpuf

The objective here is to show how the arts impact individuals and

communities and to paint a vivid

picture of why the arts matter on a

larger level.


In Memoriam

Sen. John SchifferSen. John Schiffer passed away quietly at home in Kaycee on June 19. He was 68 years old.

In 1992, Schiffer was selected by the Johnson and Sheridan County Commissioners to serve out the unfinished term of State Senator Bob Trent. This was the beginning of a 22-year political career, in which John’s strong sense of honesty, fairness and love for the State of Wyoming was recognized by his colleagues who elected him as President of the Senate in 2007 and 2008 among many other leadership positions. Along with his interest in education and mental health, John was a leader in the areas of assistance for active-duty military soldiers, veterans and their families. John loved the arts, and was a staunch advocate for the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Wyoming Arts Council, libraries and children. He often traveled to Arts Council board meetings and the annual Governor’s Arts Awards gala with his wife Nancy, who served as chair of the WAC board.

Always active in community affairs, Schiffer served on the Johnson County School Board during the 1980s, and was on the board for the Northern Wyoming Mental Health Center. Governor Sullivan appointed him to the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council on which he served as Chairman for several years. As a lifelong rancher, John found conservation

issues to be extremely important to the state. In 1996 through 2010, he was on the board of the Nature Conservancy. For over a decade, he served on the board of the First Northern Bank in Buffalo. John Chadron Schiffer was born on August 17, 1945, in Fort Robinson, Nebraska, to Ken and Bay Schiffer, where his father was stationed as a cavalryman during World War II. The family soon moved to Kaycee by way of Sheridan for the rest of John’s life.

In 1963, Schiffer graduated from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, and from the Colorado College in Colorado Springs in 1967. After receiving an economics degree, he joined the US Navy serving two tours in Vietnam as the commanding officer of a river patrol boat in the de-militarized zone. He married Nancy in 1971 and they returned to the Hat Ranch. Later they moved to the 48 Ranch east of Kaycee where he lived with his family until his death.

Funeral services for Schiffer were held June 24 at the Kaycee High School gymnasium with Reverend Carole Buckingham officiating. At the service before a capacity crowd, former Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt of Buffalo read his poem, “Fixing Fence” and songs were played by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Ed Bruce’s song, “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys,” played during a slide show of images depicting Schiffer roping and riding throughout his years.

Donations may be made in John’s memory to the John Schiffer Foundation, the proceeds of which will be donated to several local charities. Send memorial donations to the Harness Funeral Home at 351 N. Adams in Buffalo.

Sen. John Schiffer


Eleanor D. MacMillan

Don Butler

It was possible to attend an arts event in Laramie County without encountering Eleanor MacMillan. Possible but unlikely.

Whether it was “Annie Get Your Gun” at the Cheyenne Little Theatre or a Beethoven concert by the Cheyenne Symphony., Eleanor was there. She loved to read, and you saw Eleanor at the library, at a C.J. Box book signing or at the annual Literary Connection at Laramie County Community College. Summer’s Fridays on the Plaza concerts can be raucous affairs. But the diminutive MacMillan would be unflappable in the midst of it all.

We will miss her. Eleanor MacMillan passed away on July 30 at the Davis Hospice Center after a short illness. She was 88.

She was a stalwart volunteer, showing up at the Wyoming Arts Council every Wednesday, rain or shine or snow. She also volunteered at the Historic Cheyenne Depot and Old West Museum and the

Historic Governor’s Mansion.

She was born March 7, 1926, in Beotia, Spink Coun-ty, S.D., to Roy Earl and Lula Belle (Murray) Dittus. She grew up during the Dust Bowl, when storms of dust so thick clouded the sky that Eleanor’s mother placed all the family’s dishes upside-down to keep them clean. She was 17 when she graduated from high school. Due to a wartime shortage of teachers, she taught for a year in a local country school before moving across the border to Wyoming to take a new job in Casper. In 1955, she moved with her two daughters to Cheyenne where she worked for both the state and federal governments. She finished her associate’s degree at Laramie County Community College and went on to get a degree in history from the University of Wyoming.

She is survived by her daughters, Barbara Schmaltz and Pat Pollard (Larry); and her grandchildren, Geronimo Hidalgo (Amalie), Mary Combs (Brian), Sharon Beach and Patricia Schmaltz.

Don Butler, a Sheridan saddle-maker and 2009 Governor’s Arts Award recipient, died in May. A celebration of life was held for him May 15 at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds Pavilion Building.

According to an obituary published in the Sheridan Press, Butler was born on Sept. 28, 1946, in Billings, Mont., and “was a cowboy

from day one.” As a young man, he served in Vietnam and returned to the states to work as a cowboy in northern Wyoming and southern Montana.

Butler’s passion for leatherwork began as a hobby 46 years ago, stamping belts for the Otto F. Ernst Saddlery Company in Sheridan. His interest in saddle making began one summer while working on a cow camp in the Big Horn Mountains.

Butler and his wife, Kitty, opened the Custom Cowboy Shop in 1976 in the back of a barbershop on Main Street. His early work focused mostly on belts, wallets, albums, saddle making and repair. As his tooling artistry developed, he perfected the “Sheridan Style” of carving that mentors such as the late, great Don King had introduced to the area.

Butler’s business grew into two locations, with a shop in Cody opening in 1990. Butler also taught himself to engrave silver.

We will leave the final words to his obituary:“This kind man had a big heart and was a mentor to many. He never met a stranger and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He will be remembered always for his infectious laughter, the sparkle in his eye, his humbleness, generosity, honesty, unwavering integrity, sense of humor and willingness to help anyone in any situation. He was a true top hand and lived every day of his 67 years.”

Don Butler


literary arts

Sign up now for Wyoming Poetry Out Loud

The Wyoming Arts Council invites students in grades 9-12 to participate in Poetry Out Loud: National

Recitation Contest – an exciting poetry performance program happening in high schools this fall through early spring.

This is the tenth year that the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, and the Poetry Foundation, the nation’s largest literary organization, have partnered with the Wyoming Arts Council to bring Poetry Out Loud to high schools across America.

Poetry Out Loud incorporates our diverse American literary heritage in an effort to inspire a love of poetry through memorization and performance. It is a great way to encourage your students to love poetry, while helping them improve their public speaking skills, build their self-confidence and familiarize them with the elements of interpretation and prosody that will serve them well in further studies.

The first step in the process is for teachers to register to participate and begin planning their school’s competition. To take advantage of our online registration, visit the Wyoming Art Council website. Follow the program tab along the top of the page and click on partnerships -- find Poetry Out Loud, and click on “Register” near the bottom of the page. All teachers who register will receive a free teacher tool kit that includes posters, audio CDs, a printed anthology and a teacher’s guide. There are also great resources on the Poetry Out Loud web site at www.poetryoutloud.org.

Once your school champion has been selected, it’s on to Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud Finals to be held in Cheyenne on dates to be announced later. School champions

will be invited to free poetry workshops directly following the competition and before the awards ceremony.

Aside from the wonderful learning experience

It is a great way to encourage your students to love poetry, while helping

them improve their public speaking skills, build their self-confidence and familiarize them with the elements of interpretation and prosody that will serve them well in further studies.


this program offers, students who are successful have the chance to win cash prizes for themselves and money for their school to purchase poetry

books for their library. The State Champion will be awarded an all-expense-paid trip to the national contest in Washington, D.C. on April 27-29, 2015. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, with a $20,000 cash award to the National Champion.

Please register today. If you have any questions about how Poetry Out Loud works in your classroom or school, do not hesitate to give us a call. We’re honored to support this rich program in Wyoming and hope that you participate.

FMI: Katie Christensen, WAC Arts Education Specialist and Poetry Out Loud Coordinator, 307-777-7109 or [email protected]

most historic sites.

According to Karen Petrovich, organizer of the Cody Art Show and one of its featured artists, downtown traffic really picks up on Thursday evening with the Boot Scoot ‘n’ Boogie event. The city closes off its main thoroughfare. A street fes-tival showcases the thriving local art community, unique boutiques, and other businesses of the region. Artists, photographers, sculptors, and wood carvers demonstrate their talents, music plays, people eat and drink and watch a runway fashion show featuring the styles of the West.

During the weekend, art patrons can peruse the work at the Irma Hotel and participate in a variety

2014 Poetry Out Loud competitor Dakota Trump of Hanna Elk Moun-tain High School.

of events at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. According to the BBCOW web site:

Rendezvous Royale is a western arts celebration devoted to the most prestigious events of the year in Cody. Held the fourth week of each September, it consists of a national-recognized art show, a spirited auction of the best contemporary western art, a cutting-edge western fashion show, a captivating quick draw, an exhibition of works by the best western furniture artisans and crafters, educational seminars, studio tours and an elegant ball as the grand finale. That’s just a taste of what this amazing week has to offer.

Get more information about the Cody Art Show by going to http://www.codyartshow.com. Find out more about Rendezvous Royale here: http://centerofthewest.org/event/rendezvous-royale/


Cody Art Show keeps the arts alive at the legendary Irma Hotel


art is everywhere

Pictured clockwise from upper left: Rebecca Frazier performs at Beartrap 2014 on Casper Mountain; Burlington Schools Musicals K-12 program, Burlington; Uinta County Library Cowboy Day, Evanston; dancer at Donkey Creek Festival, Gillette; Potcheen in concert at Celtic Musical Arts Festival, Cheyenne.


Pictured clockwise from upper left: Jam session at Historic Sheridan Inn, Sheridan; Lander Climbers’ Festival art crawl, Lander; Cinco de Mayo Festival at Center for the Arts, Jackson; Wyoming Reads, Rock Springs; The Laramie Project cast at Natrona County High School, Casper.


arts education

Poetry ambush in Buffalo – How one Wyoming school district

used the WAC artist roster

WAC grantees must complete a final report at the end of their project. Some are filled with great

details. Here’s one from language arts teacher Kira Wages at Buffalo High School reporting on an Artists Across Wyoming grant that brought Rock Springs writer Rick Kempa to her community during the spring semester:

This project brought together students of various ages (grades 5-12) to craft, refine, read, and perform their own poetry. The day consisted of workshops, led by artist Rick Kempa (with help from local teachers) for the students, and after school we held readings open to the public. Visiting Artist Rick Kempa gave two workshops for students from Buffalo and Kaycee schools, in which he engaged them in a variety of creative writing activities. The first, from 10-11:30 a.m., was for approximately 15 middle school students, the second, from 1-2:30 p.m., for 15 or so high school students. He worked with teachers in advance to devise lesson plans that were most relevant to the students’ needs and experience-level. In the late afternoon, from 4-7 p.m., Kempa hosted a poetry reading, open to all, in which both he and the students, as well as others from the community, shared some of what they’ve written. Following the reading, we opened up the studio we rented to student musicians – celebrating lyric poetry – had refreshments, and displayed

students’ visual arts from our two schools.

The impact this grant had for our students and our community aligned closely to the goals we had set forth: (1) To encourage a greater connection between school and community through the arts and humanities, and (2) To help students find and create opportunities for performances, exhibitions, and other creative endeavors.

As a teacher and poet, Rick Kempa provided an excellent example of making a career in the arts a viable option of serious study for students, and having the students collaborate amongst grade levels provided a collaborative effort for arts

It takes strong backs to participate in a poetry workshop.


exploration across age divides. For the second year running, Kempa visited our students from the high school and middle school and conducted writing workshops for each. We asked him back this year because he connected so well with the students last year – and again we were not disappointed. He does a wonderful job of weaving together language study, playing with words, accessing the sensory, interacting with the outdoors, and collaborative writing. Before they knew it, students had written beautiful poetry!

When speaking with students who attended the workshops, I heard nothing but positive feedback and requests for his return. I

the WAC calendarSeptember 10 . . . . . Professional development workshop for individual artists, Casper

11-13. . Equality State Book Festival with WAC combined creative writing fellowships and Blanchan/Doubleday reading, Casper

October3 . . . . . . Deadline for nominations for 2014 Governor’s Arts Awards

4 . . . . . . Wyoming Arts Alliance Block-Booking Conference, Casper

10 . . . . . Application deadline for 2015 WAC visual arts fellowships

15 . . . . . Mentoring Project Grants deadline

appreciated Kempa’s ability to make writing poetry completely accessible to our students, while he simultaneously argued for the noble and essential reasons humans write verse. He made each student feel important – a vital first step to creating. I hope we can host him again in the future!

“Before they knew it, they had written beautiful poetry.” Sounds to us like a poetry ambush! To bring Rick Kempa or any one of our excellent roster artists and arts groups to your community, apply for an Artists Across Wyoming grant. Apply online at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/grants/anytime-grants.

November6-7 . . . WAC quarterly board meeting, Sheridan

17 . . . . . Application deadline for 2015 Blanchan/Doubleday writing awards

24 . . . . Application deadline for 2015 WAC performing arts fellowships

Coming up in 2015Feb. 27 Governor’s Arts Awards gala, Cheyenne

Mar. 27-28 CLICK! Conference, Cody

May-Sept. 125 Days of Arts & Culture to celebrate Wyoming’s 125th anniversary of statehood

May 16 - Aug. 1 WAC Biennial at UW Art Museum, Laramie

October Statewide Arts Conference

For more information, contact the WAC at 307-777-7742 or go to the web site www.wyomingartscouncil.org


Wyoming Arts Council2320 Capitol Avenue Cheyenne, WY 82002

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage

PAID Cheyenne, WY Permit No. 7

The Wyoming Arts Council provides resources & leadership to help Wyoming

communities grow, connect and thrive through the arts.

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