Rob Drabkin performs free concert at UW July 13

Denver musician Rob Drabkin will perform a free concert from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, at the University of Wyoming Simpson Plaza.

Drabkin was voted Colorado's Best Singer/Songwriter by Westword Magazine for 2008-2010. He gathered enough votes to earn his turn on stage at the Mile High Music Festival with artists like The Fray, Widespread Panic, Tool and Ben Harper.

"On These Heavy Feet," Drabkin's first full-length release, hit No. 10 on the CMJ chart on KOTO radio in Telluride, CO.

"I'm having a great time making music and I just want to inspire others to go after what will truly make them happy. That's why I grew my hair a bit crazy. I just wanted to let loose, get expressive, create some nice grooves and get people to move," says Drabkin.

For more information and music, go to www.robdrabkin.com on the Internet.

The concert series is sponsored by the Campus Activities Center Summer Programs. Individuals needing assistance to attend this event can contact the CAC at 766-6340.

Photo: Denver musician Rob Drabkin will perform a free concert from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, at the University of Wyoming Simpson Plaza.

In Cheyenne tonight: "The Music of Star Wars"

From the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

Toby Rush is set to give his "The Music of Star Wars" presentation, a hit on the UNC campus, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Highlands Presbyterian Church in Cheyenne. By all accounts, prepare to come away with a new appreciation for "Star Wars." 

"But this isn't a straight-laced academic, hoity-toity, bow-tie presentation," Rush said. "We have a tremendous amount of fun. We have a lot of laughs. A lot of it is just enjoying some of the great scenes and the music from those films."

"Star Wars": Behind the music behind the movies - Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online

New bronze at Historic Cheyenne Depot celebrates Wyoming's history as "The Equality State"

A new bronze statue by Veryl Goodnight, "A New Beginning," will be dedicated Wednesday (today) at 3 p.m., at the Historic Cheyenne Depot. The event is free and open to the public. The artist will be at the ceremony. Her work often celebrates the West and has been displayed all over the world. She has created 20 different "Women of the West" bronzes since 1984. Goodnight lives in Mancos, Colo., and shows her work at the Goodnight Trail Gallery of Western Art.

Read the entire article and see a photo of the sculpture at New bronze statue at depot honors early pioneer women - Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online

Call for entries: Aurora, CO, Art in Public Places program

The city of Aurora Art in Public Places Program is searching for existing sculptures to be considered for a one-year exhibition called “ART 2C on Havana.”

The exhibition is a sculpture-on-the-street project modeled after others around the country that unites the business community and the arts to attract visitors, energize streetscapes and create great public gathering spaces.

A generous donation from the Havana Business Improvement District will fund the $750 artist stipends to transport and install artwork along Havana Street, and will fund cash awards amounting to $1,000 for People’s Choice, $750 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.

In addition, the Aurora Art in Public Places Program will purchase a sculpture from the exhibit, which will be added to the city’s public art collection and remain permanently displayed in the district.

Interested artists should visit CaFÉ at www.callforentry.org to apply; the deadline is midnight July 6.

Robert Greer addresses NAACP banquet -- and signs books -- June 4 in Cheyenne

The multi-talented Robert Greer will come to the Cheyenne Holiday Inn on Saturday, June 4, to speak at the annual banquet of the Wyoming NAACP. His theme will be the contributions that African-Americans made to the history of the West. He will sign copies of his books from 6-7 p.m.. Dinner will follow, with Dr. Greer's speech at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person, $50 per couple. You can purchase tickets for the event by calling Abe Stevenson at 307-634-8304 or Bennie McLaughlin, 307-634-5527.

When he's not writing, Dr. Greer is a professor of pathology, medicine, surgery and dentistry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He also holds a master's degree in creative writing from Boston University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Miami University of Ohio, his alma mater.


Greer has lived in Denver for thirty years. In 1986 he founded The High Plains Literary Review and continues to serve as its editor-in-chief. He is the author or co-author of three medical textbooks and over 125 scientific articles. His short stories have appeared in dozens of national literary magazines and his short story collection, Isolation and Other Stories, published in 2000 by the Davies Group Publishers, is also wonderfully illustrated. 

Greer has been involved in cancer research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center for more than thirty years. In 1983 his research group was the first in the world to report a synergistic link between smokeless tobacco use and human papillomaviruses in certain cancers of the mouth. That research foundation is the basis for the plot of his novel, The Devil's Hatband, the author's first novel featuring Denver bail bondsman and detective CJ Floyd. Several of his novels are set in Wyoming.


Spoon, Greer’s 2009 novel of the contemporary American West, won the Colorado Book Award for literary fiction. It also was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award and received the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union 2010 Media of the Year Award. Wyoming’s Craig Johnson, author of Another Man's Moccasins and The Dark Horse , had this to say about the novel: "With Spoon, Robert Greer tells the story of a modern-day range war in wildfire prose both taut and lyrical."

Greer also reviews books for a Denver National Public Radio affiliate, KUVO, and raises cattle on a ranch in Platte County, Wyoming. 

Fractured Atlas visits the Wyoming Arts Council

Adam J. Natale from Fractured Atlas in NYC dropped by the Wyoming Arts Council this week. After a weekend on the road working with arts groups in Denver and Fort Collins, he decided to make the short drive up I-25 to Cheyenne.

As is the case with many artists, Adam found himself working in arts administration. After a five-year stint at the National Endowment for the Arts, he joined Fractured Atlas. It's a non-profit organization that helps artists and arts organizations with fund-raising, insurance, advocacy, technology and education, among other services.

It keeps overhead low with a heavy Internet presence. But Adam said that it's expanding its presence outside of the East Coast arts corridor, working with South Arts in Atlanta, the Utah Arts Council in Salt Lake City and Colorado Creative Industries in Denver. Organization staffers also work with individual artists all over the U.S.

Fractured Atlas provides helpful "pocket guides," such as "Insurance for Film Makers" and "Insurance for Dancers and Dance Companies." The user-friendly 12-page guides address insurance issues relating to liability, health care, disability, etc.

Wyomingarts thanked Adam for dropping by, and invited him to return to Wyoming for a presentation about his organization.

Meanwhile, check out the org's web site at www.fracturedatlas.org

Call for applications: PlatteForum in Denver

2011-2012 Creative Residency
Application deadline May 20, 2011
Apply Now

PlatteForum selects artists annually from applicants of all artistic genres. The six-week residency gives artists the time, support and space to advance their work.  PlatteForum inspires them to take risks and explore new possibilities. Each resident dedicates time to groups of youth in Learning Labs or intensive workshops that build upon the ideas and forms of the resident artist. The Creative Resident also mentors ArtLab, PlatteForum’s internship program participants. The Creative Residency culminates in a performance or exhibition of the artist’s work presented in tandem with the youths’ work at our studio.

PlatteForum is a member of the  Alliance of Artist Communities, an international organization that advances creativity.  In short, they are research-and-development labs for the arts. While there are many ways to support and experience the arts – books and paintings, performances and poetry, movies, museums, and music – artists’ communities support individuals in the creation of new art and ideas.

Joshua Wiener, one of the 2011 WAC visual arts fellowship judges and workshop leaders, conducted a PlatteForum residency in 2009. Read more about it, and his presentation "Elevating Nature: The Germination of Ideas," by going to http://www.platteforum.org/residency.php?residency=Joshua%20Wiener&program_id=5

Connie Norman's work featured at Plinth Gallery in Denver

"Stamina of love" by Connie Norman

The Plinth Gallery, 3520 Brighton Blvd., Denver, is featuring an exhibition by Cheyenne artist Connie Norman. An artist reception will be held at the gallery on Friday, May 6,  6-9 p.m. This is a participating gallery in the River North Art District's "First Friday" art walk.

Plinth Gallery will host a workshop with Connie on Saturday, May 7,  from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost is $85 per person which will include lunch. Contact us by email or call 303-295-0717 for more information.

Connie Norman’s current work deals with inner dialogue, words, phrases, and “snippets of conversation” often inspired by stories from her life, memories, or things overheard, that are repeated again and again. She is fascinated by the rhythmic qualities created by color, texture, and patterns, and her application of text to her pieces enhance both the surface texture and the message itself.   

Plinth Gallery Curator Jonathan Kaplan describes Connie Norman’s ceramic work as, “Graphically bold in color and surface decoration. Her unique use of impressed words and phrases evokes our emotions as we ponder a connection to our individual experience. While her ceramics are a conversation with herself, we are invited into a dialog with the work and then really, with ourselves. Connie’s work has a message for many of us.”

Click here for artist's gallery

Delta Sonics perform at Plains Hotel April 29

The Delta Sonics, a blues band from Denver, will perform in the grand ballroom of the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne on Friday, April 29, 8 p.m. Advance tickets $10 at Phoenix Books and Music, 1612 Capitol Ave. Tickets at the door will be $12. FMI: 307-632-3476

C.J. Box hits the road with "Cold Wind"

Cheyenne author C.J. Box hits the highway this week for appearances in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. In May, he's off to the South Carolina Festival of Books in Columbia, S.C. In July, he'll travel to the UK for the Harrowgate Crime Writing Festival. 

C.J.'s new novel is "Cold Wind." Read the first chapter here.


Here's his schedule for this week:

Mon, 04/04/2011 - 7:00pm

Ft. Collins, CO

Old Firehouse Books

232 Walnut St

Fort Collins, CO 80524

970-484-7898

http://www.oldfirehousebooks.com/

Tue, 04/05/2011 - 3:00pm

Casper, WY

Ralph’s Books

Hilltop Shopping Center

215 South Montana Avenue  

Casper, WY  82609

307-234-0308

Wed, 04/06/2011 - 7:00pm

Billings, MT

Barnes & Noble

530 S. 24^th Street West

Billings, MT 59102

406-655-9500

Thu, 04/07/2011 - 6:00pm

Sheridan, WY

Sheridan Stationery Books and Gallery

206 North Main Street

Sheridan, WY 82801

307-674-8080

Fri, 04/08/2011 - 5:00pm

Cheyenne

City News & Pipe Shop

1722 Carey Ave
Cheyenne, WY 82001

307-638-8671


WAC Notes: C.J. Box was awarded a FY 1992 creative writing fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council. 

Cheyenne artist featured in Valhall Arts Retrospective in Fort Collins, Colo.

Work by Cheyenne artist Camellia El-Antably is featured in the Valhall Arts 3rd Anniversary Retrospective which opens this evening in Fort Collins, Colo. Camellia is the arts education specialist at the Wyoming Arts Council. The Loveland Reporter Herald used a piece entitled "Snaky Pi" by Camellia on the cover of Friday's entertainment section (see above). Here are the event details:


Valhall Arts 3rd Anniversary Retrospective

When: 6-9 p.m. Friday, April 1, and the first Friday of every month with a May 6, closing reception.

Where: Valhall Arts, 201 S. College Ave., Plaza Level 2, in the Museum of Contemporary Art, off Oak Street Plaza, Fort Collins.

Information: 303-589-7372 or visit http://www.valhall arts.com. The gallery is open the first Friday of every month or by appointment. Go to valhallarts.blogspot.com.

The exhibit also features work by Wyoming photographer Griffin Marsh and former Cheyenne resident Jennie Kiessling. 

Read the article at Loveland Reporter Herald -- Valhall in retrospective

Cara Lopez Lee starts book tour for "They Only Eat Their Husbands" March 20 in Cheyenne

Colorado author Cara Lopez Lee will talk about her book "They Only Eat Their Husbands: A Memoir of Alaskan Love, World Travel, and the Power of Running Away" on Sunday, March 20, 2 p.m., at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne. The event is free and open to the public.

Here's some info about the the author and the book:

Most new authors have one thing in common: no marketing budget, zero, zip, Zip A Dee Doo Dah, nada. But Cara Lopez Lee is turning her budget book tour into an opportunity to reinforce her memoir's themes: running away is underrated, the hardest journeys are the most rewarding, and going it alone leads to new friendships.

From March 20 to April 16, Cara is hitting the road with her new book, They Only Eat Their Husbands: A Memoir of Alaskan Love, World Travel, and the Power of Running Away (Ghost Road Press, November 2010). And I'm hitting it Girls Trek Too style...
Cara will stay in hostels and surf couches, as she drives her rattling '95 Honda Civic Hatchback through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. "I had a shoestring budget when I left Alaska to backpack solo around the world," she says. "So it makes sense to travel on a shoestring as I share my book about that experience." Although she's preparing a loose itinerary, she's leaving room for spontaneity. She hopes locals will suggest a few unexpected events. "Part of the fun will be in the surprise element, in getting people to ask, 'Where's Cara?' That's what my book is about: not having answers, but asking questions. Once your basic needs are met, life should be an adventure." 

If you're interested in learning to plan your own independent adventures, Cara will offer free Girls Trek Too workshops at several of her stops. If you want to know "Where's Cara?" during her Book Tour Adventure, please check her Events page. You can also follow the wanderings of  @CaraLopezLee on Twitter or on the Facebook Fan Page for They Only Eat Their Husbands.

Call for entries: Aspen ECO Fest exhibition

The Red Brick Council for the Arts in Aspen, Colo., seeks entries for Aspen ECO FEST Juried Art Exhibition which will take place June 2-23, 2011.

Entries are open to all artists. Art must be made from recycled and/or reclaimed objects.

Entry forms are due on Friday, April 15, 2011. Images will be accepted on CD only. Images must be at least 300 dpi and 1 mg in jpg format. Artists will be notified by email of jury’s results on May 2, 2011. $25 per artist for up to two entries.

FMI: www.aspenecofest.com; info@aspenart.org; 970.429.2777

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance offers free public performance Feb. 22 in Casper

The world-renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance of Denver will perform on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Summit Elementary School, 2210 Waterford, Casper (this is the new school visible from Wyoming Blvd. near 15th St.).  The performance, sponsored by the Natrona County School District Diversity Task Force, is free and open to the public. Go to http://www.cleoparkerdance.org/.

Whimsical artwork by Kelley Jones highlights Art Design & Dine Feb. 10

Art Design & Dine, Cheyenne’s monthly art tour, takes place on the second Thursday of the month from 5-8 p.m. Take the tour on Feb. 10 and you will get a chance to meet and talk with artists, take part in demonstrations and experience first hand the diversity and vibrancy of the arts in Cheyenne! Visit the Art Design & Dine website for all the latest details.

Kelley Jones (work shown in photo) is a former resident of Cheyenne and is now living in Fort Collins. Her work is original, highly detailed and humorous. Do you need a smile and don’t we all? Then be sure to stop by Glen Garrett’s downtown office the night of the art tour, February 10, 5-8 p.m.

“A childhood of low-tech toys, comic books and cartoons inspired my current work. After studying art in college, raising kids and exploring other career options, I am compelled to make these “3-D comic characters”. Their sole purpose is to make people laugh, so every chuckle, chortle and giggle sounds like success to me.

Each piece is hand sculpted, painted and sealed. The captions are original, and kinetic features add another level of whimsy. Enjoy.” Kelley Jones

Northern Colorado Writers Conference March 11-12 in Fort Collins

At the Fort Collins Hilton. FMI: http://www.northerncoloradowriters.com/annual-conference-mainmenu-128.html

Of horses and writing -- Page Lambert explains it all for you

Our Wyoming Writers, Inc., pal Page Lambert has a great blog. She promotes her many books and workshops, and provides insight into the writing and natural worlds. She is crazy about horses and knows their ins and outs as well as she knows the building blocks of an essay. Her annual "Literature and the Landscape of the Horse" retreat takes place May 28-June 2 at the Vee Bar Guest Ranch between Laramie and Centennial. There are a few spots left, she writes. Find out more at http://www.pagelambert.com/retreat_index.html. Once you've been inspired by Page and her colleague Sheri Griffith, you can travel up to Casper for the Wyoming Writers, Inc., annual conference at the Ramada Plaza Riverside on June 3-5. No horseback riding in the Ramada, but plenty of writing and workshops and open readings and book sales and inspiration. More info at http://www.wyowriters.org/conference.html

Along those lines, here's a film recommendation from Page:

FEATURED DOCUMENTARY

A story about a landless farmer,

a non-conformist, and an escaped office worker...

From award-winning journalist Jared Flesher comes The Farmer and the Horse, "a film that digs into difficult questions about sustainability, self-sufficiency, and why we do the work we do. Flesher's film goes beyond the usual platitudes of smiling organic farmers talking about the good life. Farming is hard work -- especially if you don't use a tractor. The Farmer and the Horse is a film every young farmer should see. So should everyone who cares about land use, the environment, and good food." View Trailer.

Note from Page: This may not be a riveting documentary in regards to narrative, but I think it's an important one if we wish to explore new (old) ways of living that return us to a deeper connection with the earth. Working with animals who live their lives deeply rooted to nature can help us rediscover our roots. In the coming months, I'll be bringing you more features that guide us in this journey. My thanks to the filmmaker, Jared Flesher.

Temple Grandin at UW: "Animals, Autism and Sensory-Based Thinking"

From a University of Wyoming press release:

A renowned designer of livestock handling facilities and whose life story of overcoming autism is profiled in an Emmy-award winning HBO movie will give two presentations at the University of Wyoming in February.

Professor Temple Grandin of Colorado State University will present "The Field of Animal Sciences" from 2:10-3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. Her talk will focus mainly on animals and livestock handling and the innovations she has made in the area of humane livestock handling.

At 3:30 p.m., she will discuss "Animals, Autism, and Sensory-Based Thinking." A question-and-answer session, reception and a book signing will follow.

Her appearance is sponsored by Wyoming AgrAbility, a UW Cooperative Extension Service program, with support from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Wyoming INstitute for Disabilities in the College of Health Sciences.

"Bringing Grandin to UW will help share and spread the importance of her work," says Kelley Dees, Wyoming AgrAbility project coordinator. "Her livestock handling innovations have revolutionized the way cattle are handled in the United States and in countries abroad. Her animal handling practices not only provide better meat quality, but, when done correctly, prevent the animal from feeling any pain."

Grandin was featured in the 2010 film "Temple Grandin," which received seven Emmys. The film won further notoriety Sunday, Jan. 30, when Claire Danes, who portrayed Grandin in the movie, won the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a TV movie or miniseries.

"The obstacles that Grandin has overcome in her life are simply inspiring," says Dees. "I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with such a brilliant woman who is a hero to so many."

Grandin has designed livestock facilities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and other countries, and she speaks around the world on autism and cattle handling. She has consulted for such firms as Burger King and McDonald's.

Call UW Paratransit Services at (307) 766-6686 to request complimentary disability transportation to the event.

Wyoming AgrAbility provides education, networking and assistance to ranchers, farmers and agricultural workers with disabilities and their families. Information is available at www.uwyo.edu/agrability/ or by contacting Dees at AgrAbility@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-3052 or toll-free at (866) 395-4986.

Call for entries: Copper Nickel journal

From Jake Adam York, director of creative writing at University of Colorado at Denver and editor of Copper Nickel:


Copper Nickel, the journal of art and literature my colleagues and students and I edit here in Denver, will open its second contest this coming week, and I'm hoping you'll help spread the word in your writing communities.

Daniel Alarcon will judge our fiction contest, and Kevin Prufer will judge our poetry contest. We'll accept entries through March 31, 2011. Entrants will get not only a shot at the $1000 prize (one prize in each genre) but as well a one-year subscription (2 issues) to Copper Nickel for only $15 (which is the cost of a normal subscription).

All the details are also online at http://www.copper-nickel.org/contest/

"Wild West Month" at Children's Museum of Denver

In conjunction with the National Western Stock Show, January is “Wild West Month” at the Children's Museum of Denver

Here’s some info:

Saddle up and ride on down to the Museum to join in on Wild West activities and events all month long. The Children's Museum of Denver is stepping back in time to the ol' Wild West where they'll explore what life was like way back when! Yeehaw!