Japan-America Society of Wyoming sponsors Children's Day Celebration April 30 in Laramie

The Japan-America Society of Wyoming announces its fourth annual Children’s Day Celebration on Saturday, April 30, 2-3:30 p.m. at the Albany County Public Library, 310 S. Eighth St., Laramie. Free admission.

Featuring Japanese folk tales, Japanese songs, Origami (paper folding of a Kabuto (helmet), Shodo (Japanese calligraphy), and tasting Japanese foods (cookies and nori, etc).

For more information click here or call 307-721-2580.

UPDATE: Handmade for Japan eBay auction

Wyomingarts has been tracking arts-oriented fund-raisers for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. One Cheyenne artist and teacher, Connie Kazuko Norman, will be part of a Handmade for Japan auction on eBay. Here is the most recent information from Connie:

I sure many of have already heard of Handmade For Japan.  It is the brainchild of Ayumi Horie, and her friends, Ai Kanazawa Cheung and Kathryn Pombriant Manzella.  Handmade For Japan is an on-line benefit auction for the Japanese victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.  I am honored to be one of the artists that are contributing to the cause.  As many of you know that I am half Japanese and I have many relatives that live in Tokyo.  I have been lucky enough to have study ceramics in Japan as well.  My Japanese heritage has always very important to me. The people of Japan really need help with disaster relief.

The auction will be held next Thursday, March 24th, 8pm EST to Sunday, March 27th, 8pm EST on eBay and they will have assured bids so check in early. Right now Handmade For Japan has a public Facebook page where a previewing of items before the auction. Even if you're not on Facebook, you can see the items. Please help us get the word out so that we can reach our goal of raising more than $25,000. 100% of the proceeds will be given to Global Giving’s Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

The collection has grown to over 90 artists, many with well-known and respected names, and you will be astonished how many wonderful pieces of art that has been donated for the cause. 

Ayumi and her friends have been working tirelessly toward this event.  I have been amazed at every update.  Thank you guys for all your hard work!

Here are some of the media coverage we got in the last week, The New York Times, and American Craft Magazine.

Ways for artists and artisans to help Japan

From Cornelia Carey at the Craft Emergency Relief Fund:

All of us are standing by with great concern as the aftermath of last Friday’s powerful earthquake in Japan continues to unfold. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families as well as those who are on the front lines of the relief efforts there. 

A number of you have written looking for suggestions about where to send contributions and aid. We strongly encourage supporting the first responders and want to pass along Network for Good’s list of some of them: http://www1.networkforgood.org/help-survivors-pacific-quake-tsunami. We have also put feelers out to the arts community in Japan about artists and cultural workers who could use our support further down the line. We will keep you informed about what we uncover. Please also let us know if you have contacts or recommendations for us.

Handmade for Japan fund-raiser changed to March 24-27

Posted yesterday about Connie Norman's participation in Handmade for Japan fund-raiser for Japan earthquake and tsunami relief at http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2011/03/cheyenne-artist-donates-to-handmade-for.html

Connie e-mailed us that dates have been changed. Here's update:

Date change for the fundraiser for Handmade for Japan. The Auction is now March 24-27.


Handmade For Japan's mission is to raise money through an online auction on March 24- 27 for relief efforts to assist the victims of Japan's catastrophic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear emissions. Here is the link to the eBay store for the auction, but at this point no artwork is loaded on to the site: http://stores.ebay.com/handmade-for-japan

To all donated artwork go the Handmade for Japan Facebook page. 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/handmadeforjapanauction?sk=wall

Cheyenne artist donates to Handmade for Japan for earthquake and tsunami relief

Cheyenne artist and teacher Connie Norman sends this:

I’ve been asked to donate to Handmade for Japan at http://connienorman.com/blog/  I have more  info on my blog with images. It is a international fund raiser. The sale of donated items will go on sale March 18 – 20, on eBay. 

I will send you the link when the site is live, but in the meantime items up for auction can be seen at

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/handmadeforjapanauction?sk=wall .

This is their Facebook site announcing updates and donated artworks. 

I copied and pasted Handmade For Japan’s mission statement below. 

Handmade For Japan

eBay auction March 18-20 to help the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami

Description Mission:
Handmade For Japan's mission is to raise money through an online auction on March 18-20 for relief efforts to assist the victims of Japan's catastrophic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear emissions.

Handmade for Japan is an online auction of unique, handmade art donated by concerned, invited artists. One hundred percent of all net proceeds collected via the auction will be donated to the relief efforts in Japan.

Because of the urgency of the situation, the auction will begin on eBay on Friday, March 18th and end on Sunday, March 20th. The auction items will be listed under the "Handmade for Japan" seller ID.

Previews of the auction items will be available in English and Japanese through Facebook pages and Twitter updates. All inquiries in either language should be sent to handmadeforjapan@gmail.com.

Who We Are:
Handmade For Japan was borne out of concern for Japan's residents by Japanese-American ceramic artist Ayumi Horie http://www.ayumihorie.com. She, Ai Kanazawa Cheung, and Kathryn Pombriant Manzella have mobilized to solicit, promote, and auction handmade pieces of art generously donated by talented artists throughout North America and Japan.

FMI: http://www.connienorman.com

UW Art Museum holds Feb. 25 gallery walk-through for Etsuko Ichikawa exhibit

WWCC in Rock Springs features talk by author and historian Tom Rea on Jan. 28

From a press release:

Noted Wyoming historian and journalist Tom Rea will read from his work on Friday, January 28. The event will take place at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Room 1302, 7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

Rea is the author of several books of interest to Wyoming history buffs. Devil's Gate: Owning the Land, Owning the Story was the winner of the 2006-07 nonfiction book award from the Wyoming State Historical Society. Bone Wars: The Excavation and Celebrity of Andrew Carnegie's Dinosaur, received the 2002 Western Writers of America Spur Award for contemporary nonfiction. His most recent book is The Hole in the Wall Ranch: A History (published by Pronghorn Press in 2010).

The Friday reading will include an account of the 1885 Rock Springs Massacre, and will be accompanied by slides.

In addition to his public reading, Rea will give a three-hour writing workshop on Friday afternoon, January 28, as part of a one-credit Visiting Writers course. The workshop will focus on researching and writing good narrative about nonfiction topics. Students will be given specific research and organization tools, tips on good prose, and a chance to try out both on the spot.

Rea grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., and has lived in Wyoming for over 35 years. He holds degrees from Williams College and the University of Montana, and worked for many years as a reporter and editor on the Casper Star-Tribune. He is currently editor of a searchable encyclopedia of Wyoming History, WyoHistory.Org, now in development. He lives with his family in Casper.

The event is sponsored by the Arlene and Louise Wesswick Foundation and by the WWCC English Department. It is the first in a series of readings planned for the spring, which will also include Wyoming’s Poet Laureate David Romtvedt from Buffalo on February 11; poet and editor Maria Melendez from Pueblo, Colorado on March 4; and fiction writer Karen Brennan, formerly of Salt Lake City and now from Tucson, on March 25.

These writers will also be offering workshops prior to their readings, in which they facilitate writing exercises, share writing experiences and tips, and answer student-generated questions. Rea’s workshop is scheduled from 2-5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 28th, in Room 1408. The workshops are part of a one-credit Creative Writing class (ENGL 2495). Students may register in advance or on Jan. 28th.

For more information, contact WWCC Associate Professor of English Rick Kempa, the coordinator of the reading series and the class, at rkempa@wwcc.wy.edu.

"Festival of Japan" Oct. 9 in Laramie

The Japan-America Society of Wyoming (JASWY) will present its fifth annual “Festival of Japan” from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 9, 2010, in the cafeteria (from noon to 1:50 p.m.) and in the auditorium (from 2-4:30 p.m.) of Laramie High School, 1275 N 11th St., Laramie. Admission is free.

FMI: 307-721-4420.

Performing on stage will be Bunraku, a traditional Japanese puppet theater from Missouri, and Mirai Daiko, a taiko drumming group from Denver.

International traditions and local food highlight weekend in Jackson Hole

We posted this way back in April and thought it was worth repeating:

The 2010 Vista 360 Jackson Hole Fire Festival: Connecting Mountain People will take place from Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20, 2010, in the Town Square and other downtown venues in Jackson. Friday night will be the Fire Festival, a "cultural sharing" with Mt. Fuji in Japan. This year, the weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) we'll be exploring the mountain culture(s) of the Yellowstone region -- our own backyard. Saturday will be the Yellowstone Food and Heritage Fair, exploring the mountain culture (and flavors!) in our own backyard. And Sunday will be Children's Day -- Japanese and Yellowstone combined. Contact: Candra Day at canday@wyoming.com

Jackson Hole Fire Festival June 18-20

The 2010 Vista 360 Jackson Hole Fire Festival: Connecting Mountain People will take place from Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20, 2010 in the Town Square and other downtown venues in Jackson. The festival is

Friday night will be the Fire Festival, a "cultural sharing" with Mt. Fuji in Japan. This year, the weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) we'll be exploring the mountain culture(s) of the Yellowstone region -- our own backyard. Saturday will be the Yellowstone Food and Heritage Fair, exploring the mountain culture (and flavors!) in our own backyard. And Sunday will be Children's Day -- Japanese and Yellowstone combined.

Contact: Candra Day at canday@wyoming.com

NEA U.S./Japan Creative Arts Program deadline approaching

Deadline reminder from Jennifer Kareliusson at the NEA:

The deadline for the U.S./Japan Creative Artists Program is fast approaching and I would greatly appreciate it if you would forward this funding opportunity to any and all professional creative artists on your email lists. Eligible applicants are architects, choreographers, composers, creative writers, designers, media artists, playwrights, visual artists, or solo theater artists who work with original material (including puppeteers, storytellers and performance artists). Multidisciplinary artists and artistic directors of theater or dance companies are also eligible.
　
The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission works cooperatively with the National Endowment for the Arts to sponsor The U.S/Japan Creative Artists' Program. The program provides support for up to five outstanding contemporary and traditional artists from the United States to spend a five-month residency in Japan to pursue their individual artistic goals. The next deadline for this program is February 1, 2010.
　
The U.S/Japan Creative Artists' Program is extremely competitive; applicants should have regional or national recognition and anticipate a highly rigorous review of their work. Artists should also present compelling reasons for wanting to work in Japan.
　
Selected artists will receive:
* A monthly stipend for living expenses and a housing supplement, as well as an allowance for professional support services
* Up to $6,000 for round trip transportation for the artist, domestic partner and/or dependent children, and a baggage/storage allowance
* A stipend for pre-departure Japanese language study in the United States
　
Additional information, including guidelines and the application, can be found at http://www.jusfc.gov/creativeartists.asp.
　
FMI: Jennifer Kareliusson, International Activities Specialist, National Endowment for the Arts, 202-682-5630, kareliussonj@arts.gov

University of Wyoming Art Museum

Kwang-Young Chun: Aggregations, new work
Sept. 12 - Dec. 23, 2009
Kwang-Young Chun (Korean, b. 1944) makes intricate sculpture out of the recycled pages of old Korean books and medicine wrappers printed on mulberry paper. He wraps the handmade paper—inscribed with Korean characters— around thousands of Styrofoam tetrahedrons and other geometric forms that serve as the basic units of his compositions. The forms are then arranged in free-standing three-dimensional sculptures or mounted on the wall as two-dimensional low-reliefs.
Image: Kwang-Young Chun (Korean, b. 1944), Aggregation 08-AU022 (detail), 2008, mixed media, 14 ft x 8 ft diameter, photo courtesy of Aldrich Museum of Art

moss doesn't grow on rolling stones, a vision of nature by Brian Burkhardt
Sept. 12 - Nov. 14, 2009
Trained as an artist and an organic farmer, Burkhardt bridges art and ecology through works that explore adaptation and mutation (postulating that plant or animal species adapt or mutate to the needs of human beings and are influenced by technology in our contemporary environment), mimicry (species that adapt traits that offer greater chances for survival), symbiosis (neutral or parasitic relationships between species), and even symbiogenesis (radical evolutionary changes that create new species). In 2008, Burkhardt created a geodesic dome as artist studio installation for Art Basel Miami Beach. The dome, recent work, and examples of his flora and fauna series are planned for the exhibition. Burkhardt will also be creating a new work inspired by Wyoming's ecological environment.
Image: Brian Burkhardt (American, b. 1971), Dome, 2008, wood, galvanized aluminum, batten tape, greenhouse plastic, staples, MDF, screening, metal clips, 12 x 12 x 10 ft

Ichiro: A Life's Work of Netsuke, The Huey Shelton Collection
Sept. 5 - Dec. 23, 2009
Inada Ichiro (Japanese, 1891-1979) was an important 20th century netsuke artist. For centuries, the Japanese have used miniature sculptures hung by cords from the sash of their traditional garments such as the kimono to secure personal belongings in small pouches. Intricate and figurative, the netsuke reflect aspects of Japanese life.
Image: Inada Ichiro (Japanese, 1891-1977), Standing Farmer Sowing Seed, not dated, Ivory, 1-1/4 x 3/4 x 7/8 inches, Gift of Huey G. and Phyllis T. Shelton, University of Wyoming Art Museum Collection, 2009.5.108

www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum
www.uwartmuseum.blogspot.com

Museum and Museum Store Hours
Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm
Mondays until 9pm(Feb.-Apr., Sept.-Nov.)
Closed major holidays

Performing Arts Japan (PAJ) touring and collaboration grants

The Performing Arts Japan(PAJ) program was started by the Japan Foundation in 1994 with the mission to establish a system for promoting Japanese performing art in the United States. The PAJ program supports the initiatives taken by U.S. nonprofit organizations to provide geographically diverse America audiences with greater exposure to Japanese performing arts. PAJ also encourages collaborations between Japanese and American artists, which will further an appreciation of Japanese culture when presented to American audiences.
The Japan Foundation is now accepting proposals for projects to receive PAJ touring and collaboration grants for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Deadline for applications is November 2, 2009. The applications must be received by mail or hand delivery (facsimile transmission will not be accepted) by 5:00 p.m. EST, November 2, 2009.
Guidelines and Application Form: http://www.jfny.org/arts_and_culture/paj.html

ARTCORE announces September line-up

ARTCORE, 330 S. Center, #415, in Casper, announces the playbill for this month:

Bill Mize
September 10,7:30 p.m., Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
Fingerstyle guitarist and composer Bill Mize appeared with the emerging acoustic guitar movement in the 1980s and has continued to develop a style and sense of taste that influences many of today's guitarists.

Japan Arts Day: Akemi Iwase
September 19, 7:30 p.m., John F. Welsh Auditorium, Natrona County High School

Scrambled McManus
September 24, 7:30 p.m., John F. Welsh Auditorium, Natrona County High School
“Scrambled McManus” is a tribute to humor and to the concept of story. The show is structured to appeal equally to diehard fans and to those who are stepping into the wonderful, wacky world of McManus for the first time. Behrens concocts a feast for the audience’s imagination with the simplest of ingredients: a bare stage, 4 props, and 6 stools. The usual McManus “staples” all make an appearance: Rancid Crabtree, Crazy Eddie Muldoon, Mrs. Swisher, Melba Peachbottom and Goombaw to name a few. Each contributes his or her (or its!) own idea about the nature of story itself, and how it feels to be a McManus character, much to their creator’s consternation.

The Lowe Family
September 30, 7:30 p.m., John F. Welsh Auditorium, Natrona County High School . The Lowe Family has been entertaining hundreds of thousands around the world for over 25 years. Versatile on many instruments, the nine Lowes offer an amazing blend of show-stopping classical, Broadway, Irish, jazz, bluegrass, old-time favorites, spectacular dance, 6-part harmony, gospel, a stirring patriotic tribute, and more!

http://www.artcorewy.com/

Remembering a worldly Wyoming poet

Wyomingarts, in the forms of WAC staffers Mike Shay, Linda Coatney and Marirose Morris, traveled to Laramie Wednesday evening to attend a memorial service for poet, UW writing professor and WAC roster artist Craig Arnold.

The memorial was held in the UW Art Museum lobby. Banners with some of Craig's poems flanked the podium. A long buffet table featured some dishes that even a gourmet cook such as Craig Arnold would have found intriguing.

The 41-year-old Craig disappeared during an inspirational quest for volcano poems. In April, he was hiking a rugged volcano on a remote Japanese island. Traces of his passage were discovered by search teams, but the body was not recovered.

At UW on Wednesday, we celebrated the life of a man. Poetry was obviously the best way to do this.

Several of the speakers read Craig's poems, and the rest used lines from his work. Russell Swenson from Houston, a former student of Craig's at University of Utah, read several selections, including the title poem from Craig's most recent collection from Ausable Press, "Made Flesh." Fiction writer Alyson Hagy and one of Craig's colleagues in the UW creative writing program, read "Asunder." English Department Chair Peter Parolin wrapped up the presentations with the poem "A Ubiquity of Sparrows," which was published in the summer 2009 issue of The Paris Review (read "Sparrows" and one other poem by Craig at http://www.theparisreview.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5922).

For a change of pace, Janice Harris read a "food remembrance" of Craig, celebrating another of the poet's passions. Janice's reading including a recipe for eggplant caponata -- she thoughtfully provided copies included with Craig's remarks and directions.

It was a somber yet celebratory occasion. Craig's father spoke of the incredible outpouring of support the family received from all over the world, but particularly from the University of Wyoming (Pres. Buchanan was in the audience) and from the state's Congressional delegation. Although Sen. Enzi, Sen. Barrasso and Rep. Lummis could not attend, all three sent staff members -- and Sen. Enzi sent a personal letter that was read aloud by Peter Parolin at the beginning of the evening.

Mr. Arnold spoke of all the letters and e-mails that came in from people they didn't know, people who had been influenced by Craig's work and teaching. He admitted that he and his wife had been a bit startled as they learned of their quiet son's influential life. He was a bit startled that the shy boy they knew, the one who wrote his first book at eight years old, would be the same one who urged other quiet boys and girls to come up and perform their work at poetry slams. As Peter said earlier, many of them would never have found their voice with Craig. "He gave those young people a gift," he said.

The ceremony ended with a wine toast to Craig.

Farewell, poet.

Paintings by interned World War II veteran featured at Western Heritage Center in Billings

Paintings by Montana's Ben Steele documenting his experiences in Japanese concentration camps during World War II will be on display through Sept. 19 at the Western Heritage Center, 2822 Montana Avenue, Billings, Mont.

Here's some background on Steele featured in the Billings Gazette:

Ben Steele, of Billings, Mont., was one of thousands of American soldiers captured in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II. His three and one half years as a prisoner of war began with the infamous "Bataan Death March," a 60-mile march that occurred after the three-month Battle of Bataan, part of the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42). He was later interned under the severe conditions of several Japanese labor camps. His captivity ended after working in a Japanese coal mine less than 80 miles from the ground zero of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

During his internment, he began drawing images that recorded the extent of human degradation. The consequences of being caught making these drawings could have resulted in severe punishment or execution. He did drawings on whatever scraps of paper he could find and with whatever he could use to make a mark. The drawings were hidden and kept, but all but two were destroyed in the sinking of a transport boat that was taking the prisoners to the Japanese Mainland. Steele then produced more drawings and several oil paintings that graphically document the suffering shared by the prisoners.

Several of the larger oil paintings will be on display at the Western Heritage Center this summer. Tears in the Darkness, a new book featuring Steele’s life story, written by Michael and Elizabeth Norman, has been receiving national acclaim and Steele was recently interviewed by the New York Times and Washington Post.

FMI: http://www.ywhc.org/

Japan Arts Day in Casper features Akemi Iwase

"Japan Arts Day" features Akemi Iwase on Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m., in the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School in Casper. This event is free and open to the public.

Here's more info from the ARTCORE web site:

Akemi began composing music at age 12, and at age 16, she created many original songs with Shuji Someno, a poet. During a folk song boom, she performed the original songs, and when she was 18, she formed a jazz band and performed at a nightclub in Ginza, Tokyo and in jazz cafes.


She formed a rock'n'roll Band, the Foxy Lady, with Keiko Watanabe. At age 20, Akemi moved to the U.S.A. with great aspirations. She lived in New York and Hawaii and got married. She performed piano and sang in the Queen Kapiolani Hotel. In 1974, she moved to California where she accompanied a magician and gave concerts. Inspired by traditional Nairobi music by Hamza El Din, she started arranging Japanese traditional folk songs, Minyo. While raising two children, she held many concerts with Shakuhachi, Koto, Cello, Tabla, and Sitar players in Northern California, as well as with members of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1981, she composed and performed "Peace Song" for the event of the "Peace Day" arranged by Governor Brown. This song was often heard on KPFK Radio. She performed Jazzy Japanese Minyo and Latin music regularly at the "Comeback Inn," a Jazz Live Club.
In 1992, she moved to Colorado and managed the Westminster Dinner Theater and acted as a stage producer, while she held her own concerts.

She founded Moon Blossom Records and formed a music band, the Tokyo Tribe.Presented by The Consulate General of Japan in Denver in collaboration with Honorary Consul General Mariko T. Miller, ARTCORE and Natrona County School District No. 1