Musicians supporting artists -- and vice versa

Wyomingarts is seeing more organizations in the Mountain West that are finding new and interesting ways to support artists and the arts. The above poster by Randy Pijoan promotes the June 22 performance by Widespread Panic at the Taos (N.M.) Solar Music Festival. All proceeds from poster sales will go to the Ventero Open Press non-profit organization in San Luis, Colo., which provides arts education, scholarships, art supplies and exhibition opportunities for both emerging and established artists. Check it out. Buy a poster.

Filming begins in late April on Longmire pilot based on Craig Johnson's novels

Here's some news about the TV version of Craig Johnson's Wyoming-based mystery novels (from Craig's Post-It e-mail newsletter):

I guess this is the big moment a lot of people have been waiting for -- we have a pretty damn fine cast for Warner Horizon and A&E's television pilot, Longmire. Filming of the pilot (which has to test well before the network picks it up to be aired, so it's not time to uncross your fingers just yet) begins in late April down in the Las Vegas/Taos/Santa Fe area of New Mexico, since it was deemed that Wyoming's weather was too unstable for shooting a series and had too much snow to appear to be spring.

It's pretty much been a Cinderella story all along with Emmy-winning Greer Shephard (The Closer, Nip/Tuck, Trust Me) and Mike Robin (The Closer, Rizzoli and Isles, Nip/Tuck, NYPD Blue) executive producing and John Coveny (The Closer, Trust Me)and Hunt Baldwin (The Closer, Trust Me), writing the script and also executive producing. People keep asking me why my experiences have been so different from almost everybody else's, and my response remains the same -- it's the people you're working with, you either trust them or you don't. From the get go, I was aware that there were probably going to be changes in the Absaroka County of my books and the one that hopefully makes it to TV. I knew it was a collaborative effort and what works in some mediums might not work in others. The first revelation on that front was when they told me that they wanted to make Walt a little younger.

"Why?"

They nodded their heads apologetically. "Because if the show runs for ten years, we really don't want Vic doing all of Walt and Henry's leg work."

I had a hard time arguing with that.

Other changes are moving Cady back to Wyoming so that she could have more interaction with her Dad; besides, most actresses don't want to sign a long-term contract just to talk on the answering machine.

They changed Turk's name to Branch because Turk sounds too much like Ferg when spoken out loud.

That was the majority of it.

The changes are no where near major-I'd call them infinitesimal and certainly were made for good reasons -and, of course, the stories will be different, picking up and borrowing chunks of the novels, but following their own tales because of the amount of stories they need to tell and the time constraints in which to tell them. If the series gets picked up, then they'll need about a dozen stories for the first season alone (let alone the ten years we're hoping for), and I, gentle reader, have only written seven books. They don't want to serialize either as it has been proven that series that have a beginning, a middle, and an end in each episode do better; of course, this doesn't mean that the characters lives don't have complications. Just like the books.

There will be more characters cast down the road (don't look for Lucien, Dorothy, or Dog in the pilot), but I wanted to get this out to you guys so you could be a part of the thing as it develops.

There is not a perfect world where the A&E series is going to line up precisely with the image in my or your heads, but boy this crew has been killing themselves in an attempt to get it right, even going so far as to hire my good buddy Marcus Red Thunder along with me as a creative consultants on the set. Why? Because they love the books; they love the characters, the place, and what the novels have to say.

I hope you'll appreciate the hard work they've done on my behalf and yours.

More later about the cast.

New work from artist Ji Eun Kim

Korean native and one-time Wyoming Arts Council intern Ji Eun Kim has been busy creating new work. The 2-D painting above is of the 3-D San Miguel Mission Choir Loft. Her most recent residency was at the Santa Fe Art Institute in New Mexico. View Ji Eun's work at http://jieunkim25.blogspot.com/

Scottsdale promotes Dave McGary's sculptures of Native Americans

This video comes to us via the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Convention and Visitors Bureau. It features sculptor Dave McGary and some of his work now on the grounds of the Camelback Resort and Spa. McGary grew up near Cody and got his start as an artist in Wyoming. He's best known for his Chief Washakie sculpture which is one of Wyoming's two pieces in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. A duplicate is in the Wyoming State Capitol Building and soon will be relocated to a spot in front of the Capitol Building. Another Chief Washakie statue resides on the Wind River Reservation. Dave has galleries in Scottsdale and Ruidoso, N.M.

Call for entries: BECA's "Article 19" exhibit

From BECA in Albuquerque:

Group Exhibition Opportunity: Call to Artists, Architects + Designers

Submission receive deadline is September 25

BECA: Bridge for Emerging Contemporary Art, the global artist and designer run non-profit project, presents "ARTICLE 19."

Drawing inspiration from both the preamble and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, artists, architects and designers from around the world are challenged to Explore, Discover and Act through Art + Design. The result will be an international group exhibition which embodies not only the spirit of Article 19 of the UDHR but also explores today’s ever-growing challenges faced by contemporary society from all corners of the globe when attempts are made to realize our human right to freedom of expression.

The ARTICLE 19 exhibition is being held in partnership with, "STREET ARTS: A Celebration of Hip Hop Culture & Free Expression," a two month, city-wide event in Albuquerque, N.M.. The BECA Foundation is proud to be a part of this important arts + cultural event being held this October and November 2010. A complete schedule of STREET ARTS programs and events will soon be available at http://www.516arts.org/.

Those at least 18 years of age from any country are eligible to submit their works for consideration. The BECA Foundation will host the exhibition at New Studio A.D., a new multi-functional studio, exhibition and event space located in downtown Albuquerque. The space allocated for the exhibition is 650 sq ft (60 sq meters) with a ceiling height of 14 feet (4.3 meters) allowing the exhibition to fill a full 9,100 cubic feet (258 meters cubed) of viewing space. A group of individual artists, architects, designers, or duos, groups or collectives will be selected by BECA Foundation directors + advisors to receive the exhibition opportunity which will run from November 2 - 16, with an opening reception from 5–7 p.m. on November 5 during Downtown Albuquerque’s First Friday ArtsCrawl. View past exhibitions at http://www.curatethis.org/ and http://www.becagallery.com/

This is a multimedia and multidisciplinary exhibition without limitation therefore all works will be considered, including but not limited to: site-specific installations, painting, sculpture, mixed-media, drawing, printmaking, fiber, textiles, illustration, digital art, interactive design, photography, video/new media, film, performance art, music and sound focused works, 3D animation, graphic design, product design, furniture design, haute couture fashion + accessories, architectural interventions/designs and functional art, etc. In other words, all creative culminations which address the specifics of this Call are welcome.

An ARTICLE 19 companion exhibition book will be published in both hardcover and softcover editions.

Please download complete information and submission guidelines at http://www.thebecafoundation.org/global/calls-to-artists-designers/

Anne and Pete Sibley perform this weekend at Pickamania in Silver City, N.M.

Anne and Pete Sibley of Jackson will be one of thirteen musical groups performing this weekend at the second annual Pickamania in Gough Park in Silver City, N.M. Performances begin at 6 p.m. today (Friday) and are free and open to the public.

Here's more from an article in the Silver City Sun-News:

Wyoming's Anne and Pete Sibley were recently awarded top honors in the NPR's Prairie Home Companion Great American Sing-off.

"We are very excited to come to Pickamania," Anne Sibley said. "Neither of us have ever stepped foot in New Mexico before and are excited to have the chance to finally do so. The landscapes are breathtaking around here, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah and now, New Mexico. It seems that lots of people are grateful for life and for the love of music."

The Sibleys will offer the first of three musical workshops throughout the weekend. Workshops will be held in the Wells Fargo Bank. Cost for each workshop is $10.

Anne was awarded a 2009 performing arts fellowship in music performance from the Wyoming Arts Council.

FMI: http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_13304550

Celebrating the West of Wallace Stegner

This press release comes from Kevin Holdsworth in Rock Springs:

In an event marking the centennial of his birth, Wallace Stegner’s literary work and legacy will be celebrated at the Wallace Stegner Centennial Summit, September 24-25 in Rock Springs.

Speakers will include writers Page Stegner, Will Bagley and Lynn Stegner. Events will be held at the Rock Springs Museum and Western Wyoming Community College.

“Stegner’s preeminence among American writers who deal with the West cannot be seriously questioned,” said Kevin Holdsworth, co-organizer of the summit. “For many readers and writers, Stegner is an essential guide to understanding our region.”

Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. He wrote numerous books including Angle of Repose, Crossing to Safety, The Spectator Bird, Beyond the Hundredth Meridian, The Sound of Mountain Water, The Gathering of Zion, The Big Rock Candy Mountain and Mormon Country.

“We are fortunate to be close to South Pass and the Green River, places he wrote about in important books,” added Holdsworth.

“We are trying to highlight several areas where his influence remains strong,” said Jennifer Sorensen, summit co-organizer. “These include writing—both fiction and nonfiction, history, conservation and teaching. We have invited speakers uniquely qualified to discuss each of these areas.”

The event will begin on September 24 at 6 p.m. at the Rock Springs Museum with an informal reception followed by a showing of the 2009 KUED documentary, "Wallace Stegner." On September 25, sessions will be held from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. in room 1302 of Western Wyoming Community College. All events are free and open to the public.

Speakers include writer/teacher and WAC fellowship recipient Holdsworth, who will open the sessions with remarks about Stegner as a mentor and note different types of political change in the West. Historian Will Bagley is set to address the historic and cultural importance of South Pass and propose ways to maintain it as “a good place to sit on a rock and feel history.” Linda Baker of the Upper Green River Valley Coalition will discuss issues related to resource development in Sublette and Sweetwater Counties. Mary Lynn Worl, chair of Citizens United for Responsible Energy Development, will talk about returning to her hometown of Pinedale and organizing citizen involvement to achieve healthier air quality.

In the afternoon sessions, writer and teacher Jennifer Sorensen will discuss her own relationship to the places Stegner writes about and reflect on her experiences in teaching his work. Writer and teacher Lynn Stegner will provide an appreciation of Wallace Stegner’s fiction. Writer Page Stegner will relate anecdotes and challenges involved in the process of collecting and editing his father’s correspondence for The Selected Letters of Wallace Stegner.

The Wallace Stegner Centennial Summit is made possible by grants from Chevron and the Sweetwater Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Other sponsors include the Rock Springs Museum, the Sweetwater County Historical Museum, and WWCC’s Western American Studies program.

FMI: Kevin Holdsworth at (307) 382-1724 or Sorensen at (307) 382-1716 or email kholdswo@wwcc.wy.edu