BBHC Resident Fellowship Program explores photography and geology links in the West

With a multitude of data, the Hayden Survey introduced the world to Yellowstone National Park. The expedition’s remarkable photographs are part of an illustrated presentation by Dr. Andrew E. Hershberger of Bowling Green State University, Ohio, (BGSU) on Thursday, July 14, 2 p.m. at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s Coe Auditorium. The program focuses on the past and present relationships between photography and geology in the American West, as well as the U.S. Geological Survey or USGS-era immediately following the Civil War—including those famous Hayden surveys of Yellowstone.

The program begins at 2 p.m. and is free to the public. This presentation is part of an ongoing series sponsored by the Center’s Resident Fellowship Program.

“When studying the history of photography, the photographs created in the territories of the American West following the Civil War stand out as a group for their interdisciplinary complexity and sheer beauty,” Hershberger says. “The fact that these images were most frequently (but not always) created for the use of USGS geologists and scientists makes their aesthetic appeal all the more interesting to discuss.”

According to Hershberger, for well over a century since they were created, these images have been the subject of some debate. “Numerous art, photographic, and scientific historians have disagreed with each other about how best to characterize the landscape photographs created by USGS-era photographers such as William Henry Jackson, Timothy H. O’Sullivan, William H. Bell, and John K. Hillers, among others,” Hershberger adds.

As Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History and Chair of Art History at BGSU, Hershberger has published multiple peer-reviewed articles on a broad spectrum of topics related to the history of photography. Included in those works were stories on photographers as diverse as Felice Beato, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, Jay Dusard, and Minor White, and on photographic theorists such as Rosalind Krauss and André Malraux.

Hershberger received his PhD from Princeton University in 2001, and he holds other degrees from Princeton, the University of Chicago, and the University of Arizona as well. He is nearing completion on a large anthology project entitled Photographic Theory, to be published in 2012. Hershberger’s lecture at the Historical Center is connected to his new anthology project, currently titled “Photography and Geology.”

For his fellowship, Hershberger has spent three weeks researching in the rich collections of the McCracken Research Library and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art at the Center. His goal has been to make comparisons between USGS-era texts with corresponding original photographs by the USGS-era photographers. Hershberger compares that material with newer published re-photographs and texts by contemporary photographers like Mark Klett, and alongside USGS-era paintings and prints by Thomas Moran who joined the Hayden survey of Yellowstone in 1871.

By selecting and juxtaposing numerous texts and images, Hershberger’s proposed anthology does two things. First, it highlights the changes in western landscapes and photographic interpretations of them since the 1870s. Secondly, it studies the variations in land use practices within “Old West” versus “New West” cultures.

As Hershberger put it, “Given the prominence of W.H. Jackson’s 1871 photographs of Yellowstone within the USGS-era, and given their famous impact on the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, the Center’s location in Cody, Wyoming, and its rich USGS-era holdings, makes the Historical Center the logical—even ideal—base of operations for this new anthology project.”

Attendees should alert the Center’s admissions staff that they’re on hand to attend the lecture. For more information, e-mail Linda Clark atlindac@bbhc.org or call 307.578.4043.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and the nature of Yellowstone—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its summer schedule, open daily, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

Photo: Crater of Castle Geyser. Photo by William Henry Jackson, 1872. NPS photo. k#64,211

BBHC offers field trip for Fern-filled Fauna of the Bighorn Basin

Fossilized vegetation of the Bighorn Basin

From the Buffalo Bill Historical Center:

Dr. Scott Wing describes his job like this, “As a research scientist and curator at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History the three major parts of my job are research, collections, and outreach.”

All three come together on July 9, 2011, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with a plant fossil field trip to the Big Cedar Ridge in the southeastern Bighorn Basin. The Buffalo Bill Historical Center co-sponsors the outing—dubbed Fern-filled Fauna of the Bighorn Basin—with the Wyoming Native Plant Society, Washakie Museum, and the University of Wyoming Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center. There is no charge for the trip; however, pre-registration is required by contacting Emily Buckles at emilyb@bbhc.org or 307.578.4110.

Ann Chambers Noble signs copies of "Hurry McMurry" June 17 at the BBHC in Cody

Ann Chambers Noble and Neil McMurry

From a BBHC press release:

According to biographer Ann Chambers Noble, “If there was a difference of opinion, his [McMurry’s] answer would be to have coffee the next morning, and they [the folks at odds] would sit, resolve it, and have a handshake at the end of breakfast. He would always stick to what they agreed on.”

Now, Noble shares more about this energetic businessman’s acumen and philanthropy in her latest book Hurry McMurry: W.N. “Neil” McMurry, Wyoming Entrepreneur. In a short presentation at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s McCracken Library gallery on Friday, June 17, 11:30 a.m. – noon, Noble discusses her book about McMurry, one of Wyoming’s most well-known philanthropists and businessmen from Casper. The program is free to the public; visitors simply need to let admissions staff know they’re in the Center for the program.

McMurry grew up in Casper during the Great Depression and went on to develop a series of successful businesses in Wyoming, including a construction company, Rissler & McMurry, that built most of the state highways. Noble says that in writing the book, she found it interesting that everyone—whether McMurry worked for them or they worked for him—had the same opinion about McMurry’s character. “All talked about what an incredible work ethic he had and how honest he always was.”

With gifts to Casper College, to various children’s programs, and to many education-focused entities, McMurry’s philanthropic interests have made many important initiatives possible within Wyoming. Nevertheless, he remains very humble—a trait that Noble says almost prevented the book from being written as her subject was reluctant to garner so much attention

Noble’s book will be available for purchase in the Center’s Museum Store, and the family will be on hand for a book-signing beginning at 1:30 p.m. Read more about McMurry at www.hurrymcmurry.com, and stay abreast of Historical Center activities on its Web site at www.bbhc.org.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its summer schedule, open daily 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

For W.N. “Hurry” McMurry, solving problems is best done over breakfast.

BBHC exhibit of arts & crafts from Heart Mtn. Internment Camp opens June 1

View of Heart Mountain Relocation Center barracks, 1942. Photo by Jack Richard. Jack Richard Collection. 

Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: Arts and Crafts from the  Heart Mountain Internment Camp

June 1-September 6, 2011, Cody Firearms Museum Breezeway, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody

A small exhibit showcasing the craftsmanship of the Japanese-American internees confined at the Heart Mountain Internment Camp during the years 1942-1945 will be on display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center during this 2011 summer. The exhibit will feature twenty-four arts and crafts objects on loan to the Historical Center from the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation along with another three items from other lenders. Wood carvings, jewelry, needlework, oil paintings, and a doll are among the artifacts in the exhibit.

Through this exhibit the Historical Center aims to call the attention of its visitors to the opening of the Interpretive Learning Center at Heart Mountain on August 20, as well as to honor the artisans who made these incredible pieces. The skill and artistry involved in crafting these objects is outstanding, and the exhibit is certain to be informative and enlightening.

Buffalo Bill Historical Center competes in the EPA’s “Battle of the Buildings”

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center has been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings to help improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings and protect the environment. In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, the Historical Center will battle it out against hundreds of other teams from buildings across the country to work off the waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA’s Energy Star program.

“The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is honored to be a part of this competition,” says Phil Anthony, operating engineer at the Center and a leader of its sustainability program. “We are committed to continuing to improve our energy efficiency and we look forward to seeing how we measure up against other buildings across the nation.”

--snip--

According to EPA, energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and energy use at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Thousands of businesses and organizations work with EPA’s Energy Star program and are saving billions of dollars and preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering our atmosphere each year.

To watch the competition unfold, visit www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings. More information on the Buffalo Bill Historical Center can be found by exploring www.bbhc.org.

In Memoriam: Harry Jackson

Always supportive of the arts community, Harry Jackson attended an artists’ reception at Stone Soup Studios in 2007 with (from left) Janet Bedford, Melodie Ferri, Stephanie Hedrick, Sybil Hedrick, the Rev. Daphne Grimes and Lura Brewes. Cody Enterprise photo.

From the Cody Enterprise:

Cody lost a living legend and the art world an icon when Harry Jackson died Monday, April 25.

The internationally-renowned artist, who turned 87 on April 18, passed away at the V.A. Hospital in Sheridan. He finally succumbed to the life-long effects of head wounds he suffered as a front-line combat marine and combat artist in the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

Read entire obituary here

BBHC Plains Indian Museum Powwow celebrates 30th year June 18-19

From the BBHC in Cody:

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s longest-running public program celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this June when the Plains Indian Museum Powwow fills the Robbie Powwow Garden with drumming, competitive dance, and the vibrant cultural traditions of Northern Plains tribes. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19, with grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

The powwow began in 1982 with just a few dancers and one group of singers who stopped to participate on their way to another powwow. It has since grown to include several hundred dancers—men, women, and children ranging in age from “tiny tots” to golden age—representing some thirty tribes from across the Plains, at least a dozen drum groups, about four thousand spectators, and more than forty arts vendors. Dancers compete for more than $30,000 in cash and other prizes.

Grand entries usher the dancers into the arena with a welcome and an opening prayer, flag and victory songs from the host drum, the posting of flags by the color guard, and a pipe invocation. Competitive dance categories include traditional, jingle dress, fancy, grass, team dancing, tiny tots, golden age, and chicken dance. Spectators are invited to watch the competition and can also visit the Powwow Learning Tipi hosted by Lakota educator Gloria Goggles to learn about powwow dances, etiquette, traditions, and songs. Powwow runs until about 9 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets for the Plains Indian Museum Powwow must be purchased at the gate and are good for one day of the event only. Admission is $7 for adults 18 and older, $3 for youths 7 to 17, and free for children 6 and younger. Historical Center members receive a one dollar discount with presentation of their membership card. The Robbie Powwow Garden is an outdoor grass amphitheater with limited bleacher seating; visitors may bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. each day.

Interested arts vendors and dancers may contact Rebecca West at rebeccaw@bbhc.org or 307.578.4049. For general information visit www.bbhc.org or contact Nancy McClure at nancym@bbhc.org or 307.578.4102. Press passes are available through prior arrangement with McClure in the Center’s public relations office.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily through April; on May 1, hours expand to 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

Photo: Men’s Fancy Dancer Corey LeClaire, Lakota/Navajo from Durango, Colorado, dances at the 2010 Plains Indian Museum Powwow. Photo by Ken Blackbird.

Reception tonight for NWC's Juried Student Art & Design Exhibit

A reception will be held on Tuesday, April 19 (today!), 7:30-9 p.m., for the annual Juried Student Art & Design Exhibit at the Northwest Gallery in Northwest College’s Cabre Building. Free and open to the public. Refreshments served.

The exhibit will be on display through May 14. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m., M-F, and 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays. 

Board of Trustees Purchase Awards will be announced.

Contact: Denise Kelsay, 307.754.6499, Denise.Kelsay@northwestcollege.edu

Summer's coming (eventually) to northwest Wyoming

From "Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam" exhibit at the BBHC

Despite the continuing snow, Wyomingites in know that summer is drawing near when the roads open in Yellowstone National Park and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody expands its hours. Here's info about the latter::

On Sunday, May 1, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center shifts into its summer season schedule -- open daily 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. The summer schedule remains in effect through September 15.

The busy season brings four special exhibitions to the Center. On tap for this year are:
• Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, a photography exhibition, April 15-Aug.7.
• Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation, April 29-October 2.
• Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: Arts and Crafts from the Heart Mountain Internment Camp, June 1-Sept. 6.
• Dressed Just Right: An Evolution of Western Style from Function to Flamboyance, June 3-Oct. 2.

Other activities this summer include:
• Plains Indian Museum Powwow, June 18 – 19.
• National Day of the American Cowboy celebration, July 23.
• Buffalo Bill Invitational Shootout, August 11 – 13.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, operating its spring schedule of 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. through April 30, moves to summer hours of 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. May 1. For general information, call 307.587.4771 or visit www.bbhc.org.

Photographer Bobbi Lane conducts workshops in Powell April 15-18

Commercial photographer Bobbi Lane will be in Powell Friday through Monday, April 15-18 to talk about her work and share her techniques in a variety of venues at Northwest College.

She’s featured first in “An Evening with the Artist” at 7 p.m. Friday, April 15, in the Nelson Performing Arts Center Auditorium. Lane will show many of her images as she talks about her life in photography and her beliefs about portraiture.

She’ll offer hands-on advice in several free workshops from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, April 18. These sessions will be presented during NWC photography classes, but anyone interested in photography is invited to attend. Report to Room 41 in the Fagerberg Building Monday for directions and information about the workshops.

While she’s in Powell, Lane will also work with area high school photography students in closed workshops.

Lane is a commercial photographer specializing in creative portraits, travel shoots, and stock photography. She’s based in Fairfield County, Conn., but her work takes her around the world. Lane’s trip to Powell is on the heels of an 18-day stint in Dubai.

Attention aging young writers: Copies available of 1985 Sunlight Basin Writer's Camp anthology

Wyomingarts was doing some spring cleaning and discovered 25 copies of the 1985 Sunlight Basin Writer's Camp anthology. This summer camp for high school writers was the genesis for the Young Writers Camp held at the Ucross Foundation and later at the Thorne-Rider Youth Camp near Story.

Casper's Tom Rea, then the lit guy for the Wyoming Council on the Arts (now Wyoming Arts Council), was director of the 1985 camp. He put together the anthology and wrote the introduction, Faculty members were poet and writer Tom, the late Charles Levendosky, award-winning newspaper columnist and the second Wyoming Poet Laureate; author and essayist Teresa Jordan; Nebula Award-winning sci-fi writer Ed Bryant, Wheatland native and Denver resident; and California writer Steve Thorpe.

Some 43 Wyoming high school students attended the camp held at the Northwest Community College Field Camp in the Beartooth Mountains. Many of them have selections in the anthology.

Are any of you Wyomingarts readers interested in a copy (or copies) of the anthology? We're holding some in our archives but don't need this many. I'll send one or several to you if you like. The WAC will even pay the postage.

Just send us an e-mail at mshay@state.wy.us or lcoatn@state.wy.us or comment on this post.

BBHC sculptures now greet travelers at Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody has loaned two sculptures to Yellowstone Regional Airport to help them give visitors a big western welcome to Cody and the Center! Here's a glimpse of the big move from Facebook. To see all of the photos, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=10150164398670590&id=237069925589&aid=344200

UW Community Development team offers board governance training April 28 in Cody

This comes from Cole Ehmke at the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service.

For everyone who works with boards, UW's Community Development team is bringing in a speaker for a training on board governance. The training is in Cody at the Cody Hotel on April 28. Cost is $150 (lunch included).

Our team is increasingly working with and developing materials for boards around the state, so we're looking forward to the training. Also, Cody is a great place to visit. Come a day early and go to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center museums. 

FMI: Cole Ehmke, Extension Specialist, UW Cooperative Extension Service, (307) 766-3782 or Kimberly Chapman, Uinta County Cooperative Extension Service, 307-783-0570, kchapma3@uwyo.edu

BBHC hosts "Spring Fling" field expedition

From the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody:

Early spring in the Yellowstone area brings the stirring of wildlife -- as well as of wildlife watchers. In two upcoming field expeditions organized by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s Draper Museum of Natural History, participants have the chance to glimpse the fascinating courtship dance of sage grouse or tour a stretch of prime predator habitat.

The “Spring Fling” field expedition on April 16 visits a lek, the communal dancing grounds for the greater sage-grouse. In a courting ritual described by Jennifer McDonald, who spearheads the field expeditions, “The males puff up their chests, fan their tails, and inflate special air sacs in their necks. As air passes in and out of the air sacs, the birds make bizarre popping sounds.” She adds, “To see and hear the dance is quite a treat for our participants.”

McDonald is the natural history program manager and a biologist with seventeen years of experience in the Yellowstone region. Her areas of specialty include songbirds, elk, wolves, and grizzly bears. She co-leads the “Spring Fling” with Destin Harrell, a wildlife biologist with the Cody Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management who has studied and written about the Big Horn Basin’s greater sage-grouse.

Participants on the day trip depart the Buffalo Bill Historical Center at 5 a.m. April 16 and return by 11 a.m. Cost of the trip is $50, with a rate of $45 for Historical Center patrons. Coffee and breakfast are provided.

In late May, McDonald teams up with Interpretive Specialist Emily Buckles, an outdoor environmental educator with several years of experience leading field trips about the ecology and natural history of the region. “Predator Parade” heads to the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park for a wildlife viewing tour, with likely sightings of grizzly and black bears, wolves and coyotes, golden eagles and peregrine falcons. Participants may also see elk, pronghorn, bison, and bighorn sheep, including newborns at this time of year.

“Predator Parade” is an overnight trip, May 27 and 28, with accommodations at Silver Gate Lodging in Silver Gate, Montana. Reservations can be made for parties of one to four, with rates as follows: $275 for single occupancy, $425 total for double, $530 total for triple, and $600 for quadruple. Two lunches and a breakfast are included. Half the registration fee is due to hold the reservation, with the balance due two weeks prior to departure.

Both field expeditions require advanced registration, as space on the popular trips is limited. Contact McDonald at jenniferm@bbhc.org or 307.578.4121 to register. For both trips, participants are encouraged to bring binoculars and camera, and warm layered clothing including rain gear. For more information on natural history programming at the Historical Center, visit www.bbhc.org and explore “Greater Yellowstone Natural History.”

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its spring schedule, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

Photo: Greater sage grouse, 2006. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

BBHC begins spring schedule March 1

From the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody:

As spring approaches, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center expands its public hours to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week beginning March 1. The schedule remains in effect through the end of April, with May 1 bringing further expanded hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the summer.

As the Historical Center moves toward the busier spring and summer seasons, its calendar expands with special events, programs, and additional special exhibitions openings. Upcoming highlights include the following:

Buffalo Bill’s Birthday Celebration, Friday, February 25, 5 – 8 p.m.
Family Fun Friday, March 11: Family Ties.
Historic Homes of Cody Tour, March 26, advance registration required.
Special exhibition opening: Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, April 15.
Spring Fling Sage Grouse Field Expedition, April 16, advance registration required.
Special exhibition opening: Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation, April 29.

For more information on events, programs, and exhibitions, explore the Historical Center’s Web site at www.bbhc.org.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its winter schedule, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, daily beginning March 1.

Alaska dog musher and author Pam Flowers will tell stories and sign books Feb. 20 in Meeteetse

From the Meeteetse Branch Library in Park County:

Pam Flowers made an extraordinary mid-life career change in 1981. She became an Alaskan dog musher and broke records in the process.

Flowers will be at the Park County Public Library in Cody on Sunday, Feb. 20, to share photos and stories from her 2,500-mile solo expedition above the Arctic Circle.

The family-oriented free public program begins at 1:30 p.m. in Grizzly Hall. Flowers will devote plenty of time for questions and discussion.

Flowers has written award-winning books about her unique expedition and her dogs.

Still based in Alaska, she has undertaken many additional projects, including producing videos and, in 2008-2009, hiking the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail with her dog, Ellie.

Flowers will sign books upon request and has brought Ellie on this current tour to greet audiences who want to meet her.

Al Simpson announces retirement from Buffalo Bill Memorial Association board

Al Simpson has announced his retirement as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association. Here are some details from the BBHC:

The Honorable Alan K. Simpson (former U.S. senator, R-Wyo.) today announced his plan to retire as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association, effective in September, 2011. Simpson joined the board in 1968 and became its chairman in 1998. The Buffalo Bill Memorial Association is the legal entity that operates the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, one of the world's highly respected museums of the American West.

"It has truly been a rare honor and privilege to chair this incredible board," Simpson said. "Now it is time to 'hand over the gavel' to new leadership. I most certainly will stay involved - for I dearly love this place and these special people - and shall always continue to fully support the board and staff of this wonderful institution in all their good work - but someone else will now provide the central vision."

Simpson said that the Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees will begin the nomination process this spring and a new chairman will be in place effective at the time of the September meeting. "There are so many decent, loyal, dedicated people on this board and thus I am very confident the next chairperson will continue to be able to do many great and progressive things," he added.

The Association and the Center accomplished many fine projects under Simpson's leadership. Among those accomplishments, yet by no means all, were: the opening of a new Plains Indian Museum in 2000; the opening of the Draper Museum of Natural History in 2002; the acquisition of the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture collection and the funding and implementation of the Papers of William F. Cody project in 2007; the reinstallation and reopening of the Whitney Gallery of Western Art and 50th anniversary celebration in 2009; and the planning and beginning of fundraising for the reinstallation of the Buffalo Bill Museum, scheduled for opening in 2012.

Simpson also was influential in completing an agreement with the Smithsonian Institution that brought Thomas Moran's 1893 painting Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to the Center as part of the Whitney Gallery's 50th anniversary celebration. The historically significant painting was on exhibit at the Center for six months and offered thousands of visitors a rare and unique opportunity to see such a masterwork so near in proximity to the actual location it represents.

"One of the many things I am so very proud of is how excited our visitors are as they enjoy the Buffalo Bill Historical Center," Simpson said. "When I wander through the galleries on a busy summer day - or even on a slow winter day - and I see families gather around, expressing their fascination with these exhibits and being captivated by the stories they are seeing and hearing, it truly makes all of our efforts worthwhile."

"I am also very proud of our able and accessible Executive Director Bruce Eldredge and our most talented board and staff for having successfully weathered the recent economic downturn," Simpson said. "They all planned and managed so very carefully, and we have come out the other side in pretty good shape. Oh sure, there are still challenges - there always will be - yet this board and staff will always confront them and overcome them. They have already proven that many times over. God Bless 'em!"

"It's difficult to express how much all of us appreciate and respect Al's leadership," Bruce Eldredge, the Center's executive director, said. "He has helped us accomplish great things, and we're happy he's not 'going away' but will continue to help us accomplish even more, just in a different way."

Sneak peek at BBHC's upcoming exhibitions

From a BBHC press release:

The beauty of one of the last fully-functioning mountain ecosystems in the world, the stories of contemporary American Indian life entwined with tradition, and a view of the real and idealized West as seen through the evolution of western clothing-the Buffalo Bill Historical Center explores these diverse themes through this year's upcoming special exhibitions.

The stunning landscape and wildlife images of Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam reveal the beauty in the large area running from Yellowstone National Park up through the Yukon in Canada, a nearly two-thousand-mile corridor encompassing vital passageways on which wildlife depend for survival. The more than forty large-format color photographs by Florian Schulz highlight conservation issues and efforts to link existing parks with connected corridors throughout the region.

In collaboration with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, the exhibition was organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington in Seattle and Mountaineers Books. Yellowstone to Yukon opens April 15 in the Historical Center's John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery and runs through August 7.

On April 29, a second extraordinary photography exhibition opens in the Special Exhibitions Gallery. Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation features the photography of Sara Wiles. The exhibition provides historical background for the Northern Arapaho people while the contemporary images invite viewers into the culture, values, and philosophies that guide contemporary Arapaho life. The photos include children, elders, families, and tribal activities.

Arapaho Journeys will be on view from April 29 - October 2 and is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

The real West and the idealized West are represented through apparel in a unique exhibition titled Dressed Just Right: An Evolution of Western Style from Function to Flamboyance, opening June 3, also in the Special Exhibitions Gallery at the Center. Function and style blend together in the western clothing, accessories, and decorative arts that make up the exhibition.

More information about these special exhibitions, as well as the permanent galleries, programs, field trips, and other events planned for 2011 can be found at the Historical Center's Web site, www.bbhc.org

Caleco Foundry celebrates solstice with bronze pour

Employees at the Caleco Foundry in Cody prepare for a public winter solstice bronze pour on Dec. 21. Read the Billings Gazette article by Martin Kidston at http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_caa7ecd4-8720-5864-b6fc-4c26e0dfcf4c.html. Photo by Martin Kidston.

In memoriam: Faye Snyder of Cody

A number of people in Wyoming have sent donations to the Wyoming Arts Council in memory of Faye Snyder of Cody. The WAC thanks you for your generosity.

Faye was a folk artist, art teacher and was very involved in the local arts community. She passed away on Nov. 15. Here's the obituary that ran in the Billings Gazette:

CODY, Wyo. — Faye Snyder, 97, Cody, passed away at home on Nov. 15, 2010.

She was born May 15, 1913, in Belle Plaine, Iowa, the single child of Enoch and Lettie Davies. She moved to Cody at age 10, riding much of the way from Iowa on the running board of her dad's Model T, and lived here the rest of her life.

Faye held a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics, Nutrition, and Institution Management from the University of Wyoming. For 77 years, she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority. Her management skills stood her in good stead when she and her husband Don owned Sunlight Ranch. They delighted in providing their legendary hospitality to generations of dude ranch guests.

Like her father, Faye was an accomplished artist. She was a decorative folk artist and art teacher. Her interest in Rosemaling took her to the back country of Norway to study the folk art painting in historic homes and churches. Because of her interest in art, Faye welcomed the opportunity to volunteer as a docent during the developing years of BBHC.

Faye delighted the women of the community with beautiful clothing from her dress shop, Bustles and Bows. She taught knitting and quilting and started a knitting store. Cody knitters made a path to her door for help with unfinished projects.

She was proud of her family and enjoyed the company of her friends. She loved playing cards and trading recipes and stories over coffee at the kitchen table. She loved her country and enjoyed decorating her home and planting her flowers.

A lifetime member of the Cody United Methodist Church, Faye also gave her time to women's service organizations, AAUW, PEO, and United Methodist Women. She was a true practitioner of Christian good works.

Faye was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 64 years, Don Snyder.

She is survived by her daughters, Sue LaFever of Seattle, Sally (Birney) Holberg of Cody; grandchildren Kate Holberg of Cody, Kirsten (Jerry) Rief of Cheyenne, Lukas (Amber) Holberg of Billings, Cresta Faye LaFever of Seattle; and great-grandchildren Kiana and Jeremy Rief of Cheyenne, Lilly, Lucy and Jack Holberg of Billings, Simon Obrzut of Cody; and her beloved Welsh Corgi companion, Davey.

Memorials may be sent in Faye's honor to The Morris Animal Foundation, 10200 East Girard Ave., B430, Denver, CO 80231; The Wyoming Arts Council, 2320 Capitol Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82002; or the Park Co. Library (Cody Location), 1500 Heart Mountain St., Cody, WY 82414.

Memorial services will be held at Cody United Methodist Church on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m., with Rev. Dan Wanders officiating. Friends and family are welcome to join in a time of lunch and fellowship following the service in the church's fellowship hall. An online guestbook is available at http://www.ballardfh.com/.