Big West Arts Festival celebrates sixth year

http://www.bigwestartsfestival.com

The Big West Arts Festival celebrates its sixth year as a large cultural event on the front lawn of the Sheridan College campus in Sheridan, Wyoming.  Its site is nestled in the valley with the dramatic Big Horn Mountains to the west and the spacious, wide-open plains to the east.  Sheridan lies midway between the Black Hills of South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park.

Sheridan College is sponsoring and hosting the festival on its beautiful campus.  Northern Wyoming Community College District (NWCCD) is one of the seven community colleges in Wyoming that includes Sheridan College and Gillette College.  Sheridan College is known for its strong academics, arts, and variety of technical programs.  For more information about Sheridan College, visit www.sheridan.edu.

For demographics, cultural activities and services, call the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce at (800) 453-3650, or visit www.sheridanwyomingchamber.com.

Arts Council and Humanities Council team up at Wyoming Association of Municipalities conference

The Wyoming Arts Council's Mike Shay staffs the booth shared by WAC and the Wyoming Humanities Council at the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM) conference in Sheridan on June 10. WCH staffers (not pictured) Jason Burge and Sheila Bricher-Wade stopped in Sheridan for their state tour promoting "Civility Matters." Photo by Jason Burge.

Micah Wyatt on stage at the Oasis Lounge June 3

Musician Micah Wyatt will perform on Friday, June 3, 6 p.m., at the newly reopened Oasis Lounge at the Holiday Inn, 1809 Sugarland Drive, Sheridan.

Musician Micah Wyatt will perform on Friday, June 3, 6 p.m., at the newly reopened Oasis Lounge at the Holiday Inn, 1809 Sugarland Drive, Sheridan. 

Abbie Johnson Taylor of Sheridan featured in Maine newspaper article about Behind Our Eyes

Sheridan's Abbie Johnson Taylor, long-time members of Wyoming Writers, Inc., and WyoPoets, is a member of a writers' group with disabilities called Behind Our Eyes. That's also the title of the group's 2007 anthology. Abbie's work is featured in the book. A second volume is in the works.

Today's issue of The Kennebec Journal in Augusta, Maine, has a story about this group and its publishing ventures. It includes some quotes from Abbie, who is the editorial staff of the online magazine Magnets and Ladders:

"We're working on a second anthology as well as the online magazine. Since the group's inception, several of our members, myself included, have published our own books."

Read the article at 'BEHIND OUR EYES': Writers' group reaches out to authors with disablilities

FMI: Elisa Busch at 571-257-7355 or glbusch@comcast.net; Bobbie LaChance, 571-795-8999 or e-mail blachance@roadrunner.com. Website: www.freewebs.com/behindoureyes/&

Music legend Leon Russell performs in Sheridan Aug. 14

On Sunday, Aug. 14, 8 p.m., music legend Leon Russell performs at the WYO Theater in Sheridan. Tickets are $32 for adults, $30 seniors and military and $20 students.

Now's your chance to see the music legend, Leon Russell LIVE at the WYO Theater! You definitely don't want to miss this opportunity experience by perhaps the most accomplished and versatile musician in the history of rock 'n roll. In his distinguished and unique 50 year career, Russell has played on, arranged, written and/or produced pop, rock, blues, country, bluegrass, standards, gospel, and surf records. As a session musician, arranger, producer, singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, record company owner, bandleader, and touring musician, he has collaborated with hundreds of artists, including Joe Cocker, Willie Nelson, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Bruce Hornsby, B.B. King, Barbra Streisand, Ike & Tina Turner, Herb Alpert, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Ann-Margret, Dean Martin, Marvin Gaye, Dave Mason, Steve Winwood, and groups such as The Monkees, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Rolling Stones, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Everly Brothers, The Righteous Brothers, and more...He most recently toured and appeared on Saturday Night Live with Elton John. The guy's just plain cool.

FMI: www.leonrussellrecords.com 

"Jentel Presents" June 7 at Sagebrush Community Art Center in Sheridan

Photo:  L to R: Rochelle Hurt, Robyn Moore, Jeff Eisenberg, Susannah Israel, Annie Varnot, Charlotte Rodenberg

Jentel Artist Residency Program is pleased to present this month’s residents in an event open to the public.  “Jentel Presents” will take place Tuesday, June 7, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Sagebrush Community Art Center at the Historic Train Depot on 5^th and Broadway, across from The Sheridan Inn.   This month’s presenters include a painter, a poet, a contemporary ceramic critic, photographer, a mixed media artist, and a sculptor. “Jentel Presents” is a community outreach program that features visual presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.

Presenters include: Jeff Eisenberg, San Francisco, CA; A painter/drawer, Jeff has been fortunate to have had a lot of different travel adventures. He has discovered he is most excited when he really gets a sense of the place he is visiting, its’ own rhythms and culture. Rochelle Hurt, Youngstown, OH; A poet, Rochelle was forged from iron ore in the steel mills of Ohio. She has since moved to North Carolina to explore the South. Susannah Israel, Oakland, CA; A contemporary ceramic critic, Susannah was raised by a writer, historian and biologist. She learned very early how important written communication can be. It links us across time and space. Robyn Moore, Cleveland, MS; A photographer/filmmaker, Robyn is originally from Virginia. She returned from Peru with many adventures to share. Charlotte Rodenberg, Portland, OR; A mixed media artist, Charlotte loves her dog, rabbit and guinea pigs. Someday outside of her studio practice, she aspires to have a rabbit refuge and a political puppet theater. Annie Varnot, Brooklyn, NY; A sculptor, Annie has run the San Francisco marathon, is currently training for the NYC marathon and has just completed a 3 week hike on the Pacific Coast Trail. This activity inspires her work.

For anyone looking for a stimulating evening, come join the crowd at the Sagebrush Community Art Center at the Historic Train Depot, 5^th and Broadway.  There is no admission charge for “Jentel Presents” and refreshments are available.

The Jentel Foundation offers dedicated individuals a supportive environment in which to further their creative development. While at Jentel, visual artists and writers have the opportunity to experience unfettered time to allow for thoughtful reflection and meditation on the creative process in a setting that preserves the agricultural and historical integrity of the land.

The Jentel Artist Residency Program accepts applications twice a year from visual artists in all media and writers in all genres for a one-month residency. A residency includes a comfortable accommodation; common living, dining and recreation areas; a private workspace and a stipend to help defray expenses during the program.  For more information please visit www.jentelarts.org or call Jentel at (307)737-2311. 

Reception June 2 in Sheridan for Davi Arnold's "Viewscapes"

http://www.sheridanwyolibrary.org/

Judy Slack signs copies of "Big Horn City" May 21 at Sheridan Stationery

On Saturday, May 21, 1-3 p.m., Judy Slack will sign copies of her new book, "Images of America: Big Horn City" at Sheridan Stationery Books and Gallery, 206 N. Main. Sheridan. There are many other "Images of America" books in the store such as: Sheridan, Cody, Buffalo, Fort Laramie, Sundance, Yellowstone National Park, Gillette and Cheyenne. FMI: 307-674-8080

UW Happy Jacks on concert tour through 5/21/11

UW Happy Jacks, a cappella group

5.16.11, 7:00 p.m., Newcastle HS Auditorium, free

5.17.11, 7:00 p.m., Rapid City Central HS Theatre, Rapid City, S.D., free

5.18.11, 6:30 p.m., Tongue River HS Auditorium, free

5.19.11, 3:00 p.m., Campbell Co. Senior Ctr., Gillette, free
5.20.11, 7:00 p.m., Big Horn HS Auditorium, free

5.21.11, 7:30 p.m., Kelly Walsh HS Auditorium, Casper, ticked by ArtCore

Wyoming Plays the WYO features Jalan Crossland and Doug Andrews May 7

Via Facebook:

Wyoming Plays the WYO is an annual showcase of the best of Wyoming musicians and songwriters, including young upstarts, local favorites and top professionals from throughout the Cowboy State. This year at the WYO Theater in downtown Sheridan we feature a true Wyoming native and crowd favorite, Jalan Crossland Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. Many have seen and heard Jalan live with his boot kickin band but this concert features Jalan, solo, with only his dusty vocals and trusty music makin’ gadgets to back him up and as an extra special treat, Doug Andrews will open the evenin’ with his own entertainin’ style. Join Doug & Jalan spinnin’ the tales of the Rocky Mountain West in a comfortable little place we call home.

And after the concert, join Jalan & Doug next door for an after party. $20 gets you into the party with Jalan, Doug, free beer, hors d'oeuvres from Oliver's and a cash bar. You're gonna spend that money anyway, might as well stick around for the party!

Watch Wyoming's Sara Ellingrod in live webcast today for Poetry Out Loud semifinals in D.C.

Sara Ellingrod (center) receives her first-place award for the Wyoming Poetry Out Loud competition  March 1 from Secretary of State Max Maxfield (left) and Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt.

Sara Ellingrod, a ninth-grader at Arvada-Clearmont High School in Sheridan County, will be representing Wyoming in the national finals today in Washington, D.C. She will be competing against 16 other state champions from the Western states from 5-8 p.m. (EDT) at the historic Lincoln Theater.

Ellingrod will be one of the youngest competitors. She also comes from one of the smallest schools -- there are 23 students in grades 9-12 at Arvada-Clearmont. This is the second straight year that a student from her school has represented Wyoming at the national finals.

Poetry Out Loud is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. In Wyoming, the Poetry Out Loud program is administered by the Wyoming Arts Council. For more info, contact Linda Coatney at the WAC at 307-777-7742.

You can watch the semifinals and finals live by clicking here

FMI: http://nea.gov/national/poetry/index.html#

Poet Jane Wohl reads from her work April 28 in Sheridan

Jane Wohl, Sheridan College professor and winner of a 2007 WAC creative writing fellowship in poetry, will read from her work on Thursday, April 28, 7 p.m., at the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library in Sheridan. This event celebrates National Poetry Month. FMI: www.sheridanwyolibrary.org

No Frills Theatre Company of Sheridan College presents "Sylvia" April 14-16 at the WYO Theater

The No Frills Theatre Company of Sheridan College is proud to present their spring production of A.R. Gurney's mad cap comedy "Sylvia" featuring some of Sheridan's favorite artists Jack Vernon, Gillian Malone, Dimitra Dugal and Ken Stellingwerf under the direction of Lillian and Gene Sager.

Shows are at the WYO Theater in downtown Sheridan at 7:30 p.m. on April 14, 15 and 16 with a 2 p.m. matinee on April 16. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and students. FMI: http://www.wyotheater.com/rentals/r-college.html

Sylvia is a romantic comedy, revolving around Greg who brings home a dog found in Central Park or who found him - bearing only the name "Sylvia" on her name tag. To Kate, his wife, Sylvia becomes a rival for affection. Kate obviously doesn't understand the relationship between man and dog. The marriage is put into serious jeopardy until, after a series of hilarious and touching complications...Well doggone it we don't want to spoil the ending...you'll just have come and find out what happens for yourself!  

Application deadline extended to April 22 for Big West Arts Festival

News from the Big West Arts Festival:

You are invited to submit to be one of 50 exhibitors at the 6th annual celebration of the Big West Arts Festival taking place on the beautiful front lawn of Sheridan College at the foothills of the majestic Big Horn Mountains. Last year was a huge success and we are working hard to make our event the premier arts festival in the region. By keeping our number of artists to a reasonable number we strive to make our festival very lucrative for everyone involved. Our goal is to provide the public and our selected exhibitors with a show of unparalleled quality.

This Artist Prospectus and Exhibitor Application includes essential details on exhibitor participation and should be read carefully prior to applying.

Application deadline extended to April 22, 2011

The Big West Arts Festival’s mission is to show the breadth of fine art and fine craft that is not only found in Wyoming and the West, but to show the west what’s going on around the nation. It’s not a western art festival, but rather an Art Festival in the Big West. The Big West Arts Festival welcomes all different styles, forms and images from traditional to the avant-garde.

The Big West Arts Festival is a two-day outdoor celebration of the visual, culinary, and performing arts. The primary focus of the event is the juried exhibition of gallery quality fine art and fine crafts, giving our audience the rare opportunity to meet, interact with, view the works of and purchase art from the individuals who have created it. Additionally, the Arts Festival offers artist demonstrations, educational art activities for children and adults, live performances, special curated exhibitions and high-quality outdoor food vending. The Big West Arts Festival is a tax-exempt, art services organization, and all proceeds are used to produce the annual Arts Festival.

 Artist Application (116k) 
 Artist Information.pdf (142k)

Friends of the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library present author James Grady

FMI: Sheridan Co. Library System

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.

Novelist Craig Johnson on the road again

Novelist Craig Johnson of Ucross hits the road April 9 and doesn't return for quite a long time. Here's the schedule:

April 9, Saratoga Museum, Saratoga, WY

April 12, Nantes, France

April 13, Poitiers, France

April 14, Limoges, France

April 15, 16, Clermont-Ferrand, France

April, 18, 19 Brussels, Belgium

April 20, Namur, Belgium

April 21, Liege, Belgium

May 22, WYO Theater ‘High Noon’, Sheridan, WY, 7:00 PM

May 27, Ranchester Branch Library, Ranchester, WY, 5:30 PM

The release date for HELL IS EMPTY is June 2

The release date for JUNKYARD DOGS paperback is May 31

May 31, Blue Heron Books, Casper, WY, 7 PM

June 1, Buffalo, WY, The Office Book Shop, Buffalo, WY, 4:30 PM

June 1, Sheridan Stationary, Sheridan, WY, 6:30 PM

June 2, Barnes and Noble, Billings, MT, 7 PM

June 4, Mechanicsburg Mystery Book Shop, Mechanicsburg, PA, 4 PM

June 6, Chester County Books and Music, Westchester, PA, 7 PM

June 7, Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Pittsburgh, PA, 6 PM

June 8, Books and Company, Dayton, OH, 7 PM

June 9, Regulator, Durham, NC, 7 PM

June 10, Page and Palette, Fairhope, AL, 6 PM

June 11, I Love a Mystery, Mission, KS, 2 PM

June 13, Next Chapter, Milwaukee, WI, 7 PM

June 14, Booked for Murder, Madison, WI, 6 PM

June 15, Once Upon a Crime, Minneapolis, MN, 7 PM

June 16, Book People, Austin, TX, 7 PM

June 17, Poisoned Pen, Phoenix, AZ, 7 PM

June 18, M is for Mystery, San Mateo, CA, 2 PM

June 20, Viking Rep Dinner (private event)

June 21, Boulder Bookstore, 12:30 PM, lunch stock signing

June 21, Tattered Cover (Colfax), Denver, CO, 7:30 PM

June 22, Murder by the Book, Denver, CO, Noon

June 22, High Crimes, Longmont, CO, 7 PM

June 23-26, Jackson Writer’s Conference, Jackson, WY

June 28, Red Lodge Books, Red Lodge, MT, 4:00 PM

June 29, Fact and Fiction, Missoula, MT, 7:00 PM

July 1, Seattle Mystery Book Shop, Seattle, WA, Noon

July 1, Whodunit Books, Olympia, WA, 7 PM

July 2, Murder by the Book, Portland, OR, Noon

July 2, Powell’s Books (Cedar Hills Crossing), Beaverton, OR, 4 PM

July 3, Sun River Books, Sun River, OR, 5 PM

July 4, Sun River Books, Sun River, OR, private party

July 5, Paulina Springs Books, Sisters, OR, 4 PM

July 5, Paulina Springs Books, Redmond, OR, 7 PM

July 6, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID, 7 PM

July 7, The King’s English Books, Salt Lake City, UT, 7 PM

July 8, Main Street Books, Lander, WY, 6 PM

July 9, Powell Library, Powell, WY, Noon

July 9, Cowboy Bar, Meeteetse, WY, 7 PM

July 10, Cody Library, Cody, WY, 1:30 PM

Penny Zeller book signing April 2 in Sheridan

Author Penny Zeller will be at Sheridan Stationery this Saturday, April 2, from 1-3 p.m., signing copies of her newest release Kaydie, which was just released last week. Kaydie follows McKenzie in the author's Montana Skies Historical Romance Series. Below is a short blurb about Kaydie:

Since the death of her abusive husband, Kaydie Kraemer’s life has been easier, but she’s wary of men and builds a wall of protection around her, staying with her sister McKenzie as she awaits the birth of her baby. Haunted by her painful marriage, Kaydie is determined never to fall in love again, and it will take the grace of God to change her mind—the same grace that works in the heart of ranch hand Jonah Dickenson, a confirmed bachelor who has unhealed wounds of his own to overcome.

Here is the link to the book trailer: http://youtu.be/Vwihs6rsqDk

Call for entries: Sheridan Artists' Guild Juried Art Show

The first Sheridan Artists’ Guild, Et. Al., Juried Art Show will be held in Sheridan during the month of June 2011.


Submission deadline is April 1!


The show will be on display at the Historic Train Depot. The artists’ reception and presentation of awards will be on Friday, June 24, from 5-7 pm, also at the Historic Train Depot located at 201 E. 5th Street. The juror for this show is Phil Starke, an extraordinary artist from Tucson, Arizona.


Click here to download a prospectus or email Karen at artinsheridan@hotmail.com

Cinco de Mayo will be first fund-raiser at new Sagebrush Community Art Center in Sheridan

New Sagebrush Community Art Center at Sheridan Historic Depot

The Sagebrush Community Art Center in Sheridan is planning a Cinco de Mayo Celebration on Thursday, May 5, 6-9pm. This will be the first fund-raising event in the new home at the Historic Train Depot, 201 E. 5th St.).

Tickets are on sale at the art center and are $40 per person or $75 for a couple which includes music, a Mexican inspired dinner and one free beverage. Activities include a silent and live auction of artwork from SAGE members and painted and signed ceramic trains from several local celebrities. The trains and ceramic paints were donated by Alex Boyle of “Something to Kiln”, a local paint your own pottery store. There will be piñatas and balloons filled with great prizes including one pass to attend the oil painting workshop by Phil Starke coming in June 2011 in conjunction with the SAGE Juried Art Show. Proceeds will help with art programming and operating expenses of the Sagebrush Community Art Center.

For more information or to purchase tickets please call Executive Director Karen Myers at 674-1970 or email her at artinsheridan@hotmail.com