Mike Corso recreates the past

Nice article in Sunday's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle about Mike Corso, our colleague in the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. By day, Mike manages all of our web sites and is building the WAC's new Online Artists Image Registry. In his free time, he dons the guises of Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson or Wyoming Territorial Governor John A. Campbell. Mike will play the part of Gov. Campbell today from 1-4 p.m. at the Wyoming History celebration at the Historic Governor's Mansion in Cheyenne. Read the article: Becoming part of the past - Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online

NASAA guidebook shows ways to engage adolescents in the arts

From NASAA (National Assembly of State Arts Agencies) Notes:

Meaningful engagement in arts education can have a life-changing impact on teens. An initiative and guidebook from the National Guild for Community Arts Education, Engaging Adolescents: Building Youth Participation in the Arts outlines a holistic approach that integrates arts learning with principles of youth development. It is designed to help staff and faculty develop new programs and services for teens or to rethink and strengthen programs they already offer.

UW's "A... My Name is Alice" is "a boodle of laughs"

The University of Wyoming's 2011 Snowy Range Summer Theatre season closes with "A ... My Name Is Alice," a bright and lively musical revue that presents a funny, bawdy and insightful kaleidoscope of contemporary women.

Directed by Leigh Selting, "A ... My Name Is Alice" runs at 7:30 nightly July 12-16 inside the Fine Arts Center studio theatre. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens (60 and older) and $5 for students. For tickets, call (307) 766-6666 or go online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts .

Called "a boodle of laughs" (The New York Post) and "delightful" and "so sophisticated" (The New York Times), "A ... My Name Is Alice" is filled with life's ups, downs and in-betweens from a modern woman's perspective.

The five-woman cast takes on multiple roles to explore the many facets of contemporary women's lives through scenes, monologues and songs. They explore the horrors of parent/teacher conferences, the delights of a male strip club and the tragedy of losing a parent. The music ranges from 1960s doo-wop and wistful pop ballads to soul-filled rhythm and blues.

Originally produced by the Women's Project at the American Place Theatre in New York, "A...My Name Is Alice" played a long duration at the Village Gate Off Broadway and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Revue.

The revue was created by veteran directors Joan Micklin Silver and Julianne Boyd and involved a variety of comedy writers, lyricists and composers who contributed to the songs and sketches.

Photo: Amber McNew, Rebecca Diamond, Caryn Flanagan, Francesca Mintowt-Czyz and Jackie Darnell rehearse a scene from the University of Wyoming Department of Theatre and Dance production  "A ... My Name Is Alice," showing nightly at 7:30 July 12-16 inside the Fine Arts Center studio theatre. (UW Photo)   

Jenni Calder speaks on "The Scots of Wyoming in Cheyenne" on July 10

Jenni Calder, author of Frontier Scots, speaks on “The Scots of Wyoming in Cheyenne,” on Sunday, July 10, 2-4 p.m., at Barnes & Noble in Cheyenne.

Jenni Calder was Head of Publications for the National Museum of Scotland, and is currently President of Scottish PEN. Listing herself as a “Poet, writer,” for the Scottish Book Trust, she can be more fully appreciated as the author of: There Has to be a Lone Ranger: The Myth and Reality of the American Wild West; Scots in the USA; Robert Louis Stevenson: A Life Study; The Enterprising Scot (ed.); Chronicles of Conscience; the poem cycle Smoke, considering the Holocaust; and the autobiography Not Nebuchadnezzar, which treats her complex identities as the Scottish, American, and Jewish child of a famous family.

Cory McDaniel and Vicki Windle open "Music & Poetry Series" July 18 in Casper

ARTCORE opens its summer "Music & Poetry Series" on Monday, July 18, at downtown Casper's Metro Coffee with singer/songwriter Cory McDaniel and writer Vicki Windle. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets at http://www.artcorewy.com/tickets.php

Good reviews for "The Magdalene" as it opens Off Broadway

Lindsie Van Winkle (left) plays The Magdalene and Shad Olsen is Yeshua in "The Magdalene"

The Casper Star-Tribune today wrapped up its five-part series by Margaret Matray called "Making It," which follows Casper College theatre professor Jim Olm in his quest to produce his show "The Magdalene" Off Broadway. Wyomingarts hates to ruin the suspense, but the show did open and has received favorable reviews. Its continued run into September depends on ticket sales, so if you're heading to Broadway to see blockbusters such as "Spider Man" and "Book of Mormon," take the four-block walk to the Theatre of St. Clements at West 46th Street and see "The Magdalene." 

The CST series dug deep into the amount of dedication and work it takes to put on a play. Very instructional for any aspiring playwright or actor or director. 

Renowned landscape architect Walter Hood discusses "Art in Public Places" July 26 in Jackson

Renowned landscape architect Walter Hood, designer of the National Museum of Wildlife Art ’s under-construction sculpture trail, will discuss “Art in Public Places” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26 at the museum in Jackson. The event is free and open to the public. Known for his innovative and people-friendly designs of such high-profile public spaces as the grounds for the De Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Hood will share insight into his philosophy about creating multitasking public spaces that are both respectful of the land and rooted in their communities.

Rob Drabkin performs free concert at UW July 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Cheyenne tonight: "The Music of Star Wars"

From the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

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

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

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

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

Trio Fine Art in Jackson offers full slate of summer exhibits

Kathryn Turner

Wyomingarts made the acquaintance today (via phone) with Kathryn Mapes Turner, one of the artist-owners of Trio Fine Art gallery in Jackson.

Wyomingarts has yet to visit this gallery, but will make up for the oversight in two weeks while shepherding the WAC's fellowship exhibit curator around the state.

Kathryn says that there are four landscape painters involved with the gallery (it began with three, thus the name): Kathryn, September Vhay, Lee Carlman Riddell and Jennifer L. Hoffman.

If you're in The Hole this week, you're in luck -- the gallery is holding a reception featuring September Vhay's work on Thursday, July 7, 5-8 p.m. Here's the gallery's full event schedule:

September Vhay

July 7 -- September Vhay
July 28 -- Lee and Ed Riddell 
August 18 -- Jennifer Hoffman 
September 8 -- Kathryn Mapes Turner 
September 9 -- Palettes to Palates 

Kathryn's Wyoming roots go deep. According to her web site bio, she's the fourth generation of her family raised on the Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. She's been awarded with such honors as Wyoming Best Watercolor Artist and was included in SouthwestArt Magazine’s “Annual Profile of Young Artists with Promising Careers.”

See samples of her work at www.turnerfineart.com

Trio Fine Art, 545 N. Cache Street, is located four blocks north of the Jackson town square across from the north end of the visitors’ center. It’s open Wednesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Kathryn says there’s always an artist minding the store. What better reason do you need to drop by, say hi and view some fine art?

Rock Springs hosts "International Day" July 9

Casper Star-Tribune's "Making It" series follows Jim Olm's road to the Off Broadway stage

Anyone interested in a career in musical theatre should read the "Making It" series by Margaret Matray in the Casper Star-Tribune. The series follows Casper College theatre professor Jim Olm in his quest to produce his show "The Magdalene" Off Broadway. Olm has invested many years and a lot of money in the pursuit of his dream.

Jim Olm

The musical is inspired by the Gnostic Gospels, discovered in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945. It follows the story of Mary Magdelene as told in the Gospels of Mary and Thomas which were not included in the Christian Bible. "The Magdelene" is scheduled to run at the Theatre of St. Clement's in New York through Sept. 4. Olm co-wrote the script with J.C. Hanley. The play is directed by Casper College professor Rich Burk with Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby Jr. as creative consultant.

Olm's saga from the germ of an idea to the Off Broadway stage continues through Thursday in the CST.  

"Murder Rides Again... in Jackson Hole!" shows again in... Jackson!

Jackson Community Theater presents the second go-around of "MURDER RIDES AGAIN...in Jackson Hole!"

Enjoy a wacky wild west murder mystery dessert theater production, fun for the whole family!

This show will be presented for 3 nights each month through September.....on July 6, 7, and 8, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday evening. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. at the Elk's Lodge. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children under 10 ~ includes dessert! YEEHAW!!

Come help Marshall Duke & Fester solve this zany excuse for a murder mystery and enjoy Miss Liddy's peach cobbler a la mode! Get your tickets at Valley Books and at the door. Call 307-690-8573 for more info and reservations.

Edington and Watford exhibit at Cheyenne Family YMCA's "Art on the Walls" program

Title: Poppies
Medium: pastel
Dimensions: 9" wide x 10" high

The work of Vanda Edington and Gail Watford will be exhibited at the Cheyenne Family YMCA through August. An artists' reception will be held on Thursday, July 14, 5 p.m., in conjunction with the Art Design & Dine art walk.

AIR brochures winging their way to you

New Artist Image Registry brochures are in the mail!

The AIR is an online database of Wyoming visual artists, a program of the Wyoming Arts Council.

There is no registration. All WY artists are eligible. Just fill out and sign the AIR form and return it to the WAC with a CD of up to five images of your work.

AIR is in the testing stage but will go public later this summer. Check out the test site at http://wyomingartscouncil.org/artists/airsearch.aspx

Call for applications: Brush Creek Arts Foundation

Located on the historic Brush Creek Ranch, a 13,000-acre working cattle ranch and luxury lodge at the base of the Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming's Brush Creek Arts Foundation offers writers, visual and performing artists, musicians and composers from all backgrounds and levels of experience an unique opportunity of time and space to create.

Selected artists will receive housing, meals, exclusive studio access and use of the library, lounge and kitchen, which are all nestled in a meadow along the riparian corridor of Brush Creek. Seasonally based, two-week and four-week residencies will be offered beginning January 2012. A blind jury will choose residents based on work samples provided with application.

Applications for 2012 Winter/Spring Sessions are due September 15th. Click here for our Quick Facts (.pdf), Application Guidelines (.pdf), and Application form (.pdf) documents. For general inquires about the Brush Creek Arts Foundation or other program details, please email katie.christensen@brushcreekranch.com.

Call for applications: Bard Fiction Prize

The Bard Fiction Prize, established in 2001 by Bard College, is given annually to an emerging writer who is an American citizen and under the age of 40 at the time of application. The prize includes a $30,000 cash award and appointment as writer-in-residence at the College for one semester, during which the winner is asked to give at least one public lecture and meet informally with students but is not expected to teach traditional courses. Eligible writers should apply with a cover letter explaining the project they plan to work on while at Bard, a CV, and three copies of the published book (manuscripts are not accepted) that they feel best represents their work. For more information, click here. 

Daily hard-hat tours of renovation work at National Museum of Wildlife Art

Another good reason to visit Jackson this summer:

Beauty is being restored to the rugged National Museum of Wildlife Art façade one carefully placed piece of Oakley Quartzite (shown in photo) at a time as the museum’s construction projects continue on schedule. More than 37,000 square feet of the multicolored stone, mined in Idaho, will eventually sheathe the building’s façade as part of summer improvements that include a new roof and initial work on the new sculpture trail in addition to the upfit to the exterior walls, with capital improvements to the building scheduled for completion by October 31, 2011.

The museum remains open on its regular schedule during construction, and visitors can check the work-in-progress on the new sculpture trail via free “hard hat tours” daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The three-quarter-mile-long outdoor art venue designed by renowned landscape architect Walter Hood will showcase nearly 30 permanent and temporary artworks and is slated to open September 2012. A special installment of the tours will be led July 1 at 10 a.m. by museum Director of Security and Facility Service Joe Bishop, who will share museum history, fun facts and hard-to-believe stories from his more than 20 years on staff.

In addition to the capital improvements and new sculpture trail, work has been underway on a new underpass to allow easy biker and hiker access to the museum from the Jackson-to-Grand Teton National Park North Highway 89 pathway. A panel including the museum’s Curator of Art Adam Harris recently selected artwork featuring playful ravens by Wisconsin sculptor Don Rambadt for the new underpass’s retaining walls.

Read this intriguing article about trailblazing landscape architect Walter Hood in Fast Company magazine.

WY Territorial Prison hopes to make Butch Cassidy Days a national tourist destination

Interesting article from the Associated Press about our sister agency in the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. Butch Cassidy Days at Wyoming Territorial Prison just wrapped up on Sunday. The site's superintendent, Deborah Amend, is thinking big for next year's event:

“My vision for this site is to make this a national destination site, a regional intrigue site and an integral part of the community. I want it to become a very important part of Wyoming history and a part of the heritage of Laramie and this county.”

Read more here.

The Wyoming Arts Council provided a grant to Wyoming Territorial Prison Park to defray expenses for a June 2007 Butch Cassidy Days performance by Prickly Pair.