Sarah Dahlberg leaving WOW to be elementary art teacher in Laramie schools

Sarah Dahlberg

News from Sarah Dahlberg, coordinator of Works of Wyoming in Laramie:

At the end of the month, I will be leaving WOW to take a position as an elementary art teacher here in Laramie. I would like to thank all who have been so supportive of me and WOW since I begun working here in November of 2009. It has been a wonderful experience meeting and collaborating with artists and organizations to bring quality shows, workshops and events to the community. Thank you!

Wyomingarts hates to see you go, Sarah. But best wishes in the classroom. The Wyoming Arts Council worked with WOW in May for a series of professional development workshops for visual artists. WAC hopes for more of these types of collaborative ventures in the future.

SNAAP study: Performing and visual arts alumni take many paths to meet career objectives

This report on a study by the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project comes to us via NASAA Notes from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies:

The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) at Indiana University's Center for Postsecondary Research addresses the previously unanswered question of what happens to alumni of performing and visual arts in its report Forks in the Road: The Many Paths of Arts Alumni. 

Stereotypes and misconceptions abounded about what these graduates were doing, with one of the most common being that they are unable to find work in their desired field and therefore are forced to take jobs outside of their desired field. After receiving 13,581 responses, SNAAP was able to dispel that myth and provide a clearer picture of the activities of these graduates. 

At the time of the survey in December 2010, only 6% of arts alumni were unemployed and looking for work, compared to 9.6% of the national work force. However, this number is slightly higher than the unemployment rate of 4.8% for those with at least a bachelor's degree.* 41% of graduates are currently working as professional artists, and 17% who previously worked as professional artists are employed in other fields. Among professional artists, satisfaction with their work varies widely among occupation, but satisfaction with income is low across occupations. 

Arts alumni are generally happy with their education, with more than 90% responding that their experience was good or excellent and 76% responding that they would attend the same institution again. More than half of those currently working outside the arts found their arts training relevant to their job. The survey results suggest that career counseling at performing arts schools could be improved. More than half of undergraduates were dissatisfied with their institutions' career advising, and a similar percentage thought their institution did not help them acquire financial and business skills. 

The SNAAP website has more information about the study and six very cool interactive infographics. There is also information for institutions to sign up to participate in future SNAAP surveys. If you would like to speak to a NASAA staff person about this study, contact Henry Clapp.

—Henry Clapp, NASAA Research Associate

Call for artists: Texas Tech University public art project

Texas Tech University Public Art Committee has issued a call for artists.

Deadline: May 25, 2011.

The Texas Tech University System Public Art Committee is seeking proposals from artists to create large-scale artwork for the new Rawls College of Business Administration building at the Lubbock campus. The final product will contribute significantly to the public art collection at Texas Tech and enhance and compliment the newly constructed 149,000-square-foot facility.

FMI: www.fpc.ttu.edu/fpcweb/publicart/opportunities.jsf

NEA Report: Declines in childhood arts education will have impact on the future of arts participation

The following conclusions were in National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Research Report #52, "Arts Education in America: What the Declines Mean for Arts Participation," by Nick Rabkin and E.C. Hedberg, NORC at the University of Chicago. For full report, go to http://www.arts.gov/research/2008-SPPA-ArtsLearning.pdf:

Long-term declines in childhood arts education have serious implications for the future of arts participation in America. 

•  The relationship between arts education and adults’ rates of arts participation has been consistently strong throughout the survey’s history.

•  By 2008, only half of all 18-yearolds (49.5 percent, or 2.6 million) had received any arts education in childhood—a decline of 23 percent since 1982.

•  According to long-term patterns of respondent recall, a “turning point” in national access to arts education likely occurred in the mid-1970s and early 1980s.  It seems reasonable to infer that the national declines in arts education rates, reported from 1982 to 2008, resulted partly from cuts in school based arts instruction.

•  From 1982 to 2008, Hispanics and African Americans accounted for a highly disproportionate share of all adults who reported not having received arts education in childhood.

Here’s an April 9, 2010, quote from Arne Duncan, U.S. Department of Education Secretary:

“In America, we do not reserve arts education for privileged students or the elite. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds, students who are English language learners, and students with disabilities often do not get the enrichment experiences of affluent students anywhere except at school. President Obama recalls that when he was a child ‘you always had an art teacher and a music teacher. Even in the poorest school districts everyone had access to music and other arts.’ Today, sadly, that is no longer the case.”

Greg Mortenson -- education key to democracy

Greg Mortenson has humanitarian marrow in his bones. As an adolescent, he spent time in Africa with his Lutheran missionary parents and his then three-year-old sister as his father set up the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi, Tanzania, which was opened in 1971. A month after his father said that in ten years, the facility would be staffed by the citizens of Tanzania, he was fired from his position for having the audacity to think that the running of the hospital could be done by the people in whose country it had been established. 

So Greg is familiar with failure. In fact, the title of the first chapter of Three Cups of Tea is "Failure." It is the beginning of his prophetic journey in building girls schools, first in Pakistan, and then in Afghanistan. At twenty-three years old, Greg's sister, Christa, who suffered from epilepsy, died from a massive seizure on the morning she was to go on her dream trip to Deyersville, Iowa, where the movie Field of Dreams had been filmed. It was a movie she watched again and again, and found much inspiration from. He had decided that he would climb Kilimanjaro in Christa's honor. He had brought her necklace with him that she had worn, which he planned to leave it as an offering at the top of the mountain to "whatever deity inhabited the upper atmosphere" (From Three Cups of Tea, pg. 9). He had summited "The Savage Peak" at eleven years of age, and had much climbing experience at other locations. Nothing to it to doing it again, he thought.

He ended up spending 78 days on the mountain, but never making it to the top. When he finally got down, he ended up in the village of Korphe, where the first school was built.

We watched a short film about the first school built in Afghanistan. On Mortenson's first visit to Afghanistan, he discovered classrooms of boys in the metal storage containers used by the Russians during the war. He also saw that the girls had class ourside on a hillside. It was here that he met Gomajin, a young boy who watched the progress of the school while he herded his goats, anxious for its completion so that he could attend. But he became the victim of a landmine and died from his wounds. In Gomajin's memory, his father learned how to remove land mines. There is a monument to Gomajin near the school.

Three cups of tea means that with the first cup, you are a stranger, second cup a friend, and by the time you are drinking a third cup, you are family. But this is not a linear progression, 1,2,3, boom you're in. In every village, there is an unspoken progression of bringing one into the social circle. It may take many cups of tea, not formally ceremonial, but an important indicator of acceptance and trust. Greg has taken many cups of tea in his 18 years in the field, and has facilitated the building of many girls schools.

Why girls schools? Educating girls has many positive rewards for the community. Women bring life and nurture it after it is here. Statistics show that when girls are educated, the birth rate drops, the infant mortality rate drops, the quality of life improves, and women go back and serve the community from a more informed place. It is a powerful thing when a woman can read the news. When people are isolated, this breeds fear, and fear breeds anger and ignorance. Education is the only way to civility.

Greg mentions more statistics. Since 2007, more than 3,000 girls schools have been destroyed or shut down by extremist groups. There is a proverb that says, "The ink of a scholar is holier than the blood of a martyr." In 2000, there were only 800,000 students, mostly boys age 5-15, attending school. In 2011, the count was up to 8.3 million children, with 2.8 million of those girls.

The subtitle on Three Cups of Teas is One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time. This was not the first choice of the publisher, who wanted to say something about one man's mission to fight terrorism. But Greg is adamant that he is doing this to promote peace. The book didn't sell with the publisher's subtitle, but Greg was able to get the publisher to agree that the subtitle would be changed if the book didn't at first do well. After the subtitle was changed, the book became a best seller.

Greg also talked about the poverty in this country and how we must be willing to touch, hear, and be poverty to realize any formative changes to the situation. His Pennies for Peace program does this, and suggests the grass roots effort in towns across America of collecting pennies and getting the money to our most impoverished schools. This was his first fund raising program, but it only began when he was asked to speak at a school about how to get the school built in Korphe. Up to then, he had typed hundreds of letters asking for donations, and only received one check back, from Tom Brokaw. A young boy brought his pennies to Greg, and that is how Pennies for Peace began.

Our military mission in Afghanistan now includes soldiers who work at laying some groundwork for the beginning of a school in villages. Greg believes the most successful mission begins with empowering the members of the village. They must dedicate the land for the school, provide the labor to build, and get the materials to where they need to be. With this kind of investment, the village is not so willing to let the school be closed. When the elders of a village in Afghanistan played on the playground of a school, they told Greg they wanted a school in their village, a place where extremists had a strong hold, but only if it had a playground also. They told him that as children, they never had a chance to play, all they were taught was to fight.

Around the world, children are bought and sold into slavery, and at the youngest of ages, are taught to kill. Soccer balls are made by children in Pakistan. China and India have huge child labor forces. Children are mistreated, poorly fed, work fourteen-hour days, and fear abduction and/or molestation at night. Many just disappear. They are certainly not allowed to go to school, but many express the desire to be able to.

So Greg continues his work against the ill winds of prejudice and ignorance. He received a standing ovation.

Linda Coatney

CWC Intertribal Education and Community Center dedicated today in Riverton

From a UW press release:

Central Wyoming College officially dedicated and celebrated the opening of the Intertribal Education and Community Center at a ceremony (today) Friday, March 25 in Riverton.

After a decade of planning and fundraising, the 16,713-square foot facility, which opened for classes and community gatherings last October, was officially dedicated during a ceremony on the plaza in front of the building.

The Intertribal Center has a multipurpose function. In addition to being an educational facility for both CWC and the University of Wyoming, it serves as a venue for conferences, workshops and meetings. It is also a highly visible landmark that celebrates the cultural diversity of the area, said CWC President Jo Anne McFarland.

U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, who obtained federal appropriations that allowed CWC to proceed with construction in 2009, was the special guest. His talk was followed by remarks from UW Provost Myron Allen, Fremont County representatives Del McOmie and Patrick Goggles, as well as tribal and college officials.

Eastern Shoshone tribal member Ann Abeyta performed a hoop dance accompanied by a drum group. The ceremony was preceded with an informal feast in the Wind River Room and followed by tours of the building.

Funds for the facility came from multiple sources, including state and federal appropriations and private donations. CWC also has received support from the Northern Arapaho, Eastern Shoshone and the Shakopee Mdewankanton Sioux tribes.

UW contributed $1.1 million toward the center's construction to make its Fremont County Outreach Center more visible and accessible.

"This stunning facility represents a truly innovative relationship among Central Wyoming College, UW, and Wyoming's American Indian communities. It's a win-win-win scenario," says Allen. "The intertribal center makes every leader in higher education proud, and UW President Tom Buchanan and CWC President Jo Anne McFarland stand with the best. The students are Wyoming's, and they're our best hope for the future."

Photo: The Intertribal Education and Community Center at Central Wyoming College was dedicated Friday. In addition to being an educational facility for both CWC and the University of Wyoming, it serves as a venue for conferences, workshops and meetings. (CWC Photo)

Attention arts entrepreneurs: WY Entrepreneur SBDC’s Sustainable Profits program may be for you

From Wyoming Entrepreneur:

Would you like to:

• Upgrade your business to one that is more eco-friendly and
• sustainable?
• Discover new markets and customers?
• Save money by reducing waste and energy costs?
• Develop a business plan to guide you through the process?
• Receive grant funding of up $2000 to help you implement your sustainability plans?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the WyomingEntrepreneur SBDC’s Sustainable Profits program is for you!
Enrollment is free — but limited. Don’t wait. Enroll today!

Understanding and implementing sustainable business practices in your business can save you money, help you reach new markets, provide a healthy and safe workplace for you and your employees, and help your business survive in a world that is increasingly focused on sustainability.

Wyoming Entrepreneur SBDC is offering a valuable training program and grant package to help you understand and implement sustainable business practices in your business. It allows you to become more efficient, profitable and able to serve your customers for years to come.

The Wyoming Entrepreneur Sustainable Profits package is worth up to $2,500 to your business. This free program includes:

• A seven session online course that will guide you through the process of developing a sustainable business plan. This course will include a one-hour webinar each week plus group coaching sessions.
• A year-long license to the powerful online tool, “Solutions at the Speed of Business,” featuring modules on Lighting, Heating and Cooling, and Office Equipment. Visit www.NatCapSolutions.org
• Free consultation offered by the business specialists at Wyoming Entrepreneur.
• Participants who successfully complete the program will be eligible to apply for a grant of up to $2000 that may be used to implement sustainable practices identified in their business plan.

To be eligible for the Sustainable Profits program you must:

• Have been in business at least six months or obtain prior approval to apply from sustainability team.
• Agree to the program terms, specified in the application.
• Be a Wyoming company.

GRANT REQUIREMENTS:

• Complete an application. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 30, 2011.
• Attend a 7-week online course and participate in group coaching sessions, write a sustainable business plan, and utilize the three “Solutions at the Speed of Business” tools.
• Participants who meet these requirements will be eligible to apply for grants of up to $2000 to support implementation of their sustainability plans.
• Participants will also be expected to report on their progress and outcomes and showcase their successes.

Download

Sustainable Profits Brochure or Sustainable Profits Application

Sunstainible Business Consulting:

Susan Jerke
Regional Director, Wyoming Entrepreneur

2001 West Lakeway Road, Suite D
Gillette, Wyoming 82718

307.682.5232 or in Wyoming 888.956.6060

Email Susan

"Kiss Me Kate!" Feb. 24-26 at Casper Kelly Walsh

The Kelly Walsh High School Fine Arts Department will present the classic Broadway musical "Kiss Me Kate!" on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-26. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. each night. There also will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. All seats are $6.

No Right Brain Left Behind asks for ideas on how education can meet the "creativity challenge"

According to an IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs, creativity was identified "as the number one competitive edge" of the future, meaning the "soft skills" of the right brain need to be nurtured more than ever.

No Right Brain Left Behind has come up with a "creativity challenge" to find ways to reform education to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Read the full article at Good Magazine at http://www.good.is/post/solving-the-creativity-crisis-the-no-right-brain-left-behind-challenge/ 

LCCC plans flurry of events leading up to March 29 visit by author and activist Greg Mortenson

Laramie County Community College sends out this updated list of activities the school has planned for the run-up to author Greg Mortenson’s March 29 visit:

Tuesday, March 22.       

·       MOVIE: 12:00-2:00 in the student lounge. Charlie Wilson’s War  (popcorn and snacks will be provided).

·       PUBLIC DISCUSSION: 6:30-8:00pm in CCI 129/130 (The Centennial Room). Prints of Central Asia: Peggy Kelsey’s Afghan Women’s Project.

o      An exhibit of Ms. Kelsey’s prints will go up in the Ludden Library in early February.

o     A reception in the library will follow Ms. Kelsey’s talk on March 22

Wednesday, March 23.

·       ETHNIC LUNCH: 12:00-1:00pm in CCI 1219/130 (The Centennial Room).

·       ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: 1:00-3:00pm in CCI 1219/130 (The Centennial Room).  Dr. Marianne Kamp, Dr. Mohammed Salih and Arshi Nisley will discuss Women and Islam: Confronting Misconceptions.

Thursday, March 24.

·       MOVIE: 12:00-2:00 in the student lounge. The Kite Runner (popcorn and snacks will be provided)

Friday, March 25:

·       BOOK DISCUSSION: 12:30-1:30pm. Discussion of Greg Mortneson’s book  Three Cups of Tea and/or Stones into Schools.  Students interested in participating should contact Jennifer McVay for information and to make arrangements.

LCCC students will be visiting local schools to discuss Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea. Where appropriate they will also be discussing the children’s edition Listen to the Wind.

Instructors at LCCC have integrated readings from Mr. Mortenson’s books into course curriculum.

The LCCC Ludden Library will be creating displays that look at life in Central Asia.

Finally, we hope to have LCCC students prepare poster presentations that examine different aspects of life in Central Asia.

FMI: David Marcum, LCCC Instructor of Political Science and Director of Government Studies and International Studies, 307.778.1220.

Questions that relate to Greg Mortenson’s actual visit on March 29 should be directed to the LCCC Foundation at http://www.lccc.cc.wy.us/

Grand Teton Music Festival Music Director Donald Runnicles to be awarded honorary doctorate

From the BBC's Scottish Symphony Orchestra site:

The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) will confer an honorary Doctorate on Donald Runnicles at a lunchtime concert on Friday, 11 February 2011.

Runnicles is the music director for the Grand Teton Music Festival in Teton Village, Wyoming.

On announcing the Doctorate, Professor John Wallace CBE, said: “The Academy is a crucible of Scottish talent and a prolific contributor to contemporary British identity. We are delighted that one of the country’s greatest musical exports, Donald Runnicles, is spending a significant proportion of his time reinvesting all he knows in the future generation. He is an International Fellow, a member of our Board of Governors and a key player in our Memorandum of Understanding with the BBC. I am delighted that we are able to salute his contribution to the Academy and more widely to Scottish culture, by awarding him an Honorary Doctorate of Music.”

The Honorary Graduation ceremony will take place in the Academy’s concert hall as part of a concert by the Academy’s Symphony Orchestra performing music by Edward Elgar.

Showcase your ideas and passion at Ignite Cheyenne on Feb. 8

From Ignite Cheyenne:

If you had five minutes to say something to the people of Cheyenne, what would you say?

Well think it over, because we are giving you a chance to say it.  Ignite Cheyenne is a place where people from Cheyenne and southeastern Wyoming can come to share ideas, hobbies, socialize and have a great time.   Ignite Cheyenne is about showcasing your ideas and your passion.  Both of those things can make Cheyenne an even better place!  We want to hear you talk at Ignite Cheyenne.

We are back with another awesome event in downtown Cheyenne.  All of you who came the first time, we’d love to see you again, and all of you who couldnt make it, we hope to see you this time!

If you run a business and would like to put up information or would like a flyer to email to your friends, you can get our PDF Flyer Here.

Location: Historic Plains Hotel
1600 Central Avenue
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Map can be found here.

Date: February 8, 2011

Schedule:
6pm Doors open - Come for mingling and drinks
7 pm First group of talks
7:30 – 8pm Intermission
8 – 8:30pm  Second group of talks
9pm Go home enlightened

Tickets: You can get them here.  Tickets are free, but you must register to attend.

Agenda: Presenters have not been picked.  If you’re interested in presenting, head over here to read some guidelines on the talks, then contact us at ignitecheyenne [at] gmail [dot] com

Event Curators:
Anna Nowak
Jeff Fruhwirth
Juliette Rule

Activist and author Greg Mortenson to speak in Cheyenne March 29

From a post on Facebook:

Two-time Nobel Prize nominee Greg Mortenson will share insightful commentary and stunning photography to educate and promote awareness of the importance of primary education, literacy and cross-cultural understanding about the remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He will speak at the Taco John’s Events Center in Cheyenne on Tuesday, March 29, 7-10 p.m. Limited amount of tickets go on sale on Friday, Jan. 7. Tickets: $5 Students (K-College)/$15 General Public. Contact the Taco Johns Events Center at (307) 433-0025 or on-line at www.cheyennecity.org

Greg Mortenson promotes peace through education. He is the co-founder of nonprofit Central Asia Institute www.ikat.org, founder of Pennies For Peace www.penniesforpeace.org, and co-author of New York Times bestseller ‘Three Cups of Tea’ www.threecupsoftea.com which has sold over 4 million copies, been published in 47 countries, and a New York Times bestseller since its 2007 release, and Time Magazine Asia Book of The Year.Mortenson’s new book, Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books Not Bombs, In Afghanistan and Pakistan, was released by Viking on December 1st, 2009.

As of 2010, Mortenson has established over 145 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide education to over 64,000 children, including 52,000 girls, where few education opportunities existed before.

Laramie County Partners are bringing Greg Mortenson to Cheyenne for a series of activities, including talking to school children and a public event in the evening on March 29, 2011. The partners include: Laramie County Community College Foundation, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne Rotary, Laramie County Library, Laramie County Library Foundation and Laramie County School District No. 1.

http://www.facebook.com/LaramieCountyPartnersPresentGregMortenson

Check out the 2011 Boys & Girls Club art exhibit at the Laramie County Library

From Mike Shay, one of your trusty wyomingarts editors:

I was pleased to serve as one of the judges yesterday for the annual Boys & Girls Club National Fine Art Exhibition at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne.

I've been a judge the past three years. Interest in this competition grows every year. This year, there was a big increase in 3-D entries in the pottery and sculpture category. Art Coordinator Michael Raper gets some of the credit for this. In December, he was a recipient of the Golden Apple Teacher's Award from Cheyenne's CBS Channel 5. Michael is assisted by Shanda Tryon.

Youth that attend programs at the Cheyenne Boys & Girls Club participate in four age categories. First-place and Best-In-Show recipients will go to the regional competition. You can find out more at www.bgcchey.org.

The library exhibit will be on display through Feb. 11. Look for the paintings and drawings on the second floor children's section and pottery and sculpture on the second floor and in the display cabinets in the library's entryway.

The Cheyenne Boys & Girls Club has received grants and other assistance from the Wyoming Arts Council.

On Dec. 29, outgoing Gov. Dave Freudenthal made this announcement about funding for Wyoming Boys & Girls Clubs:

CHEYENNE -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal has committed up to $1.3 million in federal funds for Boys and Girls Clubs around Wyoming for major maintenance and repairs on club facilities as well as the purchase of equipment.

"Boys and Girls Clubs have difficulty raising funding for their important infrastructure needs," Freudenthal said today in a media release. "It's important that we dedicate these remaining federal stimulus funds to help meet those needs."

The $1.3 million for Boys and Girls Clubs is the available balance from State Fiscal Stabilization Fund monies which had earlier been dedicated to the construction of juvenile detention facilities in the state.

"The clubs have significant infrastructure needs but they just can't raise the money to address them," Freudenthal said, "so we're dedicating federal funds to these community projects."

Jack Tarter, president of the Wyoming Alliance of Boys and Girls Club, said, "I'm very excited about the money as it not only will enlarge the scope of opportunity within the clubs but also allow for a greater number of teens to become involved in the clubs."

Boys and Girls Clubs are located in Buffalo, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Douglas, Eastern Shoshone Tribe, F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Gillette, Glenrock, Kaycee, Powell, Rawlins and Rock Springs. The funding will allow clubs to apply to the State Land and Investment Board to use the funds for major maintenance of the facilities and expenditures such as computers, software and educational materials to support activities within the centers.

"Boys and Girls Clubs give children a safe and affordable place to go after school and our programs help lower dropout rates," Tarter said.

Club programs that assist children with school homework or prepare them for future development could benefit from the funding.

The State will determine which projects are eligible for the federal funds, which may involve site visits in addition to the standard application process. The money comes from the State Fiscal Stabilization funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

UW Eminent Writer in Residence will work with students on Laramie Atlas Project

From a University of Wyoming press release:

Rebecca Solnit, an acclaimed author of numerous celebrated works of nonfiction, is the latest Eminent Writer in Residence in the University of Wyoming's MFA program in Creative Writing.

An activist, art critic and cultural historian, Solnit will spend four weeks at UW guiding an interdisciplinary group of students in creating a unique atlas devoted to Laramie and the region. Her most recent work is "A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster," and "Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas."

"Rebecca Solnit believes maps and atlases can lead us toward a new way of understanding the places we live in," says MFA faculty member Alyson Hagy. "The sense of place is strong in Wyoming. Solnit's Laramie Atlas Project will invite students to make new maps -- some of them traditional, some of them innovative and even eccentric -- of the region to chronicle its nature and ties to the larger world."

Solnit will visit UW classes across campus and consult with MFA students on their writing during her residency. Her visit is co-sponsored by the Albany County Public Library Foundation, the UW Art Museum, The Helga Otto Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Social Justice Research Center.

Solnit also will conduct two public presentations during her residency.

The first presentation, "Infinite City/Gem City: Reimagining Maps and Atlases," is at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, at the Albany County Public Library. She will introduce the Laramie Atlas Project, discuss her latest book and sign books after the presentation.

Her Laramie Atlas Project presentation is similar to the "Infinite City" project in San Francisco. Solnit will solicit input from Albany County residents as she launches the creation of an innovative set of local maps.

The second public event, "The Laramie Atlas Project: Work-in-Progress Discussion," is at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, at the UW Art Museum. Solnit will discuss her effort with UW students to "remap" the community and its resources. A reception follows.

Solnit's residency follows the Eminent Writer residencies of fiction writer Rattawut Lapcharoensap and poets Jan Zwicky and Robert Bringhurst. Previous Eminent Writers in Residence have included Edward P. Jones, Philip Gourevitch, Claudia Rankine and Joy Williams.

For more information, visit the MFA Web site at www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting or e-mail Gwynn Lemler at cw@uwyo.edu.

Photo: Rebecca Solnit is the latest Eminent Writer in Residence in the University of Wyoming MFA program in Creative Writing. (Photo courtesy of Scott Sommerdorf/San Francisco Chronicle)

Wyoming Arts Alliance launches arts education advocacy campaign

Find out more about the Wyoming Arts Alliance's current arts education advocacy campaign!

Americans for the Arts plans to welcome and educate new members of Congress

This is a couple weeks old but bears re-posting:

November 04, 2010—Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch gave the following statement on the Election Day results:

“Frustration with the nation’s lack of economic recovery is clearly top of mind among voters and candidates. Likewise, nonprofit arts organizations have also felt the sting of the recession with state and local government arts funding dropping as much as 16 percent, and private charitable gifts to the arts declining $1.2 billion in just two years. Additionally, individual artists have been experiencing unemployment at twice the rate of other educated, professional workers.

As our newly-elected leaders at the federal, state, and local levels focus on creating jobs and growing the economy, it is imperative that they understand the profound role the arts play in spurring economic growth and job creation. The nation’s 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations are part of the small business sector, and the nation’s 2.2 million professional artists are among the millions of business entrepreneurs fueling the economy. It is also important that our newly-elected leaders appreciate the connection between arts education training and the development of creative and innovative workforce skills, which are essential to future workers to compete effectively in the 21st Century global economy.

For the past four years, the House of Representatives initiated several hearings to spotlight the role of the arts in both the economy and in workforce development, yielding more than $100 million in new public investments in the arts and culture. Americans for the Arts looks forward to working with the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus and Senate Cultural Caucus on Capitol Hill to continue educating freshman members on how the arts fuel our nation’s economy. We want to congratulate three of the four Caucus members who were up for re-election on their convincing win last night and look forward to working closely with them in the 112th Congress. They are Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Representative Todd Platts (R-PA), and Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY). We also look forward to working with Representative Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL), both already champions of the arts in the House, as they move into their newly elected Senate seats.

At the state government level, several arts champions— based on their record in other public offices or platform statements—have been elected as Governor. They include Governors-elect Jerry Brown (D-CA), Tom Corbett (R-PA), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Lincoln Chaffee (I-RI), Mark Dayton (D-MN), John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Rick Snyder (R-MI).

Locally, there were 232 Mayoral elections in cities with a population of over 30,000. Among the many new promising arts champions, Providence, RI Mayor-Elect Angel Taveras and Louisville, KY Mayor-elect Greg Fischer identified the arts as a way to harness local talent and creative energy to power the economy.

Americans for the Arts will soon begin conducting the next installment of national research to document the size, impact, and trends of the nonprofit arts industry for its Arts and Economic Prosperity IV study. The previous study demonstrated that the nonprofit arts industry generates $166.2 billion of economic activity annually, which supports 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs.”

Next Steps:

Americans for the Arts will be undertaking a number of comprehensive initiatives to welcome and educate new members of Congress, but we can’t do this without you! Starting today and in the next few months, we ask you to:

• Send a letter of congratulations to each elected leader representing your community (federal, state, and local levels) and identify yourself or your organization as a resource on arts policy issues.
• Ask all freshman members of Congress to begin thinking about joining the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus or Senate Cultural Caucus. We will be sending more information about this in the coming weeks.
• Work with your state and local arts advocacy organizations to develop a unified message to your newly-elected state and local leaders.
• Save the dates of April 4-5, 2011 to come to Washington, DC for National Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. We especially need grassroots advocates representing the districts and states of newly elected Congressional members.
• Become an official member of Americans for the Arts Action Fund, it’s free and it helps you stay connected to all the latest political breaking news impacting the arts.

Wyoming Humanities Council offers civility program as an antidote to these "uncivil" times

Milward Simpson, director of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, wrote a guest op-ed for the Oct. 24 Casper Star-Tribune. His essay focused on the new Wyoming Humanities Council program on a timely topic -- civility. This is a slightly longer version of the CST op-ed:

October is National Arts and Humanities Month. In honor of the occasion I’m writing to announce that the Wyoming Humanities Council (WHC) will be conducting a new series of programs and activities beginning in fall 2010 bringing Wyoming citizens together to focus on an important and timely topic: civility.

Much has been made of these “uncivil” times. As Americans, we are all familiar with the words and images that have characterized our political landscape in recent months and years: politicians resorting to ugly personal attacks and extreme public statements, the advent of the inchoate tea party movement and the inchoate, mocking response to it, all this amorphous anger, the mob chaos of political town meetings, entire TV “news” programs devoted to one-sided polemic, and here, closer to home, the uproar over Bill Ayers and extremists threatening to burn religious texts on the capitol steps. Even in Wyoming where we know that we daren’t offend our neighbor for risk of offending the entire community that sustains us, we are not immune.

The fuel we seem to keep pouring onto the fire is distilled from a variety of sources: the proliferation of electronic communication leading to an increasingly polarized media (what journalists Halperin and Harris refer to as “the freak show”), the increasing geopolitical phenomenon in which people choose to live where their political views will be reinforced (what author Bill Bishop refers to as “The Clustering of Like-Minded America;” and a frustrated electorate facing the seeming impossibility of getting anything done in the almost complete absence of compromise – we have all been burned by the volatility of these forces.

Of course, our democratic experiment has often been characterized by periods of national upheaval where incivility reigned. The publication “America’s Civil War” in its most recent issue stated “…if you think politics are polarizing now, try to imagine the angst in this country after Abraham Lincoln was elected president 150 years ago…” Cabinet members resigned, seven states voted to secede from the Union and Federal property in South Carolina was confiscated and/or destroyed leaving Ft. Sumter as the only federal property remaining. Yet, though far perhaps from the depth of the divisions which resulted in our great Civil War, the word “secession” has wormed its way back into the national dialogue. Our current cultural environment does call into question the cohesion of our nation and our collective ability to confront the enormous issues facing us - economic, environmental and social.

It is not that we should disagree less. Indeed, part of our American dynamism comes from the fact that we are born and bred to argue. Our democracy draws its strength from it. The esteemed journalist Howard Fineman in his book “The Thirteen American Arguments,” argues that, if anything, we don’t argue enough “…about the fundamentals. The … arguments bitterly divide us, but they also define, inspire, and ultimately unite us by bestowing legitimacy on hard fought deals…”

The difference today seems to be civility – what National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Jim Leach refers to as the willingness and ability to “walk in another’s shoes.” I had the honor of meeting Mr. Leach during his visit to Wyoming last month as part of his 50-state “American Civility Tour.” Leach, a 30-year Iowa Congressman known for his effectiveness in working across the aisle, launched his tour to “call attention to the need for civility in public discourse.” I have seldom met a more erudite gentleman, yet, he puts this all very simply: “Civilization requires civility. Words matter. Polarizing attitudes can jeopardize social cohesion.”

While pondering this piece, I thought of civility in light of my own family’s history of public service. Many of us are known to be “scrappers” who don’t back down from a fight and are prone, for better or worse, to speak our minds. My grandfather Milward, during his term as Governor in the late 1950’s, once wrote a quite uncivil letter responding to a constituent who seems to have taken issue with his conduct in office. Granddad dashed off his vitriolic missive and told his Chief of Staff Bob McManus to “mail the thing to that #@$&% SOB.” Bob did as he was told. Later that day, Governor Simpson came to him and asked, “…you didn’t mail that letter, did you!?” Bob said that he had. Granddad exclaimed something like “Oh God, we’ve got to go get it!” and they walked (I’m sure with less than sure legal footing) to the postmaster who agreed to retrieve the letter before it left the post office. From then on, when granddad had occasion (as he apparently continued to do) to direct his Chief of Staff to “mail the thing to that dirty rotten…!” or something of the like, Bob would wisely pocket the letter so when he was asked the inevitable “you didn’t mail that thing did you!?,” he simply retrieved it from his vest pocket – a sort of “pocket veto” of an uncivil instinct, for which the family is eternally grateful.

How do we confront this issue here in our beloved, wonderful and still wild Wyoming? The Wyoming Humanities Council’s Civility Matters! initiative was inspired by Chairman Leach’s call to action. The WCH describes these statewide programs as being “…presented in a variety of formats and will explore historically contentious events, as well as contemporary state, national, and international issues. Wide-ranging topics may include "cyber-civility" and public discourse in the digital age; sports and civility; cyber and school bullying; academic freedom; generational differences; national topics, such as second amendment rights, labor relations, and energy and water issues; regional topics, such as the Rock Springs Massacre, the Johnson County Wars, and the World War II Heart Mountain Relocation Center; and international topics, such as Islamic contributions to world cultures and the Iraq/Afghanistan wars.” The variable format for these discussions is intended to encourage interaction and will include visiting scholar presentations, online film and book discussions, summer watermelon/ice cream socials, publications, and community potluck dialogues.

The Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources is proud to provide support for these programs and feels they will benefit Wyoming as we explore the issue as a state and rededicate ourselves to our proud “live and let live” credo, to arguing and disagreeing while retaining our civility and our mutual respect. Back to Fineman, our civil discourse, our arguments, “…produced a civil war, the still-smoldering embers of racial tribalism, and pitiless economic competition; but they also produce the freest of societies, an ongoing (if imperfect) accommodation between capital and community, and a Constitution that stands as a beacon to the world even if we sometimes honor it in the breach. Arguing keeps us moving fitfully forward – toward being worthy of the gifts God gave us.”

As we celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month, I invite you to participate in these activities and be a part of this important discourse. After all, it’s the American thing to do!

U of A prof speaks about "Arizona's Anti-Ethnic Studies Bill 1108" during UW's Ethnic Studies Week

From a UW press release:

Leading ethnic studies researcher, Andrea J. Romero, will lead three programs Monday, Oct. 4, at the University of Wyoming.

Romero, a professor at the University of Arizona, is a key speaker during Ethnic Studies Week at UW. She will give a public lecture on "Chicano/a Students' Engagement with Arizona's Anti-Ethnic Studies Bill 1108: Civic Engagement, Ethnic Identity and Well-being" in the Wyoming Union East Ballroom from 6-7 p.m.

Also Monday, she will discuss "Life Span and Human Development: Positive Ethnic Identity Development for Chicano/a Youth" in the College of Education auditorium from 9-9:50 a.m.

"!El Movimiento Sigue!: How Being Engaged with Anti-Ethnic Studies Arizona Legislation Keeps Chicano/a Students Healthy" will be discussed in the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) from 12:30-2 p.m.

Romero is a Fitch Nesbitt professor in family studies and human development and Mexican American and Raza studies. She has a Ph.D. in applied social psychology with a minor in qualitative methods from the University of Houston.

Ethnic Studies Week is sponsored by the University of Wyoming Chicano Studies Program in conjunction with Multicultural Affairs and the UW chapters of MEChA and Sigma Lambda Gamma.

Other planned activities for Ethnic Studies Week include the Ross Hall Book Club Friday, Oct. 15, from noon-1:30 p.m. in the Ross Hall Conference Room 108. Lilia Soto will lead a discussion on "Every Night is Ladies' Night" by Michael Jaime-Becerra. This event is open to faculty, staff, students and Laramie residents. The first 10 people to register by e-mail to Chicano_Studies@uwyo.edu receive the book free.

Photo: Andrea Romero will discuss "Civic Engagement, Ethnic Identity and Well-being" from 6-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 4, in the Wyoming Union East Ballroom.

Wyoming Humanities Council launches "Civility Matters" initiative at Heart Mountain site

From a SPCR press release:

A year-long initiative, sponsored by the Wyoming Humanities Council, titled “Civility Matters,” kicks off at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center near Powell Saturday, September 18 at 11:15 a.m.


Featured at the event is National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jim Leach and Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson, a board member of the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation.

Following the kick-off of “Civility Matters,” Leach and Simpson will also participate in “A Conversation on Civility with NEH Chairman Leach and Senator Alan Simpson” at Northwest College in Powell at 1 p.m.

Two journalism and political science students will interview Leach and Simpson with the session introduced by Northwest College President Paul Prestwich and moderated by faculty member Lou McPhail. The public is welcome.

Leach, a long-time Republican Congressman from Iowa, who became head of the NEH in August 2009, will provide a major address, “Civility in a Fractured Society,” at 7:30 p.m., that evening at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody. Both events are free and open to the public.

The events coincide with Leach’s 50-state “American Civility Tour.” Additionally, the Wyoming Humanities Council announces 12 months of promotion and online and face-to-face programs on the topic of civility, offering residents of the Cowboy State broad opportunities to consider the meaning of civility, both in the context of the nation’s democratic commitments to freedom of expression and in the context of an increasingly global world.

With funding provided by the Wyoming State Legislature through the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, programs include a partnership with the Casper Star-Tribune, featuring opinion editorials by humanities scholars and professionals, state leaders and Wyoming citizens; statewide book and film discussions; a publication with selected readings; an innovative summer public discussion series in Wyoming’s community and state parks; a community grant initiative; and a statewide tour by a national humanities scholar, who will culminate the year with presentations at Wyoming potlucks and schools.

The Wyoming Humanities Council is a nonprofit organization that is an affiliate of the University of Wyoming and the National Endowment for the Humanities. It provides community programs and funds community grants across Wyoming. The Wyoming Humanities Council, the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation, and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center are sponsors of Leach’s Wyoming visit. For more information about the Wyoming Humanities Council, call 307-721-9243 or visit www.uwyo.edu/humanities.