May the food be with you -- at July 7 "Star Wars" food-raiser

Darth Vader wants your food -- for Cheyenne NEEDS

Highlands United Presbyterian Church announces its "Star Wars" Festival “food-raiser” for NEEDS. The STAR WARS FESTIVAL, is scheduled for 6:30-9:30 p..m., Thursday, July 7, at the Highlands United Presbyterian Church, 2390 Pattison Ave., Cheyenne . The public is invited to attend. Admission is FREE with the donation of any non-perishable food item or baby item such as diapers. All items collected will be donated to NEEDS, Inc. for their food bank.

A variety of events are planned as part of this family evening: 

6:30 pm - Intergalatic Meet-and-Greet
Want to meet Darth Vader, Imperial Stormtroopers or R2D2? Come early to the talk and meet some of your favorite characters from the Star War films. Bring your camera and take as many pictures as you like! Re-enactors include members of the Mountain Garrison of the 501st Legion -- www.501st.com. Members reside in both Colorado and Wyoming.

Dr. Toby Rush presents "The Music of Star Wars"

7:30 pm - Presentation: The music of Star Wars 
This 90-minute multimedia presentation from UNC music professor TOBY RUSH, includes excerpts from all six films. Dr. Rush will present the music of Star Wars and explore how John Williams used the soundtrack to help tell George Lucas' epic tale.

9 pm - Costume Contest
Wear your Star Wars costume! Guests are encouraged to dress as characters from any of the Star Wars films. A short fashion show, allowing guests to strut their stuff, will be held following Dr. Rush’s talk. Prizes will be awarded for the top outfits!

All this FREE with your donation for NEEDS! So bring the family, this is one event you don’t want to miss! And it’s for a good cause – with all foodstuffs to be donated to NEEDS Cheyenne. 

Highlands Presbyterian Church is located in north Cheyenne at 2390 Pattison Avenue. From Dell Range at Mountain, drive north on Mountain Road to the intersection of Pattison and Mountain.

For more information, contact Rodger McDaniel, pastor of Highlands Presbyterian, at 307-634-2962 (church office) or rodger.mcdaniel@bresnan.net.

Wyoming Art for the Cure "celebrates art & life" April 29

“Wyoming Art for the Cure - A Celebration of Art & Life” will take place on Friday, April 29, 6-9 p.m., at Little America Hotel and Convention Center in Cheyenne.

The event is a live and silent art auction open to the community that includes an evening of light fare, friendly company, and incredible artwork donated generously by regional artists. All monies raised at the Wyoming Art for the Cure event are donated directly to the Wyoming Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

For tickets or more info, go to http://www.artforthecure.org

"Cottonwood Sunset" photo by Doc Thiessen of Laramie is one of the 2011 auction artworks in Art for the Cure.

The Bettys sing for charity at UW event

Photo by DJ Bowman

From a story by Andrea Knous in the Branding Iron:

More than 300 people attended The Bettys event this past Saturday, Helen Chanthongthip, a graduate student in Speech Pathology and member of the group, said.

The group raised $240 for its charities: The Wyoming Family Home Ownership Program, which provides local low-income families with children the opportunity to pay a down payment for a home, and IJM, an organization assisting in the fight to end human slavery, Chanthongthip said.

The group was formed in 2006 by six UW women. Today, the last of the founders is Rebecca Johnson, a graduate student in civil engineering from Arvada, Colo. and current president of The Bettys.

The group was started when she and four other original members saw how much fun the Happy Jacks (the male a cappella singing group on campus) were having.  The Bettys began performing at Coal Creek, and their reputation grew from there, Johnson said.

UPDATE: Handmade for Japan eBay auction

Wyomingarts has been tracking arts-oriented fund-raisers for the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. One Cheyenne artist and teacher, Connie Kazuko Norman, will be part of a Handmade for Japan auction on eBay. Here is the most recent information from Connie:

I sure many of have already heard of Handmade For Japan.  It is the brainchild of Ayumi Horie, and her friends, Ai Kanazawa Cheung and Kathryn Pombriant Manzella.  Handmade For Japan is an on-line benefit auction for the Japanese victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.  I am honored to be one of the artists that are contributing to the cause.  As many of you know that I am half Japanese and I have many relatives that live in Tokyo.  I have been lucky enough to have study ceramics in Japan as well.  My Japanese heritage has always very important to me. The people of Japan really need help with disaster relief.

The auction will be held next Thursday, March 24th, 8pm EST to Sunday, March 27th, 8pm EST on eBay and they will have assured bids so check in early. Right now Handmade For Japan has a public Facebook page where a previewing of items before the auction. Even if you're not on Facebook, you can see the items. Please help us get the word out so that we can reach our goal of raising more than $25,000. 100% of the proceeds will be given to Global Giving’s Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

The collection has grown to over 90 artists, many with well-known and respected names, and you will be astonished how many wonderful pieces of art that has been donated for the cause. 

Ayumi and her friends have been working tirelessly toward this event.  I have been amazed at every update.  Thank you guys for all your hard work!

Here are some of the media coverage we got in the last week, The New York Times, and American Craft Magazine.

Ways for artists and artisans to help Japan

From Cornelia Carey at the Craft Emergency Relief Fund:

All of us are standing by with great concern as the aftermath of last Friday’s powerful earthquake in Japan continues to unfold. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families as well as those who are on the front lines of the relief efforts there. 

A number of you have written looking for suggestions about where to send contributions and aid. We strongly encourage supporting the first responders and want to pass along Network for Good’s list of some of them: http://www1.networkforgood.org/help-survivors-pacific-quake-tsunami. We have also put feelers out to the arts community in Japan about artists and cultural workers who could use our support further down the line. We will keep you informed about what we uncover. Please also let us know if you have contacts or recommendations for us.

Cheyenne artist donates to Handmade for Japan for earthquake and tsunami relief

Cheyenne artist and teacher Connie Norman sends this:

I’ve been asked to donate to Handmade for Japan at http://connienorman.com/blog/  I have more  info on my blog with images. It is a international fund raiser. The sale of donated items will go on sale March 18 – 20, on eBay. 

I will send you the link when the site is live, but in the meantime items up for auction can be seen at

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/handmadeforjapanauction?sk=wall .

This is their Facebook site announcing updates and donated artworks. 

I copied and pasted Handmade For Japan’s mission statement below. 

Handmade For Japan

eBay auction March 18-20 to help the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami

Description Mission:
Handmade For Japan's mission is to raise money through an online auction on March 18-20 for relief efforts to assist the victims of Japan's catastrophic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear emissions.

Handmade for Japan is an online auction of unique, handmade art donated by concerned, invited artists. One hundred percent of all net proceeds collected via the auction will be donated to the relief efforts in Japan.

Because of the urgency of the situation, the auction will begin on eBay on Friday, March 18th and end on Sunday, March 20th. The auction items will be listed under the "Handmade for Japan" seller ID.

Previews of the auction items will be available in English and Japanese through Facebook pages and Twitter updates. All inquiries in either language should be sent to handmadeforjapan@gmail.com.

Who We Are:
Handmade For Japan was borne out of concern for Japan's residents by Japanese-American ceramic artist Ayumi Horie http://www.ayumihorie.com. She, Ai Kanazawa Cheung, and Kathryn Pombriant Manzella have mobilized to solicit, promote, and auction handmade pieces of art generously donated by talented artists throughout North America and Japan.

FMI: http://www.connienorman.com

Award-winning "Kicked Out" features foreword by Casper's Judy Shepard

Casper's Judy Shepard wrote the foreword to the new anthology edited by Sassafras Lowrey, "Kicked Out." Last night, the book received a major literary award. Here's info from Lowrey's web site:

Last night Kicked Out received a HUGE honor and was not only included in the American Library Association’s Over the Rainbow booklist for 2011, but was also included in their Top 11 books of 2011!    Being included is a tremendous honor, and one which will help get Kicked Out into even more libraries across the country, and thus the hands of folks who need its messages the most. You can see all the books included in the top 11 as well as the full Over the Rainbow book list here

I’m so grateful to the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table and its Jurors  for honoring Kicked Out.

Here's a description from the book jacket:

In the U.S., 40% of homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). Kicked Out brings together the voices of current and former homeless LGBTQ youth and tells the forgotten stories of some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. Diverse contributors share stories of survival and abuse with poignant accounts of the sanctuary of community and the power of creating chosen families. Kicked Out highlights the nuanced perspectives of national organizations such as The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and The National Alliance Against Homelessness and regional agencies, including Sylvia’s Place, The Circus Project and Family Builders. This anthology, introduced by Judy Shepard, gives voice to the voiceless and challenges the stereotypical face of homelessness. To learn more, visit us online at KickedOutAnthology.com

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!

Amnesty International Film Festival at UW Oct. 23

The Amnesty International Film Festival, featuring short and full-length film on issues of human rights worldwide, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 23, in Laramie. Many films are award winners. Schedule includes "ICYIZERE: hope" (2008) that is also showing in Casper and Jackson. Refreshments provided. Time TBA (start about 10 AM or Noon) into the evening, Classroom Bldg Rm. 129, UW Campus. Info: Conor, cmullen@uwyo.edu. Free.

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.

Haitian art, food and music Sept. 30 in Cheyenne

New show at Rock Paper Scissors Gallery in Cheyenne is:

Helping Hands for Haiti: paintings and drawings by Paula Egan-Wright

RECEPTION Thursday September 30, 5:30 to 7 PM. Traditional Haitian food will be served and music will be provided by the Haitian Quartet

Paula Egan-Wright, an East High School French teacher, spent part of the summer in Haiti helping with earthquake relief at an orphanage. While she was there, she produced beautiful and poignant paintings and drawings of the people, places and the destruction wrought by the earthquake. Full of hope and life moving on, these paintings provide a moving documentary of a country struggling to regain its feet after disaster. Paula's drawings include portraits of children and people, and show the changes to famous places like the President's Palace and the Iron Market. All proceeds will go to support the orphanage in Haiti. Helping Hands for Haiti will be up through October 23, 2010.

Current Open Hours

Fridays and Saturday 1-5 PM

Note that we are sometimes unexpectedly closed. We apologize for any inconvenience. We are also open by appointment anytime. Call 307-631-6039.

Follow RPS on Facebook! Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheyenne-WY/Clay-Paper-Scissors-Gallery-Studio/84834729244

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.

Soulfege on stage at UW on Jan. 20

From a UW press release:

The hip-hop/reggae/funk underground sensation Soulfege returns to the University of Wyoming in Laramie on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. in the Wyoming Union ballroom as a part of Martin Luther King Jr./Days of Dialogue activities.

The free performance features Johnathan Gramling and Derrick Ashong (aka DNA). The "brothers in song" met while attending Harvard University and soon realized they wanted to take their good education and make some cash, which led to the formation of the band Soulfege.

The Student Activities Council sponsors the performance. Individuals with disabilities needing accommodations contact the Campus Activities Center at (307) 766-6340.

Arts world rallies for Haiti earthquake relief

From Cornelia Carey at Craft Emergency Relief Fund:

Dear Friends,

A new decade is upon us and it begins with the hard tragedy unfolding in Haiti. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families as well as those who are on the front lines of the relief efforts there.

A number of you have written looking for suggestions about where to send contributions and aid. Our friends at Artist Trust in Seattle have put together this
list of aid organizations helping in the relief efforts and this link to a New York Times article lists organizations providing aid. We will be back in touch with you if we have more suggestions to share with you.

In the meantime, please find a way to help out in this dire situation and please hold those in Haiti in your heart.

My best, Cornelia Carey