"Paris Papers" by artist and former WAC staffer Lili Francuz opens Nov. 5 in Denver

Former Wyoming Arts Council visual arts specialist Lili Francuz has an exhibit at Alliance Francaise de Denver Nov. 5-Dec. 21. Opening reception Nov. 5. FMI: http://www.lilifrancuz.com/

Fabric Pumpkin Workshop Oct. 27 at WOW in Laramie

Photo of the week: Russell Schnitzer

"Dusk: Pronghorn," Russell Schnitzer

Wyoming photographer Russell Schnitzer shoots fantastic photos and writes essays to accompany them. In his Sept. 25 blog post, he anticipates the hunting season:

...In addition to its well-regarded palette of colors, autumn brings salmon up the rivers of their origin, calls elk and deer down from the high country, beckons homeowners out to split and stack firewood for the months ahead, and compels gardeners to put up harvest's fruits.

For many, though, the shortening of days shifts attention wholly to hunting. It has been this way for me since my youth. Then, as now, I savored long weekend walks through golden aspens awaiting the heart-stopping clamor of ruffed grouse taking flight, and spent sleepless nights in advance of the opening of deer season. That particular light, the woody scents and that special feeling that accompanies a meal of game after a long day afield... The reasons for sentiment have only sharpened over the years.

Read the rest (and view more of Russell's photos) at http://schnitzerphoto.blogspot.com/

Cody High Style prepares for Rendezvous Royale

In the 2009 Cody High Syle fashion category, Tres Outlaws Boots won the Designer's Choice award.

From a BBHC release:

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center joins artisans and designers who celebrate the spirit of the American West through western decorative arts in Cody High Style: Designing the West.

This year’s exhibition, held in conjunction with the city-wide Rendezvous Royale, is on view September 22 – 25 in the breezeway of the Historical Center’s Cody Firearms Museum. Forty craftsmen display everything from desks and couches to lamps and saddlebags—all with a distinctive western flair. The show is free to the public.

Cody High Style kicks off with the popular “Building Rustic Furniture” two-day workshop on Monday and Tuesday, September 20 – 21, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Master craftsman John Gallis of Norseman Designs West presents this hands-on workshop in his studio where participants learn the basics of woodworking and take home their own handmade projects. All levels of experience are welcome, and since space is limited, registrations are now being accepted. The cost is $300 and includes materials and lunch.

Marge Taylor of Leather Legends invites leather aficionados to make their own leather, fringed vests in her workshop on Tuesday, September 21, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Historical Center. The cost is $100 and includes materials and lunch. All levels of experience are welcome, and registrations are now being accepted as space is limited.

This year’s Cody High Style tour—Thursday, September 23, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.—highlights historic log cabins in the area, beginning with the Joseph Henry Sharp cabin, Absarokee Hut, at the Historical Center. Then, participants travel to several historic homestead cabins around Meeteetse, Wyoming, including the famous Pitchfork Ranch. Space is limited, and registrations are now being accepted. The cost for the guided tour is $100 and includes bus travel, lunch, and guide.

Along with its popular style show, Cody High Style also has several seminars and roundtable discussions that are free to the public:

Sept. 22, 2 p.m.: “Why would a magazine want to do a story on me?” Cowgirl Magazine editor-in-chief, Callan Loessberg.

Sept. 23, 10 a.m.: “Roundtable: Influences of Mastered Style” (historic styles from Molesworth to Roycroft).

Sept. 23, 1 p.m.: “Inspirations of the American West.” Montana Dreamwear designer Celeste Sotola.

Sept. 24, 11 a.m.: “Roundtable: Natural collaboration—defined by our materials.”

Sept. 25, 1 p.m.: “Roundtable: Recycled, reclaimed, and reborn”

A full schedule of Cody High Style events is available at http://rendezvousroyale.org/schedule.htm. To register for workshops or historic cabins tour, contact Jill Oseicki-Gleich, jillo@bbhc.org or 307.587.2619.

Stay current with Historical Center news and activities at http://www.bbhc.org/. 

"Deeper," new extreme snowboarding film by Teton Gravity Research of Teton Village, debuts in September

Regional tour dates:

9/15/2010, Salt Lake City, Brewvies
9/22/2010, Denver, Oriental Theater
9/23/2010, Boulder, Boulder Theatre
9/24/2010, Fort Collins, Lory Student Center

"Listen" to Leah Hardy and her visual diaries

Listen; copper, earthenware, encaustic, mica, teeth, resin; 10.5”x14”x8”

Leah Hardy of Laramie is one of the six Wyoming artists featured at the Wyoming Arts Council Biennial Fellowship Exhibit at the State Museum Nov. 5-Jan. 9. Come meet Leah and the rest of the artists at the museum's opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 5, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Here's more about Leah:

Artist Statement -- Leah Hardy

Childhood labors of love include making shoebox dioramas, assembling insect collections and creating secret spaces. These innate endeavors have greatly inspired my work as an adult.

My sculpture is a visual diary for commentary on daily occurrences, dreams, travels and human interaction – where I try to make sense of the world and its mysterious events in a poetic, distilled narrative manner.

Fragments of the human body, flora and everyday objects are integrated into surreal shrine-like settings to memorialize strange – and wonderful – life experiences. I utilize a rich array of color through material choices (copper, silver, earthenware, etc.) and various surface treatments such as patinas, encaustic, glaze and inks to evoke emotion, create focal points and visual tension or harmony to best express the intention of each piece.

Preparations underway for October's National Arts & Humanities Month

This article by Adrian Versteegh was in today's edition of the New York Daily News Online:

Preparations are underway for the seventeenth National Arts and Humanities Month, a country-wide smorgasbord of public events, open houses, and media coverage coordinated each October by the nonprofit advocacy group Americans for the Arts. The official partner for the 2009 installment is Art21, the contemporary visual arts organization behind the Emmy-nominated PBS series "Art21 -- Art in the Twenty-First Century."

“Everyone recognizes the creative and cultural value of the arts and humanities,” Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts and national coordinator of Arts and Humanities month, said in a press release. “National Arts and Humanities Month offers us a chance to celebrate the often overlooked economic, educational, and civic engagement values that the arts impart in our daily lives.”

Recognized by Congress and held annually since 1993, the month-long celebration grew out of National Arts Week, which was begun in 1985 under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Arts. National Arts and Humanities Month subsumes a host of cultural events across the country, including the Creative Conversations program, which features emerging arts leaders in local communities, and the National Arts Awards. Honorees at this year’s ceremony -- slated for October 5 in New York
City -- include Salman Rushdie, who will receive the Kitty Carlisle Hart Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts, and Robert Redford, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.