Donkey Creek Festival June 24-26 at Gillette College

The Donkey Creek Festival takes place June 24-June 26 with music, vendors, film and food.

The Donkey Creek Festival kicks off on the evening of June 24, with an Avenues of Art Reception at the Gillette College Tech Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The night concludes with a free outdoor film on the lawn of Gillette Campus featuring the animated hit Megamind.

On June 25, the day begins with a 5K walk/run at the Gillette College Tech Center hosted by the Campbell County Parks and Recreation Department. Then, the Boy Scouts of America hosts an all-you-can-eat pancake feed at the Gillette College Health Sciences Building beginning at 8 a.m. The Classic Car Show runs for five hours beginning at 10 a.m. at the Gillette College Tech Center parking lot.

Both Saturday and Sunday is filled with 12 hours of live music from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. A beer garden is available from noon-9 p.m. Saturday, and from noon-7 p.m. on Sunday.

Altogether, the Avenues of Art Reception, musical performances, outdoor film, and the classic car show are all free and open to the public.

Make a valentine for your honey at Art Design & Dine

From the Clay Paper Scissors Gallery, one of the stops on tonight's Art Design & Dine art walk in Cheyenne:

We'll be having a free valentine-making workshop during Art, Design and Dine on Thursday (today) from 5-8 p.m.  Materials are provided but if you would like to bring photos, cards or papers that are special to you, please do. Meghan Rowswell will be teaching a variety of techniques such as, basic hand embroidery, photo transfers, collage, stenciling, etc. check out www.artdesigndine.com for more information.

This workshop is being held in conjunction with a community based show called "Be Our Valentine." Members from the community can send valentines to Clay Paper Scissors, along with a self addressed stamped envelope, and the valentines will be displayed all month. At the end of the month, Clay Paper Scissors will send back a different valentine to the sender. If you create a valentine during the workshop you have the option of leaving it to be displayed at the gallery or you can take your valentine home and give it to your loved one.

Author Victor Villasenor speaks at Teton County Library Feb. 10

On Thursday, Feb. 10, 6-7 p.m., the Teton County Public Library presents a talk by author Victor Villaseñor.

He will discuss "Family and Quality of Life: Pride in Heritage, Family, and the Power of Personal Achievement through Vision, Education and Perseverance."

Mexican-American writer, Victor Villaseñor, best known for the New York Times bestselling novel "Rain of Gold," speaks in a heartfelt manner, about the strength of family, pride in heritage, and the dedication to education and personal achievement. Presentation is geared towards inspiring teens and parents. A book signing with titles available for purchase will follow. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Free. Latino Programs Coordinator, Patty Rocha, 733-2164 ext. 237, procha@tclib.org.

In Spanish with simultaneous interpretation to English.

During the author's trip to Teton County, he will also speak to students at Jackson High School. On Feb. 7-8, Villasenor will be at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. 

New year's first Art Design & Dine on Jan. 13

http://artdesignanddine.blogspot.com

Sign up now for Lander Art Center classes

Glenrock Pioneer Jubilee June 19

NEA launches Blue Star Museums program

National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson is one of the Blue Star Museums in Wyoming

Just announced by the National Endowment for the Arts:

NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a partnership with more than 600 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010.

The launch of the program was announced today at a press event hosted by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. Mr. Landesman and Ms. Roth-Douquet were joined by Chairman of the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture Colette Carson Royston, Rear Admiral Garry J. Bonelli, Deputy Commander of Naval Special Warfare, and Ellyn Dunford, spouse of Lt. General Joseph Dunford, Commanding General of I Marine Expeditionary Force, and representatives from San Diego's more than 150,000 active duty military personnel and the 14 San Diego museums participating in Blue Star Museums.

Following the event, Mr. Landesman, Ms. Roth-Douquet, and Mayor Sanders escorted six, local military families to visit the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Photographic Arts, and, the Mingei International Museum. The five families represented the five branches of the military – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy - as well as our National Guard and reserve forces.

"America's museums are proud to join the rest of the country in thanking our military personnel and their families for their service and sacrifice," said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. "I cannot imagine a better way to do that than welcoming them in to explore and enjoy the extraordinary cultural heritage our museums present. The works of art on view this summer will certainly inspire and challenge viewers – and sometimes they will just be a great deal of fun."

"There have always been wonderful examples of partnerships between museums and military installations, but the scale of this gift from the museum community to military families is thrilling," said Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet. "Military families work hard for this country, and it is gratifying for us to be recognized for that. We anticipate that thousands of military families will participate in the program and visit museums this summer – many of them for the first time. Blue Star Families will work hard to help our military families make the most of these opportunities."

In addition to being Chairman of Blue Star Families, Ms. Roth-Douquet is married to a Marine Corps officer, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan. They have two children, and Ms. Roth-Douquet and the children plan to take a road trip this summer to visit Blue Star Museums up and down the East Coast.

"Part of being a military family means limited time together," added Sherri Brown, Marine Corps spouse and mother of two. "Blue Star Museums gives military families the chance at quality time together, that is both fun and educational without the worry of affordability. Summer can be a very long time with a parent away, and for those families, this will also help take their minds off what is going on overseas and make the time go faster."

"The Blue Star Museums program is an incredibly creative and thoughtful way to honor all the sacrifices of our troops and their families," said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. "And what better place to kick it off than San Diego, which has so many wonderful military families and so many world-class museums."

More than six hundred museums in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are taking part in the initiative. The American Association of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors, and the Association of Children's Museums each sent a letter from NEA Chairman Landesman inviting museums to participate in this program. In addition to thirty children's museums across the country, participating museums represent a broad range of art, history, science, and cultural topics, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas; the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, California; the Mission San Luis, a living history site and historic landmark in Tallahassee, Florida; the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Lincoln – Nebraska; the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; and the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire.

Wyoming Blue Star Museums:
Campbell County Rockpile Museum, Gillette
Fort Caspar Museum, Casper
Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center, Thermopolis
National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center, Dubois
National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson (see photo above)

FMI: www.bluestarfam.org

Little Hands offers art, music and dance classes for little kids and their parents

Little Hands, A Family Program for Creative Inspiration, invites you to join its program:

Who: Children (ages 1 to 6) and their parents or caregivers

What: Exploration and expression through art - from visual art to dance and music – for small children and their parent(s) or caregiver(s).

When: Tuesday mornings, 10-noon, starting February 2, 2010

Where: First Baptist Church, 514 S. Beech - 5th & Beech, 1 block south of the Nic. (We have no religious affiliation but the church has generously donated space.)

Cost: FREE! But to first session, families should bring:
1) a bag of recycled “beautiful stuff” chosen by child and parent
2) a commitment to volunteer time with us, whatever your skills

How: Families can sign up for one or more 6-week sessions this spring, with the above commitment. See sign-up sheet on back.

For more information, please contact Kelleen Gilstad (265-5497) or Kate Schneider (247-0726) or email us at LittleHandsWY@gmail.com

This program supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council. Support also comes from Mercer House and the First Baptist Church of Casper.

New book by Laramie mother and daughter

From a UW press release:

A new book describes a Laramie mother and daughter's trek from stroke through rehabilitation and their return home.

Stacy Gupton suffered a stroke in 2003 while working on an art project. Stacy and her mother, Mona, said at that time they lacked the resources to deal with stroke and all the complications and said they wrote "A Piece of Her Mind" to help others.

"We felt Stacy's story could give someone else hope of finding life after tragedy," said Mona, who works in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences in the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "We did not write this book to simply tell a sad story. We want others to know that life truly does go on, and it is up to each of us how we choose to live each day.

"Once a day is gone, we can't get it back. We can laugh or cry. I tell Stacy all the time that every day she has now is a bonus."

Mona said she realized writing the book would be emotional.

"It actually took me nearly three years to complete the manuscript. There were times when I wrote with such anger and pain that it was exhausting," she said.

Writing was therapeutic. "By going back and reading my journal entries and Stacy's, I was able to visualize exactly how far she had come and how we had grown together as a family," said Mona.

Stacy said she's glad she wrote the book. "I had to relive everything, and that wasn't easy. Even though it was really hard, I am glad we did this because it showed me how much I have improved," she said. "On bad days, it made me remember why I never give up."

Order the book through your local bookstore or at amazon.com at http://tinyurl.com/ylm3wz9

Washakie Museum & Cultural Center Events

Enter Laughing: A Comedy in Two Acts
Classic Comedy Dinner Theater
November 13 and 14, 2009, 7 p.m.
At the Washakie Museum, 1115 Obie Sue Avenue, Worland

Enter Laughing is a play by Joseph Stein and will be directed by Lew MarkleySet in the early days of the Depression, the story recounts the zany adventures of David Kolowitz, a delivery boy in a sewing machine factory, who decides his future is on the stage, despite his family's insistence that he become a druggist. David pursues his dream to an acting school run by a seedy old actor and his femme fatale daughter. The company makes him pay to act.
Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Carl Reiner, it centers on the journey of young aspiring actor David Kolowitz as he tries to extricate himself from overly protective parents (who want him to be a married pharmacist) and too many girlfriends, while struggling to meet the challenge of a lack of talent in 1930s New York City.
After two previews, the Broadway production, directed by Gene Saks, opened on March 13, 1963 at Henry Miller's Theatre, where it ran for 419 performances. The cast included Alan Arkin, Vivian Blaine, Sylvia Sidney, Michael J. Pollard, and Alan Mowbray.
Arkin won both the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and the Theatre World Award for his performance. Reiner wrote the screenplay for and directed a 1967 film version starring Reni Santoni, José Ferrer, Shelley Winters, Elaine May, Jack Gilford, Janet Margolin, Don Rickles, David Opatoshu, and Michael J. Pollard. Santoni appeared in Kolowitz role, but it did not prove to be as much of a career springboard.
Enter Laughing was revived as a musical in 2008 as an off-Broadway production for a limited run. The New York Times praised the revival as "hilarious."

Théâtre Sans Fil - The Hobbit
Saturday, November 21, 2009
3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
At Worland's Middle School Auditorium

Who hasn’t heard of the superb trilogy of “The Lord of the Rings”? And now, THÉÂTRE SANS FIL has brought to life the story where it all began – “The Hobbit” – the wonderful journey of Bilbo Baggins to a new level of wisdom. This award-winning Tolkien fantasy will have a new, larger-than-life look with THÉÂTRE SANS FIL’s highly successful adaptation that has received standing ovations throughout the world.

Tickets: All Children & Students(K-12) $8.00 Adults &12.00
Tickets are available at the Washakie Museum, Hedge Music, Rocky Mountain Framing, Blue Wire Alltel, Kennedy Ace Hardware, and Worland True Value. Or by phone 347-4102

www.washakiemuseum.org

Accreditation Celebration at NIC today

Holly Turner, director of the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, sends this invitation:

Please join us Monday (today) between noon and 7 p.m. for Accreditation Celebration Day!

We will be celebrating the museum's recent accreditation by the American Association of Museums. We will be offering all visitors:

• FREE ADMISSION!
• A first glimpse at the 24th annual Rocky Mountain Invitational Exhibition,features 85 works by about 60 artists from across the region
• Special “behind the scenes tours” of the museum – at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.
• A free gift for the first 50 visitors through the doors
• Chances to win museum memberships and other great prizes
• In the Discovery Center, Preschool Picassos (which is held from 1-2 p.m.) will be free
• Free ongoing, silk screen printing workshop in the Discovery Center
• Chance to enter prize drawing in The Museum Shop at the NIC
  

Says Holly: “We hope everyone will drop by, for a few minutes at least, to have a cookie with us, enjoy the art and see why the NIC has earned the highest national recognition for a museum.”

Join Sept. 17 camera safari to the Tetons

From a press release:

Wildlife artists Lindsay Scott and Leo E. Osborne will accompany a unique ‘Mini Safari’ into Grand Teton National Park on Thursday, September 17. The early morning camera safari – led by Wildlife Expeditions, a division of non-profit Teton Science Schools – is part of the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Western Visions fundraiser, for which Scott and Osborne are 2009 Featured Artists. Guests will enjoy firsthand advice and commentary from the artists as they travel by customized safari-style vehicles through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, experiencing a variety of native birds and animals during prime early morning viewing hours.

The Mini Safari takes place from 6:30-11 a.m. on September 17, departing from the museum, 2.5 miles north of Jackson. Tickets for the event are $125 for museum members, $150 for non-members; call 307.732.5412 to register. A discounted lunch will be available in the Rising Sage Café at the museum following the trip. Western Visions is the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s largest annual fundraiser. Signature Western Visions events including the 22nd Annual Wild West Artist Party, also on September 17, and the 22nd Annual Miniatures and More Show & Sale, September 18, coincide with the popular Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival.

In addition to their Mini Safari participation, New Zealand-based painter and conservationist Lindsay Scott and U.S. sculptor Leo E. Osborne will present live demonstrations, participate in a Featured Artists Panel Discussion, and have specially created pieces sold at live auction during the Miniatures and More Show & Sale, September 18. For a full schedule of Western Visions events, visit http://www.westernvisions.org/WesternVisions/CalendarEvents/.

A member of Museums West and accredited by the American Association of Museums, the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe and has been featured in media including the L.A. Times and New York Times. A complete schedule of exhibitions and events are available online at http://www.wildlifeart.org/.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Zeenie Scholz, National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5437, zscholz@wildlifeart.org

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.

Mark Spragg's new book due out next spring

This info about Mark's Spragg's new novel, Bone Fire, comes from the Knopf spring 2010 catalogue (via Fans of Mark Spragg Facebook page):

Ishawooa, Wyoming, is far from bucolic nowadays, as the sheriff, Crane Carlson, is reminded when he finds a teenager murdered in a meth-lab. His other troubles include a wife who's going off the rails with bourbon and pot and his own symptoms of the disease that killed his grandfather.

Einar Gilkyson, taking stock at eighty, counts among his dead a lifelong friend, a wife and his only child, and his long-absent sister has lately returned home from Chicago after watching her soulmate die. His granddaughter, Griff, has dropped out of college to look after him, though Einar would rather she continue with her studies and her boyfriend, Paul. Completing this extended family are Barnum McEban and his ward, Kenneth, a ten year old whose mother (Paul's sister) is off marketing enlightenment.

What these characters have to contend with on a daily basis is bracing enough, but as their lives become even more strained, hardship foments exceptional compassion and generosity, and along with harsh truths come moments of hilarity and surprise and beauty.

No one writes more compellingly about the modern West than Mark Spragg, and Bone Fire finds him at the very height of his powers.

Mark Spragg is the author of Where Rivers Change Direction, a memoir that won the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award, and the novels The Fruit of Stone and An Unfinished Life, which was chosen by the Rocky Mountain News as the Best Book of 2004. All three were top-ten Book Sense selections and have been translated into fifteen languages. He lives with his wife, Virginia, in Wyoming.

"Parents' Night" at AVA Aug. 14