Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund awards $690,870 in grants

Interpretive program at the Vore Buffalo Jump in Crook County. The Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation received a $24,282 grant from the WCTF for interpretive and educational materials. 

As many as 36 Wyoming cultural and heritage projects and sponsoring organizations will benefit from $690,870 in grant awards from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund (WCTF).

The grant awards, approved by the five-member Cultural Trust Fund board at a recent meeting in Sundance, came from 50 total applications from 19 communities in 18 counties. The requests totaled more than $1.435 million, with requests capped at a maximum of $50,000. Applicants in this year’s grant pool anticipate generating over $10 in matching local support for every $1 received from the Cultural Trust Fund.

These requests were for a variety of projects including the preservation and rehabilitiaton of historic buildings and sites, museum equipment and exhibition development, arts education programs, endowment campaigns, and organizational infrastructure needs including staff and planning processes.

In 1988, the Wyoming Legislature, recognizing that Wyoming and its people possess a unique cultural heritage, created the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Act. The mission of the WCTF board is to serve the citizens of Wyoming by supporting the state’s cultural heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation and protection of the arts and cultural historic resources.

For more information about the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, please contact Renee Bovee, administrator, at 307-777-6312.

Albany County
Laramie Plains Civic Center, $25,000, Theater Fly System Restoration
U.W. American Indian Studies Program, $10,000, Comprehensive Plan for U.W. American Indian Center
U.W. Art Museum, $40,000, Master Teacher Endowment Challenge

Campbell County
American Legion Post 42 of Gillette, $5,000, Bricks for Vets: United We Stand Monument

Converse County
Independent Order of Odd Fellows c/o City of Douglas, $3,158, Camp Douglas Officers Club Restoration

Crook County
Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation, $24,282, Interpretive and Educational Materials

Fremont County
Lander Art Center, $10,500, Native American Emerging Artists Training and Exhibition

Johnson County
Hoofprints of the Past Museum, $20,000, Museum Building Addition

Laramie County
Cheyenne Depot Museum, $3,250, Collection Display
Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, $20,000, Museum Acquisition of the C.B. Irwin Collection
Cheyenne Little Theater Players, Inc., $42,500, Mary Godfrey Playhouse Equipment Upgrades
City of Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board, $8,907, Lakeview Cemetery Historic Holding Vault Restoration
LightsOn!, $25,000, International Mentor Artist-in-Residence/Exhibit Planning and Development

Natrona County
Casper Children’s Theater, $7,900, Destination Drama Program Expansion
Elks Lodge 1353, $42,000, Elks Lodge Library Windows Restoration
Fort Caspar Museum Association, $6,867, Collection Storage Upgrades
Nicolaysen Art Museum, $25,000, Educational Program Revitalization
Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, $22,500, Capacity Building through Staff Development
Wyoming Veterans’ Memorial Museum, $25,000, Collection Curation

Platte County
Chugwater Historical Unity Group, $6,298, Digital Storage of Museum Photos and Documents

Sheridan County
WYO Theater, Inc., $8.000, Technical Support

Sublette County
Pinedale Fine Arts Council, $3,500, Mapping Opportunities/Visual Arts Symposium
Sublette County Historical Society, $40,000, New Fort River Crossing Historical Park

Teton County
Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10,000, Artspace Gallery
Center for the Arts, $25,000, Endowment Campaign Infrastructure and Preparation
Cultural Council of Jackson Hole, $10,600, Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative
Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, $10,000, “The Coach: An American Crossroads” Documentary
pARTners, $10,000, Create and Learn through the Arts Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Uinta County
Roundhouse Restoration, Inc., $24,916, Superintendent’s Office Restoration

Washakie County
Washakie Museum and Cultural Center, $20,000, Exhibition Equipment

Statewide
State Historic Preservation Office, $50,000, Interpreting Culture and History on the Wind River Reservation Planning
Wyoming Arts Alliance, $14,200, Capacity Building
Wyoming Center for the Book, Inc., $5,000, Wyoming Book Festival Roadshow
Wyoming Music Educators Association, $12,000, Executive Director Compensation
Wyoming State Historical Society, $25,270, WyoHistory.org
Wyoming Women’s Business Center, $49,762, Works of Wyoming Arts and Business Online Education, Outreach and Seminars

Suite 1901 receives Dubois Award May 11 from Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board

From Don Threewit: The Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board is presenting its annual Dubois Award for Excellence to Suite 1901 at -- you guessed it -- Suite 1901. On Wednesday, May 11, 7-10 p.m. This downtown business is a spectacular example of adaptive reuse of a a hotel and lounge and is the newest of Cheyenne's hot spots. Please join us to celebrate John Harrison and his team's success and imbibe in a tasty infused martini. Any questions, feel free to call me, Don Threewitt, at 307-256-4879

Save the date: 4Cs conference in Cody Oct. 6-9

More info coming soon from the Wyoming Arts Council

Murie Center hosts nature photography workshop June 15-18 with Henry H. Holdsworth

Teton Spring Awakening Nature Photography Workshop with Henry H. Holdsworth

Dates: June 15-18, 2011
Location: The Murie Ranch – A National Historic Landmark in Grand Teton National Park
Description: Join the Murie Center and nationally renowned local photographer Henry H. Holdsworth for a long weekend learning how to capture the essence of beauty in the valley.
Price: $1,345 includes lodging for 3 nights in a Murie Ranch cabin, all meals and tuition; $995 includes all meals and tuition only.

The Murie Center is pleased to welcome back Henry H. Holdsworth for a spring workshop that will focus on wildflowers and wildlife, with baby animals being one of the primary focal points. Enjoy a long weekend stay at the Murie Ranch while learning to photograph the wildness and wildlife of the surrounding valley under the direction of such an accomplished photographer. Register Online »

UW American Studies Program explores Laramie's Historic Westside Neighborhood April 20

The Albany County Historic Preservation Board will hold a public meeting at the historic westside of Laramie on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. in the Civic Center Auditorium. Research, historic photos and architectural survey of the area conducted by UW's American Studies Program will be presented. 

FMI: Alliance for Historic Wyoming 

Wyoming Archaeology Month poster wins national award

The 2010 Wyoming Archaeology Awareness Month (WAAM) poster, featuring the Tolar Petroglyph site, has been awarded first place in the Society for American Archaeology’s (SAA) annual nationwide poster contest.

The poster features a well preserved image of a Comanche warrior on horseback, elaborately carved into sandstone bedrock and strikingly contrasted with the dark natural varnish of the cliff face. The panel design is likely over two centuries old. The site is valued by several Indian nations as a sacred and honored place. The glyph used on this poster was chosen with the concurrence of the Comanche, Eastern Shoshone, Ute, and Northern Arapaho tribes, a cross-cultural collaboration that benefits all of Wyoming.

This is the thirteenth year the Wyoming poster has been recognized with an award from the SAA. The announcement was made at the SAA’s annual meeting held in Sacramento, Calif. Production of the poster was coordinated by Judy Wolf of the State Historic Preservation Office.

The Wyoming Archaeology Awareness Month posters are available free of charge and may be picked up at the State Historic Preservation Office in Cheyenne, 3rd floor Barrett Building, 2301 Central Ave. or in Laramie in the new Anthropology Department building, 2th and Lewis,Room 312.

If you would like a poster mailed to you, a $10 charge is necessary to cover mailing costs. Limit one poster per person. Send your request along with a check or money order payable to "Wyoming Archaeology Month" and your name and mailing address to: Judy Wolf, State Historic Preservation Office, Wyoming Archaeology Month, Dept. 3431, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie WY 82071.

Cheyenne's Al Weiderspahn will deliver keynote address at Preserve Wyoming Conference

Keynote speaker Alvin Weiderspahn will discuss his efforts to rehabilitate Cheyenne’s Grier Building during a Preserve Wyoming Conference, April 29-30 in Casper.

The conference is sponsored by the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office in partnership with Wyoming Main Street, Alliance for Historic Wyoming, Casper Historic Preservation Board, Wyoming State Historical Society and Yellowstone Garage.

Weiderspahn’s rehabilitation of the Grier Building is the state’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified project.

Other session topics during the conference include building restoration projects, the future of Wyoming’s historic schools and case studies of school preservation. Also, an advocacy session on preservation issues will be held with Wyoming legislators.

An awards ceremony will highlight the outstanding work and efforts of Wyoming’s Certified Local Government organizations and the Wyoming Main Street Program.

A walking tour of downtown Casper and the Yellowstone District will be held April 29 with a tour of Natrona County High School on April 30.

To register for the conference, please visit http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us. Persons with questions are asked to contact Ashley Rooney at 307-777-7566 or aroone@state.wy.us.

Historic Plains Hotel hosts 100th birthday bash today

From the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne:

Join us in the main lobby of The Historic Plains Hotel this afternoon (March 9) as we celebrate our 100th Birthday with an open house and a visit from Teddy Roosevelt, whom frequented Wyoming and did not visit the Plains Hotel until late 1911 after it’s opening, where he began his desires to form a new Republican party, which eventually became the fformation of the Bull Moose Party.

This is the first of many more birthday events this year.

The event is open to the public and we will offer birthday cake, ice tea and kick off our year long birthday celebration of 100 years of hospitality.

Each month we will offer specials and events surrounding 100 years of hospitality to the residents of Cheyenne and to numerous guests over the past 100 years.

We hope to have you stop in and celebrate the first of many celebrations in the year ahead, recounting 100 years of Hospitality, while creating new memories and living the history of today.

Events to Follow will be reenactments and reflections of significant events over the past 100 years, inviting local guests, celebrities and guests whom have played a significant role in The Historic Plains Hotel.

Brush up on your historic broom-making skills at free Territorial Prison workshop March 18

From Wyoming State Parks:

The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in Laramie will hold a free workshop for the public and potential volunteers, 18 years and older, who are interested in the art of constructing 1890s brooms.

Featured Broom Historian, Mark Parsons, Berthoud, Colo., will conduct the “hands-on” workshop on March 18, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Participants will learn the basic methods of broom construction utilizing vintage and replica broom making equipment to create their own handmade broom for decorative or functional use. Discussion of the history of brooms and broom making will be included. All skill levels welcome.

“A broom is such an ordinary object and yet it can be very reminiscent of a simpler time.” Deborah Amend, superintendent of the Wyoming Territorial Prison said. “Brooms were a commonplace, functional item in every household. In 1892 the Prison, recognizing the potential revenue from the broom industry, began producing brooms commercially, using convict labor, and shipped them all over the United States, Hawaii and internationally as far away as Asia.”

This workshop is also offered to educate and train any new volunteers who would like to refine their broom making skills and do living history presentations during the site’s summer season by volunteering to work in the Prison Industry Building. Selected volunteers will receive appropriate uniforms, training and historical information related to convict industries at the prison.

For additional information or to register for the workshop call 307-745-6161. The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, located at 975 Snowy Range Road in Laramie, opens for the season on April 30 and will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until October 31.

FMI: Deborah Amend or 307-777-7878

National Trust for Historic Preservation names Sheridan one of its Dozen Distinctive Destinations

The National Trust for Historic Preservation just named Sheridan one its Dozen Distinctive Destinations:

Sheridan’s numerous interesting restaurants, entertainment venues and abundant public art installations will have you believing this town is truly “The West at its Best!"

One of Sheridan County's premier destinations, the Bradford Brinton Memorial & Museum, received a 2010 Governor's Arts Award last Friday at a ceremony in Cheyenne. Bradford Brinton is in Big Horn, just a short drive from downtown Sheridan.

Read the entire NTHP article here. You can also vote for your favorite destination. As of today, Sheridan ranks sixth out of twelve, sandwiched between Alexandria, Va., and Chapel Hill, N.C.

Call for entries: Cheyenne Depot Museum Foundation

From the Cheyenne Depot Museum Foundation:

The foundation is presenting an opportunity for Wyoming and surrounding area artists to participate in a railroad art competition to develop a collection of artwork that represents the history of the railroads of America and how they helped build our Nation into the society it is today. The subject focus of this competition is artful renditions depicting the events, people, machinery and historical locations in all periods of time from the inception to the construction of rail and railways in their current form today.

Artists are asked to be historically correct in their presentations and will be judged on the accuracy of the details of their works.

All mediums will be accepted but must be ready to hang or place with accompanying info (title, media) when they arrive at the Depot by 5:00 PM on Monday May 2, 2011.

Interested parties are encouraged to get their entry forms turned in no later than February 15th 2011.

Entry forms should be sent to:
The Cheyenne Depot Museum Foundation
PO BOX 704
Cheyenne, WY 82003

Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners:
First place, $1,000
Second place, $750
Third place, $500

FMI: Gordon Horton at 307-421-7897 or the Cheyenne Depot Museum Foundation at 307-637-3376.

Deadline for Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grants is May 2

The next grants deadline for the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund is May 2, 2011.

Here's some background info:

In 1998, the Wyoming Legislature, recognizing that Wyoming and its people possess a unique cultural heritage, created the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund (WCTF), including a five-member board named by the Governor. The mission of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund is to serve the citizens of Wyoming by supporting Wyoming’s culture and heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation, and protection of the state’s arts, cultural and historic resources; and to support and invest in Wyoming institutions that help further this mission.

The WCTF can provide grant funding for all forms of arts and culture, including but not limited to:

·        Visual Art – photography, sculpture, painting, experimental, graphics

·        Performing Arts – theatre, dance, music

·        Crafts – clay, fiber, glass, leather, wood, jewelry, mixed-media

·        Design Arts – architecture, fashion, industrial, landscape

·        Media Arts – film, audio, video, technology/experimental

·        Literature – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, criticism

·        Folk/Traditional Arts – dance, music, crafts, oral traditions

·        Humanities – history, folklore/folklife, languages, anthropology, sociology

·        Historic and Architectural Preservation – conservation, survey, preservation planning, restoration or rehabilitation

·        Community Cultural Celebrations

·        Cultural Tourism

Grant applications shall, at a minimum, indicate the ability of the organization or project to accomplish one (1) or more of the following:

·       Create and complete innovative projects that expand and develop Wyoming’s cultural environment

·       Reward innovative thinking in advancing Wyoming’s culture

·       Preserve Wyoming’s historical and cultural heritage

·       Increase awareness of Wyoming’s historical and cultural heritage

·       Develop and promote cultural events that bring Wyoming citizens together to celebrate the State’s cultural heritage

·       Increase the availability and access of cultural opportunities for the citizens of Wyoming

·       Build long-term financial investment in Wyoming cultural institutions and infrastructure, including increasing and stimulating public and private investment

·       Strengthen and increase the organizational capacity of Wyoming’s cultural institutions

·       Increase cooperation, communication and partnerships between non-profit cultural organizations, public entities, the private sector and individuals for the benefit of Wyoming’s cultural life

·       Develop new local and/or regional organizations devoted to the advancement of culture

·       Support the role of Wyoming’s cultural life in community and economic development

·       Develop cultural heritage tourism in the state

Grant applications should address projects/events/activities that are not traditionally served by, do not qualify for, or are beyond the programs or resources of the State Historic Preservation Office, Wyoming Arts Council or Wyoming Humanities Council.

Deselms Fine Art & Custom Framing moving to Whipple House

Wyomingarts came across this news from Harvey Deselms on Facebook:

Coming December __ 2010 -- the new home of Deselms Fine Art and Custom Framing, 300 E 17th Street, Cheyenne. Formerly known as The Whipple House (and once an Italian restaurant). This historic building is shown in photo above.

Says Harvey: "Art makes a great gift, if even for yourself, this holiday season and it's less I have to move.... I will be calling some of you to help.... please!"

More good news for downtown Cheyenne.

Sign up for Mary Humstone's online course in historic preservation

Getting ready for Christmas at the Historic Governor's Mansion

The Wyoming Historic Governors’ Mansion will close November 5 through December 2 to prepare for the “Tinsel Through Time” exhibit.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on December 3.

Tours of the mansion during the closure are available by special appointment.

The Historic Governors’ Mansion is located at 300 E. 21st Street in Cheyenne. Please call 777-7878 for more information or to make an appointment. Admission is free.

Wyoming State Archives podcast looks back at 1969's "Black 14" controversy

The October 23 football game between the University of Wyoming and Brigham Young brings back memories of the 1960s stand-off between some of the football players and their coach in the proposed protest by the players against the LDS church's then-policy to keep African Americans from holding certain high level positions in the church heirarchy.

The Wyoming State Archives looks back on one of the darkest periods of that history with a podcast featuring a series of interviews revisiting the Black 14 incident of October 1969. The podcast includes comments by long-time Wyoming broadcaster, the late Larry Birleffi; members of the Black 14; and other Wyoming officials.

Birleffi, in an interview conducted during the early 80s, describes to interviewer Mark Junge the social climate of that time, the man that was Coach Lloyd Eaton, and his interpretation of the darkest period of Wyoming football.

Birleffi’s comments along with more recent interviews with others involved with the Black 14 incident are available on the Wyoming State Archives website. They include Dr. Willie Black, then chancellor of the Black Student Alliance; Judge James Barrett, then Wyoming’s Attorney General; and Dr. Michael C. Robinson who was a UW history student, who protested for the football players’ right to protest and then went on to join the LDS church in later years.

Log onto http://www.wyoarchives.org/ and click on “oral histories.” The oral history project is funded by the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

Mary Humstone addresses Albany County Historical Society Oct. 19

Alliance for Historic Wyoming's Mary Humstone will be speaking about the Alliance to the Albany County Historical Society on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Alice Hardie Stevens Center behind the Ivinson Mansion in Laramie. Refreshments at 7 p.m.; talk at 7:30. In addition to her work with AHW, Mary teaches on the built environment and historic preservation and coordinates outreach activities including internships and field classes in the UW American Studies Program. For more info, contact Trey Sherwood at treysherwood@gmail.com

Encampment author Candy Moulton to speak at Wyoming State Archives workshop Oct. 27

Registration is underway for an “Archives All-Day Workshop,” held jointly by the Wyoming State Archives, Wyoming Chapter of ARMA International and the Wyoming State Historic Records Advisory Board, October 27, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Kiwanis Community House in Cheyenne.

The workshop features speakers Candy Moulton, historian and author, who will speak on Westward Expansion and John Fremont in Wyoming; Gayla Mead, Big Horn River Adjudication general case administrator, history and records of the Big Horn River Adjudication Processes; and Donald Skupsky, JD, CRM, FAI, MIT, electronic records and retention schedules for hard and electronic records.

The workshop will also afford those in attendance and opportunity to learn and network about Wyoming’s past and current topics that have influenced and shaped the state’s history and archives. Issues concerning today’s legal compliance and records and information management will also be discussed.

The workshop is held in observance of National Archives Month and celebrates Wyoming Archives Day.

All attendees must be pre-registered by October 22. Registration is $10 and includes the workshop, handouts, breaks, beverages and a Texas Road House catered lunch.

For forms and information, please contact Pat Newbern at 307-777-8907, email pnewbe1@state.wy.us; or Rich Wilson, 307-777-5586, email rwilso2@state.wy.us.

Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund board holds open forum discussion Oct. 7 in Lander

The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund Board retreat will be held October 7-8 at the Lander Art Center, 224 Main Street, Lander.

No formal business will be conducted during this meeting, however the board will host an open forum discussion on October 7 from 1 -5 p.m. Board discussions will continue on October 8 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The mission of the WCTF is to serve the citizens of the state by supporting Wyoming’s culture and heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation and protection of the state’s arts, cultural and historic resources. The program will also look to support and invest in Wyoming institutions that support the state’s culture and heritage.

For more information about this meeting or the Cultural Trust Fund program, please contact Renée Bovée, administrator, at 307-777-6312.

New issue of Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter

The Sept. 22 issue of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund newsletter provides updates on two of the fund's projects: Lander Art Center (shown in photo) exhibit space upgrades and the painting of the Garfield Street food bridge in Laramie. To read it, go to http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/CTF/ViewNL.aspx?NLID=38