Daily hard-hat tours of renovation work at National Museum of Wildlife Art

Another good reason to visit Jackson this summer:

Beauty is being restored to the rugged National Museum of Wildlife Art façade one carefully placed piece of Oakley Quartzite (shown in photo) at a time as the museum’s construction projects continue on schedule. More than 37,000 square feet of the multicolored stone, mined in Idaho, will eventually sheathe the building’s façade as part of summer improvements that include a new roof and initial work on the new sculpture trail in addition to the upfit to the exterior walls, with capital improvements to the building scheduled for completion by October 31, 2011.

The museum remains open on its regular schedule during construction, and visitors can check the work-in-progress on the new sculpture trail via free “hard hat tours” daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The three-quarter-mile-long outdoor art venue designed by renowned landscape architect Walter Hood will showcase nearly 30 permanent and temporary artworks and is slated to open September 2012. A special installment of the tours will be led July 1 at 10 a.m. by museum Director of Security and Facility Service Joe Bishop, who will share museum history, fun facts and hard-to-believe stories from his more than 20 years on staff.

In addition to the capital improvements and new sculpture trail, work has been underway on a new underpass to allow easy biker and hiker access to the museum from the Jackson-to-Grand Teton National Park North Highway 89 pathway. A panel including the museum’s Curator of Art Adam Harris recently selected artwork featuring playful ravens by Wisconsin sculptor Don Rambadt for the new underpass’s retaining walls.

Read this intriguing article about trailblazing landscape architect Walter Hood in Fast Company magazine.

Benefit for Old West Museum features Neal McCoy

Neal McCoy

The Old West Museum continues its partnership with the Outlaw Saloon in Cheyenne for a benefit concert on Saturday June 25, by Neal McCoy.  Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 the day of the show.  To buy tickets or for more information, visit www.oldwestmuseum.org or call (307)635-7552 or (307)778-7290.

Neal McCoy has 3 platinum albums and 1 gold album with such chart toppers as Wink, No Doubt About It, The Shake and Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On.  McCoy has just released a new inspirational book entitled New Mountain to Climb.  For more information on Neal McCoy visit his web-site at www.nealmccoy.com.

Proceeds benefit the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum’s rotating exhibits, year-round children’s and educational programs, art shows and our collection of over 75,000 artifacts.

Blue Star Museums in Wyoming and across the U.S. offer free summer admission to military families

On the steps of the San Diego Museum of Art, from L-R: Rocco Landesman, Lt. Gen. R.G. Milstead, Kathy Roth-Douquet, and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. Photo by Sandy Huffaker

On May 23, NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet announced the second annual launch of Blue Star Museums, a partnership with more than 1,300 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2011. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. See the complete list of participating museums. Wyoming museums are:

Campbell County Rockpile Museum

Gillette

Fort Caspar Museum
Casper

Grand Encampment Museum
Encampment

Hot Springs County Museum & Cultural Center
Thermopolis

National Bighorn Sheep Center

National Bighorn Sheep Center
Dubois

National Museum of Wildlife Art
Jackson

Wyoming State Museum
Cheyenne

The launch of the program was announced today at a press event on the steps of the San Diego Museum of Art hosted by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. Mr. Landesman and Ms. Roth-Douquet were joined by Lt Gen R.E. Milstead, Jr., Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, United States Marine Corps; Vicki Reed, Chair of the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture; and representatives from San Diego's more than 150,000 active duty military personnel and the 17 San Diego museums participating in Blue Star Museums.

Read full press release at http://arts.endow.gov/news/news11/BSM-Announcement.html

Washakie Museum in Worland receives $10,000 grant from National Endowment for the Arts

Washakie Museum and Cultural Center. Photo by David Huber

The Washakie Museum and Cultural Center in Worland is the recipient of a $10,000 Access to Artistic Excellence grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

According to a May 17 NEA press release, the grant will “support a series of visual and performing arts presentations. Project activities will include traveling exhibitions of Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers; American Legacy: Our National Parks, On Location with the Plein-Air Painters of America; Montana Repertory Theatre's performance of Doubt; and a music performance by mezzo-soprano Lindsay Craft with the Museum Singers Choir.”

FMI: www.washakiemuseum.org

BBHC exhibit of arts & crafts from Heart Mtn. Internment Camp opens June 1

View of Heart Mountain Relocation Center barracks, 1942. Photo by Jack Richard. Jack Richard Collection. 

Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: Arts and Crafts from the  Heart Mountain Internment Camp

June 1-September 6, 2011, Cody Firearms Museum Breezeway, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody

A small exhibit showcasing the craftsmanship of the Japanese-American internees confined at the Heart Mountain Internment Camp during the years 1942-1945 will be on display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center during this 2011 summer. The exhibit will feature twenty-four arts and crafts objects on loan to the Historical Center from the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation along with another three items from other lenders. Wood carvings, jewelry, needlework, oil paintings, and a doll are among the artifacts in the exhibit.

Through this exhibit the Historical Center aims to call the attention of its visitors to the opening of the Interpretive Learning Center at Heart Mountain on August 20, as well as to honor the artisans who made these incredible pieces. The skill and artistry involved in crafting these objects is outstanding, and the exhibit is certain to be informative and enlightening.

Construction update: National Museum of Wildlife Art

Excavation preparation began this week on the underpass that will link the Jackson-to-Grand Teton North 89 Pathway to the National Museum of Wildlife Art. When completed in late May, the new underpass will connect the pathway for bicyclists, pedestrians and other non-motorized users to the museum and its new sculpture trail, which is also under construction and slated for fall 2011 completion.

“Wingwalls” for the underpass are being installed this week on the sides of the road, according to Pathways Coordinator Brian Schilling, who adds that signs are being placed this week to alert travelers about the construction. The week of May 8, traffic cones will narrow multiple lanes of Highway 89 to two lanes for 3,000 feet in each direction, with excavation taking place around the clock all week for quick completion. The underpass itself will be installed by mid-May with construction completed by the end of the month. The museum will remain open on its regular schedule during all phases of the construction.

In addition to the Teton County/Jackson Hole Community Pathways underpass project, the museum is undergoing capital improvements of its own, including a new roof and upfit to exterior walls, as well as construction of the new multimillion-dollar sculpture trail designed by renowned landscape architect Walter Hood , which will further integrate the museum’s collection with its natural Wyoming setting. Beginning June 1, free hard hat tours of the under-construction sculpture trail will be available twice daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

A member of the Museums West consortium 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. A complete schedule of museum exhibitions and events is available online at www.wildlifeart.org . The museum is also active on Facebook at wildlifeartjh and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Ponteir Sackrey, National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5444, psackrey@wildlifeart.org.

In Memoriam: Harry Jackson

Always supportive of the arts community, Harry Jackson attended an artists’ reception at Stone Soup Studios in 2007 with (from left) Janet Bedford, Melodie Ferri, Stephanie Hedrick, Sybil Hedrick, the Rev. Daphne Grimes and Lura Brewes. Cody Enterprise photo.

From the Cody Enterprise:

Cody lost a living legend and the art world an icon when Harry Jackson died Monday, April 25.

The internationally-renowned artist, who turned 87 on April 18, passed away at the V.A. Hospital in Sheridan. He finally succumbed to the life-long effects of head wounds he suffered as a front-line combat marine and combat artist in the Pacific Theatre of World War II.

Read entire obituary here

"Laramie: A Gem City Atlas" at UW Art Museum sees the city from other points-of-view

LuLing Osofsky, Paulius Staniunas, and Shizue Seigel, Wild Wild East, 2011, ink on paper, 22 x 34 inches, courtesy of the MFA in Creative Writing Program.

From the UW Art Museum blog:

Opening this Saturday is the exhibition, Laramie: A Gem City Atlas, which features 16 maps and associated artwork that offer new insights into how we view and could map Laramie. The project originated with the UW MFA in Creative Writing Program who hosted Eminent Writer in Residence Rebecca Solnit earlier this semester. Solnit, who did a similar project of re-mapping San Francisco, worked with students to generate ideas of how the many factors and facets of Laramie could be translated onto a map. The project was then opened up to members of the community, who also provided maps that were a testament to the varied ways in which Laramie could be viewed.

Many students partnered with local and student artists who provided an  artistic interpretation of the data on the maps. The result is 16 very different maps and accompanying art, which outline things from the locations of stray animals or doctors, the influence of Asian culture on Laramie, or the ratio of salons to saloons.

The Art Museum is open on Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, and admission is free. For more information on this or any other exhibition, please call 307.766.6622.

BBHC Plains Indian Museum Powwow celebrates 30th year June 18-19

From the BBHC in Cody:

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s longest-running public program celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this June when the Plains Indian Museum Powwow fills the Robbie Powwow Garden with drumming, competitive dance, and the vibrant cultural traditions of Northern Plains tribes. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19, with grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

The powwow began in 1982 with just a few dancers and one group of singers who stopped to participate on their way to another powwow. It has since grown to include several hundred dancers—men, women, and children ranging in age from “tiny tots” to golden age—representing some thirty tribes from across the Plains, at least a dozen drum groups, about four thousand spectators, and more than forty arts vendors. Dancers compete for more than $30,000 in cash and other prizes.

Grand entries usher the dancers into the arena with a welcome and an opening prayer, flag and victory songs from the host drum, the posting of flags by the color guard, and a pipe invocation. Competitive dance categories include traditional, jingle dress, fancy, grass, team dancing, tiny tots, golden age, and chicken dance. Spectators are invited to watch the competition and can also visit the Powwow Learning Tipi hosted by Lakota educator Gloria Goggles to learn about powwow dances, etiquette, traditions, and songs. Powwow runs until about 9 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets for the Plains Indian Museum Powwow must be purchased at the gate and are good for one day of the event only. Admission is $7 for adults 18 and older, $3 for youths 7 to 17, and free for children 6 and younger. Historical Center members receive a one dollar discount with presentation of their membership card. The Robbie Powwow Garden is an outdoor grass amphitheater with limited bleacher seating; visitors may bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. each day.

Interested arts vendors and dancers may contact Rebecca West at rebeccaw@bbhc.org or 307.578.4049. For general information visit www.bbhc.org or contact Nancy McClure at nancym@bbhc.org or 307.578.4102. Press passes are available through prior arrangement with McClure in the Center’s public relations office.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily through April; on May 1, hours expand to 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. For general information, visit www.bbhc.org, or call 307.587.4771.

Photo: Men’s Fancy Dancer Corey LeClaire, Lakota/Navajo from Durango, Colorado, dances at the 2010 Plains Indian Museum Powwow. Photo by Ken Blackbird.

"Cajun Boil and Concert" May 20 at Old West Museum

The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum presents “Cajun Boil and Concert” on Friday May 20.

Cocktails & Dinner @ 6:00 p.m.
Concert & Dancing @ 7:30 p.m. 

Join us for a Cajun boil with all the fixins’, as we dance the night away to Geno Delefose & the French Rockin’ Boogie Band!  There will be door prizes, party favors and we’re raffling off a “truck basket” full of goodies!

Tickets are just $40 and can be purchased at www.oldwestmuseum.org

Summer's coming (eventually) to northwest Wyoming

From "Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam" exhibit at the BBHC

Despite the continuing snow, Wyomingites in know that summer is drawing near when the roads open in Yellowstone National Park and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody expands its hours. Here's info about the latter::

On Sunday, May 1, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center shifts into its summer season schedule -- open daily 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. The summer schedule remains in effect through September 15.

The busy season brings four special exhibitions to the Center. On tap for this year are:
• Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, a photography exhibition, April 15-Aug.7.
• Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation, April 29-October 2.
• Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: Arts and Crafts from the Heart Mountain Internment Camp, June 1-Sept. 6.
• Dressed Just Right: An Evolution of Western Style from Function to Flamboyance, June 3-Oct. 2.

Other activities this summer include:
• Plains Indian Museum Powwow, June 18 – 19.
• National Day of the American Cowboy celebration, July 23.
• Buffalo Bill Invitational Shootout, August 11 – 13.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, operating its spring schedule of 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. through April 30, moves to summer hours of 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. May 1. For general information, call 307.587.4771 or visit www.bbhc.org.

Ray Troll, friend of the Casper College Tate Museum, wins Guggenheim for science writing

Alaska artist and writer Ray Troll, author of Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway, has been awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for his science writing. Ray was one of the presenters at the 2010 Equality State Book Festival in Casper. He is an old friend of the Casper College Tate Geological Museum and was a co-presenter of two bookfest sessions at the Tate: a book illustrators' panel along with Casper's Zak Pullen, illustrator of the children's book about “Dee” the mammoth; and the Tate's Russell Hawley. Ray also joined Casper author Tom Rea, Ilja Nieuwland and the Tate staff in a session called “Dig-it: A Conversation About Dinosaurs and Fossils.”

Ray lives in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Here's some background info on the 2011 Guggenheim awards:

On April 7, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation awarded 180 Fellowships to a diverse group of scholars, artists, and scientists in its eighty-seventh annual competition for the United States and Canada.  Appointed on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise, the successful candidates were chosen from a group of almost 3,000 applicants.

Image: Ray Troll's illustration for "Crusin' the Fossil Highway."

2011 Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal debuts at Green River Rendezvous July 7-10 in Pinedale

The fifth annual (2011) Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal will debut at the Green River Rendezvous July 7-10, 2011, at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale. For more information, see the 2011 Journal. The 2010 Journal can be purchased online in the Trading Post. Application deadline for papers for the sixth annual Journal is September 1, 2011.

NIC receives $15,000 Wyoming Community Foundation grant

The Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery Center in Casper has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Wyoming Community Foundation for general operating support. The grant was awarded by the Casper Area Community Foundation.

“It is support like this that allows the NIC to build programs that underscore the vibrancy of our exhibitions, collections and educational efforts,” NIC Executive Director Connie Gibbons said.

The grant was made possible through the Schneider Fund held by the Wyoming Community Foundation.  This charitable organization builds and preserves funds established by individuals, families, corporations, agencies, and private foundations. The foundation uses the earnings from these funds to benefit community needs across the state of Wyoming. For more information, go to www.wycf.org.

FMI: NIC at 307-235-5247

P.S.: For this fiscal year, the NIC received an Arts Education Biennial Grant and an Operating Support Grant from the Wyoming Arts Council. 

Call for artists: Jackson Hole pedestrian underpass public art project

Public Art Opportunity

Pedestrian Underpass Wing Walls Connecting the National Museum of Wildlife Art to Jackson Hole Community Pathways

Request for Qualifications Deadline: April 22

Project Budget: $25,000

Download the call and image Index at jhPublicArt.org

The Pedestrian Underpass connects the Jackson Hole Community Pathway’s System North Highway 89 Pathway to the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The Underpass acts as a gateway to the Walter Hood designed sculpture trail which is scheduled for construction this summer. This section of Pathway will connect the Town of Jackson to Grand Teton National Park and runs parallel to the National Elk Refuge. Opportunities exist for artists to enhance the four concrete retaining walls on framing the underpass after they have been built.

You can also access the the file and image appendix at: jhPublicArt.org

FMI: Carrie Geraci, Director of the Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative, 307-413-1474

BBHC sculptures now greet travelers at Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody has loaned two sculptures to Yellowstone Regional Airport to help them give visitors a big western welcome to Cody and the Center! Here's a glimpse of the big move from Facebook. To see all of the photos, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=10150164398670590&id=237069925589&aid=344200

Public art project encourages cycling in Jackson Hole

Carrie Geraci of the Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative sent this announcement:

Request for Qualifications

National Museum of Wildlife Art and Jackson Hole Community Pathways

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

CUSTOM BIKE RACKS

Qualification Submission Deadline: March 15

Project Budget: $7,500

Visit JHPublicArt.org at http://www.jhpublicart.org/opportunities.html to download the submission instructions.

Jackson Hole Community Pathway’s and the National Museum of Wildlife Art wish to encourage the use of alternative forms of transportation when visiting the museum. The design and fabrication of 6 custom bike racks will enhance the pedestrian experience. All designs must meet standards outlined in the proposal. Each rack should accommodate 2-4 bicycles. Up to 3 unique designs can be created.

Please direct questions to: Carrie Geraci, Director, Jackson Hole Public Art Initiative, 307-413-1474 or www.jhpublicart.org

A special project of the Cultural Council of Jackson Hole, a 501(c)(3) organization.

BBHC begins spring schedule March 1

From the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody:

As spring approaches, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center expands its public hours to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week beginning March 1. The schedule remains in effect through the end of April, with May 1 bringing further expanded hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the summer.

As the Historical Center moves toward the busier spring and summer seasons, its calendar expands with special events, programs, and additional special exhibitions openings. Upcoming highlights include the following:

Buffalo Bill’s Birthday Celebration, Friday, February 25, 5 – 8 p.m.
Family Fun Friday, March 11: Family Ties.
Historic Homes of Cody Tour, March 26, advance registration required.
Special exhibition opening: Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, April 15.
Spring Fling Sage Grouse Field Expedition, April 16, advance registration required.
Special exhibition opening: Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation, April 29.

For more information on events, programs, and exhibitions, explore the Historical Center’s Web site at www.bbhc.org.

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and Yellowstone natural history—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its winter schedule, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, daily beginning March 1.

Art Department faculty exhibit their work at UW Art Museum through March 19

Program change for Feb. 10 Wyoming State Museum presentation

Due to poor travel conditions, tomorrow night’s (Feb. 10) Wyoming State Museum Lecture Series program has been changed to “Rest and Refuel Along the Lincoln Highway,” by Heyward Schrock.

The program is 7 p.m., tomorrow and free and open to the public.

Traveling by automobile has been a popular pastime for Americans. Finding the necessary lodging and refueling business along the roadside have become standard normal activities today.

Using historic photographs, Schrock will discuss early roadside automobile-related businesses that offered services to travelers on the Lincoln Highway through Wyoming.

This program replaces the earlier scheduled Melanie O’Hara presentation of “Cow Town Victoriana.”

For more information about this and other State Museum programs, please call 777-7022. The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne.