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WYOMING ARTS COUNCIL NEWS • WINTER 2018
cover story
Announcing the 2017 Governor’s Arts Awards Recipients PAGE 4
Governor Matthew H. Mead and the
Wyoming Arts Council invite you to celebrate the
36th Annual Governor’s Arts Awards Established in 1982, the Governor’s Arts Awards recognize artists, arts organizations and patrons who have displayed excellence in the arts and outstanding service to the arts in Wyoming. These awards were first made possible by an endowment from the Union Pacific Foundation in honor of Mrs. John U. Loomis, a life-long patron of the arts. Over the years, individuals and organizations from more than 25 Wyoming communities and statewide organizations have been honored for their dedication to the arts in Wyoming.
Friday, February 9, 2018 Social Hour: 6 pm | Dinner: 7 pm | Awards Ceremony: 8 pm Little America, Grand Ballroom | 2800 West Lincolnway | Cheyenne, WY Dress: Cocktail Attire | Cash Bar RSVP by January 31, 2018 | Pre-registration only Register online: governorsartsawards17.Eventbrite.Com Special thanks to this year’s Premier Sponsor, Anadarko.
table of contents Executive Director’s Column...............................2 Congratulations to the 2018 Mentoring Project Grant Recipients..................................... 3
our Mission
The Wyoming Arts Council provides leadership and invests resources to sustain, promote and cultivate excellence in the arts.
WAC Staff
Governor’s Arts Awards Recipients Art 321............................................................4 Leslie O’Hashi.................................................6 Susan Moldenhauer......................................8 Patrick Patton...............................................10
Michael Lange : EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Rachel Clifton : ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Annie Hatch : FOLKLORIST/HEALTH & WELLNESS
Native Talent......................................................12
Philip Moline : COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Following Up the Wyoming Arts Summit..........16
THROUGH THE ARTS SPECIALIST/ADA COORDINATOR AND INDEPENDENT MUSIC SPECIALIST
Karen Merklin : GRANTS MANAGER Brittany Perez : OFFICE MANAGER Colin Stricklin : ARTS COMMUNICATION, MARKETING AND RESEARCH SPECIALIST
The Story of Arts Advocacy...............................14
10 Years in the Making.....................................18 Economic Impact of the Arts in Rural Communities.....................................................20
Tara Pappas : ARTS EDUCATION SPECIALIST
Painting the Falls of Yellowstone......................22
WAC Board
Art is Everywhere..............................................24
Holly Turner (Chair) : CASPER Tara Taylor (Vice Chair) : MOUNTAIN VIEW Janelle Fletcher : LARAMIE Stefanie Boster : CHEYENNE Chloe Illoway : CHEYENNE Nina McConigley : LARAMIE Sharon O’Toole : SAVERY Steve Schrepferman : CODY Karen Stewart : JACKSON Simon Marshall : CASPER
ON THE COVER: This year’s Governor’s Arts Awards recipients include ART 321, Leslie O’Hashi, Susan Moldenhauer (Photo Credit BHP Imaging), and Patrick Patton. ON THE BACK COVER:
Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud State Competition coming up in March.
magazine
Artscapes is published triannually and supported with funding from the Wyoming Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. wyomingartscouncil.org
wyoming arts council 2301 Central Avenue • Cheyenne, WY 82002 Phone: 307-777-7742 • Fax: 307-777-5499 Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. wyomingartscouncil.org
executive director's column
Should I Get Involved? YES! Greetings arts supporters, It has been an interesting year, full of changes and surprises in the arts community on a national, state, and local level. Over the course of 2017, I have heard from countless individuals and organizations asking, “What can I do to help support the arts?” First off, I want to thank everyone who asked. We all have busy schedules, but finding time to consider that selfless question—How can we collectively support the arts and arts education?—will pay dividends to all of us, both in the arts community and in Wyoming. In that spirit, I thought it would be good to share some ideas about the subject. As a state agency, the Wyoming Arts Council does not design or coordinate advocacy efforts. However, part of the Arts Council’s mission is to ensure that constituents are informed about the impact of the arts in every community across the state. We invite you to look to us as a resource for information and to continue to engage us as a connector. Please feel free to visit the Why the Arts Matter section of our website for information about the value of the arts and the reach of both state and federal funding of the arts. Additionally, we invite you to seek out opportunities to articulate the impact that the arts and arts education have had on your life and in your community. We encourage you to actively engage in this process by which our nation proclaims its values and vision. Should you be interested in advocacy efforts at the state and national level, we suggest you connect with the Wyoming Arts Alliance at www.wyomingarts.org.
designing, drawing, and painting. KEEP CREATING! The power of the arts is deeply entrenched in an individual’s ability to understand the world Michael Lange around them, and to use creativity as a means to grow and develop the human experience. Don’t underestimate the impact of one local community play, the creation of a haiku, an elementary school music program, or the pencil drawing on the back of a notebook. Keep creating, and encourage those around you to do the same. We are here to help. Please reach out to the Wyoming Arts Council staff with any questions you have, ideas to share, or ways that we can be of service. Thank you for all you do to support the arts in Wyoming. Sincerely,
Executive Director Wyoming Arts Council.
Lastly, keep performing, writing, practicing, editing, PAGE
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Wyoming arts council
Mentoring Project Grants Congratulations to the 2018 Mentoring Project Grant Recipients The Wyoming Arts Council has awarded four new Mentoring Project Grants for 2018. Established in 2005 as part of the Arts Council’s ongoing effort to increase support and recognition of Wyoming’s rich cultural arts and traditions, these grants are designed to support the transmission of traditional and folk art skills through the natural process of in-person, hands-on instruction. A master artist selects a worthy apprentice to mentor over time in order to advance the skills of the student from proficient to excellent.
Raphaelita Stump will receive funds to teach her daughter Raphaella (both of Crowheart) the art of Eastern Shoshone doll making. Doll making is a dying art and the master’s health and age creates a sense of urgency for this project.
Daniel Roberts of Belgrade MT will receive funds to teach Miss V, the Gypsy Cowbelle of Thermopolis, the art of instrument making. The student will learn specific woodworking techniques required for making two piece (neck and body) instruments.
David Osmundsen will receive funds to teach Michael Landsiedel (both of Buffalo) the art of blacksmithing. The student will learn both decorative and functional techniques.
Darrell Lone Bear will receive funds to teach his son Koleton Lone Bear (both of Ft. Washakie) the art of making rawhide and wood hand drums in the Northern Arapaho and family tradition.
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Governor's Arts Awards
ART 321
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he Casper Artists’ Guild (CAG) was founded with five members in 1924 and is one of the oldest arts organizations in Wyoming. Guild members met and created art in temporary locations until 1979, when the group was given the opportunity to lease and then purchase the old Fire Station No. 2 at 1028 West 15th Street. During these years, CAG boasted a loyal annual membership of 60-80 and had become known as “an old ladies’ painting club,” catering to a relatively small circle of artists and arts patrons. A few workshops and gallery shows were offered each year, while modest fundraisers and donations supplemented membership fees and art sales commissions to cover overhead expenses. All of that started to change dramatically in 2013 when a small group of CAG members and arts enthusiasts set their sights on purchasing and remodeling the former Pacific Fruit Warehouse in downtown Casper on the edge of the Old Yellowstone District, a largely industrial historic section of town that the City of Casper hoped to revitalize. In 2015, that dream became a reality. 321 W. Midwest Avenue became the new home of the CAG, and the CAG was rechristened ART 321. Early fundraising was a resounding success, such that the building and all improvements were completely paid off, a sign that the organization’s mission was welcomed and supported by the larger Casper community. Started through a single donation, ART 321’s growing endowment now provides a way of ensuring both current and future support for the arts.
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More Art for All ART 321’s primary mission is to nurture visual artists of all kinds while offering training and educational opportunities to anyone willing to learn more about the arts. As an inclusive organization, many of ART 321’s gallery shows are open calls. Its workshops are hosted by local, regional, and nationally-recognized artists, and these are open to members and nonmembers alike. In addition to thirteen workshops and 36 exhibitions scheduled in 2017, ART 321 has informal weekly arts groups focused on fiber arts, ceramics, portraits, life drawing, watercolor painting, and pastels. These groups allow artists to network, learn from and encourage one another, and expand or refine their skills. The group actively encourages talented members to become teachers, ensuring the transmission of artistic skill to the next generation through the natural process of in-person, hands-on instruction. Different shows are hung each month, allowing for the exhibition of numerous artists whose ages, levels of expertise, and proficiency of work ranges widely. In addition, the ART 321 gift shop completely changes out its inventory every 4 months, thus allowing an even larger number of artists to display and sell their artworks. In 2017, ART 321 added pop-up workshops in a wide range of “gateway arts” such as colored pencil, macramé, and bead weaving: pursuits that are a little less threatening to people seeking to discover or re-discover their creative sides. Their Eclectic Arts Group introduces new channels for creativity such as painting on tea
Wyoming arts council
ART 321 is the first tenant to move into the redeveloped former Pacific Fruit & Produce Company building in Casper’s Old Yellowstone District.
bags, alcohol inks, art journaling, and card making. In August, ART 321 also launched a new open studio Healing Through Art initiative in collaboration with the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Taskforce and several mental health providers.
Praise for ART 321 The Guild is helping the city and all its citizens, but its deep meaning is in the interior life of the artists who are enriched by the fellowship and creative growth and chance to share and show their art and, really themselves... Their effort is an anthology of best practices, and the results are jaw-dropping evidence of how art can make new and better lives. —Bruce A. Richardson, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer of English Emeritus, The University of Wyoming Past Chair, Wyoming Arts Council Past President, Nicolaysen Art Museum The renovation of that space has led to a revitalization of the organization and the neighborhood. The successful fund raising campaign provided a debt free space for local artists to exhibit, and for classes and networking opportunities that included not only the arts community in Casper, but throughout the State of Wyoming. —Linda L. Witko, Assistant City Manager (Retired)
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I grew up in Casper, majored in art at Casper College, owned a business and was extremely involved with economic diversification, Casper’s growth, and The Chamber of Commerce for many years. I now live in Colorado, but am still extremely involved with the arts throughout Wyoming. It has been my pleasure to work with Art 321 in several different capacities. They have given me the opportunity to not only show and sell my work, but also to teach and educate other artists in the community, all with superior communications and partnerships with everyone involved. —Suzette McIntyre, photographer/artist Becoming a successful non-profit is always difficult. Becoming a successful non-profit organization dedicated to the “arts” is akin to climbing Mount Everest solo. They have tackled the summit and will build on that success, benefiting Casper and all of Wyoming for many years in the future. —Craig R. Showalter, President, Wyoming Community Foundation
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Governor's Arts Awards
Leslie O’Hashi
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Wyoming native, Leslie O’Hashi has been involved with the arts in Wyoming since the 1960s. She began her dance career in elementary school with Elizabeth Tolerton in Cheyenne. The arts have been an important part of her life ever since. During high school, she commuted to Ft. Collins where she continued her ballet training and became a principal dancer, instructor and choreographer with Canyon Concert Ballet. She later went to Denver and danced as a performing member for Colorado Ballet, David Taylor Dance Theater, “Another Dance Company” of Denver, and The International Ballet of San Diego. Leslie O’Hashi is a quiet and unheralded member of the Wyoming arts community. She and Bodylines Dance Theatre (BDT), which she has directed since 2004, may be based in Cheyenne, but her programs resonate throughout Wyoming and beyond.
The Gift of Dance As the director of BDT, O’Hashi develops strong, young individuals with artistic and technical skills in dance and performance. In addition to performances each fall and spring, her students undertake a variety of community service performances as well, many of which have a cause-related component. A few examples: • BDT appeared at the Children’s Mental Health Conference in Lander in August 2006. There the troupe demonstrated to mental health professionals how youth can express themselves through dance. The conference theme was about how traditional and nontraditional community programs can provide support to youth in cooperation with caring adults. A year later, BDT was nominated for the Excellence in Community
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Communications and Outreach (ECCO) Recognition Program as an example of the importance of creating supportive, youth-friendly communities and opportunities for youths to express themselves in healthy ways. • In March of 2009, BDT in partnership with Cheyenne Little Theatre Players, performed a benefit food drive performance of “Thrills & Chills.” All of the proceeds went to Meals on Wheels. • BDT traveled to Buffalo and Sheridan in August 2012 to perform for the Veteran’s Home and the Veteran’s Hospital. • BDT regularly performs at local elementary schools with a program to instruct students about various forms of dance. The visits are designed to encourage exercise, physical fitness, and active participation in the performing arts. • The group performs every December at a Barnes & Noble fundraising book fair for residents at local nursing homes and assisted living facilities. • BDT has a food drive in conjunction with its November and April performances. Previous food drives have been for Salvation Army, Comea Homeless Shelter, Needs, Inc., Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne and the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless.
A Very Special Art Initiative As a part of BDT, O’Hashi created the Ruby’s Adaptive Dance & Movement program for children with physical and developmental disabilities and delays. The program is named in memory of former student Ruby Guille, and offers a dance and movement class. Ruby’s program provides a valuable community service and creates an accessible and safe space for special needs children to be involved with the arts. Students
Wyoming arts council
Leslie O’Hashi (left) displays a rare talent and dedication for her work, both as a dancer and in her community service.
may be in wheelchairs or use walkers during class and performances. The movements and steps are modified to accommodate each child’s abilities, resulting in a fully choreographed piece performed onstage.
Praise for Leslie O’Hashi Leslie provides numerous key protective factors for youth health and well-being as they come together to learn and perform the art of dance… In a challenging time in which we are in need of hope and positivity more than ever, Leslie O’Hashi comes to mind as an individual who embodies these characteristics. She has generously given her entire career to sharing her talents, wisdom, and dignity with youth, parents, the community, and society as a whole. —Susie Markus, Executive Director, Wyoming Health Council
attest that the audience received much more from this dance group than the participants themselves. —Kevin J. Guille, parent I have witnessed my daughter blossom in so many ways because of this program, and it is all because of Leslie’s vision and action in creating this amazing program. My daughter and I feel so blessed to be a part of it and to reap the benefits of Leslie’s hard work and dedication. And I know it is true for all the other families that have been touched by this organization. —Susan Brown, parent Through dance, Leslie develops strong young individuals who learn of their potential and gain the emotional confidence they need in life. —Ray Fleming Dinneen, Executive Director, Climb Wyoming
As a parent of a special needs child, I can’t express enough my appreciation to Leslie for making an adaptive dance program available in Cheyenne. I witnessed huge growth in my daughter as well as the other kids involved within the group. I also witnessed acceptance and love from everyone who had the pleasure of watching this group perform. As an audience member, I can
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Governor's Arts Awards
Susan Moldenhauer
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usan Moldenhauer is more than one thing to the arts. She is a practicing artist, an arts community activist, and an arts administrator who has expanded the scope, identity, and reach of the arts in Wyoming. She came to the University of Wyoming Art Museum in 1991 as a curator and served as director and chief curator from 2000 through 2017 when she retired. Beyond her curatorial work, Moldenhauer’s contributions to the Wyoming arts community are many. She is the co-founder of Touchstone Laramie (2002 – present), a biennial community-based exhibition to advance Laramie as a cultural destination. She is co-founder of the Laramie Mural Project (2011 – present) with Laramie Main Street, partnering local businesses with local artists to reflect Laramie’s cultural assets. Moldenhauer is also a founding member of the artist partnership, Pipeline Art Project. She serves on the Laramie Public Art Coalition steering committee, a consortium of community partners that created Laramie’s Public Art Plan and its implementation. She is likewise a member of the University of Wyoming Public Art Committee which is creating a public art plan for the university. In addition, Moldenhauer has sustained a studio practice in photography throughout her museum career. Since 2008, she has also explored the creative process with artist Wendy Lemen Bredehoft and dancer Margaret Wilson through place-based explorations in Wyoming, London, and Venice. Their collaboration is known as Sequencing Through Time and Place.
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A Curator’s Legacy Recognizing that an art museum would serve best if it included all, Moldenhauer led an expansion of the University of Wyoming Art Museum collection to represent art from all times and cultures. As the museum’s director, she worked to move the museum from a paradigm of display-and-interpret to one of unbounded engagement, involvement, collaboration and partnership. Through its Museum as Classroom approach, the museum brings art into learning for all ages and disciplines, and broadens understanding of different perspectives, cultures, and possibilities for the cultural, civic, and economic life of Wyoming. Under Moldenhauer’s tenure, the University of Wyoming Art Museum saw 416 total exhibitions. A brief sampling of Moldenhauer’s curatorial work includes: The Legacy of Lord Carnarvon: Miniatures from Ancient Egypt and the Valley of the Kings (on loan from The British Museum, 2001), Yosemite 1938: On the Trail with Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keeffe (on loan from the National Museum of Wildlife Art,2004), Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker’s Tales of Slavery and Power (from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, 2016), and Hung Liu: American Exodus (organized with Nancy Hoffman Gallery, 2017).
Wyoming arts council
Moldenhauer’s contributions to the Wyoming arts community are many. She is a practicing artist, curator, and arts community activist. Photo credit BHP Imaging.
Praise for Susan Moldenhauer I can think of no one who rivals her long-time dedication to the arts in Wyoming and no one more deserving of this honor. She has an uncanny knack for being able to look at the greater world of art and bring pertinent pieces back to Wyoming to open our eyes to what is happening outside our borders. —Adam Duncan Harris, Ph.D., Petersen Curator of Art and Research, National Museum of Wildlife Art She has worked hard, both far and wide, to identify and bring fantastic artists to Wyoming, and she has also supported and promoted Wyoming artists beyond the State. My band, like so many other Wyoming musical acts, has benefited from her ongoing support and her classic photographs. How better to promote music on paper to others outside the state than to have an amazing photograph of a live performance? Her pictures have been used by the Lincoln Center in NYC and the Kennedy Center in DC to promote our music. Susan provides this for us artists, and asks nothing in return. —Jason Shogren, musician and University of Wyoming Professor of Economics
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Susan is a nationally exhibited photographer, recognized for her creative approaches to describing the Wyoming landscape. The black and white images are lush in their starkness. The question posed by her aesthetics lead the viewer to quiet places and a rich experience of the Twenty-First Century West. —Neltje, artist and arts patron Susan Moldenhauer, as a practicing artist, director of the University of Wyoming Art Museum, volunteer and community advocate has spent her entire career in Wyoming working to advance the placement of the arts as a quality of life enhancer, an educational enrichment resource and economic development tool for the Equality State. She is a focused visionary, generous with her time and expertise and is a team player who quietly works behind-the-scenes to get a lot of stuff done! —Trey Sherwood, Director, Laramie Main Street Alliance
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Governor's Arts Awards
Patrick Patton
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atrick Patton retired as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Casper College in May of 2013. He is past chair of the Department of Music; conductor of the Casper College Collegiate Chorale, Women’s and Men’s Choirs, and the Contemporary Singers vocal jazz ensemble. He instituted and directed the annual Madrigal Feaste, an interdepartmental tribute to Christmas, Casper, and Wyoming. He was founder and music director of the Choral Arts Ensemble of Casper, a multigenerational chamber choir, and Chorus Master for the Helena Symphony Chorale. While in Helena he prepared major choral/ orchestral works for performance with the Helena Symphony. Remaining actively involved in choral music, Dr. Patton serves as Music Director for the Gillette Chamber Singers, an auditioned multigenerational choir that performs throughout the Intermountain West and abroad, most recently in Spain during summer of 2016.
A Talented Couple Dr. Patton’s wife Marcia is retired as director of choirs at Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, Wyoming. She is founder/director of the nationally recognized Casper Children’s Chorale, now in its 39th season. She also founded and directed Alla Breve, a multigenerational auditioned women’s choir in Casper. In 2010, the Pattons were the first couple to receive of the University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award.
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The Musician Abroad Across borders and language barriers, music is a remarkable ambassador. So is Dr. Patton. He has made over 400 appearances on four continents as guest conductor, adjudicator, and workshop clinician. His credits include guest conductor of All-State Honor Choirs in fourteen states, All-Northwest Regional guest conductor on two separate occasions, guest conductor for the Wyoming All-State Youth Chorale in New York City’s Avery Fischer Hall and music director for the Wyoming Ambassadors of Music European tour on six separate occasions. He is an active adjudicator for Heritage Music Festivals serving throughout the United States each spring. Heritage has sent him to London on three separate occasions to adjudicate bands, orchestras, and choirs, and he has adjudicated choirs at both the Obama and Trump Presidential Inaugurations. He traveled to Thailand as a guest of the International School System and Northwest Airlines. While there he served as conductor for the Bangkok International Choral Festival. Recently in Seoul, South Korea he served as guest conductor for the International Schools Honor Choir. Other international appearances include work in Brazil as conductor of the Wyoming Partners Chorale and presenter of workshops to college professors, teachers, and students. He performed throughout Asia with two separate U.S.O. overseas entertainment organizations (Jubal and Springtime Singers) and on two continents with “Up With People!” shows serving as lead guitarist, vocal arranger, and music director.
Wyoming arts council
Dr. Patrick Patton has mentored generations of students at Casper College, and has brought his passion and musicianship to countless venues all around the world.
He doesn’t just impress with his musicianship and directing. And he doesn’t just teach student performers to impress others with their musicianship. He inspires. He inspires with his dedication to emotion and passion in performance, and he inspires others under his direction and tutelage to inspire with their own emotion and passion. This is the highest calling of a performing artist, as well as of a teacher of performing artists. —Jack Brown, Choir Director, Korea International School
Praise for Patrick Patton No one gives more of his soul, of his genetics, to music than does Pat Patton. Certainly, I have had the privilege of watching any number of first-rate musicians and choral directors in my lifetime and there aren’t many who make page one of the best. Pat Patton is number one on page one. His dedication to excellence in music is just that good. —John R. Perry, District Judge
The strength of Casper College’s music program is in no small part the result of Pat’s dedication to the program, the college, and mostly our students. Pat impacted several generations of students, a legacy that will continue to influence the art of music in Wyoming for many years. In addition, he was a critical element in targeting support for the funding, design and construction of a state-of-the art music facility on the Casper College campus. This building will impact music and art in Wyoming for many generations in the future. —Walter H. Nolte, Ph.D., President Emeritus Casper College
It never ceases to amaze me to watch him take a performance delivered by one of our festival choirs and within a 10-15 minute workshop, elevate that choir’s level of performance to new and exciting heights. He shares our belief that the purpose of education (and particularly music education) is not merely to impart information to our students, but rather to facilitate a transformation within them. They are a different choir for having worked with him. —Kyle Naylor, Vice President, WorldStrides OnStage
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Feature Story
Native Talent Z.M. Thomas’s Sioux Falls and Chippewar’s Phantom of the Powwow show contemporary Native artists as a vital voice in media. Photos courtesy of Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum.
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nderneath its glass case, the elk hide bears the painted images of horse warriors. There are figures of men and animals in rich reds, yellows, and browns, as well as the signature of the artist: a black eagle. It is the mark of Chief Washakie, and the images on the hide represent stories from the life of the great Chief—hunts , buffalo chases, and battles. They also represent the long lineage of visual storytelling in native cultures. When you walk into a museum and see the artifacts of 19th century Native America, you get a powerful sense of history. Yet these images of cultures frozen in time— sepia tone snapshots out of the old west—risk the impression of people stuck in the past, erased from the present and absent from the future. That is the exigence behind the rest of the exhibit. Step into the next room of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum and you PAGE
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discover a hall filled with the bright colors and clean, sharp lines of modern illustration. The exhibit is titled, Native Realities: A 21st Century Western Self-Identity, and it presents the artwork of contemporary artists whose works engage in the discussions of identity in the American West. 21st century comic books and graphic arts are a new and exciting way for Native American artists to retell their myths and legends and re-examine the relationship between Native Americans and Western American stereotypes. These contemporary art pieces illustrate a striking contrast with the historic perception of the American West and individual artist perspectives. Work like Z.M. Thomas’s, Sioux Falls, where steampunk meets the old west in dramatic fashion, or the cultural mashup that is Chippewar’s, Phantom of the Powwow, Wyoming arts council
shows contemporary Native artists as a vital voice in media. The dialogue at work between familiar pop culture icons and Native perspectives creates an art form at once fresh and refreshing. Images of First Nations freedom fighters, Aboriginal astronauts, and Native American superheroes whose stories have long been coopted, unheard, or ignored connect with the American West. The result is an exciting and authentic form of representation.
“Unfortunately there still aren’t enough showcasing opportunities that result in sales to support Native Artists,” says Martinez. “The tribes native to Wyoming created their own artwork long before Wyoming was ‘Forever West’ and continue to do so. Many non-Native viewers have a romantic or stereotypical misconception of who we are and what we create. That can be seen walking into most commercial galleries in Wyoming. There are many images of tribal people created by artists who are not tribal affiliated. That type of work “seems” to be more marketable than artwork created by actual Native People. I think it’s very important to educate the potential buyers, the public at large, other educators and exhibit personnel that there’s a huge difference between ‘Native Inspired’ and ‘Inspired Natives!’”
The dialogue at work between familiar pop culture icons and Native perspectives creates an art form at once fresh and refreshing.
Meanwhile, across town in Cheyenne, another exhibition recently completed its run. “The We Were. We Are. show was the inaugural contemporary art show for The Wyoming State Museum,” observes Northern Arapaho artist Robert Martinez. “It was also the first contemporary Native art show ever since the Wyoming State Museum’s inception in the late 1800s. It’s a historic and long overdue first for the official state museum to showcase contemporary Native artwork.” The exhibit ran from July through November of 2017, and featured the works of six artists from the Northern Arapaho Artists Society and the Creative Indigenous Collective: Bruce Cook and Robert Martinez, from Riverton; Lauren Monroe, Ben Pease, and John I Pepion, from Montana; and Louis Still Smoking, from South Dakota. Born out of a lack of exhibition opportunities for Native artists in Wyoming, the Northern Arapaho Artists Society has arranged 3-4 exhibitions of Native artwork per year since 2012. A group of friends formed the Creative Indigenous Collective in 2016. Their work deals with contemporary Native perspectives on politics, society, history, and culture. Martinez is a founding member of both groups. The artists in this exhibition have shown internationally and extensively throughout the American West, and their work is held in many collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
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Robert Martinez: “The tribes native to Wyoming created their own artwork long before Wyoming was ‘Forever West’ and continue to do so.”
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Arts Alliance
The Story of Arts Advocacy By Bill Lindstrom, Operations Manager, Wyoming Arts Alliance
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an the strategy of arts advocacy be informed by a 3-year-old’s bedtime habits? Whimsical as the question is, it might be enough for arts advocates to consider that promoting the value of the arts in education and community building should be a simple and clear process. Maybe it’s just about telling a good story.
“A good story told by the right person can connect with elected officials and constituents in a way that simple statistics cannot.”
When my young grandson, Soren spends the night, we pretty much have to read several books from the “Biscuit” series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. The stories are short, simple, easy to remember, and about 90 seconds from start to finish. Soren loves the Biscuit books for all the reasons active young boys with short attention spans like short stories about mischievous puppies: they can relate. And social beings that we all are, young and old alike, we’ve never outgrown that ability to connect and empathize with good stories and an evocative storyteller.
individual or group, within the media they work in, and to an audience of interested observers or participants. With all this great cultural material to draw upon, it might be worthwhile for arts advocates to more closely consider the power of storytelling in their relationship building, both locally and statewide.
In the arts advocacy realm, supportive research and data backed up by plug-and-play advocacy toolkits are plentiful. They’re designed specifically to help arts supporters be successful in promoting the arts. The Wyoming Arts Alliance (wyomingarts.org), Americans for the Arts (americansforthearts.org), the National Assembly of Arts Agencies (nasaa-arts.org) and the National Endowment for the Arts (arts.gov) are dependable sources for these tools. As useful as they can be however, there is more to the arts advocacy equation than facts and figures. The arts world is full of stories. At its very core, creating or communicating art is an emotional bond between an
Nonprofit advocacy guru Joe Fuld is a supporter of storytelling as a foundation of successful advocacy, no matter the audience or the underlying message. He promotes a to-do list for any organization or individual looking at incorporation storytelling into their arts advocacy work: Imagine the target audience - Knowing who you are trying to reach and persuade is fundamental to successful messagebuilding and advocacy. Get to know that person’s or the audience’s personal or professional connection to the arts. Storytelling makes the arts issue come to life - Putting personality behind the issue or message can take mundane arts statistics or research and connect it with real emotion. A good story told by the right person can connect with elected officials and constituents in a way that simple statistics cannot.
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Wyoming arts council
Build a culture of storytelling - Have everyone in the network
and create a video featuring that person and subject. Art is
or organization be on the lookout for compelling stories about
multi-sensory, and opportunities to “tune” the story to the
artists or creativity. It’s not always an easy process, but
audience’s senses are abundant.
encouraging the many people you know or work with to get involved will make it easier. Create a process for storytelling - What happens when you identify a great story? How do you shape it? How relevant is it? Having a process for collecting and constructing stories will ensure that it becomes part of your personal or professional arts advocacy culture and isn’t just a one-off process. Invent storytelling personas - A storyteller persona has all of the components to help you identify the right person to tell the story. To better understand an ideal storytelling persona, ask the following questions: What stories do you want to tell? Who is the ideal storyteller? What is the ideal demographic of the storyteller to connect to the audience? Identify your ideal persona - Once you’ve created an outline of a persona, start to define the details of the ideal persona for the arts issue. If you could pick anyone to tell their story, who would it be and why? Dig deep and explain the ideal characteristics of your persona. What is their location? Age? Gender? Race? Other characteristics? Quantity vs. quality - Think about how many stories you need. By mapping out personas, you can answer the quantity question. But don’t forget, quality is always important. Consider how you’ll tell the story - There are so many ways to tell stories. You could write the story and send it in an email or newsletter. You could interview your story subject
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Applicability of the story - Just because the story is compelling doesn’t mean it’s applicable to your needs. Consider the message and the audience or destination for that message. Create a simple call to action - No matter how you share the story—face-to-face, email, newsletter, video, social media or a combination—it should always end with a clear call to action. What do you want to happen? How can the story’s audience support the message or get involved? Simple is best.
As individuals, we all grew up being told stories, at bedtime or otherwise. As humans, since we first started telling stories on cave walls, those stories have defined our learning experiences and perspectives, our relationships with others, and the way we conduct our lives. Within an arts advocacy philosophy, storytelling might seem old-fashioned (and it is!), but that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. Data and research has the power to influence, but captivating stories about Wyoming creativity and culture can inspire people to act and follow you. While data speaks to the mind, a story goes to the heart; and isn’t that where art lives anyway?
For more information about the Wyoming Arts Alliance, advocacy support and WyAA Membership, visit wyomingarts.org.
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Arts Summit
Following up the Wyoming Arts Summit
Around 250 people from all around Wyoming and the nation attended the summit.
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he Wyoming Arts Council spent much of 2017 reflecting on the past 50 years of arts activity in the state and evaluating the impact of the arts in education, for individual artists, communities, and organizations. The Wyoming Arts Summit held last November in Lander was the culminating event of the Arts Council’s 50th anniversary. Around 250 people attended the summit, which brought together individuals from diverse disciplines, including performing arts, visual arts, writers, and arts educators, as well as arts administrators who represent the organizations working in communities around the state. The goals of this interdisciplinary approach were to provide a setting for broad networking and to maximize opportunities to learn from one another in new and exciting ways. Through panels, keynote presentations, and small group discussions, attendees were able to connect and collaborate, while presenters from all across Wyoming and the nation shared their knowledge and insight. Part celebration, part professional development, the
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Wyoming Arts Summit set the stage for an exciting 50 years to come.
Feedback Following the summit, the Arts Council sent out two surveys. One was sent to all attendees to gather feedback on the sessions and events they attended, as well as suggestions for future topics. A second survey was sent to presenters, asking for their feedback on the planning process and for their observations on themes or topics that the Arts Council could address at future conferences. A broad range of responses came back, with each arts discipline looking for topics that would address trends, challenges, and opportunities relevant to their specific field. For example, arts educators want to learn more about integrating STEAM into their curricula, while visual artists are interested in learning how to
Wyoming arts council
reach a broader audience with their work. There was a call for more overall engagement with performing arts around the state. There were requests for howto workshops, specifically for grant writing and social media. Others requested more hands-on activities and opportunities to make artwork at the next conference. Some broader topics pertinent to both individual artists and organizations included activism, advocacy, and navigating conversations around the arts and politics. These requests and suggestions are all under consideration as the Arts Council looks to address new topics and identify speakers and presenters who can provide the needed information. The survey to attendees asked what three words would best describe their experience at the summit. Jumping to the top of the list was networking. The Arts Council and those who work in the arts in Wyoming know that geographic isolation is a challenge in many ways. Knowing what exciting projects are happening, being able to share and celebrate your work, finding resources to help answer questions, having support and staying motivated are challenges that many artists and administrators face. Bringing everyone together into the same room can help provide those answers and create those connections.
What three words best describe the Wyoming Arts Summit?
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Looking ahead In looking ahead to future conferences, one of the key questions the Arts Council is seeking to answer is whether a larger, interdisciplinary conference is the preferred structure, or if constituents would prefer smaller, discipline specific gatherings. There are certainly benefits to both structures. Summit attendees were asked to weigh in with their opinion, and just over 70% of respondents indicated that the interdisciplinary format is preferred.
Would you rather the next summit was interdisciplinary or discipline-specific?
Additional considerations for planning include location and bandwidth. The next community to hold a summit must be both accessible and capable of accommodating a large number of attendees. Hosting this kind of extensive statewide event also relies on the availability of staff, board members, and other volunteers to assist with planning and implementation. While only a few months have passed since the Arts Summit, the Wyoming Arts Council aims to continue building on the networks and connections that were formed in Lander. Creating the context for collaboration and networking is a top priority for the Arts Council, as is providing the much-needed professional development opportunities, ongoing education, tools and resources that so many have requested. As the Arts Summit demonstrated, Wyoming is strengthened by the individuals and organizations that work in and support the arts. The Wyoming Arts Council is committed to continuing that legacy into the next 50 years.
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Individual Artist
10 Years in the Making
GAA Award Winner Barbara Smith Looks Back By Barbara Smith They also nominated me for organizing a visiting writer series, hosting creative writers to give readings and workshops for people in our somewhat isolated community. I brought in a variety of artists from well-known writers such as Annie Proulx and Allen Ginsberg, to regional best sellers Craig Johnson, C.J. Box, Terry Tempest Williams and Charles Levendosky, over 100 writers during my 38 years at Western.
Barbara Smith, reading from Blood, Water, Wind, and Stone.
W
hen Rick Kempa and Karen Love, my colleagues in the English dept. at Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC), nominated me for the 2006 Governor’s Arts Awards, I was very surprised—shocked actually. I was teaching at WWCC and, although I had written a poem about it, I had never braved Interstate 80 around Elk Mountain in February to attend the Awards ceremony in Cheyenne, so I was not familiar with this particular award. I assumed that this award was intended for individuals involved with big organizations in the arts, not for someone like me: a teacher who writes and encourages others to write. Karen and Rick nominated me because they were familiar with my writing and also because of a belief I have had for many years. Growing up in the West, I have come to believe that the experiences of ordinary people living in this place are unique and important and should be recorded and preserved as the true history of the West. So I have taught memoir writing classes in the community since 1976. PAGE
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Okay, Governor Dave Freudenthal awarded me this honor for these efforts. My colleagues, family members, husband and I drove through another Wyoming blizzard for the celebration, showcasing the vibrant arts in this state. The four recipients— Razmick Sarkissian of Sheridan, Ark of Laramie, Candra Day of Jackson and myself—represented a wide variety of artistic endeavors, and it was an amazing experience to learn about their efforts as they were honored by the governor. I felt like Cinderella at the ball. After the ball, however, I spent the rest of the weekend grading papers. Back to real life, Cinderella. Ten years later, I have been asked to think about this experience. What was the effect of receiving this achievement award? Interesting question, one I haven’t really considered. First of all, writers tend to hole up somewhere by themselves in order to write. Unlike music or drama, it’s a solitary art, not often given too much applause. So to receive such a public acknowledgement—from the governor no less—is quite remarkable.
Wyoming arts council
For the ceremony, Sue Castaneda and crew came to Rock Springs and taped a video, interviewing not only me but various students, community participants and fellow teachers. They played the video to introduce me at the awards event— wow, what an experience to sit and hear all these accolades! Some people embrace this sort of attention with great pleasure, others are scared to death. For instance, I don’t think Bob Dylan really knew what to do when he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He had to think about it for some time I guess. This kind of attention passes after the event is over and time goes by. One member of the Arts Council staff, however, told me that those videos were shown on a recurring loop in their lobby. Every day when she came to work, there I was, waxing poetic on the TV screen at the same time every morning— all year long—like Groundhog Day! Ten years later as I mull this over, I realize that the Governor’s Arts Award did have a long term effect on me. I retired from teaching full-time that spring and my life of course, changed. But some things did not change. The Governor’s Arts Award and other awards gave me a platform to continue to achieve the goals I have had all along: I continue to write, continue to mentor those aspiring writers who want to write their stories, and continue to support efforts to bring visiting writers, musicians and artists to my community. So even though I no longer teach full time, I still offer a memoir writing class at the Young at Heart Community Center through the college each year. The local newspaper, the Rocket Miner, publishes the stories written by my students each Sunday in a special “Remember When” section, a feature many people in the community have praised. So my students get their work published and it encourages them to keep writing. In conjunction with my class, I continue to bring visiting writers to the community. Diana Allen Kouris, Florence Shepard and Marcia Hensley are
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a few writers who have visited the class and have given readings and workshops. As a recipient of this award, I also felt a responsibility to the arts in the state. I tried to “pay it forward” by being receptive to requests around the state, such offering a workshop for the Wyoming Poets for instance, and serving on the Arts Council Artists’ Roster. I also successfully nominated Louise Wesswick, a local benefactor of the arts, for the Governor’s Arts Awards. A quiet unassuming woman, Louise established a foundation in her family’s name to support arts and education in her hometown. It was such a memorable moment for me to see how encouraged she was to be recognized for her efforts. She passed away last year, but her foundation will continue on as her legacy. Taking a lesson from Louise, I remain active in my support of the arts. My advice to aspiring artists: keep working in those solitary places, creating art, whether it’s with your hands or with a pen. It will give you such satisfaction in your life, and if you’re lucky, some recognition for your efforts.
I love the idea of the Governor’s Arts Awards. It is so Wyoming to recognize all the arts, from poetry to saddle making. I love the idea of the Governor’s Arts Awards. It is so Wyoming to recognize all the arts, from poetry to saddle making. It is so festive, and so needed, to lift us up, encourage the artists and those who would become artists, and give us all a moment of joy. Even if it is at the end of a long snowy road in February.
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Rural Arts Research
New Research:
Economic Impact of the Arts in Rural Communities
Rural festivals and events like WHAT Fest in Riverside, WY attract more outside visitors to their programs than do equivalent urban arts organizations. Photo credit Elisa Bender.
New Research: Economic Impact of the Arts in Rural Communities Rural arts organizations draw more non-local audiences to their venues and report greater civic leadership and customer connectedness than their urban peers, according to a new research report, Rural Arts, Design, & Innovation in America: Research Findings from the Rural Establishment Innovation Survey. Published by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the report is based primarily on 2014 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS). The ERS’s Rural Establishment Innovation Survey examines the type and breadth of innovation within rural businesses. Rural Arts, Design, & Innovation in America is important because until now, arts and economic impact theories have been built and tested only in urban environments. As noted in the report’s preface, “Frequently, the data infrastructure for rural arts research projects has proved inadequate for elementary fact-finding, not to mention for generalizing about rural creative economies as a whole. Into this climate, the Rural Establishment Innovation PAGE
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Survey bursts as an unprecedented resource.” NEA Director of Research & Analysis Sunil Iyengar said, “We’ve long understood that the arts and design can beautify a place and attract new residents and businesses. This report is unique in showing these attributes as closely linked to innovative business practices in rural communities nationwide.” Among
the report’s conclusions are:
Rural and urban communities • Two-thirds of all businesses (rural and urban) consider having local arts and entertainment organizations important for attracting workers. • Rural and urban arts organizations are equally likely to rate as “substantive innovators,” a designation by the Rural Establishment Innovation Survey that recognizes businesses that encourage new practices and products.
Wyoming arts council
• Arts businesses are unique within the service industry (that includes finance and insurance) for demonstrating innovation in both urban and rural settings through practices such as using surplus funds for innovative projects Rural performing arts organizations • Attract more outside visitors to their programs than do urban arts organizations (31 percent vs. 19.3 percent for urban organizations). Those visitors spend money on admissions, parking, dining, etc. adding to the local economy. • Play a greater role in their community as civic leaders and in soliciting customer feedback than do their urban peers (36 percent vs. 24 percent for urban organizations), highlighting engagement in their community’s life and its future. • Have a strong association with innovative or design-integrated businesses. Where there are arts organizations, there tend to be businesses that have innovative products or practices. • Innovative or design-integrated businesses report expanding their products and services and access new markets such as using design services, registering a trademark, or investing in product branding. Rural counties that host performing arts orgs • Tend to have greater population growth and residents that are better educated and earn higher incomes than residents of other rural counties. • Between 2010 and 2014, when the average population growth in rural counties was 391 people, those counties that hosted performing arts organizations saw an increase of 2,096 people. The full NEA report is available for download at arts.gov/ publications/rural-arts-design-and-innovation-america.
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Another NEA research investment in rural communities is through one of the agency’s research labs at the Rural Policy Institute of the University of Iowa. Partnering with Art of the Rural, the university will use an FY 2017 award of $150,000 to study the intersection of the arts, entrepreneurship, and innovation in rural contexts.
Rural Arts in Wyoming Recognizing the importance of the arts in its own rural areas, the Wyoming Arts Council offers a number of programs designed to support the Cowboy State’s smaller communities. The Rural Arts Access Grant is specifically designed to provide project funding for geographically isolated and rural areas with a population of less than 3,000. The council’s Community Support Grant includes an incentive for grantees to provide programs and services in rural and underserved communities. These funds are specifically for outreach into communities that are beyond organizations’ traditionally targeted audiences. Finally, although the council’s Mentoring Project Grants are available to all Wyomingites, applicants tend to hail from rural places. As it happens, the people best qualified to pass along Wyoming’s finest traditional and folk skills are inclined to reside in its least populous regions. Information about all of these programs is available under the Grants tab at wyomingartscouncil.org.
About the National Endowment for the Arts Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.
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Arts Projects
Painting the Falls of Yellowstone into the Yellowstone backcountry, filming the artist at work en plein air from 2015-16. “Painting in the backcountry is wrought with challenges,” says the artist, “From logistics to truncated timetables. Much of the backcountry is rugged and at times unforgiving. Not to mention it was imperative that the local wildlife and landscape be as untouched as possible. Preservation means each person does their part to keep a light footprint and respect the sacrifices of those that work so hard to keep it safe and unspoiled.” The finished documentary is titled, Painting the Falls of Yellowstone, and it previewed in May of 2017 in Yellowstone’s gateway communities of Cody, Dubois, and Jackson. It went on to air on Wyoming PBS in June, and has since enjoyed nationwide distribution. One of Poulsen’s finished paintings, Citadel of Asgard Falls. Photo credit Ron Maier Photography.
T
he Bechler region in the southwest quarter of Yellowstone National Park is one of the most remote and least-traveled regions of the park. It is also home to some of the most stunning, varied, and unique waterfalls in the Rocky Mountains. Cody-based artist M.C. “Mike” Poulsen embarked on a multi-year journey to capture these waterfalls on canvas. His goal was to not only depict the beauty of the falls, but to incorporate the Native American history, natural history, and ecological importance of the region. “Historically the arts have been paramount in conservation efforts,” says Poulsen. “How else would Yellowstone have been protected if there was no knowledge of or understanding of those natural wonders?” A Wyoming PBS production crew accompanied Poulsen PAGE
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Finding the Falls Beginning as early as the late 1970s Yellowstone National Park archivist and historian, Lee H. Whittlesey, was already underway on a project to document the history of all the known waterfalls in Yellowstone. In the 1980s, park employee Mike Stevens began an independent mission to photograph all of these waterfalls. Then in the 1990’s when Paul Rubinstein came aboard, the three began a new quest to survey the previously unexplored rivers and creeks in the park’s remotest backcountry. They had no idea that their ten years of exploring the Yellowstone wilderness would yield so much new information. Their seven years of research and thousands of miles of off-trail exploration has provided the most new, large feature geographical information to the contiguous United States map in the last half-century. Poulsen was introduced to the backcountry waterfalls when he attended a presentation by Stevens, Whittlesey Wyoming arts council
have museum exhibits starting in 2021.” The Booth Museum in Cartersville, Georgia has scheduled a show set to feature 40-45 paintings and over 100 sketches, as well as a book and field guide showcasing many of Yellowstone’s most breathtaking backcountry falls. Poulsen continues to paint at the Poulsen Studio Gallery in Cody, and it is there at that collectors can see the paintings and sketches as they are completed. Patrons can meet the artist, and even sponsor a waterfall of their choice through the Yellowstone Waterfall Project. A portion of that cost goes to the Yellowstone Forever Foundation for their Children’s Education programs.
Sketch of Fairy Falls by Mike Poulsen. Photo credit Ron Maier Photography.
and Rubinstein the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West. They had recently published the book, Yellowstone Waterfalls, and Poulsen was so taken with their research that he decided then and there to retrace their steps and document some of the over 290 waterfalls that they had discovered. Mike Stevens came on board as a guide, and the journey began. America’s national parks have long been a destination for artistic expeditions. According to Poulsen, “Artists like Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, and photographers like William Henry Jackson used their talents as artists to bring to light what was otherwise considered myths and tall tales spun by trappers and mountain men who had seen the wonders of what would become Yellowstone. Their works inspired Congress to preserve those natural wonders and became influential in creating Yellowstone as the first national park in world history. Working on this project has in many ways been like walking in the footsteps of those great artists.”
The Yellowstone Waterfall Project Production on Painting the Falls of Yellowstone may have wrapped, but Poulsen’s Yellowstone Waterfall Project is a long-term endeavor. “We have gone back into the backcountry of Yellowstone for the past 4-5 years now,” says the artist, “Collecting information and doing sketches and studies of the waterfalls. We will
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“People must be moved enough to act,” says Poulsen, “Moved enough to care. Art and education is completely capable of doing so. Educating and inspiring the next generation to develop a stake in these natural wonders and the issues surrounding the Park is what makes this so much fun. There is so much to love about Yellowstone and its history but we have to find a way to rise above the noise and bring it to life.”
M.C. “Mike” Poulsen A life-long portrait and landscape artist, Mike Poulsen received the Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award in 2011 and was the Honored Artist at the 2008 Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale. Poulsen also shares his love of art with budding artists as part of the Painting with the Masters program at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. His paintings are part of the permanent collections of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, and he is a featured artist in many shows, including the Autry Museum Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale, and the Eiteljorg Quest for Artist Mike Poulsen hikes the West Art Show. the trail to Lost Falls.
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Art is Everywhere
Art is Everywhere
Pictured clockwise from top left: Young Musicians Music, Art & Theatre Camp in Evanston, from Young Musicians, Inc.; First Lady Carol Mead poses with honorees at the 2017 First Lady’s Young Artist Showcase; (last two images) Hyattville’s Rainhorse Equine Assisted Services offers workshops that combine equine assisted psychotherapy, live figure drawing of horses, and poetry writing.
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Wyoming arts council
Pictured clockwise from top left: Artist Eddy Wadda shows his wares at Maker Space 307 in Fort Washakie; Attendees demonstrate Rube Goldberg machines during a STEAM presentation at the Wyoming Afterschool Alliance’s conference at Little America in Cheyenne; Governor Matt Mead cuts the ribbon at the Art in Public Buildings reception at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington; Arts Council Folklorist Anne Hatch mans the booth at the Big Horn Basin Folk Festival; the Arts Council biennial fellowship exhibition, Wyoming to the World at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper.
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Wyoming Arts Council 2301 Central Avenue Cheyenne, WY 82002
Presorted Standard U.S. Postage
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Cheyenne, WY Permit No. 7
The Poetry Out Loud program encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud State Competition is set for March 5-6, 2018 in Cheyenne. The event is free and open to the public. Full program details are available at wyomingartscouncil.org/wac-program/poetryoutloud.