Posts from ‘Artist Demonstrations’
Art – Out in the Open; Great Apes!
“One spare chromosome | And my offspring next to me | A linear strand.”
I wrote that haiku as a response to Jenny’s piece, “Tooth Diary pg.6″ when we collaborated on a book, “Collection.” This particular work suggests new life beginning to supplant older matter.
What’s so much fun about Culture Front is that you NEVER know what’s going to happen. You know who’s on the agenda, and what any given month’s theme will be, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stick to that theme. You go, you get a drink at the Rose Bar (if you are 21 or older—and the earlier you get there, the better because those bartenders make such complicated drinks that it’s like their composing a full symphony!) and you point your face towards the front of the room where Meg Daly and her guests commence their 90-minute presentation.
Wednesday, May 29th, beginning at 5:30 pm, Culture Front welcomes Jackson artists Jenny Dowd (newly ensconced at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, thank you very much!), Andrew Munz (ensconced at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts,in a bunch of plays and a writer), and Aaron Wallis! I’m passing out. Wallis, former arts writer at the Jackson Hole Daily and un-censored critic of Jackson’s art scene and the world at large, as well as an artist, is going to be a part of that evening’s talk, “First Impressions: Looking Beyond Initial Impact.”
This is just too good! Wallace, as we all know, has seen (and instigated) his own brand of controversy and art dust-ups here in Jackson.
Only last week several of the Town Council and Teton County Commissioners got in such a big fight—a shout-down in public chambers that was so bad the session was tabled. The News & Guide named the major players, so ask them about that. The write-up made the rumble sound much less crazy than it really was, says one observer. Funding issues are tense! Thank goodness that meeting wasn’t taking place at, say, the Virginian bar!
“La Jolla Tree” – A. Wallis
I doubt any knock-downs will happen on May 29th. It’s great Wallis is on the panel. He’s a super smart dude, with prodigious art history knowledge.
“What information do we get from a first impression?” Meg Daly asks. “Often what attracts a viewer or reader to a work is the first impression – some kind of impact, positive or negative. However, closer reading or looking can reveal layers and meaning not immediately apparent. The payoff of a work of art may be far greater than its initial appearance (suggests).”
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Down the Spring/Summer arts road we go~~~
Saturday, June 22, 2013 from 10am – 4pm, the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s (NMWA) “Plein Air Fest” happens at NMWA’s stunning location just north of town. The event is sponsored by Plein Air Magazine, and over 30 artists will be participating, taking four hours to complete their works. Art will be sold via “Silent Bid.” Lots of good cooking with local chefs, family activities and music to be had! It’s all free, save the jambalaya tastings, which go for $10 for 10 tastes, $25 for as much as you can taste! www.wildlifeart.org
A note: “Plein Air Fest” is not to be confused with “Plein Air for the Park,” a two-week long plein air event taking place in and around Grand Teton National Park July 8-21st. Much more on that event soon!
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WAY out in the future–this is really a Fall event–the Great Apes Summit takes place here in Jackson Hole. Dates are September 21-24th, 2013. It’s possible to register now; the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival is a major partner. “New tools. New ideas. New voices. NO BOUNDARIES.” That’s the hook! Click here to find out about registration, programs and cost. Heads up: Conservation and the Arts are going to merge more and more here in Jackson Hole as time goes by. We’re taking our original arts history to new levels!
Image by Taylor Glenn
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
On Sunday, May 12th, National Geographic photographer Wade Davis makes an appearance at Jackson’s first annual Mountain Story Festival, courtesy of the Murie Center. There’s no getting away from the fact that climbing treacherous, challenging peaks here—and anywhere in the world—is a huge part of our culture. Climbers take in the outdoors in a mind-bending way. The closest I’ve come to being that high, with a few thousand feet between me and flat ground is the year I skydived, on a dare, at college. I’d do that again before I’d climb the Grand or any other giant, jagged, craggy mountain!
Others have infinitely more guts. These extreme personalities can’t keep themselves from climbing; they climb in their sleep. Which is why Davis’ talk on his new book “Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest” should be packed. Mothers, be warned! Content may be nerve racking! 7:00 pm start, Pink Garter Theater, downtown Jackson.
Wednesday, May 15th, the Murie Center’s Mardy’s Conservation Collection Book Club meets to discuss the Murie’s book, Wapiti Wilderness.
“In this autobiographical tale…Olaus and Mardy describe their life together, raising a family in the mountainous wilderness of the Tetons, while Olaus worked for the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey,” says the Center. The gathering takes place at the the Murie’s original home, Murie Ranch, in Moose, WY, at 6:30 pm. Lively discussion, reflection and inspiration are a promise. www.muriecenter.org.
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The Grand Teton Association (GTA) has announced its line-up of plein air artists for this summer’s “Artists in the Environment” (AIE) series, taking place the second Saturday of every month, June – September, in Grand Teton National Park(GTNP). Each of those weekends, regional plein air painters provide free painting demonstrations at locations throughout GTNP. Founded by the late, great plein air artists Greg McHuron and Conrad Schwiering, the program has offered countless visitors and art lovers a free chance to see artists capturing the beauty surrounding us.
I have a personal passion for this program~~I believe the history of plein air painting in this valley, and in the Greater Yellowstone Region, is one of America’s most important art history stories. Its tradition is unbreakable; the artists’ bonds are like steel.
For fifty years, the GTA has celebrated GTNP via the arts. All proceeds realized by the GTA serve to broaden education, research and interpretation of GTNP.
Times and locations are TBA, but participating artists for 2013 are: Dwayne Harty – June 15th; Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters & Co., – July 13th; Wendell Field - August 10th; and Fred Kingwill - September 14th. More on all these artists as summer progresses!
Cross my heart and can’t wait to do it again, one of the great highlights of my 2012 arts summer was the culmination of the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters’ (RMPAP) “Plein Air for the Park” National Paint-Out & Show. Last July, approximately 40 plein air artists converged in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the Jackson Hole area, painting their hearts out for two weeks. All paintings completed were exhibited and sold in a three-day event at GTNP’s Craig Thomas Discovery Center (CTDC), in Moose, Wyoming.
The place was PACKED. And there are those who missed last year’s event still notifying me they wish they’d been there. Recently, a senior Park employee confided to me that the Park, as a collective, loved the event. It all went off so beautifully that RMPAP is returning this summer, July 8 – 21st, 2013. The event benefits GTNP and is hosted by the Park and the Grand Teton Association (GTA). This year’s opening reception, at the CTDC, takes place Thursday, July 18th, beginning at 7pm. Awards will be presented at 7:45 by this year’s Judge, Chris Moran.
A Quick Draw takes place Saturday, July 20th, beginning at 9:00am, at Menor’s Ferry in GTNP. The public can watch paintings being created from start to finish; they then may purchase paintings right off the easel at the fixed-price sale immediately following, 11am – 12 noon. Approximately 44 professional, recognized artists will participate in this, RMPAP’s 12th Annual National Show.
The GTA began collecting works of art on behalf of the Park over 50 years ago; the collection has become a valuable part of GTNP’s legacy. Last year, two works were purchased by GTA for the Park’s permanent collection; two more were purchased by patrons and donated to the Park. AND, last year’s event raised close to $21,000 for GTA!
“It is a thrill and a pleasure to be back in GTNP and working with Grand Teton Association again this year,” says RMPAP President (and participating artist) Stephen C. Datz. “We welcome the opportunity to continue the artistic tradition at the Park, expand public awareness and appreciation of plein-air painting, and in so doing benefit the exceptional efforts of the GTA on behalf of the Park.”
Susan Moldenhauer
“In essence, the heightened level of credibility we might gain as a town/ arts group by affiliating ourselves with a major university is huge. The types of programs, events, associations that could be brought to Jackson – or that we might find a way of attending en masse in Laramie, are also considerable.” - Mariam Diehl
Not long ago I was fortunate to meet the University of Wyoming’s Art Museum Director Susan Moldenhauer, a familiar figure to many Wyoming artists and to other museum staff and associates in our state. Moldenhauer was accompanied by university Foundation Relations representative Katrina Woods McGee. Soft-spoken, finely academic, curious, creative and warm, Moldenhauer is also an accomplished photographer. We spoke of the challenges of juggling multiple responsibilities. When she organizes museum exhibits, she “does it with an artist’s eye,” accomplishing the task with an equally strong administrative sense. Some of you may have seen Susan at this past weekend’s three-day “CLICK!: A Weekend for Wyoming Visual Artists,” held at UW.
CLICK! provides opportunity for otherwise isolated Wyoming artists to network; they also have the opportunity to meet regional and national artists such as Eminent Visiting Artist Judy Pfaff, a McArthur Fellowship Genius Award recipient. Pfaff’s show, I Dwell in Possibility, exhibited in Jackson during the summer of 2010 at the Tayloe Piggott Gallery.
Susan’s brief visit here ideally sparks greater interaction between Jackson’s arts and UW. Pushing through our wintry “fourth wall” can be a challenge, but imagining a richer conversation is so exciting. Exhibits expected to be in place at UW later this spring include:
Redefining the Edition: 13 Japanese Printmakers
Haitian Art from the permanent collection
Judy Pfaff: running between hot and cold (working title)
Teaching Gallery: History of Mexico, Islamic Art History, Printmaking, Photography (all permanent collection)
Carol Prusa: Emergent Worlds
Arthur Wardle (United Kingdom, 1864 – 1949), The Enchantress, 1901. Oil on Canvas. 62 x 43". Courtesy National Museum of Wildlife Art.
In his lifetime, British painter Arthur Wardle excelled at sporting art; but his claim to fame was in part due to his rejection of staying inside the boundaries of accepted animal and wildlife depiction. He “drew and painted every mammal, from elephant to mouse,” using a great range of mediums. By 1900, Wardle had made a quantum leap with subject matter and began rendering, erotically, mythical images of wildlife and women. Exotic creatures, like these giant leopards at play with a thinly clad, alluring woman (appearing a bit tousled, she and the leopards have clearly been rolling around in the iris; there’s no fear here–this painting depicts intimacy, curiosity and play) recall, as the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) says, the hedonistic spirit of Dionysus, Greek god of —-libido! And of wine, women and song.
Get your head into that as you enjoy this month’s NMWA Mix’d Media, happening on Valentine’s Day--February 14th from 6-9:00 pm. “Legends of Mythology and Love” offers up Greek-themed food and drink, music and a free glass of pink bubbly to put you in the mood for love. NMWA’s “The Enchantress,” a centerpiece of its exhibition “Human/Nature: Exploring Humanity’s Relationship with Wildlife,” has inspired the evening’s festivities.
NMWA’s Amy Goicoechea enlisted the help of Rush Jenkins and Klaus Baer of WRJ Design Associates to create a worthy, sumptuous setting. DJ Era spins music, “and those inspired by the evening’s more mystical elements can enjoy crystal readings by Daria and Power Animal Medicine readings by Teri Gilfilen,” notes NMWA. $5 cover at the door. www.wildlifeart.org
