Jackson Hole Art Blog

Shhhhh.  It’s a silent auction.

The 15th Annual Out of the Woods Silent Art Auction, an Art Association favorite, takes place Friday, November 20th, 6-8 pm at the Center for the Arts Theater Lobby.

We don’t have Todd around, but we still have his “shhh!”  A sort of an in-house ‘palates and palettes’ arts event, the evening promises a throng of art-lover clamoring for food, wine and….local art.  Artists donate works, and the public bids on art of all kinds, via a silent auction.  It’s loads of fun, and all proceeds raise money for the Art Association’s Educational Programming.

On your mark, get set…..start shopping!  For information, contact Amy Fradley at 307.733.8792 or email amyf@artassociation.org.

Also at the Art Association - specifically upstairs in the Artspace Loft Gallery - check out “Little Cayman,” on display November 13 - December 31, 2009.

Drool and live vicariously through News & Guide grand dame Liz McCabe, who has been visiting Little Cayman. The exhibit is billed as a collection of visions of the south seas idyll by McCabe, Jon Stuart, Laura McWethy, Tom Montgomery and others.

If they need someone to carry their bags, they should give me a call.  www.artassociation.org.

Item #2:  Thal Glass

Glass blower Laurie Thal blows and fires her magic goblets, vases and vessels in her Teton Village Road studio.  Every fall -or early winter, depending on how you experience November -  she hosts a holiday open house, and this year’s holiday event takes place Saturday, November 21, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. This is a free event, and a fun excursion for the whole family.

Thal will be there, giving demonstrations and answering questions–the studio is typically stocked with a variety of glass items, in a variety of sizes and price points and a veritable rainbow of colors.

Thal has not supplied a contact phone number, but click on her website–linked above–for more information and a good look at her wares.

The Art Association has named a new Executive Director: Jennifer Crawford. Karen Stewart, outgoing director, says Crawford has strong arts credentials, “infectious energy and ideas.”  Crawford takes over in January, 2010.  She replaces Stewart, who led the Art Association through 16 years of growth.  She guided the Association’s transition to its current home at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts. Stewart will retire at the end of January.

Congratulations to Jennifer Crawford, and KUDOS, KUDOS, KUDOS to Karen as she begins the next phase of her life with family, friends and great projects.

NOW….

Jackson artist Jenny Dowd is being honored at her alma mater, the University of Missouri. The university’s first Alumni Exhibition features Dowd’s sculptural aged forms…forms that look like teeth and books.  We wrote about that, and we are proud to have collaborated with Dowd on her Blurb Book, “Collection.” Dowd and her husband Sam work for Jackson’s Art Association, and are noted for their sculptural works;  Jenny is inspired by history, data and nature, while Sam creates fanciful, orbital and aerial inspired-forms, forms that would transfer very well to claymation.   Jenny’s work was also featured in the Premio Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro International Competition for Young Sculptors in Milan, Italy.

Item #2: Charlotte’s Arts - Why Not Here? Connect the Dots!

Charlotte, South Carolina’s arts, that is.  Charlotte’s Mayor Joseph Riley is solidly behind public arts initiatives in his city—and he’s been re-elected for NINE terms!  I’m excerpting some highlights from an article on the subject, compiled by various Gazette-Virginian staff, here:

“The arts, public grounds/parks and historic preservation are “the three basic reasons, the initiators” of Charleston, S.C.’s phenomenal change, keynote speaker Mayor Joseph Riley told Art & Creative Economy Conference guests, town and county officials Wednesday.”

Oh heck.  I’m crunched for time.  Here’s the rest of the article, and it’s a good one. I’ve italicized major points.

“Riley described downtown Charleston as almost dead in 1977, the year the Spoleto Festival USA debuted there. “But the arts, all those people coming, and all the flowerings started” igniting the rebirth of the downtown district.

However,  the seminal course change almost floundered.

Initially composer Gian Carlos Menotti started an arts festival in Spoleto, Italy in 1958, and a North American “sister city” was sought.

Charleston went courting, but some on the committee were not delighted with all aspects of the Italian festival – finances were described as a mess - and worried a similar event in Charleston might have a negative impact on the community and the existing arts.

Riley - backed by the committee’s 6-5 vote tabling the disbandment motion - fought for Spoletto Festival USA, “to make ourselves a stage for the arts.”

The city began raising money and cleaning up for the event.

Today, the 17-day Spoletto’s phenomenal impact on the arts and economy continues. “Spoletto began the artistic renaissance of Charleston. It’s never been so robust, but it goes so far beyond that,” he added, naming development of magnet schools for the arts at the high and middle school level.

The arts also are being used as a unifying theme to reach kids in an inner-city school.

“We are teaching everybody,” added Riley, describing the wonderful spectrum of the city.

The quality of life in Charleston also makes recruiting easier for businesses, Riley noted, with one businessman naming that asset as making it easier for him to recruit the employees he needs.

Historic Preservation
In the early 20th century, some wanted to tear down Rainbow Row, recalled Riley. “The ladies rose up, taking a stand for preservation,” he recalled.

Today, Charleston boasts the first Preservation Ordinance in America.

When the historic buildings are preserved for adaptive reuse, the structure takes on a forever aspect, according to the mayor. “You can’t create this from scratch,” he added, emphasizing the city’s historic preservation as one of the three basic reasons for its great revival and success.

Public Parks
“It is very important that there be public places,” emphasized Riley. “The more the better. The public realm is so important,” he repeated.

Vision, a hefty $750,000 private donation and creative negotiations with a property owner ultimately resulted in the city’s Waterfront Park.

“No one can imagine Charleston without Waterfront Park,” added Riley. “The community adores it. The moral imperative is that we make sure the city is an inspirational place for everyone,” he said.

The park also elevated the notion of the public realm, going to the extra effort to create beautiful places for the public, according to the mayor.

Charleston also fought for a bridge with bike and pedestrian paths, opening yet another avenue to the public, recalled the mayor.

“Great towns or cities, the size doesn’t matter, these principles are universal,” said the mayor, who speaks with almost 34 years experience as a master of transition in Charleston.

Prior to Mayor Riley’s introduction, one county businessman and civic leader observed: “I hope people can connect the dots linking the arts and the economy and ask, ‘Why not here?’”

The Jackson Hole Art Association gets fall going with a cool, free, “three-for” opening tonight, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Center for the Arts.

Local wide-eyed n’ spunky textile artist Abbie Miller curates Larger than Life, a show examining clothing as a sculptural medium, and how clothing helps us, as Cathy Wikoff notes, “inhabit the world.”   We are what we wear.  The show features works by artists Alissa Davies, Annica Cuppetelli, Rod Klingelhofer, Amy Larkin (did ya see her stuff at Shades?), Carin Rodenborn and Jennifer Williams.    Quothe the Art Association, “….in this realm garments become exoskeletons and sculptural shelters that offer protection, exuberance and a new way to inhabit our evolving environments.”

Miller’s fabric creations are wonders.  They’re alive. They morph in front of your eyes, they tell stories.   Her show is up through November 23.

Sharon Thomas: Studies from Life Drawing, explores the artist’s study of the human form. Thomas, a long-time Art Association staffer, artist and teacher, will soon leave us—and that is very sad. Thomas has a touch we will miss-detail full of delicacy, gentle musings and nature-inspired collages. She’s loving in each and every endeavor—honest. A lightness of being. A master of color.

“Studies” remains on display through November 6.

Photographer Zachary Allen’s Roseland: A Field Guide to New Urbanism is a timely exhibition. Allen’s photographs of a Virginia region facing potentially dangerous levels of growth presents a theme we’ve long been considering here.

How will this new suburban development evolve? Will it be sustainable for the landscape as well as its inhabitants? Allen says Roseland is an important case study; it will present “…the future of designing sustainable communities through a system of strict design principles and policies guided by the charter of new urbanism.” Allen plans to photograph construction of the project from beginning to end.

Check the Art Association’s website for more info. 307.733.6379.

This all brings to mind Jackson’s own growth issues; which brings to mind articles and ads recently run in the Jackson Hole News & Guide. They concern Jackson resident and business owner Kevin Gilday’s drive to initiate the unseating of Jackson’s mayor, Mark Barron. Gilday is proposing early organization of an effort to find a candidate who can run against, and beat, Barron. That is, if Barron runs.

That’s the very basic scenario. Organizing well-conceived political campaigns, campaigns of foresight, is admirable. Right off the bat, however, this campaign has shot itself in the foot. Gilday’s rallying speeches are peppered with negative characterizations. Such hyperbole does not reflect favorably on him. And such usage puts the characterization’s target in plumb position; Mark Barron is (publicly) reacting to Gilday’s slurs in a non-reactive and considered manner. And guess what that does? It presents Mr. Barron as the wiser of the two characters in this local production. Gilday comes off as amateurish and (characterization alert!) dumb. It’s not savvy rhetoric. As a citizen, I’m not compelled to align myself with him. He’s mudslinging, and mudslinging often signals hidden agendas. Toxic agendas.

Lately, Jackson has raised mudslinging to new levels.  Let’s class up, shall we?   I’ll add that defensive, non-accountable, pointing-the-finger-at-someone-else language reveals as much, if not more, of the same sort of malfeasance  it is often meant to conceal.   If we’re not accountable, we’re not trustworthy.

So dump your comparisons to Napoleon, Mr. Gilday.  Expunge use of such phrases as “complicit cronies,” (Who do you mean? Better be ready to call them out, and back up any accusations with fact.) and talk about the ISSUES. Where do you want to go and how will you get there? Tell us. Present an alternative plan for the town, if you are able.

Because right now, you’re doin’ the Limbaugh.

The Teton Literacy’s Second Annual Mother’s Day Trunk Show, a two-day event, features the best of Jackson Hole’s local arts.   May 1-2, take a pre-Mother’s Day stroll over to the historic Wort Hotel in downtown Jackson to view, and bid on, a wealth of jewelry, glasswork, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, needlework and more.   Bid on a complimentary, two-hour Jackson Hole Art Tour for four!  (Value $130 - a great gift for the art-loving ladies in your life, a great treat for summer visitors!)   Fly fishing, spa visits and more goodies will also be up for bid.

The event kicks off with a Friday, May 1 cocktail party and first glance at some great items up for silent bid at the Wort; Saturday, May 2, come back to check out the all-day trunk show and bidding action.

All proceeds benefit the Teton Literacy Program. Check with event organizers regarding non-profit donation tax benefits.   Stefanie Thompson and Andria Clancy are the co-chairs.   For more information log onto Teton Literacy’s website. Phone 307-733-9242.

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Art for the Soul-Soup for the Bowl, happening at the Art Association on Friday, May 1, 5:30-8:00 p.m., is a new and down-to-earthenware fundraiser for the Art Association’s community arts education program.  An affordable $25 gets you in the door.  Once in, here’s what happens:  pick your own hand-thrown ceramic bowl–thrown or coiled by Art Association ceramicists.  Then, fill that beautiful bowl with your choice of an array of delicious soups from local restaurants.

And…drink beer! (Hope there’s some cheddar soup to go with that.)  Open mic entertainment is on the docket, and attendees get a sneak preview of this Spring’s YARD Art exhibition, headed up by local artist Ben Roth.

Bowl-er artists include: Wesley Barron, Rudy Borrego, Jenny Dowd, Sam Dowd, Bronwyn Minton, Janet Monahan, Robert Palmquist, Allison Parker, Amanda Rizner, Veronica Schreibeis, Valerie Seaberg, Dean Stayner, Marianne Sturken, Tenley Thompson, Josh Thulin and Nicole Waichunas.         Information: 307-733-6379.   Or, log onto www.artassociation.org.

What ARE the consequences of an exquisite corpse?

Consequences of the Exquisite Corpse: An Invitational Art Game, curated by local artist and photographer Bronwyn Minton, is her own twist on an old parlour game by the same name.  The game also has something in common with Mad Libs.   Pieces of an unknown story are put together by more than one person, and only one person knows the story theme.  When random words are inserted into the story, crazy shenanigans and laughter ensue.

It’s a great game for long car rides.

“Consequences” is very Surrealist, in that an element of surprise is present…a little philosophy, too.  I’m going to throw in “macabre,” and “Day of the Dead” as connotations.  This stuff is a little creepy! Fun creepy.  It’s also totemic.   A story with symbols.

Minton has assembled a collection of images created by artists and other members of Jackson’s community.  Each complete work is numbered;  each work has a top, central, and bottom image.   Minton assigned each contributor an image; each knew they had to create a head, a torso, or a bottom half.  All did this individually, not knowing how their image would fit together with others.   That was up to Minton, and this exhibition is the result.  The result is a surprise to everyone, including the artists.

Minton’s work is always mysterious, always very innovative. Imp!  For this annual Art Association invitational she invites community participation, and the collective rules of “Consequence” become an actual artistic process.   She needs to put her projects in book form, don’t you think?  Book, book!

Consequences of the Exquisite Corpse is on exhibit until May 1, at ArtSpace. A very nice show, “Photography to an Exhibit,” is upstairs in the Loft Gallery.  www.artassociation.org

The Jackson Hole Art Association posted some great Spring classes.  I reproduce the schedule here.   Check with the Art Association for a discount on Edward Stanton’s “Drawing Circus” class.    Teaching staff includes Stanton, Sam Dowd and the lovely Georgia Mayer.

Drawing Circus, Mar. 12 - 15
with Edward Stanton
This is no ordinary figure drawing workshop.  Each day features at least one performing artist in theatre or dance striking short and moving poses (costumed and nude) in a partially staged ephemeral atmosphere, with lighting that varies from right and colored to dark and dramatic. Sign up before 2.20.09 & get a 10% discount.

Surface Enrichment on Clay, Mar. 21 & 22
with Sam Dowd
This class will be geared toward the making of utilitarian pots on the potters’ wheel in a spontaneous manner. We will explore the use of underglaze colors and slips as well as mark making on the clay.

Beginning Silversmithing, Mar. 13 - 15
with Georgia Mayer
Learn to saw, solder, polish and complete some simple silver projects. Bring sketches of simple designs. Georgia will demonstrate simple rings, setting stones and patterns for 2 or 3 simple bracelets and / or earrings.

Youth Clay and Art Classes, Session II, Feb. 23
Our second session of youth art classes starts on February 23. There are classes in a variety of media for kids aged 2 yrs. to 5th graders.

The Art Association takes a few steps off the path this Friday, November 21, when it holds an opening reception for two long-time Jackson plein air painters:  Greg McHuron and Jim Wilcox.   “Greg McHuron & Jim Wilcox: On Location,” will be on view at the ArtSpace Theater Gallery November 21-January 15, 2009.   Friday’s festivities begin at 5:30 pm.    The exhibition is sponsored by Jackson’s own “Deaf As a Post Lunch Bunch,” with Bert Raynes as “Chief Curmudgeon.”

“Plein air” is the art form meaning ‘painting in fresh air.’  Long time friends and colleagues, McHuron and Wilcox are nationally known artists; their painting lives forever intertwined.   Come pay tribute to these two plein air giants; their work is integral to our region’s great art history, and it is rare to have both artists on hand  simultaneously.     For more information, contact the Art Association at 307-733-6379.

We’ll post more on this exhibit at a later date.

A Post Script:   The Jackson Hole Art Blog will be the subject of a radio interview airing tomorrow  on  The Range Radio (103.7) and The River, ( 92.3 ).   The three-minute program will air three times, between the hours of 7-8:00 a.m., 12-1:00 p.m., and 5-6:00 p.m.

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This announcement was originally posted by the Art Association-T.C.

Call for local artists! The Art Association is looking for artists interested in participating in the 44th Annual Christmas Bazaar. The Bazaar is December 6th from 10:00AM to 5:30PM in the Snow King Ice Arena. This event is very well-attended and is a wonderful way for you to display your hand made artwork or crafts.

Please contact Amy Fradley, Art Fair Director for applications and information.

RAVENS, CHIEFS, ART and WONDER

The Center of Wonder, Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary and the Art Association present:

“5 Spot for the ArtSpot,” A Public Art Party and Fun(d)raiser for Installation Art(ists)

When: October 16th   5:30 - 7:30 pm

Where:  Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary

Suggested Donation: $5

What’s Happening: Four fabulous, large scale ARTSPOT paintings will be auctioned. Proceeds benefit the creation and installation of future ARTSPOT works.   Bid on mystical, marvelous Raven banners, or on iconic Native American Indian Chief portraits. All measure approximately 5′ wide by 11′ high.

Live Tunes by “Rotating Superstructure.”

For information, contact  “Center of Wonder” Director Carrie Geraci at 307-734-0570.

Arts Observatory April 4, 2006

Wilson artist Miga Rossetti created last summer’s Art Association Jackson Hole Arts Fair poster, and this spring, she is the Murie Center’s 2006 Spring Earth Festival’s Featured Artist, with her artwork once again being chosen for promotional poster art. “Bug” is a multi-colored, celestial dream-like composition.   Its festive, eye-catching aura seems an excellent choice for the 8th annual Spring Earth Festival, which takes place April 19-23, and celebrates our valley’s wildness.   This year, the Festival opens on Wednesday, April 19, at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, when Emmy award-winning documentary filmmakers Jim and Jamie Dutcher present their program “Living with Wolves.”

Traditionally, Spring Earth Festival artists display their works at Pearl Street Bagels for the month beginning April 15.   Rossetti is so busy, however, she has ceded her PSB reservation to the Murie Center’s first photographer in residence, Cynthia Norcross Willson.

Says the Murie Center’s Amy Brennan McCarthy, “We are so pleased with the imagery surrounding this year’s festival.   Artist Miga Rossetti’s vibrant work will grace the…poster, and…Cynthia Willson will capture the essence of the festival and the historic Murie Ranch…”

According to McCarthy, Willson first visited the Murie Ranch in June 2005, accompanying visiting dignitaries from Pakistan and India, in a tour arranged by the United States State Department.   Willson, a Wyoming native, has spent years photographing cultures around the globe. She now resides in Cheyenne.  Willson invokes Mardy Murie, relaying the conservationist’s sentiments to us once again:  “ Every citizen has a responsibility toward this planet.”  Willson adds that she “…believes protecting nature is crucial not only for our survival, but for a richness in our lives.   There is no greater gift we can leave those who succeed us.”

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An artful workshop wonderland is yours for the taking this summer, courtesy of the Art Association.  Summer 2006 will offer up a roster of extraordinary Visiting Artist Workshops, and this year the Art Association, in partnership with Central Wyoming College and Idaho State University, will provide a selection of three to five day art classes creditable towards an arts degree. Courses will be staffed with notable instructors and artists from around the country.  Visiting Artist workshops will offer credits for undergraduates, and, for the first time, opportunities to accumulate graduate level credits.

So, how does the program work?  “If one takes a class, you could take it solely for personal enrichment,” says coordinator and past Art Association Director Susan Thulin. “Show up, learn, and have a great time!  But, if you’d like to take the same class for undergraduate credit, you may fill out CDW forms, and you’ll receive extra assignments. You will need to complete a certain number of works, as you would in any collegiate setting.”

Education coordinator Amy Larkin rates this development ‘amazing.’  “The graduate level credits are a total breakthrough,” she says. “This summer is the first time the Art Association is really digging in to help students get ahead.  And for teachers taking graduate level workshops, they’ll have additional credit, which should increase their teaching value and salaries. That’s a great benefit for all the teachers in our region looking for classes. This is a wonderful deal for them, because in addition to the credits, the courses are compact and easy to take.”

What’s on the agenda?  Whether you are a beginner or an advanced art student, summer classes have something for everyone. Offerings include, but are definitely not limited to, Simon Kogan’s “Sculpting the Truth,” Nicholas Wilton’s creative exploration class “Artplane” and Edward Stanton’s “Drawing Circus.”  Want to draw or paint?  Consider Susan Thulin’s “Drawing: Personal Inspiration from Nature,” Reid Galey’s “Plein Air Oil Painting Workshop” or Ted Nuttall’s “Figurative Watercolor Painting from Photographs.”

For information, call the Art Association at 733-6379.  A complete roster of classes will be available online and in the new edition of SPLASH.

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