Jackson Hole Art Blog

FIRST THING:

I thought about apologizing for being OTL this holiday, but I’m not.  I will say: the Art Blog is back, we’re takin’ it back with Barack, and we don’t take no pennies from those wackety-PACs!

Here’s a little swing ditty, “Takin’ It Back With Barack, Jack!” Makes me happy; hope it makes you happy!

SECOND THING:

Following in the footsteps of Terry Tempest Williams’ December reading over at Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, comes an appearance by Wilson writer Alexandra Fuller at the Muse Gallery.  Artist Mike Piggott’s new collection of paintings, “Objects and Things,” inspired Fuller’s essay “The Emperor of the Red Wheel Barrow,” which Fuller will read at the artist’s reception this Friday, January 16.   Festivities run 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.; Fuller’s reading is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Fuller has authored several non-fiction books, including “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood,” and, most recently, “The Legend of Colton H. Bryant.”

THIRD (quite giant) THING:

Last week’s J.H. News and Guide included missives praising Bland Hoke Jr.’s public art project: portraits of indigenous animals cut from recycled wood and painted by kids.  Mr. Hoke’s role as the Center of Wonder’s Public Art Ambassador was imagined and supported by Wonder’s Executive Director Carrie Geraci, and by that non-profit’s founders, Gary and Veronica Silberberg.  The Public Art Ambassador Program aspires to work with members of the business community in fostering art projects that connect to nature; installations that will serve as new and interactive art media in Jackson.

Public art encourages environmental stewardship through curiosity and creating a sense of ownership, and by enhancing public space. It is a significant community tool that promotes tourism and regional appreciation.

Public art is great marketing. We imagine myriad public art installations in and around the Town of Jackson. I take this opportunity to call upon our Town and County officials to spearhead a public arts installation program. In most urban areas, the quest to design for relevant public art is old hat.  Public art installations define cities, and we are a small city.  Posers, at any rate.  Our planning process needs to include space for public plazas, parks and sculpture.

There are lots of experts out there to consult.  Find them, Town of Jackson,  because claiming to know about the arts, their history and impact when one does not is a bit like claiming to be qualified for the Vice Presidency because you can see Russia from your house.

Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park combines places to eat, shop and walk with nine acres overlooking Puget Sound.  The project “…brings together the best of (the) city: art and recreation….21 sculptures take center stage, representing such artists as Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, and Ellsworth Kelly.”

Contemporary Seattle mixes traditional Inuit art with contemporary masters. Walkways and ‘paths’ of connected galleries connect sites.   We can conjure a similar urban art potion.

My primary reason for voting against the late “Town as Heart” DRD proposal was not that I didn’t envision growth; it was that its creators had incorporated virtually no landscaping, parks, arts or ‘grace of space.’  Our town’s square chunks smashed up against one another offer no secret spaces, no enticing fountains or gardens.  Without these provocative elements, we forfeit a higher level of urban vibrancy.

Define the Town of Jackson as a business, educational, and cultural center; not as a Teton Village clone.  That’s our opportunity.

End

Need a break from the election treadmill?

Sunday, November 2 celebrates Mexico’s “Day of the Dead,” a holiday that, despite its name, celebrates life.   It’s a wonderful holiday, filled with creativity and possibility.  Jackson traditionally holds a “Day of the Dead” walk, a guided tour of local “Day of the Dead” altars around town.   Altars are an invitation to the departed to celebrate with those of us still of this world, and to that end altars feature costumed figures, humor, artistry, and food.

Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, in conjunction with Ladrillos par alas Artes and the Teton County Library, will provide party space and special classes.

Festivities take place at LMC, 130 South Jackson Street, on Sunday, November 2, 5:30 - 9:30 pm.  Other scheduled events follow, and families are welcome!

At LMC, view “Day of the Dead” altars, decorate a sugar skull, watch traditional craft demonstrations and enjoy homemade tamales, “dead bread” and Mexican hot chocolate.

Cooking classes and sugar skull class is limited to 12 participants. Reserve a spot by calling Oona Doherty at 690-5264, or email oonadoherty@gmail.com

Other “Day of the Dead” Events:

Look for a Stagecoach Stop Halloween altar installation on the Town Square, created by local artists on Friday, October 31 from 4-8pm.

Thursday, October 30
Cooking Class: Mole Poblano taught by Marta Arribillaga
6-7:30pm
Location:  e.leaven Food Company

Mole is a common dish prepared during Dia de los Muertos.  Participants will learn how to make chicken mole with rice and will eat the final product.

Saturday, November 1
Live Altar Performance directed by Raul Juarez
11-11:30am
Presented by the Teton County Library

Watch a short “Day of the Dead” theater piece followed by traditional Mexican food and sweets. For ages 5 and up.

How to make a traditional Altar with Laura Rodriguez
Teton County Library Auditorium
12-12:30pm

Sugar Skull Decorating taught by Bronwyn Minton
1-2pm Children 5 and up
2-3pm Adults
Library Conference Room
Participants will learn how to make sugar skulls (Calaveras de Azúcar) using a mold and decorate a skull to take home.

Baking Class: Pan de Muertos & Champurrado with Blanca Rojas
4-6pm
Location: Hard Drive Café!
Pan de Muertos (Bread of the Dead) is sweet and shaped into skulls or round loaves with strips of dough on top to resemble bones. Champurrado is a warm, thick beverage made with ground corn and chocolate.

END

Lyndsay is known as Jackson’s most influential person in the arts scene.  Her undimmed passion has enriched us for a decade and a half, beginning with her years at the Martin Harris Gallery.   As Kate Balog noted, Lyndsay has “…brought dialogue, philosophy, social commentary… and contemporary artists to the small mountain town known for its traditional Western art, and helped pave the way for the newer art venues.”

Lyndsay simultaneously honors our region’s rich art history, a history grounded in parks conservation, and pushes boundaries to discover and promote all manner of contemporary art.

She has overturned our traditional concept of art galleries by turning hers into a welcoming ‘home’ for countless worthy initiatives. Her energy and commitment are unmatched.  Through her exhibits and events Lyndsay provides venues for women’s initiatives, conservation, Latino resources, children and more.  Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary Gallery does so much more than support the arts; there are few concepts Lyndsay won’t consider.  Artists are activists, and Lyndsay’s personal brand of activism furthers and supports our ever-diversifying arts community.

To walk into Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary is to enter a place of wonder.  Through Lyndsay’s efforts we all have the opportunity to learn not only about art, but also about the ties that bind us as a community, and about our role as passengers on the boat, Planet Earth.

Tammy Christel, July 2008