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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