Posts Tagged ‘National Museum Wildlife Art’
Unless you live under a sculpture trail rock, you know the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year. A quarter century of bringing the best of the wildlife art genre to the public is excellent reason to celebrate, and this year NMWA is extending its annual Western Visions celebrations. Traditionally beginning WV events in September, this year everyone is envited to take part in activities scheduled to launch August 18th, 2012. From that date through September, visitors may attend lectures, take hands-on workshops, view and purchase fine Western contemporary art, and attend some dandy artsy parties. Oh, and you’ll meet some of the genre’s most renowned artists.
Western Visions’ featured artists— sculptor Richard Loffler and painter Tucker Smith—will lead special events. On September 13th, ride horseback with Smith for a special arts workshop. A
passionate wildlife observer, Smith will join guests for lunch and provide a chance to see the world through his painter’s eyes on a horseback ride at Spring Creek Ranch; the adventure begins at the museum in front of Tucker’s special painting donation for this year’s auction, “Through the Aspens.”
She’s not real. But she sure looks real. Walk through Heather James Fine Art’s front door and see if you aren’t fooled by the gorgeous girl, seductively kneeling, eyes closed, sensual lips barely apart, clad in a short, filmy, black dress—and meditating.
“Kneeling,” by Milwaukee artist Marc Sijan, is, says he, an homage to humanity’s fascination with its own myriad forms. “Kneeling” is mind-blowingly realistic, and irresistable. Gentlemen, in case you didn’t know, women check each other out all the time. I was drawn like a bee to a flower by this polyester resin and oil-paint sculpture. Timidly I approached her; could I sense a heartbeat? Would she move? If she had, I’d have jumped out of my own skin. Was she really that gorgeous? As you near this magnetic work, you’ll notice her “flaws,” imperfections we all have: freckles, visible veins, some evidence of an oily complexion, the beginnings of a wrinkle, a tiny scar. And it’s these details, not immediately visible, that we sense from across the room, ultimately drawing us towards her.
June 14th, 2012, on a Thursday afternoon, Jackson Hole Public Art hosts “Bike In” celebrations for two community-painted underpass mural projects: the Garaman and N. Hwy. 89 pathway underpasses. The celebration is timed for ‘after work,’ and the first 50 cyclists to zip through get free burgers! I assume these are good old classic cow burgers—but they may be turkey burgers, or tofu, or elk, or bison burgers! And I don’t know if you get cheese with that, or onions, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, chips on the side….It’s a free burger, folks! Just go with it! The murals were painted by local artists Mike Tierney (scheduled to speak at this week’s Culture Front Cocktail Hour discussion at the Rose, a Culture Front event production!) and Abby Paffrath. 80 kids also worked on these murals, and I believe some other local artists may have been initially involved.
Here’s how the evening will go:
5:30 PM – Visit/show up/bike to the Garaman Underpass. These murals are “symbols of hope and inspiration and represent solutions to today’s challenges,” says JH Public Art. Then….
6:30 PM – Meet and park at the Center for the Arts: ride in on the North Highway 89 Pathway to the pedestrian gateway to the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Then….
7:00 PM – North Highway 89 Underpass: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to mark the completion of Don Rambadt’s public artworks titled, “Aspen Gateway, Sky Play and Communities.” Then….
7:30 PM – National Museum of Wildlife Art: Celebrate the unveiling of sculptor Sandy Scott’s “Presidential Eagle.” That’s the end of your ride, and at the end riders will be treated to the sounds of live music with Screen Door Porch, Rising Sage Café goodies,….and that’s where the free burgers come in! www.jhpublicart.org
The National Museum of Wildlife Art’s (NMWA) 2011 “Western Visions” event was a success, bringing the Museum at least $600,000, funds that will benefit its education programs. This year, Tucker Smith’s oil painting East Fork Rams was the top-seller, going for $40,000 at the Museum’s September 16th’s finale sale. Awards were distributed to many notable and deserving Western artists; perhaps the highest honor went to painter Mark Eberhard, whose oil on board painting Snowy Owl won the Museum’s Trustee Purchase Award, making it part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
On October 6, 2011, award winning photographer John Weller will visit Jackson to present The Last Ocean: Antartica’s Ross Sea Photographs by John Weller. After reading research
and articles on enviromental threats to the Ross Sea, Weller took up his camera to document those waters, “one of the last pristine open ocean ecosystems on Earth.” Weller’s photographs will be on display at NMWA October 1, 2011 – January 29, 2012. An opening reception takes place at NMWA on October 6, 5:30 pm. Weller will speak at 7 pm, in Cook Auditorium.
“Through his remarkable images, award-winning photographer Weller takes viewers on a journey that celebrates the Ross Sea as one of Earth’s last healthy marine environments,” says the Museum. “Dramatic photos offer a glimpse into the lives of wildlife from Emperor penguins to silverfish inhabiting the remote region both above and below the Antarctic ocean’s surface.”
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Cool news from the Art Association’s Jenny Dowd: NMWA is looking for artists to collaborate in its upcoming (Bronwyn Minton inspired) exhibition Exquisite Animal: A Community Art Exhibit. Curated by Minton, the artist “game” is played by several people asked to draw a part of an animal; head, front legs, tail, fins, etc. on a “huge sheet of paper,” creating giant animal composites. Each figure presents unlikely combinations, juxtaposed into fantastical creatures. Contact Minton at bminton@wildlifeart.org for more info!
More from Jenny: She has been in contact with Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, Curator at the Portland Art Museum. In conjunction with Laing-Malcolmson’s interest in Northwest art, she is working to build a library of art by artists in this region. Artists are invited to submit packets of work examples to be considered for future exhibitions—accepted works will not only be on display at Portland, but have the chance to travel to other museums in the area.
Very, very nice. Here’s what you do to apply: Mail a disk with up to 20 images of your work, a resume and artist statement to:
Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205.
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From the Teton County Library:
Friday, October 7, from 5:30-6:30 pm, join the Library in the Center for the Arts Lobby for reception celebrating Renewal: Altered Book
Exhibition. “Local artists have spun new creations from discarded books and library-inspired words for this exhibit, celebrating the library’s renewal through the addition and renovation now underway,” says the Library. “The opening reception will feature book art; appetizers provided by the Teton County Library Friends; and an opportunity to see our building model! Architects and library staff will be available to answer questions about our building project.”
You can also make origami! And it’s free!
Through October 28, at the Center. Contact Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135, odoherty@tclib.org. To learn more about library programs or construction, visit www.tclib.org.
The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) brings Sculpture Trail designer Walter Hood back to Jackson on July 26, 2011. Hood will personally conduct a hard-hat tour of the site for museum members and talk about the concepts 
and planning process for a trail that will be organic, artful and integrated to its surrounding Western landscape. NMWA notes that the new trail and sculpture gardens emulate parallel projects installed at nationally noted museums–New York’s Museum of Modern Art and L.A.’s J. Paul Getty Museum, for example. Situated above Jackson Hole’s National Elk Refuge the new trail is uniquely Wyoming.
While leading the tour, Hood will talk about his initial concepts for showcasing the outdoor sculpture and how plans have developed. Important sculptures slated for the new outdoor space include a casting of Simon Gudgeon’s (also look for Gudgeon’s work at Jackson’s Diehl Gallery) bronze bird form “Isis” , Tim Shinabarger’s “Black Timber Bugler”, and eight “larger-than-life” bison sculpted by Richard Loffler. That work, “Buffalo Trail,” will be installed on a hillside with its own access path.
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The Art Association’s Jenny Dowd notes that occasionally community businesses offer artists a chance to display artwork on premises. A few weeks back an in-town Phillips 66 Station was remodeled, and the owners were looking for artwork to “liven up the walls.” Contact Dowd for info at the Art Association by emailing jenny@artassociation.org.
Interesting that a gas station, as opposed to a natural food store or restaurant or some other venue more closely associated with creativity, is offering artists a chance to show their work. I hope the effort sets an example for more Town of Jackson establishments. Bringing darkened commercial space windows to life with local art is a common practice. And it’s win-win.
Dowd has provided a link for artists wanting to sell their work at this year’s People’s Market: http://www.jhpeoplesmarket.org/ Lastly, the Teton Mudpots hold their annual summer sale outside the Art Association’s ceramics studio 10am – 5:30pm, on Thursday June 30th. For more information contact Sam Dowd: sam@artassociation.org
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Plein air painter Dennis Doheny is a familiar name in Jackson’s art scene, featured in past NMWA exhibitions. Doheny is wildly famous in his home state of California, and truly ranks amongst the country’s most distinguished plein air artists. He has twice won the Frederic Remington Award and was honored by the Autry National Center with the Masters of the American West Purchase Award. Though his work is in high demand, Doheny
has not had a one man show in five years. He’ll break that pattern on Saturday, September 24th, when an exhibition of new works débuts at William A. Karges Fine Arts, in their Beverly Hills location. An opening reception takes place 4-6 pm.
Doheny is represented exclusively by Karges. www.dennisdoheny.com/
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Jackson photographer Jeff Diener has new “Wildlife and Wildflower” images, taken last spring. His favorites include shots of “…an intense coyote and [a] mysterious Great Grey Owl.”
“I’ve always known coyotes to be curious but I was pretty surprised by this encounter,” Diener says. “This guy actually approached me, checked me out, then proceeded to lay down and relax. I shot photos for over half an hour!” Diener now offers Canvas Gallery Wrapped prints. “These are a simple and elegant approach to presentation–high quality canvas, gallery wrapped and ready to hang,” notes the photographer. http://jacksonholegallery.photoshelter.com/gallery/Wildlife-Wildflower-Photos/G0000V1dqwKNStHk/
