Posts Tagged ‘National Museum Wildlife Art’
Conference rooms. They’re not just for conferences anymore.
Local chanteuse, gal-about-town, gardener, mom and artist Lizzie McCorquodale spent much of the past year painting. Really getting into it. Back in September 2009, McCorquodale “goaled herself” with creating 100 paintings within a year’s time.
She achieved her goal, and her subsequent exhibition of paintings is now on display, papering the walls of the Center for the Arts Conference Room; that meeting place is located close to the Center’s Glenwood Street entrance, near the welcome desk and the Art Association’s gallery. It’s accessible any time the Center is open to the public, with the exception of scheduled conference times.
Even then, you can look through the glass and see some of McCorquodale’s vibrant and exhuberant oil paintings. The artist says the paintings represent highlights of her painting quest, or, at the least, “some of the biggest pieces.”
100 Paintings in a Year: Lizzie McCorquodale remains on display through December 30, 2010. Free. www.artassociation.org.
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Last summer we ran a piece on landscape designer/artist/public art activist Patricia Johanson, She spoke on the topic of sustainable landscaping at Jackson’s Community School. The Jackson Hole Art Blog advised:
This is a talk everyone who feels the Town of Jackson should evolve with consideration to new urbanism, and as a sustainable and cultural reflection of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, need attend. These are the ideas and concepts crucial to how Jackson, now an urban entity, can become a model of sustainable, artful urban existence in the midst of protected land. Jackson leaders mandate must be this: to consider all indigenous and cultural qualities of our region in their civic planning.
LandscapeOnline.com hosts articles on designing, building and maintaining eco-friendly landscaping. Johanson is featured—in fact writes about her own project—in an article on reclaiming a dessicated coal mining site. I’m providing an
excerpt from Johanson’s article that describes a design for her “Madonna Lily,” an installation collecting rainwater on the site. The collected water serves the campus of the site’s present owners, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“The “Madonna Lily” occurs at the edge of a site that has recently been restored by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation using typical engineering methods. Volunteer trees and vegetation have been removed, the land has been compacted into stabile terraces—now used as platforms for athletic fields, oversized rip-rap channels conduct water off the land, and all traces of mining history have been erased, in stark contrast to the five-acre wooded ravine that still exists.
Lying beneath these massive man-made terraces, the “Madonna Lily” captures and stores stormwater from the upper campus, and provides access to a constructed wetland filled with plants that purify stormwater. The five-foot wide paths over water create microhabitats for wildlife, and offer students opportunities for field study in phytoremediation, bioremediation, ecology and aquaculture.”
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Saturday, November 13, go back to school at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. “Saturday U” is sponsored by the University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming Foundation, Wyoming Humanities Council and co-presented by Central Wyoming College, National Museum of Wildlife Art, and Teton County Library Foundation.
The public may attend a morning of educational classes, free. This week’s syllabus covers three topics: What are the promises and perils of our increasingly digital world? ; Who pays for dealing with climate change? Who should speak at a public university?
Here’s the schedule for November 13:
8:30AM Doors open
8:45AM Introductory Remarks
9:00AM – 12:30PM Sessions
12:30 – 1:30PM Lunch and Discussion
More detail:
9:00 – 10AM Balancing the Books: Who pays for managing climate change? - Jason Shogren, Stroock Professor of Natural Resource Conservation and Management, and member of the IPCC (Nobel Laureate)
10:15 – 11:15AM Keeping up with the Joneses in a Digital World - Mary P. Sheridan, Associate Professor of English
11:30 – 12:30PM, The University as Forum: Free Expression in the Academy - Myron B. Allen, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
12:30 – 1:30PM, Join us for a lunch and discussion with the speakers in the Wapiti Gallery.
For information, contact Teton County Library Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org
Participants may earn half a college credit (in-state tuition is $44.50) or half a PTSB credit free for each Saturday program from Central Wyoming College. To register for college credit or PTSB credit, call Susan Thulin, CWC outreach coordinator, 733-7425.
It’s the season for pairing up out-of-state artists. Two Idaho artists are in town, and now the Art Association will feature the installations and paintings of Utah artists Jen Harmon Allen and Jennifer Rasmusson.
The show,Walking Shadows, goes on display November 5th; an opening reception takes place that evening 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Art Association gallery space in the Center for the Arts.
Say “Yes” to the Dress! (my newly wedded sister’s favorite television show…)
Some kind of sarcophagal energy emanates from the images of Harmon’s empty suspended dress forms. Her work, along with Rasmusson’s, is described as playful—but consequential purpose must lie behind creativity manifesting as petrified, stony ceramic dresses. A soul has gone missing; this gridded floating dress is a specter, and a ravaged one at that. The show’s title hints at all of this. I want to knock on that dress, like I’d knock on a door or an old hollow tree. Harmon’s half of the show also includes an army of plaster legs.
Juxtaposed against these enigmatic sculptures are Rasmusson’s paintings–ranging from the realistic to the abstract–that explore “physical movements in time.” These paintings are actually layers of acrylic and oil paints, mixed with plaster. Both artists will offer classes, talks and programs in conjunction with the show—on display through December 30, 2010. Log onto the Art Association website for details.
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It’s Father-Daughter Week for the Turner family.
November 3, 2010, former Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, International Environment & Scientific Affairs and third-generation Wyoming rancher John F. Turner will receive the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s
prestigious Rungius Medal. The Rungius, named for artist Carl Rungius, recognizes individuals significantly adding to “…the public’s awareness of wildlife and the habitat necessary for its survival.” The ceremony takes place at 10:30 am, at the Museum’s Cook Auditorium. Turner, whose numerous accomplishments on behalf of the natural world include establishing 55 new National Wildlife Refuges, will be awarded the medal at 10:30 a.m.
“With his strong record of protecting wildlife, habitat and natural resources on a national level as well as his personal deep connection to the land, John F. Turner is a perfect candidate for our Rungius Medal, and we’re honored to be presenting him with it,” said Jim McNutt, National Museum of Wildlife Art president and CEO.
Carl Rungius is widely considered to be America’s most important portrayer of wildlife and their habitat. The ceremony is free and open to the public–but an rsvp is appreciated. Send yours to Shawn Meisl at 303.732.5449 or by email at smeisl@wildlifeart.org.
There’s little doubt that Turner’s daughter, Kathryn Mapes Turner, will be in attendance. A noted painter, Kathy’s landscapes and portraits of wildlife have been making the rounds. She has participated and won awards in multiple venues this fall. Those venues include NMWA’s 23rd Western Visions Show; Jackson Hole’s Fall Arts Festival “Quick Draw”; Wisconsin’s Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum “Birds in Art” International Exhibition; Lexington, Kentucky’s American Academy of Equine Art-2010 Fall Open Juried Exhibition; Nashville, Tennessee’s American Impressionist Society “11th Annual National Juried Exhibition”; and…(big breath!) Great Falls, Montana’s C.M. Russell Museum’s “Masters in Miniature Show.”
Turner is represented locally by Trio Fine Art.
Parallel shows by Idaho artists Cynthia Stoetzer and Valerie Stuart begin at the Tayloe Piggott Gallery on October 25, and remain up through December 12, 2010; but the shows will be officially opened together in a new venue for the gallery, an Open House. Saturday, November 6, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm the public is welcome to stop by the gallery for an open “Art Conversation.” Throughout the day visitors may drop in to talk with the artists, view the work, and enjoy refreshments.
Stuart and Stoetzer will talk about their process, experience and challenges as artists — this opportunity, in tandem with an atmosphere likened to a home setting, is meant to be a satisfying experience for all attendees. A satisfying and dynamic mix of gallery and inside-the-artist’s-studio.
Stoetzer’s show In the Leaves and On the Plains expands upon the artist’s style of combining elements of European and American Impressionists, with a bit of Pointillism in the painterly mix. The subject, though, is Stoetzer’s western landscapes. As large as 48″ x 60″, Stoetzer’s paintings are known for their ability to shimmer.
“My aim now is to reclaim landscape as the serious and cherished subject it has always been,” says the artist. “And to celebrate that love of the specific place and time. So when I paint a grove of trees, you can see that they are Aspen trees as they grow in that particular way in the Rockies. They’re not just an idea, or a symbol, of a tree. It’s been said that to give one’s attention is the greatest act of love, and when I’m painting an aspen tree, I’m giving it my full attention.”
Stuart’s Incontado mixed media works recall Renaissance frescos. This series, her “Mura Venete” (Venetian Walls), incorporates plaster, oil
paint, and resin. Stuart uses a layering process and “chromatic key construction,” creating great luminous depth on her canvases. A combination of color, tension, language and experience speak to the emotional “self.” And Stuart’ self has had many lives; the artist has worked as an actor, stunt driver and in fashion design before devoting herself full time to her painting.
www.tayloepiggottgallery.com
Contact information for artists: Valerie Stuart, valeriestuart@cox.net, (208)720-6115 Cynthia Stoetzer, (208)354-0112, guild@silverstar.com
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One of Jackson’s coolest cultural traditions is the creation and admiring of Parejas del Día de los Muertos- –Day of the Dead Figures—around town. The Teton County Library never omits marking this Latino tradition of creating and displaying colorful, festive altars honoring the circle of life, and those who have gone before us.
October 23 & 30, celebrate “Day of the Dead” by creating and decorating novios with the artisan Oton Baez, at the Library. Class offered in two continuous Saturday sessions. Registration required and has been ongoing as of Oct. 11. For ages 7 to adult. Ordway Auditorium. Free. For more information, contact Latino Programs Coordinator Patty Rocha, 733-2164 ext. 237 or procha@tclib.org . In Spanish & English.
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It’s hard to paint the night.
But, for wildlife and many painters of landscape and wildlife, night bewitches. Wildlife emerges, gathers and responds to the deepening light. Artists strive to capture the effects of moonlight and the stars on a blackening sky and the earth below. The National Museum of Wildlife Art’s new show, Dusk to Dawn: Nocturnes from the Collection, opens October 30, 2010, remains on display through May 1, 2011, and “combines master works of the genre drawn from the museum’s collection with an exploration of nocturnal animal behavior.”
My favorite present-day “local” night-sky artist is Bill Sawczuk. Sublime, twinkling, translucent nocturnal skies. And one of my favorite wildlife/landscape works is Rockwell Kent’s 1920′s stylized “Mt. Equinox, Vermont,” an oil painting featured in this show.
This exhibit spotlights historic painters such as Georges-Frederick Rotig, Frank Tenney Johnson and Albert Bierstadt, as well as more contemporary painters; Lars Jonsson and Bob Kuhn are two examples. For more information contact the Museum, or log onto the website, www.wildlifeart.org.
The Great Plains, for many an undefinable space, is “….a place that you can feel deep in your bones, a place where you cross into this space where the land is mostly just an anchor for the sky–it’s a place where you can’t open your arms wide enough to take it all in.”
Michael Forsberg’s photographic embrace of America’s great, sweeping prairies Great Plains – America’s Lingering Wild, on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA), reveals that region’s ecosystem’s tender underbelly. The great magic of the plains is mystery—its ability to “camouflage” its own natural wonders.
Nature’s camouflage, though, is natural wonder. In this enchanting exhibition Forsberg wakes us up to the fact that what many people might dismiss as dull, in-the-way detrius is critical foundation for this embattled grassland ecosystem. Like many wildlife photographers, Forsberg
stuffs himself into a bivy and otherwise does what he needs to do to capture his images of wild lands and wild species. But Forsberg’s photography is friendly–not freaky. A wide angle view provides hemispherical landscapes; viewers swim through these prairies, spotting primrose, cougars, bird species, butterflies, tiger salamanders—and of course the great Bison—from behind diving goggles.
You can stand out in the tall grass prairie and not move all day, says Forsberg, and see all sorts of creatures that will come your way. But, he clarifies, you can also just look at your feet and see hundreds of species….(the prairie) is just teeming with life.
Childhood innocence, that scampering into twilight when fireflies commence their blinking. That’s what Forsberg accesses. We’re playing hide-and-seek in these waving, flowered, delicately populated fields. This is a treasure hunt. Forsberg handles his subjects with utmost delicacy, lest they break.
Great Plains – America’s Lingering Wild, remains on display at NMWA through January 30, 2011. www.wildlifeart.org
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Last week Governor Freudenthal’s office and the Wyoming Arts Council released Wyoming’s Creative Vitality Index.
The (pie chart rich) 107-page report “measures the changes in the economic health of an area by integrating economic data streams from both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Through per capita measurements of
revenue data from both for-profit and nonprofit entities as well as employment data from a selection of highly creative occupations, the system aggregates the data streams into a single index value that reflects the relative economic health of a geography’s creative economy. The CVI provides an easily understandable measure of economic health to help communicate information from a broad arts coalition to policy makers and stakeholders.” *
Where did this report come from?
“The CVI grew out of a conversation about whether to undertake an economic impact study of the arts. The staff leadership of the Washington State Arts Commission and the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with others, explored ways to expand and enrich the economic argument for support of the arts and especially public funding of the arts. In doing so, the group was influenced by two national conversations concerning economic development: the defining of a creative economy and the outlining of the concept of economic development clusters. Those conversations did something the nonprofit arts community was very late in doing–they included the related for-profit creative sector in a universe normally reserved for nonprofits.
The public value work articulated by Mark Moore also played a role in the development of the CVI. That work helped the public sector component of the nonprofit arts funding community move away from a perspective oriented toward saving the arts to considering ways to be responsive to what citizens wanted in the arts. The approach also worked to shape agency deliverables to reflect their actual value to the public rather than the value arts aficionados considered them to have for the public.
One result of this influence was that the CVI was developed in a context of thinking in which individuals are assumed to have choices and that, to remain viable, public sector arts funders need to offer choices the public will value and thus select. In this concept of selection is the understanding that choice in the arts ranges outside the nonprofit arts and that the public sector arts agency needs to ensure that such choice is available.” *
You can download the entire report by visiting www.wyomingartscouncil.org. * excerpt from Wy. CVI
What was your favorite Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival event?
People watching? Always interesting people to watch. Suddenly, Jackson is a teensy more diverse.
A few brunettes come to town!
Palates and Palettes: Several galleries were packed, but that is a change from last year’s party; in 2009, every inch of town was crowded. Age demographics have shifted; P&P is no longer an age 40+ event. Many young (20′s) people out and about, but I saw very few of this group looking at art. Food and beverages are 50% of the evening’s draw—Ok, more like 90%—but when a gallery becomes so jammed with kids out for a good time and din is epically loud it’s time to head on out the door. Even a caterer expressed concern over the lack of interest in the art by younger attendees.
Would providing only one (free) alcohol drink ticket per visitor keep the crowds moving?
Mike Piggott, Tayloe Piggott Gallery: Great to catch up with you and talk about old California’s landscape and funky times. Those eucalyptus, red roads, trails in the hills…(the colors in a certain stupendous Kahn). The best Kahns sold. Thank you (and Camille) for bringing this lovely exhibition to Jackson. I know it was a show many put on their “must see” list. And see they did. They saw, they talked about it. A lot.
Galleries West Fine Art: Ms. Hoffman, always a pleasure; Galleries West exudes such warmth. I remain committed to my feeling that your landscapes are some of the loveliest around. Go get those headlines you
deserve! The gallery is so inviting, and thank you for supporting the great tradition of landscape painting.
Mr. Tarrant and Company: Altamira is an artist epicenter. And, you have the best space in town for viewing the work you carry. Congrats on a successful year, and thank you for setting Jackson’s gallery bar high. Altamira’s artists complement one another, and the gallery’s “enclaves” vary the energy. In other words, in a single trip to the gallery visitors enjoy multiple art barometrics.
David Brookover raised $2,400 for his canine charities—his entry fee was $10 a head, so you do the math. David also has some brilliant new platinums of Yellowstone wildlife, particularly wolves. Gorgeous work and 100% different from all the other wildlife photography I’ve seen in town. More on that later. (Santa Fe is not as happening as Jackson Hole, says Brookover—-he’s coming up on the last month or two of his year lease on Canyon Road. All efforts will be re-directed back to Jackson.)
Astoria’s Ewoud De Groot, a Dutch wildlife artist known particularly for his sparkling portrayals of bird species, says that he sells a huge majority of his work in the States. Holland’s art market is sleepy. The vision for arts depicting nature is here, says he. De Groot is young, blond, cosmopolitan. Extremely self assured, finely tailored wardrobe. He likes Astoria’s mix of artists. Word has it Astoria sold 11 De Groots!
Heather James: I’m not getting to spend as much time with you as I’d like, but that will change soon. Incredible art. Worldly presence. Great knowledge, ever-changing art “trips” to be had. Lyndsay’s imagination and passion. Far out gallery events. The gallery is doing a notable job combining its world-wide knowledge with being involved locally. Applause!
Diehl Gallery: So eclectic and really a fine example of providing for local non-profit organizations while doing what the gallery is meant to do, sell art. Ashley Collins has certainly had her profile raised because of
your huge marketing efforts. Collins had works hanging everywhere at the Western Design Conference.
Trailside: Trailside is where you can find Greenwood Design creations—in case that doesn’t ring a bell, Greenwood’s “Yellowstone Desk” won the Western Design Conference’s “Best in Show.” I spent 30 minutes looking for that desk’s secret compartment. Horton Spitzer is a fan. Loved Western Design Conference. Thought I’d spend 20 minutes; spent two hours. Made some awesome discoveries.
Western Visions/NMWA : “The Grizzly Claw Necklace” by artist Z.S. Liang was the top-selling artwork, going for $42,500. Press releases note that while final income figures for the event aren’t yet available….all three 2010 top sellers (sold) for higher prices than 2009’s. “With so many excellent artist submissions, it’s no surprise we attracted significant bids and generated so much interest,” says Curator of Art Adam Harris. (Come on, NMWA, comp me at least ONE ticket for ONE event…) I’ve heard many positive reports on the art up for sale at this year’s Western Visions—and I hope most of it remains up for a little while, so I can see it. Need to renew my membership as well, and check out progress on the new sculpture trail. Adam, your book Wildlife in American Art, Masterworks from the National Museum of Wildlife Art is gorgeous. So nice to see you, and the book, last Saturday.
Trio Fine Art: The feminine gallery, but boys like it too. Visiting Trio is like taking a walk through a soothing forest glen. Civility reigns, as does tea. And margs. The women artists of Trio have, over the course of a few years, achieved what not many can in Jackson: transformed a slightly hexed location into a sought out destination. It’s rare to visit that gallery and not learn something. It’s light, it’s Zen. The gallery is a good friend to Artists in the Environment/Parks.
Cayuse: Did not get over to you during the Festival, but I know what you are doing; keeping a focus on the Parks art history is extremely important—those pioneers got us all here, created the aura of the West, established the Parks. And with the Historical Museum’s losing out on the SPET vote, your passions are even more important. Can’t wait to stop in.
Art Association & Teton Art Lab: Another good year on the Streets! Would like to see more exciting new artists participating. Kudos on your continuing expanded visions and efforts—Chuck Close & Co. was neat and I understand Spence’s photographs represent a new and exciting vision for our favorite celeb attorney-photog. During Palates and Palettes word on the street was, “Have you been to the Art Association? I’m headed over, there’s way interesting work there!”
Jackson Hole Art Auction: What can we say? The auction, which takes place at the Center for the Arts, and is a joint production between Gerald Peters Gallery and Trailside, has stood Jackson’s art scene on its ear. With buyer premiums figured in, more than $6 million dollars worth of Western Art was sold this year. ”With over 230 phones bids, 75 absentee bids and more than 200 registered bidders in the audience, the 
atmosphere in the auditorium was palpable. As the hammer fell on the final lot, sales for the 4 ½ hour session totalled more than $6,225,000, sending a clear message that collectors are actively purchasing and are very enthusiastic about the western representational art market,” says the Auction’s Emma Zanetti.
Mian Situ’s “A New Beginning, San Francisco, 1910,” estimated at $275,000 to $375,000, sold for $402,500. Eanger Irving Couse’s “The Pottery Decorator” reached a hammer price of $253,000. Prices include buyer’s premium.
Good strategies, great organization, superb curating and outreach, and ever-growing word-of-mouth is making this annual live auction a huge success for Jackson. To attend, all you have to do is register. Registration is free. This year, Auction catalogs were priced at $45. See all the auction results at www.jacksonholeartauction.com.
