Posts Tagged ‘Walter Hood’
And speaking of innovation, the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s (NMWA) new three-quarter mile sculpture trail, designed by Walter Hood, is due to open on schedule this month. The presence of the trail adds a whole new dimension to the museum. NMWA is literally merging the concept of wildlife art with the landscape wildlife inhabits. Not only will visitors be able to sit outside NMWA and take in those glorious Elk Refuge and Gros Ventre vistas, they will be able to walk the hillsides around NMWA. A new pathway links the Town of Jackson to NMWA–bike & walking paths lead you right to the Museum. Hood has been tweaking trail details; it sounds like those grid pattern surface boulders will be a part of the design. If you’ve had a chance to look at Hood’s design for the trail, you would have noticed those boulders bracing and anchoring the trail’s fluid design. Good news!
Visiting the trail is free, and open to the public. “Pathway stones and the trail’s Hood-designed Douglas fir benches also are being engraved with names from museum donors, with a number of stones and several benches still available for ‘naming,’ ” NMWA says. “It’s a great way to recognize a loved one in a beautiful outdoor place.”
The trail’s official opening is scheduled for September 2012, when all sculptures are installed and completed. If you’d like to adopt and dedicate a piece of the trail, contact NMWA’s Ponteir Sackrey at 307.732.5444. www.wildlifeart.org
PS: Thinking about the Museum caused me to wonder about Jackson’s lodging statistics for September, 2011 Fall Arts Festival month. Downtown Jackson was 85% full, up 1% from 2010; Outlying Jackson lodging was 86%, up a whole 7% from 2010′s 79%. 2010′s lodging stats for Fall Arts set records, so 2011 looks like a new record! Still awaiting September 2011 sales tax stats.
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Here’s that plus sign again! It’s the new arts text symbol.
Literary + Visual Art, a collaboration between Heather James Fine Art and the Teton County Library’s Page to Podium Series, offers a chance to attend an in-person conversation
with writer Michael Cunningham, author of “The Hours.” Local artist Pamela Gibson will interview Cunningham about his latest book, set in New York’s art scene; other topics include the status of art in America and the “art of living a writing life.”
(Hint: Get up early. Brush teeth. Make coffee. If you write in your jammies, lock front door! Sit down, and do it the Anne Lamott way: bird by bird.)
Cunningham’s talk begins at Heather James at 6:00 pm, on Friday, October 21. Tickets are $125 if purchased at the library; a little bit more if you use PayPal. www.tclib.org/authorchat.
From 3:30-6:00 pm on October 21, peruse the scary scarecrows up for auction at the Center for the Arts. The auction is silent until 5:30 pm, then goes live. Food, drink, live performances–it’s free to attend! Arts educator Jane Lavino is building a scarecrow. “At various times during construction my cat scarecrow resembled a kangaroo, a squirrel and a large rat,” Lavino says. “I hope the balance is tipping more towards ‘cat’ right now! After wrestling over 100 square feet of chicken wire into some semblance of an animal, my hands look like they were attacked by all of the above!”
Buy a scarecrow–all one of a kind and made by local artists–and raise funds for the Center and JH Public Art Initiative.
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The Art Association presents arts industry consultant Bruce Baker, conducting a two-day workshop: Thrive, Not Merely Survive, As a Studio Professional. Baker teaches the workshop November 5 & 6, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm both days. If you have great ideas, why be starving, artists? Baker will talk about how to effectively sell your art, particularly if you work the art fair circuit. Booth design, sales and customer service, tips on slides for juried shows and trends and product development will be discussed.
Many of Jackson’s artists are, by now, practiced art fair veterans–but maybe there’s much more to being successful than meets the eye. One gal who always hits it out of the park: Michelle Miller, of Magpie (Driggs, Idaho) fame. Miller nabs that corner booth, she can be found in the same space every year, her displays are chock full of goodies, she’s whimsically fun and makes jewelry on the spot. Merchandise it, baby!
Cost for Baker’s two-day workshop: $165 for A.A. members, $175 for non-members. www.artassociation.org
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For Annie on Her 39th Birthday
Before I slept I asked
Where do we go when we leave?
Like Annie left,
She rode away one day.
A mountain lion came for her
And up the stairs they went.
Here’s what happened:
Sarah and I are on a plane
We fly over shimmering water
We fly over emerald grasses
Waving at us.
Sacred views, magic earth.
We fly into night sky,
Through stars.
My plane is a spaceship-
Now I am alone.
A Heavenly spirit,
Round, starry and warm
Floating in space
Asks, “How do I speak
To my friends on Earth?
They cannot hear me
And I have something to tell them.”
I say,
“Just be You.
Nothing fancy,
Just You,
And You will be heard.”
He smiles
And I fly
Further into the sky,
Higher.
I see Annie’s house in the stars.
A tiny log cabin,
Windows aglow,
Wrapped round by tall firs
And twinkling lights.
That is where Annie
Is living, I know.
Thump! I land in a field
Boundless countryside
Rolling hills, sunshine,
Birds singing.
Annie’s flower,
Hydrangea,
Over and under me
In branches, spilling
Over fences
A periwinkle carpet.
A pony pulls his farmer
And wooden cart piled deep
With hydrangeas
High as the sky.
“Sarah, look! She is Everywhere!”
Walter Hood’s name is now familiar in Jackson; the Oakland, California landscape architect is the creative visionary man-with-a-sculpture-trail-plan. And that plan will soon materialize at the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA).
Hood will materialize July 26 and 27; Tuesday, July 26, 7:00-8:00 pm, Hood will talk about design projects he considers his best (count public spaces at San Francisco’s De Young Museum among them), share his philosophy and ideas about art in public spaces, and generally electrify the audience. Hood is a professor of architecture at the University of California at Berkeley. The talk is free and takes place in the museum’s Cook Auditorium.
Wednesday, July 27, Hood will lead museum members on a hard-hat trail tour. Two years ago Hood discussed the idea of the trail with NMWA, but it was not clear the project would happen.
“The Museum is doing the project, the funding came through and it’s taken hold,” Hood says. He describes NMWA’s landscape as “emerging,” taking precedence over what had been a a parking space focused expanse.
“This is a divine process, it took place slowly—but the we are transforming the landscape, making it more useful. I refer to the idea of sociability of space. Society has been building for cars, we are used to getting in our cars. That’s the antithesis of nature, and Jackson is all about nature! So taking the trail is a no-brainer. We’re a ways from finishing the trail, but I’ve already seen so many people walking the area and using those bike paths.”
Hood knows that change can be hard. But once we’ve changed, we embrace and adapt to better systems put into place. “We think things are more complex than they are. Even New York City
is implementing Portland-like planning. You can now bike on Broadway, it’s so much more pedestrian friendly! The same thing is happening in Jackson.”
“As the trail takes shape it is very exciting to see what a great space it is going to be for people and for sculpture,” says NMWA Curator of Education Jane Lavino. “Walter has given us a fabulous design. Because this feature will be free and open to the public it will be a great way for the Museum to reach out. We’ve already seen ways in which this project has paved the way for new partnerships. Plans are underway for an artist-in-residence who will work with community members to create a sculptural piece for the trail. There are also plans for some “behind the scenes” sculpture installation viewing opportunities.”
For information, contact Jane Lavino (jlavino@wildlifeart.org) or call 307.732.5417 www.wildlifeart.org
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Edward Riddell & Lee Carlman Riddell’s joint show, Gratitude, is on exhibit July 27-August 13, 2011 at Trio Fine Art, in Jackson. The show features paintings and black & white photographs depicting Tuscany. An opening reception takes place Thursday, July 28 from 5-8 pm. The Riddells will talk about their work from 6:30-7:00 pm.
A few years ago, the couple began a love affair with Italy, a country known for its romantic cities, landscapes, art and people. As they tell it, Ed Riddell took Lee to see Florence, Italy where he’d studied as a Stanford University art student. They have returned every year since, and earlier this year Ed’s photographs of the Tuscany region were featured in a show at Montalcino, Italy’s Caffe Alla Loggia.
When such an offer is extended to Americans, it’s a great honor. Tuscany has embraced the couple, and they consider Tuscany a spiritual home.
Tuscan doorways, flowers’ shadows cast against simple white windowsills, city skylines, wheat fields and wildflowers, laundry hung out to dry; these are the subjects of Lee’s sunwashed and delicate
oil paintings. Lee composes her paintings—ranging in size from 6″ square to 12″ x 24″—from memory, field sketches and photographs. She has fashioned her own painterly combination of oil and watercolor techniques.
Ed Riddell’s new photographic process eliminates glare by eliminating glass. His 21”x28” black and white prints are laminate coated, staving off moisture and adding image longevity by protecting the photographs from ultra-violet light. The photographer frames his images of Italy’s cultural and pastoral beauty with contemporary, hand-rubbed aluminum panels.
The artists’ work is also included in Wyoming’s Ucross Foundation Art Gallery’s exhibit, In The Presence Of Trees, June 30 – September 6, 2011.
www.triofineart.com 307.734.4444.
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/
Back in catch-up mode thanks to that culprit, Spring Break. Very late breaking news, below:
Members Only, the Art Association’s 2011 exhibition of works by Art Association members of all ages, opens at the Artspace Main Gallery in the Center for the Arts Friday, April 15. A reception will be held 5:30-7:30 pm. Presented in memory of former Art Association board member Norman Shapiro, the show celebrates community creativity. Cash prizes and children’s class scholarships will be awarded.
Also opening April 15: Solidarity, featuring work by Amy Jurekovic and Amanda Sullivan in the Artspace Theater Gallery, is an exhibition about examining, celebrating, and defining self. 5:30-7:30 pm. www.artassociation.org
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Artists have until April 22, 2011, to submit qualifications and concepts to create art that will “enhance” Jackson Hole Community Pathways System North 89 pathway underpass. The underpass, scheduled for construction this summer, will consist primarily of four concrete retaining walls. Those surfaces will act as canvas for the artist whose ideas for embellishing the walls best meet non-profit visions for the space. The underpass will be a connector and gateway to the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s new sculpture trail, designed by Oakland based landscape designer Walter Hood. It also provides bike and pedestrian access between the Town of Jackson and Grand Teton National Park, running parallel to the National Elk Refuge.
Budget for the project is $25,000. To find out more about the project—and learn more about budget fund allocations—contact the Jackson Hole Public Arts Initiative by logging on to their website here. 307-413-1474.
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From the National Museum of Wildlife Art:
“Master wildlife artist Carl Rungius first visited Wyoming and Yellowstone in 1895, inspiring his life’s work of depicting Western animals. In a new exhibition, Above Timberline: Engravings by Carl Rungius, May 7 through October 2, 2011, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, which maintains the largest public collection of Rungius’s art in the U.S., will display its complete set of Rungius drypoints, featuring examples of many of his favorite subjects, the Rocky Mountains’ famous game animals in their natural habitat.
Also a big game hunter, Rungius used his anatomical knowledge of wildlife to create accurate portrayals. Equally accomplished as a painter of wildlife and landscapes, his work also serves as a valuable record of the
animals and their environment, while his reputation as a premier wildlife artist won him fans including President Theodore Roosevelt, whom Rungius worked with to help make positive changes in wilderness preservation and big game hunting.
The pieces on display in the museum’s new Above Timberline exhibition use an intaglio engraving technique known as drypoint etching, where lines are scratched directly into a cold metal plate, leaving ragged “burr” edges. While the burr is removed in copperplate engraving, in drypoint it is left intact to produce softer lines and a more painterly effect.” www.wildlifeart.org
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Painter Scott Christensen has three new works available; all measure 10 x 12 inches and are fine choices for those starting plein air collections. You can find out more about Christensen and his work at www.christensenstudio.com. Email kristinm@christensenstudio.com.
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A certain local arts writer continues to display aggressive hostility towards Jackson gallery arts. Does he consider everyone but himself an establishment enemy? His alter ego is a cross between a
Kennedy sailboating skipper and William F. Buckley, Jr.—-a Montauck Yacht Club member charicacture. And he sometimes goes out searching for his brother “Teddy.” Calling Dr. Freud! Therapists would opine that the excessive talk about his and others’ sex lives are distractions from ……….well, good luck with that.
We are so wild. Soon, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will be awash in wildlife as adults give birth, bears come out from hibernation, and the creatures of the Earth migrate to their summer habitats.
If Spring seems a little far off, stop by Trailside Galleries during the month of March and take in their annual Wildlife Discovery Show. Through March 31, 2011 the Jackson gallery showcases the works of Western artists exploring creative styles, subject matter and mediums. The roster of noted artists includes: Kyle Sims, Nancy
Glazier, Bonnie Marris, Ralph Oberg, Sarah Woods, Nancy Glazier, James Morgan, Sherry Sander, Lindsay Scott, John Seerey-Lester, Ryan Skidmore, Adam Smith, Daniel Smith, Linda St. Clair, Richard D. Thomas, and Kathy Wipfler.
Many new works are on exhibition. While you are there, take a turn upstairs and make your way back to the Jackson Hole Art Auction offices and gallery, where works slated to be auctioned off this September are also on display. www.trailsidegalleries.com.
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The Cultural Council of Jackson Hole announced that 2011-2012 Arts for All Grant Applications are available for arts and cultural organizations, as well as individual artists. The program is administered by the Cultural Council.
“The Arts for All grant program serves to distributes social service tax dollars from the Town of Jackson and Teton County for arts education, producing and presenting opportunities, and public projects by individual artists,” says the Council’s Alissa Davies. “Grant amounts can be up to $6,000, and all grants must be cash matched at least 1:1 by the applicant.”
Completed grant applications are due by June 1, 2011. Late applications will not be accepted. No support will be provided to organizations already receiving public support from Town or County funds. Arts for All funds are allocated to the Cultural Council at the discretion of the Jackson Town Council and the Teton County Board of Commissioners. There is no guarantee that these elected officials will approve Arts for All funding again this year.
For more information contact Davies at culturalcounciljh@gmail.com.
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There’s still time to send the National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) your thoughts on its new sculpture trail, set to open to the public in 2012; the event coincides with NMWA’s 25th anniversary. Show your interest by logging on here and filling out an easy on-line questionaire.
NMWA’s President and CEO Jim McNutt has announced that the three-quarter mile long outdoor art venue designed by renowned landscape architect Walter Hood “will showcase nearly 30 permanent and temporary
artworks. The sculpture trail will connect to the recently constructed Jackson-to-Grand Teton National Park pathway via a new underpass for easy biker and hiker access. Sponsored in memory of James F. (Jim) Petersen, honoring his life-long commitment to education, art, and love of the Tetons, the sculpture trail further integrates the national museum’s collection with its natural – even rugged – Wyoming setting.”
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Finally, the Washington Post reported last week that the National Gallery of Art has acquired Thomas Moran’s “Green River Cliffs, Wyoming.” Long part of a private collection, the dramatic panorama joins two other Moran paintings already a part of the gallery’s collection. Moran’s work has steadily gained value over the years.