Posts Tagged ‘Wildlife Art’
Friday, November 18, the Art Association’s fundraiser Out of the Woods takes place at the Center for the Arts Theater Lobby, 6-9:oo pm. This party is a great time!
Participating Art Fair Jackson Hole artists contribute works to be sold off in a silent auction during the evening. Over 250 works of art will be up for sale–in truth, there’s all manner of goodies: jewelry, photography, glass and ceramics, wood and fiber, paintings and multi media work. Art Association ceramicist Sam Dowd’s
custom beer steins will be available for sale. Additionally, high profile artists Dwayne Harty, Thais Beltrame, Jennifer Rasmussen and Jennifer Harmon have donated art to this year’s benefit; those works will not be auctioned, but will be available to buy on the spot. Out of the Woods always offers up great quality. In addition to the auction’s usual format, the Art Association will raffle off some yummy gift packages.
Delicious fare and spirits will be on hand, generously donated by some of Jackson’s best eateries and Westside Wine and Spirits. Arrive early! Oh, wait–this is Jackson Hole, and great food will be passed around, so advising folks to arrive early is a bit redundant! Try to arrive on time; don’t rush the good people who will be very busy getting ready to receive you enthusiastic art revellers! www.artassociation.org
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A girlfriend of mine and I went to Osteria for dinner last weekend–we had a first-rate meal and contributed to Jackson’s Food Pantry in the process (buy one entrée, get a second entree for $2–the $2 goes to help those in
need); on our way in we noticed brown paper covering the window of what used to be Hotel Terra’s concierge office. Written on the paper was the message that John Frechette’s MADE will soon be expanding into the space. Staking out ground at Teton Village–nice move, MADE!
Wendell Field is (sigh!) leaving his wonderful nest of a studio over Fitzgerald’s Bike Shop. Fitzgerald is moving over the Pass, the Brew Pub wants Wendell’s space. He’ll be hookin’ up with the Factory Studio folks, so look for him there—and look for more on Wendell Field’s art and times here on the blog soon.
Judging by the window displays popping up around town, it’s not too early to start thinking about the holidays. Glass blower Laurie Thal is always thinking ahead. Thal is offering the chance to “friends and clients” a special opportunity to come on out to her Wilson studio and blow your own decorative glass ornaments. November 5 through December 18 2011, Thal is offering glass blowing parties. Her own “hot glass magic” provides families, office groups, or any collection of happy souls the chance to make some sparkling, one-of-a-kind gifts. Or, keep them yourself, you may feel a little Grinchy about your pretty ornaments!
Two-hour sessions are scheduled for groups of four to six people. Cost is $25 per person. Only groups of four to six; you bring your friends, and Thal will provide the materials. It’s like making a reservation at a restaurant, folks! Additionally, Thal will take 25% off the cost of all studio purchases made during your session. For more information, call 307.733.5096 or 307.690.2491. email: thalglass@bresnan.net.
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The National Museum of Wildlife Art’s fall “Harvest on the Hill” takes place Sunday, November 6, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. The popular, family friendly event is free to area residents and is part of the Musuem’s free First Sundays series. “Wild About Penguins” is the theme, after the Museum’s exhibit 
“The Last Ocean: Antarctica’s Ross Sea Photographs by John Weller.” All kinds of family activities are planned, and here they are:
• 1 – 4 p.m. (ongoing, allow 20-30 minutes for completion) – Scavenger Hunt! Dress for active fun, rain or shine, and meet in the amphitheater for an all-ages scavenger hunt to explore the sculpture trail – with clues, surprising discoveries and free entry in a raffle for great prizes. Win a “Weekend Warrior” Pass or the chance to have a stone engraved on the sculpture trail pathway. Raffle drawing at 4:10 p.m. in the amphitheater.
• 1 – 2:30 p.m. – Craft for Kids: Paint Your Penguin! Kids can explore John Weller’s photographs and learn about the different varieties of penguins that live in the Ross Sea ecosystem before painting their own unique model version of the Antarctic birds to take home.
• 2:30 p.m. – 20-minute film: Plunge of the Penguins. Follow Gentoo penguin chicks on the Antarctic Peninsula as they encounter sibling rivalry, food denial by parents, and extreme weather.
• 2:50 p.m. – 35-minute film: Return to Penguin City. An intriguing children’s film that explores how Adelie penguins cope with rapid climate change in the magical landscape of Antarctica.
Checking out “Harvest on the Hill” is a great way to explore the Museum, spend family time, learn about wildlife and wildlife art and, most importantly, HAVE FUN! (Q: How do Penguins drink their cola? A: On the rocks!) www.wildlifeart.org
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Jackson Hole Public Art has posted a reminder Request for Qualifications for proposals to create functional art for Redmond Street in Jackson, Wyoming. Deadline for submissions is Sunday, October 30, 2011.
Project budget: $15,000. Have a question or need more info? Contact Carrie Geraci at 307.413.1474. To read the posting JH Public’s Art’s website, click here.
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Momentum is building for the Plein Air Convention & Expo in Las Vegas from April 12-15, 2012 , with the announcement that Scott L. Christensen, Jeremy Lipking, and Peter Adams will be giving lectures and
demonstrations during the event.
“Of all the artists, whose work I admire, it is an honor to be selected as one of the top participants,” Christensen says. Check out the extraordinary gathering of collectors, artists, and scholars: (www.pleinairconvention.com).
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!”
British-American Natalie Clark, an artist who divides her time between Washington D.C. and the beautiful, mountainous region that includes Wyoming’s Teton Mountains, opens a new solo exhibition, Crystalline, at Skew Gallery this month. Skew, a Calgary, Alberta gallery, debuts Clark’s show October 13, 2011 with an artist’s reception from 6-8:00 pm. Clark’s work remains on exhibit through November 12, 2011.
A familiar figure around Jackson Hole’s art scene, I first met Clark when she worked at the former J.H. Muse Gallery (now the Tayloe Piggott Gallery). A world traveler, Clark is influenced by every country she visits; she has a talent for capturing the core of a culture. Works are a fusion of contemporary design elements, ethnology and nature’s organic forms and vivid colors. Be it Rio, Johannesburg, or the Australian Outback, Clark searches out distinct, but universal cultural threads.
Clark’s sculptures are, these days, constructed from steel and informed by a visit to South Africa’s diamond mines. Polyhedrons (three dimensional geometric solids with straight lines–yes, I had to look that up!) and crystalline-like forms culminate in large scale installations. Individual shapes are “clustered together to resemble something totemic, [a] forest, iceberg or other geological formations. Crystalline also includes works infused with the colors of Bhutan’s prayer flags: fire red, blue air and green water.
The artist’s education and experience includes a Masters in Fine Art from the Art Institute of Chicago. She was a finalist in a 9/11 design competition and has received international media coverage.
Skew Gallery’s address is 1615 10th Avenue WS, Calgary, Alberta. www.skewgallery.com Information: 403.244.4445.
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There’s always something new going on with Jackson Hole artist Ben Roth, the artist who keeps life simple so he can do his work. Roth accomplishes quite a bit, yet he’s EVERYWHERE, I see him everywhere! 
Roth’s Council of Pronghorn,a collaboration with Terry Tempest Williams and Felicia Resor, has been on exhibit New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. At one time on exhibit at Jackson’s Center of the Arts courtyard, the installation is part of a group show entitled The Value of Water and remains up through March, 2012. Americans for the Arts recognized Roth for last summer’s Vail, Colorado installation sculpture, and he’s anticipating a new installation project that will be installed near Colorado Springs. Another project, a metal screen chameleon, will be shown in Boulder, Colorado in December.
Finally, Roth has been chosen to create a permanent sculpture for a new public building at Cheyenne’s Warren Air Force Base. Three sandhill crane sculptures—composed of metal screen and bronze—will soar across an atrium’s ceiling space. The piece will be installed next January.
“I’m also building a scarecrow for the public art fundraiser,” says Roth. “And getting ready to deliver a large, cast bronze outdoor sculpture to California in early November.”
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And now for that story on Wyoming’s wind farms. Looking for something educational to read on a long flight between D.C. and Denver, I noticed Fortune Magazine’s article on Wyoming’s wind energy projects. Grabbed it.
The Power Struggle for Wyoming’s Wind brings home the point that no matter how much wind blows across Wyoming, no matter how many wind towers are built, their success depends on transmission infrastructure.
Journalist Ken Otterbourg writes: “Along the highways around Cheyenne and Casper, plenty of turbines rise out of the sagebrush and scrublands. Wind energy here is already generating about 1,400 megawatts of power, but that’s perhaps a tenth of the state’s potential. And in the past year the industry has come to a dead halt. There are political obstacles, but the main problem is this: Wyoming has run out of power lines connecting it to the rest of the country. And until it gets more, that epic wind is just moving dust and dirt eastward, one gust at a time.”
The article describes the different ways wind power is transmitted, and lists the many political, regulatory, monetary and logistical roadblocks to successfully building enough interstate power lines. California is Wyoming’s biggest potential wind energy customer. But before the state’s largest energy companies can build, they need to secure purchase agreements with California. “None now exist,” Otterburg says. Bill Miller, president of Anschutz Exploration, says he’s hugely optimistic about success. Otterburg quotes Miller: ”The project will stand on its economic merit. I’m confident that our purchase price — should we get to a point sooner or later with a power purchase agreement — will be competitive with anybody.”
The Power Struggle for Wyoming’s Wind provided an expansive, easy-to-understand overview of Wyoming’s wind energy goals. We need interstate commerce; let’s hope California and Wyoming can work it out.
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.
