UPDATED - Lobby Sale Now in Progress!

The Art Museum lobby is set up with sale items.

The Art Museum Lobby Sale is now in progress! The sale will be today and tomorrow between 10 am and 5 pm. Payment is cash or check only. Items for sale include red wine and pilsner glasses, home decor, seasonal decorations such as tree stands, ornaments, and lights, museum publications, and frames.

For more information, call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622.

UPDATE: Today only, Friday, July 30, items in the lobby sale are 50% off. This excludes items in the Museum Store and publications.

Updated Walking and Driving Guide for Sculpture Invitational

Jesus Moroles' sculpture, Granite Windows, remains on view in Prexy's Pasture.

As the exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational continues to evolve, the walking and driving guide that accompanies it must also change and be updated. This summer has seen the removal of three sculptures from the exhibition: Patrick Dougherty's Short Cut, James Surls' In Circle, and Charmaine Locke's Open Book.

The walking and driving guide, which outlines the sculptures in the exhibition as well as the public art that is on permanent view throughout the community, has recently been updated to reflect the removal of these three works. The cell phone audio tour for the exhibition has also been updated. Copies of the walking and driving guide can be picked up at any of the sculpture locations, the Art Museum front desk, or it can be downloaded from the website.

Gala 2010: Save the Date!

Gala 2010 save the date cards have been sent! Look for yours in the mail! If you haven't received one and are interested in attending, or would just like some more information, call UW Art Museum Administrative Assistant Bev Schroeder at 307.766.3477.

Each year the UW Art Museum holds this black tie event in order to raise money for education and public programs. It is a crucial fundraising event for the museum and generates the majority of programming funding. There is a different theme each year. This year's theme is "Gala 2010: A Magical Mystery Tour."

Please consider joining us for this fun event, complete with dinner, drinks, dancing, and a silent and a live auction.

Lobby Sale at the Art Museum This Week

The UW Art Museum will be holding a lobby sale this Thursday and Friday, July 29th and 30th, 10 am - 5 pm both days. Payment for items in the Lobby Sale must be cash or check only. Like most institutions, the Art Museum has accumulated a variety of things over the years that quickly fill up storage space and make it difficult for staff to stay well organized.

Items that will be for sale include seasonal decorations, home decor, and stemware. In addition to these items, there will be a special table of museum publications for sale. These catalogs and brochures from past exhibitions are a great resource. They highlight items in the Art Museum's permanent collection, as well as traveling and solo exhibitions. Pick some up as gifts or as an addition to your library!

In conjunction with the Lobby Sale, the Museum Store will also be holding a special sale on select merchandise. Stop in to see the new consignment artists, as well as the many sale items.

For more information, please call UW Art Museum Administrative Assistant Bev Schroeder at 307.766.3477 or the Museum Store at 307.766.3982.

Neltje Cell Phone Audio Tour Now Available

The cell phone audio tour for the exhibition Neltje is now available! The audio tour, which the Art Museum implemented a year and a half ago, is a free service that enables museum visitors to access additional information about exhibitions through their cell phones. A local phone number - 307.200.0040 - leads visitors to a welcome message with options such as instructions, museum information, or exhibition information. Each exhibition that has an accompanying audio tour then has specific prompt numbers that visitors can enter to hear more information.

The audio tour for Neltje is set up a bit differently than many of the previous audio tours. In the past, the tour has provided information like biographies of artists, or information on a specific art technique or movement. The Neltje audio tour is set up to lead visitors from one artwork to the next to point out similarities and key components of her work. Throughout the tour, several questions are posed that allow the visitor to examine the works closely, and to investigate their own reaction to the work.

As with all of the cell phone audio tours, there is a feedback feature that works a lot like leaving a voicemail message. It can be accessed by dialing the general phone number - 307.200.0040 - and then pressing 0, followed by the pound key (#). With this new format, the Art Museum encourages its visitors to try the audio tour and leave your feedback, whether it's positive or negative! Comments can also be posted here on the blog by clicking on the comments link, or on the Art Museum's facebook page.

Surls and Locke Sculptures Leave Laramie

Art Museum Chief Preparator Sterling Smith (left), UW Equipment Services Assistant Manager Russell Austin (center), Equipment Services employee Gordon Latimer (operating the forklift), and artist James Surls (right) load sculpture onto a trailer to be returned to the artists.

Two more sculptures have left the exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational. Colorado artists James Surls and Charmaine Locke were in Laramie yesterday to assist with the de-installation of their work and to transport the work back to their studios. Surls' piece, In Circle, was located in Prexy's Pasture, and Locke's work, Open Book, was in front of the Albany County Public Library. Surl's work was bolted to concrete footers that had to be unfastened and the footers had to be dug back out of the ground. Locke's sculpture was affixed to a concrete pad, which had to be lifted and loaded with a forklift.

As with much of the work in the exhibition, these two pieces were on loan from the artists. Artists will often ask for their artwork to be returned for a variety of reasons, including needing it for another exhibition, the work was purchased, or the loan has expired.

Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational will continure to evolve as sculptures leave the exhibition, and new ones are added. Keep checking this blog, the Art Museum's facebook page, and the website, for up to date information. An updated driving and walking guide is now available online and at each of the sculpture locations.

Thank you to James Surls and Charmaine Locke for participating in the exhibition and for assisting with the de-installation. Thanks also to the UW Physical Plant crew who assisted yesterday, and to the Art Museum's preparators.

For more information on this or any other exhibition, please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622.

Final Week of Paint Pony Express

Harold Garde (American, b. 1923), Samurai Kimono, 1997, acrylic on canvas, 45 x 56 inches, courtesy of the Museum of Florida Art

The final week of Paint Pony Express begins today. Each week of Paint Pony Express has focused on a different exhibition and different art-making techniques. This week's classes will view the series of kimono prints by Florida artist and UW alumnus Harold Garde. They will discuss the similarities and differences between repeating patterns and art in a series. Kimonos are a recurring theme in Garde's work, and he uses that particular shape and image in his prints and paintings.

Students will then create their own triptych in the Shelton Studio. They will create one idea of images in three different ways, as a series. They will create a monotype, a fabric print, and a collage.

Classes are free and are held from 1-3 pm. Ages 4-5 will meet today (Tuesday), ages 6-8 will meet on Wednesday, and ages 9-11 on Thursday. Parents are asked to stay with children under age 5. Students should wear clothing that they can create in! For more information, contact the Art Museum Education Department at 307.766.3496.

Final Days to See 2 Works in Sculpture Invitational

Charmaine Locke (American, b. 1950), Open Book, 2004, bronze, ed. 1/5, 79 x 63 x 40 inches, courtesy of the Surls Locke Personal Collection

Like many of the sculptures in the exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational, two works by Colorado artists James Surls and Charmaine Locke were temporarily loaned for the exhibition. As a result, there comes a time when the loan expires, or when an artist needs a piece back for a different exhibition. There are only a few days remaining to see Open Book by Locke, and In Circle by Surls. They will be removed from the exhibition later this week.

Open Book (pictured above) by Charmaine Locke is a bronze sculpture located outside the Albany County Public Library, facing Grand Ave. The work is a call for global peace, and features the phrase, "Why can't we find the path to peace when it is right in front of our eyes?" in six different languages. The arms of the figure hold symbols of nourishment and knowledge.

James Surls' sculpture, In Circle, is located on the north side of Prexy's Pasture. This stainless steel work is different from much of his other sculpture, which includes Rolling Flower, a wood and steel sculpture that is permanently installed in Coe Library. In Circle is dynamic and appears poised for movement. It resembles a molecular structure, or perhaps a tumbleweed.

Be sure to visit these two sculptures before they leave Laramie! A detailed driving guide can be found at each of the sculptures or a downloadable version can be found on the Art Museum's website. For more information on this, or any other exhibition or program, please call the Museum at 307.766.6622.

Margaret Cogswell Begins Project for the UW Art Museum

Susan Moldenhauer, Art Museum director (l); Margaret 

Cogswell, NY Artist (m); and Wendy Bredehoft, 

Art Museum education curator (r) at Gray Rocks Reservoir

Today, Wendy Bredehoft and I set out to introduce New York artist Margaret Cogswell to Wyoming.  We had an amazing day visiting a variety of locations, including the power plant on the Laramie River, sites along the North Platte including, Signature Rock and the Oregon Trail Ruts, and more.  Our time at Gray Rocks was great as the National Guard unit from Rock Springs was testing new equipment that can build  roadways on water.  They suited us in camo life preservers so we could get close enough to photograph and videotape all the action.  

Cogswell is in Wyoming this week to begin her research for a major multi-media installation scheduled for the Art Museum in the fall 2012.  She will make repeated visits over the next few years to research and create the exhibition.  Wyoming River Fugues, the next in a series of exhibitions by Cogswell that are based on rivers, will combine video, audio, and sculptural components.

This Week at Paint Pony Express

Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953), Éléphants (Elephants), c. 1920-1922, watercolor, gouache, 14.8 x 14.7 inches, image courtesy of the Humanities Exchange

Paint Pony Express continues this week at the UW Art Museum, Tuesday-Thursday, July 13, 14, and 15. This summer students are exploring ways that artists use the idea of multiple images in their art work. This week they will explore repeating patterns in art work created by the artist Raoul Dufy. They'll investigate the imagery he used to create his patterns, including animals, flowers, and geometric shapes. In the studio they will create their own fabric prints using repeating patterns. They will also explore ways that patterned fabrics are used by artists and designers to fit the human form.

Paint Pony Express is FREE for students. Ages 4-5 will meet on Tuesday, ages 6-8 on Wednesday, and ages 9-11 will meet on Thursday. Each session meets from 1-3 pm. Parents must stay with children under the age of 5. Students are encouraged to wear clothing they can create in!

For more information, please call the Education Department at 307.766.3496.

Neltje in the Shelton Studio

Artist Neltje has been busy this week in the Shelton Studio! As artist in residence she has been working with students between the ages of 4 and 11 during Paint Pony Express, the Education Department's annual series of free art classes. She also works on her own art projects; and museum visitors are encouraged to stop by to watch her creative process and ask questions. An exhibition of Neltje's work is currently on view, so now is your chance to see the artwork and talk directly to the artist!

In the photo above, Neltje works with some Teen Apprentices in the Shelton Studio. For more information on the Teen Apprentice Program, Paint Pony Express, or any of the other classes offered through the Education Department, contact them at 307.766.3496.

Dufy by Design Video Online

A video highlighting the exhibition, Dufy by Design: The Fabric Designs of Raoul Dufy, shot by UWTV Director and Producer Ali Grossman, is now featured on the University of Wyoming homepage. The short video shows 360 degree views of the exhibition, including images of the thirteen dresses on display. It connects the historic fabric designs, seen hanging on the walls, with the contemporary dress designs. The video is also available on the Art Museum's YouTube page.

For more information on this, or any other current exhibitions, please visit the Art Museum's website, or call 307.766.6622.

WY Artist Neltje to be Artist in Residence

Neltje (American, b. 1943), PAT - Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 144 inches, lent by the artist.

Week one of Paint Pony Express kicks off on Tuesday, July 5th at the UW Art Museum. Paint Pony Express is a three week program of FREE art activities for students between the ages of 4 and 11. Each day of Paint Pony Express is designed for a different age group. Ages 4-5 will meet on Tuesdays (July 6, 13, 20), ages 6-8 will meet on Wednesdays (July 7, 14, 21), and ages 9-11 will meet on Thursdays (July 8, 15, 22). Classes are from 1 - 3 pm each day. Please wear clothes that you can create in! Parents are asked to stay with children under 5 years of age.

Under the guidance of visiting artists and museum teachers, students will explore an array of artwork, including paintings, textiles, collages, and more. They will create their own artwork using writing, movement, and visual arts materials.

Each week, the focus will be on a different exhibition. Week one will focus on the work of Wyoming Abstract Expressionist artist Neltje. Neltje will work with students and explore concepts of painting and collage. In addition to working with students, Neltje will be an artist in residence in the Shelton Studio working on her own artwork. Museum visitors are encouraged to stop by to watch her process and ask questions.

Pre-registration for Paint Pony Express is recommended. For more information, please contact Master Teacher Heather Bender at 307.766.3515 or hbender1@uwyo.edu.