Art Museum Receives Award from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund

From a UW Press Release:

The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund awarded $25,000 to the University of Wyoming Art Museum for "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational." Funds will be used to add several new works of modern or contemporary art to the outdoor exhibition in the coming year.

The UW Art Museum in 2008 launched "Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational" in response to the interests of the university and Laramie communities for art in public places and to enable the museum to remain active during a year-long closure of its galleries for renovations. Initially planned as a one-year program, its success identifies an ongoing need to continue the exhibition.

Originally, 18 works of art comprised the exhibition: 12 works created or lent by artists, 5 from the Art Museum permanent collection, and one created by the artists of ARK for their new Creative Arts Center.

"Over the last year, five of the works on loan have been removed from the exhibition," says Susan Moldenhauer, Art Museum director and chief curator. "Funding from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, along with an anonymous gift to support new work for campus, offers an opportunity to add at least two new works to the campus exhibition."

According to its Web site, the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund supports Wyoming's culture and heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the, "enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation, and protection of the state's arts, cultural and historic resources."

For more information about the exhibitions, call the UW Art Museum at (307) 766-6622 or visit the museum's Web page at www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum.

"Imagine learning from the masters" is a guiding principle of the UW Art Museum's programs. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays. Admission is free.

Gala 2010: A Magical Mystery Tour

One of the many live auction items for Gala 2010: A Magical Mystery Tour, this 11-11-11 trip is a special opportunity for two lucky individuals to experience the mysteries of ancient Egypt from November 9 through 19, 2011. The winning bidders of this extraordinary tour will be part of an exclusive insider’s visit to the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx at sunrise on Friday, November 11, 2011 (11-11-11), a unique date in history!

Donated by Windows of Egypt Tours, Cairo, Egypt.

From a UW Art Museum Press Release:

The University of Wyoming Art Museum will host its 17th annual benefit ball, “Gala 2010: A Magical Mystery Tour,” at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23, in the University of Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom.

The Art Museum’s event of the year will include both silent and live auctions, run by auctioneer Dan Sullivan, gourmet dining, and dancing to live music performed by The Full Basmati.

“Tom and I are as excited as everyone else about our sixties theme this year, and what a wonderful job our auction committee has done gathering strange and exciting items—from roller derby to paintball, and from an Egypt trip to hunting from a yurt—there’s sure to be something for everyone,” said Jacque Buchanan, who co-chairs the Gala with her husband, UW President Tom Buchanan. “We know this will be an especially exciting event this year, with all of the focus we’ve had recently on the arts in Wyoming and UW.”

For those who like to take their chances, two raffles are being held to benefit the Art Museum as well. While the winners will be announced at the Gala dinner, they need not be present to win. A fabulous diamond necklace underwritten by Dooley Oil will be the first raffle drawn, and the second item is a $1,000 Visa Gift Card provided by Gala sponsor Laramie GM Auto Center.

The Gala benefit ball is held annually to provide funds for the Art Museum’s exhibitions, education, collection, and outreach programs that support nationally renowned and culturally significant exhibitions and programs for Wyoming and the surrounding area.

Dinner, the live auction, and dancing to the sounds of The Full Basmati will follow cocktails and the silent auction. Individual tickets are available for $175, as are table sponsorships at various levels. To purchase your tickets or for more information, call the Art Museum at (307) 766-3477.

Homecoming Sale at the Art Museum Store

To celebrate the University of Wyoming's Homecoming weekend, the UW Art Museum Store is holding a sale of 10% off all Andy Warhol merchandise. These special items, including fun t-shirts and totes, magnets, tablets, and books, were brought in to help celebrate the exhibition, Iconic Mass Culture: Andy Warhol's Portraits, which is on view at the Art Museum through November 13.

The homecoming sale begins today and runs through Monday. For more information on the special events going on for homecoming, please visit the University's webpage. Be sure to include a visit to the Art Museum and Museum Store in your weekend activities and pick up some great Andy Warhol merchandise! For more information on the Museum Store, please call 307.766.3982.

Peter Sarkisian Exhibition Opens in Taiwan

Exhibition announcement for the Taiwan Museum of Art

Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996-2008 opened in the Digiark Gallery at the Taiwan Museum of Art last weekend.  Curated by the UW Art Museum's director and chief curator Susan Moldenhauer, the exhibition premiered at UW last spring.  The Taiwan Museum of Art is the first venue of a the touring exhibition, which has been organized by the UW Art Museum.  For more information, click here.

Additional venues on the tour include the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Sioux City Art Center, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

Binh Danh Cell Phone Audio Tour Available

The cell phone audio tour for the exhibition, Binh Danh: Life, Times, and Matters of the Swamp is now available. This is the second audio tour to be recorded by the artist. Earlier this fall Anne-Karin Furunes recorded a cell phone audio tour talking about her exhibition. While Binh Danh was in Laramie for his artist residency, he also took the time to record information about his exhibition.

There's no better way to learn about art than to hear directly from the artist! We hope you take the time to listen to this information, whether you're visiting the Art Museum, or just want to hear what Binh has to say about his work! The audio tour can be accessed for free from your cell phone by dialing 307.200.0040. Handouts are available at the Art Museum front desk and will soon be available online.

Two PowerPoint Workshops to be Held in November

Have you wanted to present at a 20:20 event but have questions about how to use PowerPoint? PowerPoint is a crucial element to 20:20, allowing for the fast pace and a quick transition between presenters. As more artists and arts organizations move from slides to digital images and programs like PowerPoint, questions about how to transition to the computer program are common. Other issues that frequently come up are how to organize information, add images, and edit the presentation.

The Art Museum has learned that Works of Wyoming (WoW) and the Wyoming Women's Business College (WWBC) will be holding two workshops in November to address these PowerPoint issues. Both workshops, one on Nov. 4 and one on Nov. 5, will be conducted by Chuck Egnaczak. Visit the WWBC calendar for details on the Nov. 4 workshop, or visit the WoW website to contact someone about the Nov. 5 event.

The Art Museum encourages artists, educators, and organizations to take advantage of these workshops, hopefully leading to greater participation in 20:20!

Tonight at the Art Museum - Art Talk: Binh Danh

Artist Binh Danh talked with docents and the members of the public this morning during his Gallery Walk Through.

Photo courtesy of the Art Museum.

Vietnamese-born artist Binh Danh is at the Art Museum Monday and Tuesday of this week to give public presentations and to speak with people about his unique creative process, his inspiration, and the themes that can be seen in the work in his solo exhibition, Binh Danh: Life, Times, and Matters of the Swamp, currently on view at the Art Museum.

This morning, Danh gave a Gallery Walk Through to an assembled group of museum staff, docents, and the public. He showed some unframed examples of his chlorophyll prints, explained that process, and also provided hands-on examples from his current body of daguerreotypes. Danh will be presenting a more formal Art Talk this evening at the Art Museum, beginning at 7 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about public programs or exhibitions, please call 307.766.6633 or visit the website.

Monday at the Art Museum

Binh Danh (Vietnamese/Cambodian-American, b. 1977), Son #6, 2006, chlorophyll print on grass, resin, 11-1/4 x 9-1/4 inches, courtesy of Haines Gallery and the artist

Coming up next week at the Art Museum are two public programs with the artist Binh Danh. Both will be held on Monday, October 11, and are free and open to the public.

A Gallery Walk Through will be held at 10:30 am, and a more formal Art Talk will be that evening at 7 pm.

Danh was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States at age 2. His work is featured in the exhibition, Binh Danh: Life, Times, and Matters of the Swamp, which will be on view at the Art Museum through December 23. Danh has created a unique art form called "chlorophyll prints" in which photographic images are embedded into living leaves and grasses through the plant's natural process of photosynthesis.

The work in this exhibition explores popular media and imagery from the Vietnam War. Underlying the historic imagery is also contemporary commentary on current wars and military conflicts, and how popular opinion and memories are shaped by the media.

Be sure to come by the Art Museum on Monday to hear the artist speak about his work and creative process! For more information, call 307.766.6622 or visit the website.

Have you received your Gala invitation?

Invitations for Gala 2010: A Magical Mystery Tour have been mailed! The annual fundraising event is rapidly approaching. It is Saturday, October 23, 6 pm to midnight in the Wyoming Student Union Family Room and Ballroom. Attire is black tie.

Events of the evening include a silent and live auction, dinner, drinks, and dancing. The Gala is the Art Museum's largest fundraiser, with all funds going toward exhibitions and programming.

If you haven't received an invitation and would like to receive one in the mail, please contact Bev Schroeder at 307.766.3477. Please consider joining us for an evening of fun and to show your support for the UW Art Museum!

Artist Chris Drury Scheduled to Visit the University of Wyoming

Chris Drury, Rhine Mosel Slate Whirlpool created from 20 lbs of slate

for the Koblenz Garden Festival 2011.

Courtesy of the artist

British artist Chris Drury is scheduled to be on campus November 8 and 9, 2010.  Part of his visit will include a public Art Talk on Monday, November 8 at 7 pm in the Art Museum.  Titled Edge of Chaos, Drury will discuss the range of his work over the last 15 years, including Landscape; Antarctica; collaborations with scientists, doctors, ecologist, biodiversity works; and more.  

Drury's visit is in conjunction with Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational and is made possible by an anonymous gift and the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

The Art Museum Wants to Hear From You

The Art Museum has recently launched a new visitor survey that we hope you'll take the time to fill out after your visit.

Whether you are a student, teacher, member of the Laramie community, or are visiting from farther away, we want to hear from you! Surveys are available at the front desk and can be deposited anonymously in the box outside the Museum Store.

The survey takes only a few short minutes to fill out and helps us understand who are visitors are, why they visit the Museum, and what other suggestions you might have for us.

Don't forget, there's also a feedback feature on our Facebook page and cell phone audio tours, as well as the comments section of this blog. We hope you feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us!