TONIGHT at the Art Museum - Art Talk: David McCarthy, Pop Art Scholar

Andy Warhol (American 1928-1987), Sylvester Stallone, 1980, Polaroid, 4 x 3 inches, University of Wyoming Art Museum, gift of the Andy Warhol Foundation of the Visual Arts, Inc., The Andy Warhol Visual Legacy. Copyright 2010 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Tonight at the Art Museum will be an Art Talk by David McCarthy, a Pop Art scholar and art historian from Rhodes College. The title of his talk is, "American Made, American Masquerade: Andy Warhol's Democratic Portrait Gallery." This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition, Iconic Mass Culture: Andy Warhol's Portraits, on view at the Art Museum through November 13.

McCarthy will also be presenting a Gallery Walk Through on Friday morning, beginning at 10:30 am. Both events are free and open to the public. He is sponsored by the UW Art Department and the UW Art Museum. For more information on this or any other public program, please call 307.766.6622.

Art Museum Docents Attend Symposium in Denver

Art Museum docents and education staff outside the Denver Art Museum.

Photo courtesy of the Art Museum.

UW Art Museum Docents attended the Denver Art Museum's (DAM) Volunteer Symposium on September 24 and 25. Docents Sue Ettema, Genevieve Legowski, Margaret Plumb, Karen Maxfield, Sid Walter, and Judy McBride, along with Art Museum educators Wendy Bredehoft and Heather Bender, attended sessions that presented new information on visitor trends, and ways to engage museum visitors. Workshops included "New Perspectives on Thinking about Traditional Arts" by Michael Cassin, Director of the Center for Education in the Visual Arts, The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and "New Perspectives on Thinking about Contemporary Art" by Shelly Casto, Director of Education, The Wexner Center for the Arts.

These sessions provided lots of talking points over lunch and wherever the group convened. It was agreed that "museums are places that contain the most wonderful things in the world" (Cassin) and that "artists are people on a quest for knowledge" (Casto).

UAM Docents explored exhibits with DAM docents and other participants through gallery walks and discussions, putting into practice models for investigating traditional and contemporary art. Additional highlights of the trip included a visit to the exhibition, Tutankhamen: the Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, and the DAM's three gift shops.

For more information on the UW Art Museum's docent program, please call the education office at 307.766.3496.

The Museum Store is Now on Facebook

The Museum Store has a new Facebook page! Check out the newly launched page to see photos of merchandise, upcoming events, and for the chance to discuss your thoughts on the store and it's merchandise.

The format of Facebook allows for quick responses from Museum Store manager Rosie Chapp and her staff. It also is easy and fast to upload photos of new merchandise as it comes in. Like the Art Museum's Facebook page, it's a place that allows you to give feedback, and is a great place to find the most up-to-date information.

On Facebook, search for "UW Art Museum Store" and click the "Like" button.

Art Museum Education Department Wins Programming Award

Participants in the 2010 Summer Teaching Institute discuss their artwork.

Photo courtesy of the Art Museum.

Congratulations go out to the Art Museum's education team for receiving the EdCom Award for Excellence in Programming. This is a regional award given by the Mountain Plains Museum Association, which also places the Art Museum Education Department in contention to receive the national level award given by the American Association of Museums.

The award was given for Transforming Learning: Summer Teaching Institute, an annual summer program hosted by the Art Museum to help teachers, librarians, and community leaders learn about ways to incorporate original artwork into their teaching. This prestigious award is given for "exemplary creativity and innovation in museum educational programming."

To learn more about the great things that the education team is doing, or to tell them congratulations, give them a call at 307.766.3496, or email Master Teacher Heather Bender at hbender1@uwyo.edu.

New Cell Phone Audio Tours Available

Two new cell phone audio tours are now available. The audio tour for the exhibition, People of the West - A Collector's Vision, Selections from the Erivan and Helga Haub Collection features information about each artist and work in the exhibition. From historic paintings to contemporary, and including bronze sculpture, be sure to check out each of these interesting prompts.

For the exhibition, Anne-Karin Furunes: Portraits of Unknowns, the artist recorded each of the prompts. She talks about her creative process, and also shares information on each of the different series or bodies of work in the exhibition. This is the first time that the Art Museum has asked an artist to record the audio tour; it's always a great opportunity to hear directly from the artist!

The cell phone audio tour is a free feature. It can be accessed while you are visiting the Art Museum, or if you cannot make it to the exhibitions, or are a student looking for additional information on the work, you can simply call in from your cell phone. Handouts, including instructions, are available in a .pdf format on the Art Museum website. Click here for the handout for the Western art exhibition, and click on this link for the handout for Anne-Karin Furunes.

We always welcome your feedback and comments. You can tell us what you think in the comments section of this blog, on our Facebook page, or there is a feature on the audio tour that lets you leave a voicemail message.

20:20 Tonight at the Art Museum

Tonight at the Art Museum will be 20:20 SE WY. This free and public event will begin at 7 pm and feature short presentations by local and regional artists, who will have the chance to show images and talk about their latest work and projects.

This is a great opportunity for the public to come and see what local artists are working on and what projects are taking place in their community. 20:20 is also an opportunity for educators, arts organizations, and artists to get together to share ideas and network.

Following the presentations, the presenters and the audience members are invited to move downtown to Altitude Chophouse and Brewery for food and drinks, and to continue the conversation.

This low-key event is always a lot of fun and promises to reveal lots of new artwork and ideas! Join us tonight at 7 pm at the Art Museum for art, conversation, and good company!

Today at the Art Museum

A perforated canvas portrait by Norwegian artist Anne-Karin Furunes from her Portraits of Pictures series. Image courtesy of Barry Friedman, Ltd.

There are several events today at the Art Museum. At 4:30 pm Norwegian artist Anne-Karin Furunes will present a Gallery Walk Through. She will talk about her unique artistic process of perforating canvases, as well as the various series she has created, and her source material.

Following the Gallery Walk Through, beginning at 6 pm, is an opening reception for all of the new fall exhibitions. Six new exhibitions will be celebrated. Refreshments will be served. Both events are free and open to the public.

For more information, please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622.

River High Coming Down

Deinstalling River High

The monumental red steel sculpture, River High, is being deinstalled this afternoon and relocated to its new home in northern Wyoming.  The work created by Tennessee artist John Henry has been on view at the Laramie Rec Center for two years and was the anchor work for the exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational, on the University of Wyoming campus and in its surrounding city of Laramie.

John Henry's sculpture, River High, leaves today

Tennessee artist John Henry's monumental sculpture, River High, was the keystone piece of Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational

The latest sculpture to leave the exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational will be John Henry's monumental red sculpture, River High. The work will be de-installed today with help from the Tennessee artist's studio crew, City of Laramie employees, and UW Physical Plant workers.

The sculpture, located on Boulder Drive near the Rec Center, can be seen by those entering town off of I-80. It was the keystone piece of the exhibition, welcoming people to Laramie. Be sure to stop by today to see this vibrant work one more time or to watch the de-installation process.

The sculpture exhibition will continue to change and evolve as works leave, and new pieces are added. Keep checking this blog, the Art Museum website, or Facebook page for the latest information.

Art Talk: Anne-Karin Furunes TONIGHT

Anne-Karin Furunes (Norwegian, b.1961), Portraits of Pictures - Portrait 18, 2007, acrylic on canvas, perforated, 88-1/4 x 63 inches, image courtesy of Barry Friedman Ltd.

Tonight at the UW Art Museum, Norwegian artist Anne-Karin Furunes will present a public Art Talk at 7 pm. Furunes paints large scale canvases either white or black, and then hand-perforates the canvas to create a portrait. The highlights and shadows created by the holes causes the image to shift and change as the viewer moves around the paintings. Using images from archives, and contemporary images taken from public places, Furunes restores an individual identity to each of her portraits.

The Art Talk tonight is free and open to the public. Furunes will also be holding a Gallery Walk Through on Friday, beginning at 4:30 pm. For more information on these programs, please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622.

Fall 2010 Newsletter Now Available Online

Frederic Remington's painting, Conjuring Back the Buffalo, is featured in the fall newsletter and is included in the exhibition of Western American art from the Erivan and Helga Haub collection.

The Art Museum fall newsletter is now available on the museum website in a .pdf format. The online version is in color and has information about all of the new exhibitions now on view at the museum. Information on the upcoming education classes and programs can also be found inside, along with the latest in collections news and a spotlight section on our new board members.

This online, color version is also available to be emailed. If you are not on the email list and would like to be, please contact Bev Schroeder, Administrative Assistant, to be added. If you would like to continue to receive a black and white hard copy, please contact Bev at 307.766.3477 or bschroed@uwyo.edu.

Extended Monday Hours Begin Tonight

Binh Danh's "chlorophyll prints," including this one, Son #4 are included in his solo exhibition, which is one of six new fall exhibitions now open at the Art Museum.

The UW Art Museum will begin its extended Monday night hours, beginning tonight. Through the month of November, and between February and April, the Art Museum stays open until 9 pm on Monday nights. These extended hours are helpful for students utilizing exhibitions in their classes but who don't have the time to visit during the day. It's also a great time to visit for those who work during the day but don't want to miss out on any of the new exhibitions. Consider coming to the Art Museum on a Monday evening for something fun, educational, and new! The Museum Store will also be open on Monday evenings until 9 pm.

Six new fall exhibitions are now open at the Art Museum. Included are two exhibitions by international contemporary artists: Anne-Karin Furunes and Binh Danh. Also on view is an exhibition featuring Polaroids, silver gelatin prints and screen prints by Andy Warhol, Western American art from the Erivan and Helga Haub Collection, and an exhibition featuring work from the Art Museum's permanent collection from the Cold War period. The American Heritage Center is presenting an exhibition about Wyoming during World War I. Stop by tonight to check out these new and exciting exhibitions!

The Art Museum is open 10 am - 5 pm, Monday through Friday with extended Monday hours until 9 pm. For more information on exhibitions and programs, please visit the website.

Sign Up Now for 20:20 SE WY

It's time to sign up for 20:20 Southeast Wyoming. 20:20 will be held on Monday, September 20th at the UW Art Museum from 7 to 9 pm. Join us for drinks and discussion afterward at Altitude Chophouse and Brewery. This is a program that was begun over a year ago at the museum to gather artists, educators, and organizations together for a chance to share work and network with colleagues.

The format of 20:20 gives presenters 20 slides, each one shown only for 20 seconds, resulting in a 6 minute and 40 second presentation. This format means that more people are able to share what they've been working on, recent projects and accomplishments, or upcoming plans. So, if you're an artist, arts educator, or represent an arts organization in the southeast region of the state and would like to share what you do, please sign up!

Sign up is on a first come, first served basis. Presentations must be in a PowerPoint format and submitted no later than Friday, September 17th. For more information, or to sign up, please contact assistant curator Rachel Miller at 307.766.6621 or rmiller@uwyo.edu.

A Big Day for the Arts!

All Things Seen Naked, a diptych by Wyoming artist Neltje.

It was a day of exciting arts related announcements and progress on the UW campus today. Today was the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fine Arts building, to be built over the course of the next 18 months at 22nd and Willett, adjacent to the Art Museum. This new building will hold all of the visual arts classrooms, studios, and a new gallery. The building, situated closely to the Art Museum, will mean even greater collaboration between the museum and the department.

Also announced today was an unprecedented gift from Wyoming abstract expressionist, Neltje. You can read more about all the details in this UW press release. Neltje's generous gift exemplifies her philanthropic spirit and her continued support of the arts in the state. Her gift changes the role of the university in the arts within Wyoming and across the nation. The Art Museum thanks Neltje for her generosity and is excited to see all of the possibilities emerge!