Winter Break Closure

Fish Shaped Lock, Late Chosŏn, brass, 1-1/4 x 2-3/4 x 1/2 inches, courtesy of the Lock Museum and the Korea Society

With only two days remaining to see all of the Art Museum's fall exhibitions, we are already looking ahead to the winter break closure. The Art Museum will begin its winter closure this Friday, December 23. The final day to see six exhibitions will be Thursday, so make sure you take a pause from the last minute holiday rush to see these great exhibitions!

The Art Museum will continue to be closed through January and will re-open on Friday, January 27. Each year we take this time to completely re-install the galleries. You can see the exhibitions that are coming up on our website. We kick off the new semester of exhibitions with an opening reception on January 27, 6-8 pm. While the museum is closed to the public during this time, our administrative offices will be open. If you have questions or would like more information, please give us a call at 307.766.6622.

Have a very happy holiday and we look forward to seeing you all and sharing new exhibitions with you in the new year!

Final Week to See Fall Exhibitions

Unknown Maker, Muffineer, 1886-1887, silver, 6-3/4 x 2-1/2 inches, 3.4 oz., London, courtesy of a private collector

The Art Museum will be closed beginning next Friday for the winter break, which means that there is only one more week to see our fall exhibitions. The exhibitions that will be closing are: Albany County Student Art, The West of Eliot Porter: Images of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, Talismans of Protection from Chosŏn Korea: Antique Locks, Latches, and Key Charms, Donovan Widmer: Small Metals, Terror in the Theater: Fifties Fears, and 300 Years of British Silver: Hallmarks of the Monarchies.

The Albany County Student Art Exhibition showcases the artwork created throughout the course of the year by students in all local schools, from elementary to high school.

The West of Eliot Porter: Images of Colorado, New Mexico and Utah presents color landscape photographs from the Art Museum's permanent collection. Porter began working in color in 1939, long before his fellow photographers accepted the medium.

Talismans of Protection from Chosŏn Korea: Antique Locks, Latches, and Key Charms is an exhibition of rare antique metalwork on loan from the Lock Museum in Seoul, Korea. The objects, which are in the forms of dragons, turtles, butterflies and more, are richly symbolic and exquisitely decorative examples of traditional Korean aesthetic and craft traditions.

Donovan Widmer: Small Metals includes work from Widmer’s four most recent series. He uses traditional metalsmithing processes to create images and objects that are amusing, sardonic and sometimes peculiar.

Terror in the Theater: Fifties Fears features posters, photos, a film clip and props used in science fiction movies. Visitors have the opportunity to view a tribble from the famous Star Trek episode and the animatronic Triceratops from the original King Kong. The items on view are from the American Heritage Center’s Forrest Ackerman Collection.

300 Years of British Silver: Hallmarks of the Monarchies presents flatware and other silver dating back to the reign of William III and Mary II (1689-1702). This comprehensive and chronological collection includes silver from each British monarchy all the way up to today’s Queen Elizabeth II.

For more information, or for a look ahead to our spring exhibitions, please visit our website.

Lobby Sale - 50% Off All Items Today

We had a great turnout yesterday for our lobby sale, but there are still a lot of items to be sold! We are putting everything on sale today and taking 50% off all items! There are still Christmas trees and lights, children's games and toys, lava lamps, and more fun home decor. Be sure to stop by today between 10 am and 5 pm to take advantage of this deep discount!

All proceeds from the lobby sale will benefit Art Museum programs. For more information, please call 307.766.6622.

Lobby Sale at the Art Museum Next Week

Just in time for the holidays! The Art Museum will be holding a lobby sale next week, Monday - Wednesday. The sale will be held during our usual hours of operation, 10 am - 5 pm. There are items for everyone in this sale, from children's games and toys to home decor. Special holiday items include strands of Christmas lights and we even have two artificial trees for sale.

All items are priced as marked and are non-negotiable, but there are plenty of great deals already! Payment will be cash or check only. For more information, or with questions, please call 307.766.6622.

UW Juried Student Exhibition Call for Entries Announced

As UW moves into finals week, the Art Museum would like to announce the call for entries for the 37th Annual Juried University of Wyoming Student Exhibition. Any student who is enrolled in the 2012 school year (including those who graduated this past Saturday but who were enrolled in at least one class during the fall semester) are eligible to submit up to three works for consideration.

This year's juror is Sharon Kennedy, the Curator of Cultural and Civic Engagement at the Sheldon Museum of Art on the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln. She will be tasked with selecting the works to be included in the exhibition, as well as meeting with the Student Art League and the art department faculty.

More information can be found on the call for entries poster, which is available on the Art Museum's website, and hard copies can be picked up outside the Fine Arts Office or at the front desk of the Art Museum. For questions or concerns, please contact Assistant Curator Rachel Miller at 307.766.6621 or rmiller@uwyo.edu.

Lighting of the Trees Ceremony Thursday Evening

Please join the UW Art Museum for the Lighting of the Trees Ceremony on Thursday evening from 6-8 pm. This is the kick-off event for the Festival of the Trees - an annual event that includes more than 30 holiday trees decorated by members of the community. The Lighting of the Trees Ceremony opens the silent auction bidding on the decorated trees and other holiday decor, including flower arrangements, wreaths, and decorations. Cider, brownies, and lemon bars will be served, and it's also when the public gets to place their vote for the "People's Choice Award" tree. The schedule below outlines the groups and individuals who will be playing live holiday music.

6 pm: Laramie High School String Orchestra
6:30 pm: Laramie Junior High School Concert Orchestra
7 pm: Lia Eggleston and James Wilson
7:30 pm: Linford Elementary Choir

For more information on this or any other public programs, please visit our website or call 307.766.6622.

Festival of Trees Decorating Begins Today

The Art Museum is busy already as community groups and organizations begin decorating their trees for the annual Festival of Trees. Every year, volunteers decorate holiday trees that are auctioned off in support of Art Museum programs and education classes. The silent auction of the trees continues until 2 pm on Saturday during the community celebration, Happy Holidays, Laramie!

Decorating will continue until 5 pm today and extended hours will be available tomorrow, 10 am - 8 pm, for decorating. The completed trees will be on view Thursday evening at the Lighting of the Trees Ceremony from 6-8 pm and will include live music, refreshments, and voting for the popular "People's Choice" tree.

For more information on the Art Museum's community events and public programs, please call 307.766.6622 or visit our website.

Final Monday Evening of Extended Hours

Tonight is the final Monday evening at the Art Museum with extended hours until 9 pm. During the spring and fall semesters, the Art Museum stays open until 9 pm to allow students and faculty additional access, as well as to provide a time for members of the public to visit if they can't make it in during the day.

Next week we will return to our hours of Monday - Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm. Stay tuned this week as we post information on the upcoming Happy Holidays, Laramie! festivities and the Festival of Trees. For more information about any of our programs or exhibitions, please call 307.766.6622 or visit our website.

Visual Arts Building Update

A view of the new Visual Arts Building with the Centennial Complex to the west. Photo courtesy of Doug Russell.

It's been exciting for Art Museum staff members to watch the construction of the new Visual Arts Building to our east. Progress continues as landscapers were on site this past week to plant tress and sod, situate boulders, and put some finishing touches on the exterior. The construction fences have started coming down along Willett Drive and 22nd Street. The Art Department is scheduled to move into their new facility over the winter break. The Art Museum is anticipating new opportunities for collaboration with faculty and students with their close proximity!

Art Talk and Gallery Walk Through

Donovan Widmer (American, b. 1973), Astrolabe Study 002.1, 2008, sterling silver, brass, copper, glass, 24 x 3 x 3 inches, courtesy of the artist

North Dakota small metals artist Donovan Widmer is in town and will present two public programs at the Art Museum today and tomorrow. When he isn't here at the museum, he will be giving a mini-workshop and student critiques in the art department. See below for more information or call us at 307.766.6622. Both programs are free and open to the public!

Art Talk: This public lecture will be tonight at 7 pm at the Art Museum. Widmer will present a PowerPoint with images of previous and new work, and he will talk about the works on view in his solo exhibition at the Art Museum.

Gallery Walk Through: This will be a more informal walk through Widmer's exhibition, and will be tomorrow, Tuesday, at 10:30 am. Widmer will answer questions and provide insight specifically about the works on view.

Next Week at the Art Museum

Donovan Widmer (American, b. 1973), The Cycle Has Been Completed, 2008, sterling silver, brass, cork, glass, moss, flowers, 5 x 5 x 2-1/2 inches, courtesy of the artist.

We are looking ahead to next week when small metals artist Donovan Widmer will be here to present two public programs, and he will also be meeting with classes and individual students in the Art Department.

Widmer will present an formal Art Talk on Monday, November 14 at 7 pm and a more informal Gallery Walk Through on Tuesday, November 15 at 10:30 am. Both of these programs are free and open to the public and will be held at the Art Museum.

Widmer's work combines traditional metalsmithing techniques with found objects to create highly detailed and intricate work that examines how social and cultural ideas change and evolve. He is an Assistant Professor of Metalsmithing at the University of North Dakota.

For more information on public programs or exhibitions, please visit the Art Museum website or call 307.766.6622.

Last Week to View Silver & Metalwork of the 20th Century

Contemporary UK, Christopher Lawrence’s 

House of Lawrian, Coffee Service (pot only),

1974, London, England, sterling silver, 

8 x 7 ½ inches, lent by Margo Grant Walsh

Silver & Metalwork of the 20th Century: The Margo Grant Walsh Collection closes on Saturday, November 12.  The exhibition features over 185 items of silver and metalwork from this unparalleled private collection.  Works from eight countries span the Arts and Crafts Movement to Scandinavian and contemporary UK designs. 

Walsh began collecting silver on a whim and considers herself a self-educated collector. Today, her collection consists of over 2,000 objects, all of which she collected based on their beauty, functionality, and good design.  With a background in architecture and interior design, she has amassed a globally significant collection.

The Art Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.  Hours on Monday are extended to 9 pm through November.   The Art Museum is housed in the Centennial Complex on the campus of the University of Wyoming at 2111 Willett Ave.  Admission is free to all.

Book Signing Tomorrow

In addition to the Cowboys football game tomorrow and the Art Museum gala, take some time to visit the Art Museum between 9 and 11 am for a book signing with senator Alan Simpson. His new book will be available for sale at the museum, and breakfast refreshments will be served.

Art Museum Closed Tomorrow

A reminder that the Art Museum will be closed tomorrow - Saturday, October 29th - due to construction on the adjacent Visual Arts Building.

We're excited for our new neighbor to be open and we apologize for any inconvenience that this closure may cause.

The Art Museum will be open on Monday from 10 am to 9 pm, and Tuesday - Saturday of next week from 10 am to 5 pm.

For more information, please call 307.766.6622.

Touring Exhibition Service at the Art Museum

Ginnie Madsen, Passing, Laramie, 2008, block print, 7 x 8 inches, courtesy of the artist

Did you know that the UW Art Museum has a Touring Exhibition Service that travels exhibitions of original art around the state?

The Touring Exhibition Service offers exhibitions at no charge to Wyoming organizations plus one-way shipping (roundtrip shipping to out of state organizations). These exhibitions are designed for sites such as libraries, schools, community centers, galleries and museums. Insurance, press releases, publicity photos and exhibition interpretation is provided by the UW Art Museum. You can learn about the available exhibitions and find the touring schedule on our website.

For information and to schedule any of these exhibitions, contact Peter Lundskow, Registrar, at 307.766.6634 or rlundsko@uwyo.edu.

Art Express: Touring Exhibition Service is funded in part by the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum with additional support from FMC Corporation.

Art Museum Closed on Saturday, Oct. 29

The Art Museum will be closed this Saturday, October 29. Construction on the new Visual Arts Building that is adjacent to the Art Museum often requires tie-ins to water and power lines that are shared between the buildings. This Saturday, water pumps that service both buildings are scheduled to be replaced, and with the complete shut-down of the water system, the Art Museum is unable to serve our visitors.

We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. The Art Museum will be open on Friday, 10 am to 5 pm, and we will resume our usual hours on Monday, 10 am to 9 pm. If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at 307.766.6622.

Community Night at McAlister's Deli to Support the Shelton Studio

McAlister's Deli is hosting a Community Night next Wednesday, October 19. Join the Art Museum for dinner between 5 pm and 9 pm and 10% of proceeds will go to support the Shelton Studio scholarship fund.

The scholarship fund allows student artists to attend Shelton Studio classes and art camps. For more information on this event, or about available scholarships, please contact Master Teacher Heather Bender at 307.766.3515 or hbender1@uwyo.edu.

Look for Your Gala Invitation in the Mail

Invitations for this year's gala have been mailed out! The theme for this year's event is "Fiesta!" The gala is the Art Museum's annual black tie fundraiser with dinner, dancing, and live and silent auctions. It's a great way to connect with fellow supporters of the Art Museum and to win great items!

If you haven't received an invitation and would like us to mail you one, or if you need to purchase tickets, please call Administrative Assistant Bev Schroeder at 307.766.3477.

AHC Exhibition on View at the Art Museum Featured in the Casper Star Tribune

The exhibition presented by the American Heritage Center (AHC), Terror in the Theater: Fifties Fears, which is currently on view at the Art Museum, is featured in today's Casper Star Tribune.

The article discusses the motivation behind the exhibition, some of the items included, and also some background information on the AHC. Every year a different archivist from the AHC curates an exhibition from one of their vast collections of archives, which is then put on view in one of the Art Museum's galleries.

For more information on the AHC, you can visit their website. For more information on the Art Museum and exhibitions, please visit our website.

Art Talk on Monday Night

Peony Patterned Lock, Late Chosŏn, Lock: nickel, 3 x 5 x 1-3/4 inches, Key: iron, 6-1/2 x 1-3/4 x 3/8 inches, courtesy of The Korea Society and The Lock Museum

UW Department of History Chair and Associate Professor Michael Brose will present an Art Talk on Monday night, October 10 at 7 pm in conjunction with the exhibition, Talismans of Protection from Choson Korea: Antique Locks, Latches, and Key Charms.

The exhibition is on loan from the Lock Museum in Seoul, Korea and was organized for travel by the Korea Society, New York. It features antique metalwork from the Choson Dynasty, the last and longest reigning dynasty of Korea. Brose will be presenting historical and cultural background information on the Choson time period.

The Art Talk on Monday evening is free and open to the public. Talismans of Protection from Choson Korea: Antique Locks, Latches, and Key Charms is on view through December 22. For more information on public programs or exhibitions at the Art Museum, please visit the website or call 307.766.6622.

Travis Ivey, Hollyhock Haven, work in progress

Photo courtesy UW Art Museum

The third mural for the Laramie Mural Project is well underway and expected to be complete in the next two weeks.  Travis Ivey's Hollyhock Haven is located on Custer between 1st and 2nd Streets.  It was the subject of a front page article in the Laramie Boomerang today. 

Smithsonian Museum Day is this Saturday

This Saturday, September 24, the UW Art Museum will be participating in Museum Day. This annual event is sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine and provides free entrance to many participating museums.

While admission to the UW Art Museum is always free, it's a great way to follow in the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution's free admission policy and to encourage museum visitation!

If you're going to be in Laramie this weekend, be sure to join us in celebrating museums and visit the UW Art Museum on Saturday either before or after the big football game!

If you're planning on visiting a different museum, a list of those participating in Museum Day can be found on Smithsonian Magazine's website, which also has the free printable tickets you'll need for entrance into those museums that normally do charge an admission fee.

Opportunity for Artists and Arts Professionals

The Porland Art Museum's Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art, Bonnie Laing-Malcomson will present a focus groups meeting for artists and arts professionals on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 7 pm.  The purpose of the meeting is to share information on opportunities for artists of the greater Northwest region (which includes Wyoming), a focus area for the Portland Museum of Art.  Laing-Malcomson invites artists to bring CV's, exhibition catalogs, and CD of recent work for the museum's growing collection of contemporary NW artists.

Laing-Malcomson invites attending artists and arts professionals to join her in a no-host dinner following the meeting at Altitude's (320 S Second, Laramie).  The event is free.  Please RSVP by Sept 20 to Rachel Miller, UW Art Museum assistant curator, if you plan to attend.

First Sessions of Faculty Teaching Institute This Week

Margaret Cogswell (l) shares new work with education

curator Wendy Bredehoft (r)

Courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Margaret Cogswell is in the Art Museum this week to further her research for her solo exhibition scheduled at the museum in the fall 2012 and to be part of the first sessions of the new Faculty Teaching Institute organized by Wendy Bredehoft, the museum's education curator.

Cogswell has been in residence the last three weeks at Ucross.  She shared her work with Bredehoft and the museum's director and chief curator, Susan Moldenhauer, today and conversations ensued about the logistics of her forthcoming exhibition.  Wyoming River Fugues will synthesize her research in publications, video, audio, interviews, drawings, and video stills into a site specific installation in the museum's galleries. 

The Faculty Teaching Institute is a yearlong program for UW faculty who are interested in integrating the original resource materials in the Art Museum into their curriculum.  Cogswell will participate in the first sessions this week and will return in the spring to continue the dialogue and planning.  Faculty will be part of a symposium in October 2012 where they will present their findings and experience in the Institute.

Cogswell's exhibition is funded in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.  The Faculty Teaching Institute is funded by the Colonel Rogers Excellence Fund at the University of Wyoming.

Extended Monday Hours Begin Tonight

Starting tonight the Art Museum will have extended hours until 9 pm on Mondays. With all new exhibitions open, it's a perfect time to take advantage of later hours! The extended hours will continue through the end of the fall semester.

If you're a student using one of the exhibitions in a class project, this is a great time to finish up some research! Or, if you can't get to the Art Museum in the evenings because you're at work, Monday nights make it easy for you to come see what's on view!

For more information or to help plan a visit to the Art Museum, visit our website or call 307.766.6622.

Travis Ivey begins third mural for the Laramie Mural Project

Travis Ivey, Hollyhock Haven, artist's sketch

Courtesy of the artist

 Travis Ivey preparing wall for Hollyhock Haven mural

Courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Preliminary sketching out of Hollyhock Haven

Courtesy of the UW Art Museum

This week, Laramie artist Travis Ivey started work on the third mural for the Laramie Mural Project.  Hollyhock Haven is located on Custer between First and Second.  Travis will be on site over the coming weeks to complete the mural.

The Laramie Mural Project is a partnership between the Laramie Main Street Associates and the University of Wyoming Art Museum.  It is funded by the Guthrie Family Foundation, the Wyoming Arts Council, the Laramie Beautification Committee, and the City of Laramie.  Our thanks to Vince Arbour for contributing the wall for Hollyhock Haven.

Margo Grant Walsh conducts Gallery Walkthrough of her collection exhibition

Margo Grant Walsh (center)

Courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Art Museum board members, docents, faculty, and students enjoy the Gallery Walk Through with 20th century silver collector, Margo Grant Walsh.  Walsh's collection, Silver & Metalwork from the 20th Century: The Margo Grant Walsh Collection, is on view in the Art Museum through mid-November and features 20th century silver from North America, Great Britain, Scandinavia, and Europe.  Walsh was in the museum for the official opening of the exhibition.

Silver & Metalwork from the 20th Century: The Margo Grant Walsh Collection was funded in part by Roy and Caryl Cline, FMC Corporation, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum, and Wyoming Public Radio.

Talal Cockar and Meghan Meier nearing completion on Laramie Mural Project mural

 Artist Talal Cockar shares his design for the mural at the
Big Hollow Food Co-op with UW Art Museum National
Advisory Board President Ruth Arnold
Courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Lainie McElwee (l) with mural artist Talal Cockar (r)
Courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Talal Cockar's mural, Tierra y Libertad, at Big Hollow Food Co-op nears completion.  Tala was on site today but took a few minutes out of his work to discuss the mural project with the President of the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum, Ruth Arnold and to pose for pictures.  The mural is scheduled for completion by the end of September.

Meghan Meier, Grainery Grove
Courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Just a few steps away in the alleyway by Whole Earth Grainery is Meghan Meier's Grainery Grove.  Finishing touches of silver detailing on the trees in her composition add sparkle to her colorful and upbeat work.

The Laramie Mural Project is an extension of the University of Wyoming Art Museum's exhibition of public art, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational.  Organized in partnership between Laramie Main Street Alliance and the UW Art Museum, the project is funded by the Patricia Guthrie Family Foundation, the Wyoming Arts Council, Laramie Beautification Committee, and the City of Laramie.

UW Art Museum National Advisory Board tours new Art Department facility

 From left: Richard Walje, Kathryn Boswell, Jacque 

Buchanan, Caryl Cline, Ruth Arnold, Tom Davidson, 

Margo (?), unidentified, Al Simpson, Ann Simpson

 Ricki Klages (l), art department head, touring Art Museum 

National Advisory Board and guests

 

From left: Caryl Cline, Margo (?), Ann Simpson, Ricki Klages

Merl Haworth

The University of Wyoming Visual Arts Center is under construction on a site adjacent to the Art Museum.    During its fall meeting, the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum toured the facility with the Art Department head, Ricki Klages, and with Merl Haworth, Facilities Planning.  The facility is on schedule for a completion in December 2011.  Spring semester classes will be taught in the new facility.

Convergence Conference planned in Cody

 
Wyoming’s culture is unique, but are we leveraging this culture to help build prosperous communities?
The Convergence Conference brings together Wyoming’s Creative, Cultural and Historical Resources to take a look at Wyoming’s cultural heritage for the visitor, increase cooperative planning across communities and unite under common goals. Interactive sessions and cultural tours will allow attendees to share resources, learn from successful cultural projects and generate partnerships that will improve statewide cultural outreach. Register today and join with other representatives from the arts, humanities, libraries, historic preservation, education and business sectors to strengthen and leverage Wyoming’s unique cultural heritage and creative economy.

Early registration is now open for the Convergence Conference in Cody, WY!  Go to the website for information, schedule, and hotel accommodations.  The Wyoming Arts Council is also offering travel stipends for arts and cultural groups and for individual artists.  For more information, contact the arts council at 307.777.7742.

Art Talk: Margo Grant Walsh, tonight at the Art Museum

Pampaloni, Pitcher, 1970s-1980s, sterling silver, Florence, Italy, 10 x 6 ¼ x 4 inches, N0027N0027, courtesy of Margo Grant Walsh

Collector Margo Grant Walsh will present a public Art Talk tonight at 7 pm at the Art Museum. A selection from Grant Walsh's collection of silver is currently on view in the exhibition, Silver & Metalwork of the 20th Century. The exhibition presents over 200 items from her unique collection that emphasizes design and functionality.

The Art Talk tonight will give an overview of silver and Grant Walsh will also discuss how and why she collects. Tomorrow, she will give a more informal Gallery Walk Through at 4:30 pm and discuss the specific work on view.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information please call 307.766.6622.

Art Museum Annual Gala Scheduled for Nov. 5!

The annual Art Museum Gala is scheduled for Saturday, November 5, 2011!  To be sure you are on the invitation list, please contact Bev in the Art Museum office, 307-766-3477. 

Art Museum Closed Monday for Labor Day

The Art Museum will be closed on Monday, September 5 for Labor Day, but there will be plenty of other activities later in the week! We will be open on Saturday, when a new exhibition, Talismans of Protection from Choson Korea: Antique Locks, Latches, and Key Charms opens.

Next week we will be holding two public programs with silver collector Margo Grant Walsh. On Thursday evening, September 8 at 7 pm she will present an Art Talk. On Friday, September 9 at 4:30 pm she will host a more informal Gallery Walk Through. Both events are free and open to the public.

On Friday, September 9 from 6-8 pm we will celebrate the opening of all of our new fall exhibitions with a free opening reception.

If you have any questions about public programs or exhibitions, you can visit our webpage or call 307.766.6622.

New Exhibition of Korean Antique Metalwork Opens Saturday

Peony Patterned Lock, Late Chosŏn, lock; nickel, 3 x 5 x 1-3/4 inches, key; iron, 6-1/2 x 1-3/4 x 3/8 inches, courtesy of The Korea Society and The Lock Museum

A new exhibition of rare antique locks, latches, and key charms from Korea opens Saturday, Sept. 3 at the Art Museum.

Talismans of Protections from Chosŏn Korea: Antique Lock, Latches, and Key Charms presents objects that are richly symbolic and exquisitely decorative examples of traditional Korean aesthetic and craft traditions.

The Chosŏn Dynasty (1392-1910) was the longest and last imperial dynasty in Korea. This rare collection includes metal and wood objects in the forms of dragons, turtles, butterflies, fish, bats and swallows. Although the objects had functional purposes, the beauty of their design underscores the symbolic nature of the protections they afforded.

The exhibition is on loan from the Lock Museum in Seoul, Korea and organized for national tour by The Korea Society, New York.

A free opening reception to celebrate this and other new fall exhibitions will be at the Art Museum Friday, Sept. 9, from 6-8 p.m. For more information about this or any other upcoming exhibitions, please visit the Art Museum webpage or call 307.766.6622.

Laramie Mural Project

Meghan Meier, Grainery Grove

Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Grainery Grove is almost done and truly does transform the alley way beside the Whole Earth Grainery!  Our thanks to Meghan for a great addition to our downtown environment and to Vince Arbor for working with the Laramie Mural Project.

Vince has been a long-time enthusiast for murals and street art.  A mural from 1976 remains adjacent to Meghan's new work and a truck behind Whole Earth Grainery became the canvas for two other local street artists a few years ago with Vince's blessing.  

In the coming weeks, we expect to see Talal Cockar complete his mural, Tierra y Libertad, just a few doors down at the Big Hollow Food Co-op and to see the third mural of the Laramie Mural Project get underway.

The Laramie Mural Project is a partnership between Laramie Mains Street Associates and the University of Wyoming Art Museum.  It has been funded in part by the Guthrie Family Foundation, the Wyoming Art Council, the Laramie Beautification Committee, and the City of Laramie.

With the new academic year upon us, you will see some changes in the Art Museum.  Our long-time store manager, Rosie Chapp, is retiring at the end of August.  Her smiling face, helpful assistance, and buying skills will be missed and we wish her all the best in retirement. 

This fall we will be transitioning the Museum Store into a smaller, more manageable operation.  It will feature items produced by the museum such as exhibition catalogs and posters, logo items such as lapel pins and collar shirts, and the occasional monograph or other items important to the museum's exhibition and collection programs.  An inventory display will be created in the Art Museum Lobby after the September 9 opening (6 – 8 pm).  In the coming month, an online Museum Store will convey the full breadth of available inventory.

The space currently allocated to the store will become a new Resource Room.  This multi-use space will have information on artists and exhibitions, art magazines, and art-related monographs and exhibition catalogs.  Many of these are hard to find, offering valuable information for research, reference, and study.  Eventually, the Resource Room will have tables and chairs to accommodate class use with the curator of collections, Nicole Crawford.  With prior planning, art objects from the collection may be transported to this room for class discussion..  We also intend to add several desks for museum interns and graduate assistants as well as several computer stations for student and public use that will significantly advance our outreach across and beyond campus.

While we are disappointed by the need to reduce the scope of our Museum Store, we are excited to advance the Art Museum's mission by adding a publicly accessible meeting and resource venue to our program. 

Grainery Grove Nears Completion

Meghan Meier's Grainery Grove

Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Laramie artist Meghan Meier is nearly complete with her mural at Whole Earth Grainery on Ivinson!  Not only has she created an intriguing work for the site, she been able to respect an existing work (to the left of her mural) from 1973!  

Meier's work is part of the Laramie Mural Project which is an extension of Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational, a temporary exhibition of large scale public art that originated in 2008 by the University of Wyoming Art Museum.  The Laramie Mural Project is a partnership between the museum and Laramie Main Street Associates.

The Art Museum and Main Street are hard at work trying to finalize at least three more murals this year.  The project pairs an artist with a building owner to enable enlivening our historic downtown through art.  Funds have been provided by the Guthrie Family Foundation, the Wyoming Arts Council, the Laramie Beautification Committee, and the City of Laramie.

Final Week to See Two Exhibitions

Serena Perrone (American, b. 1979), March 15, 2009 9:13 am, 2010, intaglio, monotype, silkscreen, letterpress, 11 x 15 inches, courtesy of the artist and Cade Tompkins Projects

Saturday, Aug. 27 will be the last day to see the exhibitions, The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States and, Serena Perrone: A Volcano Pilgrim in Exchange for Fire at the University of Wyoming Art Museum.

The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States features works collected by a retired postal clerk and his wife, a former librarian, who spent 45 years collecting contemporary American art and amassed a collection of over 2,000 pieces. Recognizing their collection would be too unwieldy for one institution, they developed a program through the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. called “Fifty Works for Fifty States” that distributed 50 works of art to public collections in each of the 50 states. The UW Art Museum was chosen as the Wyoming participant in the program. The works are representative of the Vogels’ interest in Minimalist, Conceptualist and post-1960s art.

Serena Perrone: A Volcano Pilgrim in Exchange for Fire chronicles the tragic loss of UW professor and poet Craig Arnold in April of 2009 through a series of printsthat layer color, line and text. The 20 prints on view represent Arnold’s twenty days of travel in Japan where he was studying volcanoes for a new book. Laid over the images of sky, earth or volcano is text taken from Arnold’s travel blog.

For more information about exhibitions at the Art Museum, call 307.766.6622 or visit our website. The Art Museum is open 10 am - 5 pm on Saturdays and admission is free.