Film Screening of "Herb & Dorothy" on Monday Evening

Dorothy and Herbert Vogel at The Clocktower with a drawing by Philip Pearlstein behind them, 1975. Photography Credit: Nathaniel Tileston. Courtesy Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, New York, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

The Art Museum is hosting a film screening of the documentary, Herb & Dorothy (Arthouse Films, Maguna Susaki, director), on Monday evening, April 4 at 7 pm. The film will be shown in the Centennial Complex Restaurant, which is accessible through the lower level front entrance. Refreshments will be served and the screening is free and open to the public.

The film tells the story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a 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. 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. A selection of the works gifted to the UW Art Museum are on view until Aug. 27.

Please join us for movie night at the museum! For more information about the exhibition of the film screening, please call 307.766.6622.

New Artist Interview with Etsuko Ichikawa on YouTube

The latest artist interview is now available for viewing on the Art Museum's YouTube page. Etsuko Ichikawa was interviewed in February while she on on-site installing her work. NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - is a site-specific installation, created specifically for the UW Art Museum. In her interview, Ichikawa talks about her inspiration for working with a range of materials that includes thread, video, audio, and pyrographs, which are drawing made from molten glass on paper. She also discusses the role of movement in her work and the process of creating, transporting, and unpacking the work.

The series of video interviews with contemporary artists is an ongoing collaboration with UWTV and enables us to capture the voice, words, and ideas of our visiting artists and share that information publicly. We hope that hearing directly from the artist is inspiring, engaging, and encourages you to visit or re-visit their work with a new perspective.

Etsuko Ichikawa: NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - is on view through August 6, 2011. The Art Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, with extended Monday hours until 9 pm through the first Monday of May. Admission is free. For more information on this or any other exhibition, please call 307.766.6622.

Gallons of Gray Paint in the Gallery

Preparator David Jones reaches the top of the gallery wall with his paintbrush.

Courtesy of the Art Museum.

There's a change coming to the Art Museum's gallery walls! This week, Chief Preparator Sterling Smith and Preparator David Jones have been busy transforming the large gallery space by painting it gray.

Two of the small galleries on the south side of the museum have always been gray, and this winter the middle two galleries were painted to match. Progress continues with half of the large space now being painted before the opening of the exhibition, From the Scottish Sublime to the American West: Selections from the University of Wyoming, which opens on April 9. The second half of the large gallery space will be painted later this summer after Etsuko Ichikawa: NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - closes on August 6.

Our preparators estimate that they will use 23 gallons of paint to complete this half of the gallery space. If you've visited the small galleries, you may have noticed that the gray color creates a soothing, almost intimate atmosphere. The matte color also makes the artwork "pop" - bringing out colors and contrasts within the artwork.

Be sure to visit the Art Museum to see this change in the galleries! We're open Monday - Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm with extended Monday hours until 9 pm. Admission is always free!

We want to hear from you!

Visitors at the Art Museum take time to observe and experience Etsuko Ichikawa's installation. Courtesy of the Art Museum.

Have you been to the Art Museum recently? An installation by Japanese artist Etsuko Ichikawa has transformed half of the large gallery space. Inspired by an ancient waterfall in Japan that has been a shrine for purification and meditation for generations of people, NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - invites museum visitors to observe and reflect. A combination of materials - cotton thread, video projection, an audio component, and pyrographs (drawings on paper made from molten glass) offer much to look at.

A new guest book has been placed in this gallery space to get your feedback. We've noticed that some visitors have returned to the gallery twice and even three times, and we'd like to hear more from you! If you visit for the first time, is it what you expected? What word or words would you use to describe the experience? How did the space make you feel? If you're one of those visitors who has been to see NACHI more than once, what brings you back? Does your experience change? How so?

Visitor comments are important to the Art Museum because it tells us what you think, what you like, or if you'd like to see something else. For artists, it's important for them to hear reactions after they've completed a work, installed it, and gone back to their studios.

The Art Museum always welcomes your feedback and we have several places where you can leave your comments online - here on the blog or on our facebook page. If you're at the Museum, we have visitor surveys and now the guest book back in the gallery specifically for the Etsuko Ichikawa installation. We appreciate you taking the time to tell us what you think!

Spring Cleaning Sale This Week at the Museum Store

It's spring cleaning time at the Museum Store, which means it's a great time to pick up some one-of-a-kind items on sale! All non-consignment merchandise is 20% off this week. While the Museum Store is making room for new inventory this spring, you can find unique home decor items, gifts for friends and family, or something special for yourself!

The Museum Store is open Monday-Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm. The spring cleaning sale continues through this Saturday, March 26. For more information, contact store manager Rosie Chapp at 307.766.3982.

Final March Art Month Class This Saturday

A student works on his art project in the Shelton Studio. Courtesy of the Art Museum.

The final March Art Month Saturday class will be this Saturday, March 26th, 1 - 3 pm, at the Art Museum. It is open for students age 4-11. Parents of students age 5 and younger are asked to remain with their children.

This class is a great way for students to explore new ideas, concepts and artistic mediums. The class will explore artwork that is on view in the museum, and then using the ideas and materials seen there, create their own work in the Shelton Studio.

Pre-registration is encouraged. For more information, or to register, call Master Teacher Heather Bender at 307.766.3515.

Final Days to See the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition

Installation view of some of the work from the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition. Courtesy of the Art Museum.

The last day to see the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition is this Saturday, March 19. This exhibition features work by faculty members Ashley Hope Carlisle, Jessica Perry, Jenny Venn, Patrick Kikut, Shelby Shadwell, David Jones, Margaret Haydon, Mark Ritchie, Diana Baumbach, Nate Abel, Ricki Klages, Leah Hardy, and Doug Russell. A variety of media and methods can be seen, ranging from installation pieces to painting, graphic design, and drawing, just to name a few.

The Art Museum is open this week, including Saturday, from 10 am to 5 pm, and admission is free. Be sure to stop by and see this exhibition before it closes! It's a great way to see what the art faculty does in their own studios, and to explore the wide range of creativity on campus!

Spring Break Art Camp

A student works on his project in the Shelton Studio. Courtesy of the Art Museum.

As college students vacate Laramie next week for spring break, the Art Museum is inviting kids ages 6 to 12 to join our education team for Spring Break Art Camp. The camp will run Monday - Friday, March 14-18 from 1 pm to 4:45 pm each day.

The theme of this year's camp is, "Make the Everyday Extraordinary." If you like to make art and are curious about new forms and materials, this is the class for you! We'll explore the many artworks that are on view in the museum, and then use what we learn to make extraordinary art from everyday moments. Discover all kinds of materials and ways to make art in the Shelton Studio, including sculpture, painting, collage, and more! We'll look at different ways to write, too. Join us for the week - or even a day - to explore your own possibilities!

Pre-registration is encouraged. Spring Break Art Camp is $60 for the week or a $15 a day "drop-in" rate. Call Master Teacher Heather Bender at 307.766.3515 or email her at hbender1@uwyo.edu for more information or to register.

Tonight at the Art Museum - a Focus on Faculty

An installation view of some of the work in the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition. Courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

Two public programs tonight at the Art Museum highlight some of the work that's happening on campus by various faculty members. First, at 6 pm, is a Gallery Walk Through with UW Art Department faculty, whose work is currently on exhibition in the museum. Those faculty members who teach drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, graphic design, or foundations classes, will have the opportunity to talk about their own work and what inspires them. This informal gathering is a great time to hear directly from the artists and ask questions!

Following the Gallery Walk Through is a second public program that begins at 7 pm, called 20:20. With a broader focus, this program is a chance for both UW and LCCC faculty to showcase their work - whether it's art, research, writing, music, or dance - in a brief presentation. Presenters are given 20 slides, each of which is only shown for 20 seconds. This fast-paced format keeps the evening lively and informative. Please join us for 20:20, which will feature presentations by faculty members from the art department, civil and architectural engineering, photography, geology, and a range of other interesting topics.

For more information about public programs or exhibitions, please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622. All programs are free and open to the public.

March Art Month Begins This Saturday

A student works on an art project in the Shelton Studio during one of last year's March Art Month classes. Courtesy of the UW Art Museum.

Join in the celebration of March as Youth Arts Month by participating in one of the free Saturday classes offered for students ages 4-11. The 2011 classes kick off this Saturday, March 5 with others taking place on March 12, and 26. Each Saturday class is from 1-3 pm. Every Saturday we’ll investigate new ideas and creative processes, in addition to exploring and making art. Parents of students 5 years old and younger are asked to join in the fun and remain with their students. Be sure to wear your best art making clothes!

There is no fee for this class, but pre-registration is appreciated so that we may anticipate how many students will be joining us. E-mail Heather Bender (hbender1@uwyo.edu) or call (307) 766-3515.

Etsuko Ichikawa interview on WPR

Image courtesy of UW.

An interview with artist Etsuko Ichikawa to talk about her new installation at the UW Art Museum will be featured this afternoon on WPR's Open Spaces, which begins at 3 pm. Molly Messick from WPR talks with Etsuko about the exhibition: NACHI - between the eternal and the ephemeral - .

You can listen to it live online, or tune in to your local station to here the interview. A listing of stations can be found here.

There's Still Time to Sign Up for 20:20 Faculty

There is still time for LCCC and UW faculty members to sign up for 20:20, a public program hosted by the UW Art Museum that will be on Monday evening, March 7 at 7 pm. If you've ever wondered what other faculty members or departments are working on across campus, this is your chance!

This is an opportunity for faculty members to share with their colleagues and the community what is happening both on campus and off. We would like to hear about a range of topics – what is the art faculty creating in their studios? What kinds of collaborative projects is the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources working on? How does entomology combine with creative writing? What kinds of building designs are civil engineering students creating?

Two years ago, the UW Art Museum began a new program called 20:20, with the intention of providing a forum for sharing new ideas, projects, and work. What began as a program for visual artists has now expanded, and we’d like to extend an invitation to all LCCC and UW faculty and staff to participate in our next 20:20 event.

The goal of 20:20 is to provide people an opportunity to share their work in a fast-paced format that is engaging for the audience. For those who have images, a PowerPoint presentation is shown, consisting of 20 slides, each one shown for 20 seconds. The result is a 6 minute and 40 second presentation. It is not only a chance to show images, but we invite musicians, dancers, writers, or other performance based work to be presented in the same 6 minute and 40 second time frame.

Advance sign up is required by Friday, March 4^th. A minimum of 8 presenters is needed.

For more information, or to sign up, please contact UW Art Museum assistant curator Rachel Miller at rmiller@uwyo.edu or 307.766.6621.

Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational to Add New Artwork This Summer

Chris Drury, Carbon Sink: What Goes Around, Comes Around, 2011

Courtesy of the artist

The University of Wyoming Art Museum is planning to add several new works to the public art exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational this summer.  The first is by British artist Chris Drury, who will be on site in July to create a new work for the University of Wyoming.

Carbon Sink continues Drury's ongoing exploration of making connections between such diverse phenomena as Nature and Culture, Inner and Outer, and Microcosm and Macrocosim.  Carbon Sink will be constructed from Wyoming coal and Wyoming beetle-killed pine which will be collected from the southeastern region of Wyoming.  The work will connect the geologic and economic importance of Wyoming coal with the current pine beetle infestation surrounding Laramie, commenting on the evolution of the geological and natural cycle of life.  The work will be 12 m in diameter on a site near Old Main on the UW campus.

Drury is one of Britain's leading Land Artists.  Originating in the US in the 1960s-70s, Land Art promotes the use of natural and found materials for the creation of large-scale and often site-specific artworks in the landscape and in remote locations.  In 1974, Drury made a 12-day trek in the Canadian Rockies with a pioneer of Land Art, Hamish Fulton, an experience that focused his creative pursuits.

Carbon Sink is made possible through an anonymous donor and the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.