Summer Teaching Institute Featured on Laramie Live

Laramie Live, a new website that features information about events, restaurants, and a calendar for Laramie has been highlighting a lot of arts related activities, and recently posted an article about the Art Museum's Summer Teaching Institute. The article showcases some of the original artwork that will be used during the Institute, which is from the new Artmobile exhibition.

The article can be read online here and more information about the Summer Teaching Institute and how to sign up can be found by calling our education department at 307.766.3496.

One Time Only Sale of Peter Sarkisian Exhibition t-shirts

The UW Art Museum and Museum Store are offering a one time only sale of Peter Sarkisian exhibition t-shirts! These one-of-a-kind t-shirts are printed in limited quantity and are only being made available to select museums! Featuring a design by the artist and the title of the exhibition that originated at the UW Art Museum, this is you chance to own a unique piece of exhibition merchandise. As the first internationally touring exhibition organized by the Art Museum, we would like to extend this one time only offer to our visitors and patrons who helped make it a success! There will be a one time printing of these t-shirts, so don't miss out!

Shirts are available in men’s sizes, S, M, L and XL. Cost is $16.50. Please place your order with the Museum Store (ChappR@uwyo.edu or 307.766.3982) by Tuesday, June 21 at 5 pm. Don’t miss your opportunity!

Summer Solstice Tomorrow

Astronomer Ray Martin shows a museum visitor how to use his filtered solar telescope to view the surface of the sun.

Join us tomorrow between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm for the 18th Annual Summer Solstice Celebration at the UW Art Museum! This event happens every year on the first day of summer and is a great way celebrate the end of Wyoming's long winter, and to learn about the sun and the unique architecture of the Art Museum! At exactly noon, the sun illuminates a silver dollar in the center of the Rotunda Gallery floor through a special solar tube in the ceiling that the architect included for exactly this purpose! Astronomer Ray Martin will also be set up on the terrace with his solar telescope, which allows visitors to safely view the sun's surface.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that the rainy weather clears up by tomorrow! Please join us for this fun and free community event. For more information, please call 307.766.6622.

Look for Your Summer Newsletter on Monday

Summer newsletters are at the printer and hard copies will be available on Monday! Within the past year, the Art Museum has switched to an eNewsletter distribution that is in color and emailed directly to you! Black and white hard copies are still available to those who prefer to receive one in the mail, or who pick one up when they visit the Art Museum.

If you would like to be added to either newsletter distribution list, please call Administrative Assistant Bev Schroeder at 307.766.3477.

Check out the summer newsletter for the latest information on exhibitions, education classes, and public programs!

One Week Until the Summer Solstice Celebration

Astronomer Ray Martin helps a museum visitor use his filtered solar telescope to safely view the surface of the sun.

The official start of summer is only one week away! After Wyoming's long winter, the Art Museum likes to celebrate the longest day of the year, and the first day of summer, at the annual Summer Solstice Celebration. Please join us for this free event on Tuesday, June 21 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Every year on the summer solstice at exactly noon, a unique architectural feature of the museum - a solar tube in the ceiling of the Rotunda Gallery - brings in a beam sunlight that illuminates a silver dollar that is set in the center of the floor. This is the highlight of the Summer Solstice event, but in addition, astronomer Ray Martin will have his filtered solar telescope set up on the sculpture terrace, allowing museum visitors to safely view the surface of the sun.

Please join us in celebrating the Summer Solstice in one week! For more information, call 307.766.6622. This event is free and open to the public.

Final Week to See "Laramie: A Gem City Atlas" Exhibition

Paula A. Wright, Alex Borgen, Shizue Seigel, Ben Pease, Quarries and Climbing, 2011, ink on paper, 22 x 34 inches, courtesy of the artist

This is the final week to view the exhibition, Laramie: A Gem City Atlas at the Art Museum. The exhibition has been receiving a lot of positive feedback from museum visitors and the media. It features maps created by students in the UW MFA in Creative Writing Program who worked with Eminent Writer in Residence Rebecca Solnit to rethink how they view Laramie. The project was then opened up to the community to get their ideas and input of how they think of the town and the surrounding area. For several of the maps, local artists created original artwork in response to the maps, and that artwork is also on view.

The final day to see the exhibition is this Saturday, June 18. The Art Museum is open this week Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm and admission is free. Don't miss this exhibition and be sure to tell us what you think! For more information, call 307.766.6622.

Fiesta!

Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989), Carmen, 1971, color lithograph, ed. 98/125, 21 x 16-33/4 inches, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel R. Dorsky, University of Wyoming Art Museum Collection, 1973.16

Fiesta! is the theme of Gala 2011! The Gala is the Art Museum's annual fundraiser, raising funds to support exhibitions, public programs, and education classes. Every year, a different theme sets the stage for the evening and is reflected in the menu, the decorations, and invitations.

This black tie event is held in the Wyoming Union. A live and silent auction are the highlights of the evening, with dinner, cocktails, and dancing to live music rounding out a special evening!

More information will be posted on our blog and Facebook page as it becomes available, so be sure to keep checking in!

Exhibition Featured in High Country News

LuLing Osofsky, Paulius Staniunas, Shizue Seigel, Wild Wild East, 2011, ink on paper, 22 x 34 inches, courtesy of the artist

The exhibition, Laramie: A Gem City Atlas, has been featured in an article in High Country News! You can read it online here. The article highlights some of the maps that are on view and discusses the process behind the project, as well as viewers' perspectives. A side bar has additional images, as well as audio clips from the cell phone audio tour that was recorded by each student who created a map for project. The cell phone audio tour is available for listening at the museum and is a free feature.

The exhibition will be on view at the Art Museum through Saturday, June 18. For more information about this or any other exhibition, please call 307.766.6622.

New Mission Statement for the Art Museum

Master Teacher Heather Bender works with students in the Shelton Studio. Education programs are just one of the many facets of the Art Museum.

The Art Museum has a new mission statement! After years of growth, development, and change at the Art Museum, it was time for a revised mission statement that better explains the goals and purposes of the museum. With an ever increasing education program, including preK-12, UW, and community colleges, and greater outreach and interdisciplinary approaches, and the continuation of highest quality exhibitions by a wide variety of artists, it was time for an update! The new statement has been reviewed by a committee, discussed by staff members, and approved by the National Advisory Board of the Art Museum. Let us know what you think of the new mission statement, which is below. Does it reflect what we do here? Does it set realistic goals for us to work with the community and our visitors from around the world? Does it maintain the high standards that Art Museum strives for? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook!

Mission Statement
As an academic museum and a leader in the arts, the University of Wyoming Art Museum collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets visual art from around the world to challenge, inspire, and educate the people of Wyoming and beyond, and serves as a gathering place for interdisciplinary discourse, dialogue, and community interaction.