Final Days to View Juried Student Exhibition

Visitors look at artwork in the Annual Juried UW Student Exhibition

This Saturday, March 1, will be the final day to see the 39th Annual Juried University of Wyoming Student Exhibition.  This annual exhibition highlights work done by students across campus who are enrolled in the current semester.  A wide range of mediums are showcased, including painting, drawing, ceramics, graphic design, sculpture, metalsmithing, and photography.  

The 39th Annual Juried University of Wyoming Student Exhibition is always a popular exhibition at the Art Museum and is different and unique each year.  You don't want to miss it!

Art Museum Collaborates with UW History Department for Cambodia Project

Art Museum Curator of Collections Nicole Crawford (center) talks with students in the Resource Room

UW Art Museum Curator of Collections Nicole Crawford and Dr. Isa Helfgott, Assistant Professor in the UW History Department, have been awarded a grant from Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research.  The project title is, “Museum and Reconciliation in Cambodia: A Cross Cultural Collaboration between UW and the Sleuk Rith Institute.”

The project is a three-stage collaboration with the Sleuk Rith Institute in Cambodia, the leading organization for commemoration and remembrance of atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge. In phase one, Dr. Helfgott and Ms. Crawford will provide on-site collaboration and training in historical research and curatorial practice to support a permanent Museum of Memory consisting of a central museum in Siem Reap and 24 provincial museums throughout Cambodia. Phase two will create a study abroad class on genocide and historical memory bringing UW students to Cambodia to work on research and exhibition development for the Museum of Memory. Phase three will present an exhibition of documentary material and cultural artifacts from Cambodia at UW and include a symposium where UW students and faculty will present alongside experts from Cambodia. 

The project will begin a long-term collaboration between UW and the Sleuk Rith Institute involving faculty from multiple units and visiting scholars from Cambodia. This is a great outreach opportunity for both UW and the Art Museum.  It will be exciting to see all of the developments and ideas that come from this cross-cultural project!

WPM Showcases "The Art Behind Creating an Art Exhibition"

Featured on Wyoming Public Media, Curator of Collections Nicole Crawford and Chief Preparator Sterling Smith layout an exhibition

Wyoming Public Media paid a visit to the Art Museum in January as preparations were underway for the new spring exhibitions that opened on January 31.  Micah Schweizer followed curators and preparators as objects were matted and framed, exhibitions were laid out in the galleries, and labels were hung.  This behind the scenes look is a unique opportunity for museum visitors to learn about all the small details that go into any exhibition.  The story is available on the WPM website, which also features the radio broadcast.  Thank you to WPM for learning about and sharing this rare look at the Art Museum!

Sign Up Now for 20:20 in Fort Washakie

The Art Museum is partnering with the Wyoming Arts Council to present a three day conference, “CLICK!: A Weekend for Wyoming Visual Artists” April 4-6, 2014 in Fort Washakie at the Wind River Institute. 

CLICK! Is an event designed to engage Wyoming artists in strengthening and building their careers.  The weekend will feature keynote speakers, panels, sessions on a variety of topics and hand-on sessions in the Wind River Institute’s Maker’s Lab.

The Art Museum will host a 20:20 event on Saturday, April 5 during lunch.  This is an opportunity for artists and arts organizations from around the state to share their work with other artists and organizations.  The structure is very specific.  Each artist has 20 slides, which are shown for 20 seconds each, giving everyone approximately six and a half minutes to talk about their work.  Signing up to present at 20:20 is on a first come, first served basis and spaces are limited.   You can contact Art Museum assistant curator Rachel Miller at 307.766.6621 or rmiller@uwyo.edu to sign up.

For more information about CLICK!, or to register for the conference, please visit the Wyoming Arts Council website.

Public Programs with Eminent Artist in Residence Bently Spang

An installation view of some of the works in the exhibition, Bently Spang: On Fire

UW Eminent Artist in Residence Bently Spang will present two public programs in conjunction with his solo exhibition at the Art Museum, Bently Spang: On Fire.  On Thursday, February 6 at 7 pm he will present an Art Talk in the Visual Arts Building, room 111.  On Friday, February 7 at 10:30 am, Spang will be at the Art Museum to provide a Gallery Walk Through.  Both events are free and open to the public.

The works included in On Fire are part of an ongoing series where Spang tells the story of the 2012 Ash Creek Wildfire from the perspective of the trees.  The fire devastated his family ranch located on the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana.  The works are rubbings of the charred trees, and a video piece that documents Spang's process is also in the exhibition. 

Spang is on campus for the spring semester as the UW Eminent Artist in Residence through the American Indian Studies Program.  Funding for his visit and the exhibition are provided in part by the UW American Indian Studies Program, the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowment, and UW Art Museum Gala Funds.

New Artist Interviews on YouTube

Two new artist interviews are available on the UW Art Museum's YouTube page.  Interviews with color field painter David Simpson and installation artist Judy Pfaff are now available!  As part of an ongoing series filmed by UWTV, these interviews are an opportunity to hear directly from contemporary artists about their work.  Started in 2010, there are dozens of great videos to utilize!