Opportunity for Artists

The University of Wyoming Art Museum, along with the UW Art Department, and the Jentel Artist Residency Program, are co-hosting an information session with Creative Capital on Monday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Visual Arts Building, room 111.  

Creative Capital is a New York City-based nonprofit organization that acts as a catalyst for the development of adventurous and imaginative ideas by supporting artists who pursue innovation in form and/or content in the performing and visual arts, film and video, and in emerging fields.  In 2014, Creative Capital will be considering proposals in the Film/Video and Visual Arts.  In 2015, the grant round will re-open for Emerging Fields, Innovative Literature and Performing Arts proposals.

Sean Elwood, Director of Programs & Initiatives, will be present for an informal presentation and to answer questions regarding the Creative Capital’s upcoming grant rounds.  Elwood is the former Curator and Collection Manager of the Seattle Arts Commission, Director of Special Projects at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts (New York) and Manager of the Art Residency Program at the Centrum Foundation (Port Townsend, WA).  Elwood received a Max Beckmann Scholarship at Brooklyn Museum Art School and holds an MA in visual arts from Hunter College.  He has been a visual arts reviewer for the Jentel Artist Residency Program applicants for the past two years.

The program is free and open to all Wyoming artists, UW students, and the public.  For in-depth information on the foundation, past recipients and current work, please visit www.creative-capital.org.

From Wyoming Public Media: Cheech on Chicanitas

Jari “WERC” Alvarez, Donkey Show, 2008, mixed media, 12 x 24 inches, courtesy of the Cheech Marin Collection

If you missed any of the great talks that Cheech Marin gave while he was here last week, you can still learn more from him firsthand!  Wyoming Public Media recorded clips from a press conference with Marin and has shared the audio files on their website.  They've also posted images from the exhibition, Chicanitas: Small Paintings from the Cheech Marin Collection, which will be on view at the Art Museum through November 23, 2013.

Thanks to WPM for compiling and sharing this resource!  It's a great way to hear and learn directly from Marin. 

Cheech Marin at UW This Week

In case you haven't already saved the date, check out this poster that was created by Campus Activities Council to announce the FREE public programs Cheech Marin will be participating in this week!

Exhibition and Public Programs with WY Artist Neltje

Neltje (American, b. 1934), Summer Passing, 1990, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72 inches, courtesy of the artist

Wyoming artist and arts advocate Neltje will have a solo exhibition of her large-scale paintings at the UW Art Museum this fall, and she will present two public programs.  The exhibition, Neltje. Painting. 1990-2012. is the first to fully explore the evolution of her work in painting.  Neltje's work is rooted in Abstract Expressionism, but is also influenced by her work in sumi-e, an Asian style of ink drawing.  Her paintings have traditionally been large in scale, but her most recent series, the Moroccan Suite, establishes a new size for her paintings - 10 x 30 feet. 

The exhibition will open on Saturday, September 7 and be on view through Saturday, December 21, 2013.  An opening reception to celebrate all new fall exhibitions will be at the Art Museum on Friday, September 6 from 6 to 8 pm. 

Neltje will present an Art Talk on Thursday, September 5 at 7 pm in the Visual Arts Building, room 111.  She will also give an informal Gallery Walk Through on Friday, September 6 at 10:30 am.  All of these events are free and open to the public.

Actor and Art Collector Cheech Marin to Visit UW

August 16, 2013 — Well-known entertainer Cheech Marin, who has gained additional acclaim as a collector of Chicano art, is scheduled to visit the University of Wyoming campus and present two public programs on Sept. 6-7.

Marin will speak about “Chicano Art: Cultivating the Chicano Future” at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, in the Wyoming Union Ballroom, followed by a book signing. On Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10:30 a.m., he will give an informal gallery walk-through at the UW Art Museum. Both programs are free and open to the public.

An opening reception to celebrate the exhibition is planned Friday, Sept. 6, from 6-8 p.m. at the UW Art Museum. This event also is free and open to the public.

While on campus, Marin also will meet with faculty members and students from the Chicano Studies, American Studies, Art and History departments.

Marin, who is best known for his work in movies, television and improvisational comedy, has been acquiring art for more than 25 years and has amassed arguably the most renowned collection of Chicano art in private hands.

“Cheech Marin’s efforts as a collector of and advocate for Chicano art have made this important art genre visible and accessible to main street America,” says the UW Art Museum’s director and chief curator, Susan Moldenhauer. “His public lecture will illuminate the importance of this art and explore its connections to the broader genre of American art.”

A selection of paintings from Marin’s private collection will be on view at the UW Art Museum Sept. 7-Nov. 23. “Chicanitas: Small Paintings from the Cheech Marin Collection” features paintings all under 16 by 16 inches, and showcases 26 established and emerging Chicano artists. The painting styles include photo-realism, abstraction, portraits and landscapes.

“’Chicanitas’ is drawn from Marin’s most recent interest in collecting works that explore the personal lives and daily routines of the Chicano experience,” Moldenhauer says. “Smaller in scale than the large canvases that Chicano artists have used to convey the political and social realm of their experience, the paintings in the exhibition offer more personal yet powerful perspective of their lives.”

The exhibition and Marin’s visit are made possible in part by the Wyoming Humanities Council, Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Wyoming Arts Council through the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, UW Chicano Studies, UW Multicultural Affairs, UW Student Activities Council, UW Art Department, Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, ASUW, MEChA, UW National Advisory Board Endowment, and UW Art Museum Gala funds.

Laramie Mural Project Summer Progress

 The Laramie Mural Project is making great progress this summer!  Meghan Meier has completed, Grainery Grove, which she expanded and now covers three walls of the Big Dipper!

 Travis Ivey's mural, Crossing Sherman Hill on the Modern Printing building, is coming along, with more details being added daily!

 The larger-than-life prairie dogs of Jeff Hubbell's mural, Prairie Dog Town spans three downtown businesses - Atmosphere Mountain Works, the Herb House, and the Curiosity Shoppe - and certainly spruces up the alley!

The most exciting news is that another mural will soon be underway!  This is the concept sketch by Dan Toro for a mural called Book Shelf, which will be behind the Laramie Vision Clinic.  It incorporates the unique inset doorways of the building, and the result will be an exciting mural with lots of three-dimensionality!

Stay tuned this summer as murals progress and we continue to lay the groundwork for the addition of even more murals next summer!

Important Construction Update

The Centennial Complex has scaffolding around the entire copper cone and roof replacement is underway

As roofing construction continues on the Centennial Complex, we have important information if you are planning a visit and need to use the lower entrance into the building, which is the ADA compliant entrance with elevator access.  This entrance will remain open during construction; however, a tunnel is being built in the lower lobby entrance area to ensure public safety during the replacement of the skylights that are immediately overhead.  Access to the elevator will not be diminished, but please do use caution as this is a live work site. 

If you need any assistance, or have any concerns about your visit, please give us a call at 307.766.6622.  We appreciate your continued patience during this process!