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.

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.

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 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.

Art Talk: Rebecca Solnit

Image courtesy of Rebecca Solnit.

An Art Talk by author, cultural historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit will be tonight at the Art Museum beginning at 7 pm. A book signing and reception will follow.

UW Eminent Writer in Residence through the MFA Creative Writing Program, Solnit will discuss her month-long efforts with university students and members of the Laramie community to “remap” the community and its resources. An echo of Solnit’s work on the “Infinite City” project in San Francisco in 2010, the Laramie Atlas Project is a unique opportunity for artist, writers, citizens, and students to rethink—and reimagine—their neighborhoods. Please join Solnit, one of the most original scholars of America and its arts, in this presentation of the Laramie she and her collaborators have mapped so far.

This event is free and open to the public.

Tonight at the Art Museum - Art Talk: Chris Drury

Chris Drury, Mozel Rhine Whirlpool, 2010, courtesy of the artist

British land artist Chris Drury is in Laramie, visiting the UW campus to discuss a new site-specific work to be included in the exhibition, Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational. Similarly to artist Margaret Cogswell's visit this week, it is important for Drury to gain an understanding of the campus and town in order to create a work that meshes with its surroundings.

In conjunction with his visit, Drury will present a public Art Talk tonight at 7 pm, at the Art Museum. It is free and open to the public. He will be discussing his previous works and his approach to themes such as culture, the environment, and nature. For more information on Drury and his work, visit his website or blog.

Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational first opened in 2008 and continues to evolve. Two previous site-specific works, by artists Patrick Dougherty and Steven Siegel, have been removed. The Art Museum is excited to be working with Chris Drury to create a new work for the exhibition!

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

Tonight at the Art Museum - Art Talk: Binh Danh

Artist Binh Danh talked with docents and the members of the public this morning during his Gallery Walk Through.

Photo courtesy of the Art Museum.

Vietnamese-born artist Binh Danh is at the Art Museum Monday and Tuesday of this week to give public presentations and to speak with people about his unique creative process, his inspiration, and the themes that can be seen in the work in his solo exhibition, Binh Danh: Life, Times, and Matters of the Swamp, currently on view at the Art Museum.

This morning, Danh gave a Gallery Walk Through to an assembled group of museum staff, docents, and the public. He showed some unframed examples of his chlorophyll prints, explained that process, and also provided hands-on examples from his current body of daguerreotypes. Danh will be presenting a more formal Art Talk this evening at the Art Museum, beginning at 7 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about public programs or exhibitions, please call 307.766.6633 or visit the website.

Monday at the Art Museum

Binh Danh (Vietnamese/Cambodian-American, b. 1977), Son #6, 2006, chlorophyll print on grass, resin, 11-1/4 x 9-1/4 inches, courtesy of Haines Gallery and the artist

Coming up next week at the Art Museum are two public programs with the artist Binh Danh. Both will be held on Monday, October 11, and are free and open to the public.

A Gallery Walk Through will be held at 10:30 am, and a more formal Art Talk will be that evening at 7 pm.

Danh was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States at age 2. His work is featured in the exhibition, Binh Danh: Life, Times, and Matters of the Swamp, which will be on view at the Art Museum through December 23. Danh has created a unique art form called "chlorophyll prints" in which photographic images are embedded into living leaves and grasses through the plant's natural process of photosynthesis.

The work in this exhibition explores popular media and imagery from the Vietnam War. Underlying the historic imagery is also contemporary commentary on current wars and military conflicts, and how popular opinion and memories are shaped by the media.

Be sure to come by the Art Museum on Monday to hear the artist speak about his work and creative process! For more information, call 307.766.6622 or visit the website.

TONIGHT at the Art Museum - Art Talk: David McCarthy, Pop Art Scholar

Andy Warhol (American 1928-1987), Sylvester Stallone, 1980, Polaroid, 4 x 3 inches, University of Wyoming Art Museum, gift of the Andy Warhol Foundation of the Visual Arts, Inc., The Andy Warhol Visual Legacy. Copyright 2010 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Tonight at the Art Museum will be an Art Talk by David McCarthy, a Pop Art scholar and art historian from Rhodes College. The title of his talk is, "American Made, American Masquerade: Andy Warhol's Democratic Portrait Gallery." This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition, Iconic Mass Culture: Andy Warhol's Portraits, on view at the Art Museum through November 13.

McCarthy will also be presenting a Gallery Walk Through on Friday morning, beginning at 10:30 am. Both events are free and open to the public. He is sponsored by the UW Art Department and the UW Art Museum. For more information on this or any other public program, please call 307.766.6622.

Art Talk: Anne-Karin Furunes TONIGHT

Anne-Karin Furunes (Norwegian, b.1961), Portraits of Pictures - Portrait 18, 2007, acrylic on canvas, perforated, 88-1/4 x 63 inches, image courtesy of Barry Friedman Ltd.

Tonight at the UW Art Museum, Norwegian artist Anne-Karin Furunes will present a public Art Talk at 7 pm. Furunes paints large scale canvases either white or black, and then hand-perforates the canvas to create a portrait. The highlights and shadows created by the holes causes the image to shift and change as the viewer moves around the paintings. Using images from archives, and contemporary images taken from public places, Furunes restores an individual identity to each of her portraits.

The Art Talk tonight is free and open to the public. Furunes will also be holding a Gallery Walk Through on Friday, beginning at 4:30 pm. For more information on these programs, please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622.

Neltje - exhibition opens on Saturday

Neltje, Clear and Silent Light IV, mixed media, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

Image courtesy of the artist

An exhibition featuring eminent Wyoming artist Neltje (American, b. 1934) will open on Saturday, May 22 at the UW Art Museum. Neltje highlights recent paintings, including new works that incorporate paper, text, and found objects.

Neltje’s work is rooted in movement and gesture. Her early works, in the form of sumi-e, a characteristically Asian style of brush painting similar to calligraphy, allowed her the freedom to experiment with line and motion. As her work evolved, she found inspiration in the work of other abstract artists like Jon Schueler and Joan Mitchell. Their bold approach to color and making distinctive marks on the canvas influenced Neltje’s own creative process.

Neltje will be in Laramie June 3-5, and will provide a Gallery Walk Through on Friday, June 4 at 10:30 am. She will give an Art Talk on Saturday, June 5 at 1:30 pm. An opening reception for all summer exhibitions will be held on Friday, June 4 at 6 pm. All events are free and open to the public.

For more information about programs and exhibitions, please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622, or visit the website. For more information on Neltje's work, please visit the artist's website.

Save the Date: James Surls Art Talk at Coe Library

Nationally known, Colorado-based artist James Surls will present an Art Talk on Saturday, October 24 at 1 pm at Coe Library. His Art Talk will be followed by a reception to celebrate the installation of his new piece, Rolling Flowers, in Coe Library. Surls created the piece specifically for the new library wing. With the installation of his metal and wood sculpture, the focus on public and community continues in Laramie.

Surls is known for his work with non-profit organizations and emerging artists. He has worked as an arts administrator and arts educator alongside his wife and fellow artist Charmaine Locke. Both Surls and Locke have large-scale sculptures in the exhibition Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational.


Mark it on your calendar today! This event is free and open to the public.

New "Visual Arts Series" Announced

The University of Wyoming Art Department and the Art Museum are pleased to announce the new Visual Arts Series, a joint effort to promote the arts on campus and in the Laramie community. Both art entities are leaders in bringing contemporary artists on to campus and this new partnership allows for further promotional and educational opportunities.

The Visual Arts Series is a string of events including Art Talks, Gallery Walk Throughs, hands-on demonstrations by contemporary artists, and more at the Art Museum and at the Fine Arts Building. A complete list of events for the fall is below. Look for posters around campus and town, and in your mailbox in the coming weeks.

Please join us this fall for one, some or all of these great art events! For more information, call the UW Art Museum at 307.766.6622 or the UW Art Department at 307.766.3269.

09.03
Gallery Walk Through: Brian Burkhardt
10:30 am
Art Talk: Brian Burkhardt
6:30 pm
Panel Discussion: Scientists View Nature Through the Lens of Art: The Seen and Unseen
7:30 pm
University Art Museum

09.10
Art Talk: Kwang-Young Chun
6:30 pm
University Art Museum

09.11
Gallery Walk Through: Kwang-Young Chun
10:30 am
Gallery Walk Through and Book signing: Norman L. Sandfield
4 pm
University Art Museum

09.14
Readings and Book signing: Red Desert: History of a Place
5 pm
University Art Museum

09.21
Art Talk: James Victore
7 pm
Fine Arts 111

09.23
20:20 Statewide
7 pm
Little America in Cheyenne, in conjunction with the Wyoming Arts Council Arts Summit

10.03
Art Talk: David Carson
6 pm
Arts and Sciences Auditorium

10.05
Netsuke Carving Demonstration: Nick Lamb
6 pm
University Art Museum

10.13
Gallery Talk: Ina Kaur
7 pm
Gallery 211

10.19
Art Talk: John Grade
6:30 pm
Fine Arts 111

10.24
Art Talk: James Surls
11 am
Coe Library

10.27
Art Talk: Norman Akers
7 pm
Fine Arts 111

Family Day at the Art Museum this Saturday

Kids and parents work on art projects

during the 2007 Family Day.

Photo courtesy of the Art Museum.

Family Day at the UW Art Museum is this Saturday, July 18, from 10 am - 4 pm. The day begins with an Art Talk by Montana artist Tracy Linder at 10:30 am. Tracy has been an Artist in Residence this week in the Shelton Studio, and has been working with students to create and shape handmade paper during the annual Paint Pony Express classes. The Art Talk is free and open to the public.

Family Day includes free art making activities for artists of all ages. The theme of this year’s Family Day is "Ranch Stories." Families will be able to ask Tracy Linder questions about her work and what it's like living on a ranch and how she came to be an artist. She will be on hand to talk about the unique materials she uses and the subjects that interest her. Papermaking materials are supplied by the Shelton Studio. Participants can learn how to make and cast paper, and create truly unique items from this fun (and wet!) medium. Come prepared to work outside in the sun. Family Day is free and open to the public.

For more information, please call 307-766-3496.