Final Week of Paint Pony Express

Harold Garde (American, b. 1923), Samurai Kimono, 1997, acrylic on canvas, 45 x 56 inches, courtesy of the Museum of Florida Art

The final week of Paint Pony Express begins today. Each week of Paint Pony Express has focused on a different exhibition and different art-making techniques. This week's classes will view the series of kimono prints by Florida artist and UW alumnus Harold Garde. They will discuss the similarities and differences between repeating patterns and art in a series. Kimonos are a recurring theme in Garde's work, and he uses that particular shape and image in his prints and paintings.

Students will then create their own triptych in the Shelton Studio. They will create one idea of images in three different ways, as a series. They will create a monotype, a fabric print, and a collage.

Classes are free and are held from 1-3 pm. Ages 4-5 will meet today (Tuesday), ages 6-8 will meet on Wednesday, and ages 9-11 on Thursday. Parents are asked to stay with children under age 5. Students should wear clothing that they can create in! For more information, contact the Art Museum Education Department at 307.766.3496.

This Week at Paint Pony Express

Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953), Éléphants (Elephants), c. 1920-1922, watercolor, gouache, 14.8 x 14.7 inches, image courtesy of the Humanities Exchange

Paint Pony Express continues this week at the UW Art Museum, Tuesday-Thursday, July 13, 14, and 15. This summer students are exploring ways that artists use the idea of multiple images in their art work. This week they will explore repeating patterns in art work created by the artist Raoul Dufy. They'll investigate the imagery he used to create his patterns, including animals, flowers, and geometric shapes. In the studio they will create their own fabric prints using repeating patterns. They will also explore ways that patterned fabrics are used by artists and designers to fit the human form.

Paint Pony Express is FREE for students. Ages 4-5 will meet on Tuesday, ages 6-8 on Wednesday, and ages 9-11 will meet on Thursday. Each session meets from 1-3 pm. Parents must stay with children under the age of 5. Students are encouraged to wear clothing they can create in!

For more information, please call the Education Department at 307.766.3496.

Neltje in the Shelton Studio

Artist Neltje has been busy this week in the Shelton Studio! As artist in residence she has been working with students between the ages of 4 and 11 during Paint Pony Express, the Education Department's annual series of free art classes. She also works on her own art projects; and museum visitors are encouraged to stop by to watch her creative process and ask questions. An exhibition of Neltje's work is currently on view, so now is your chance to see the artwork and talk directly to the artist!

In the photo above, Neltje works with some Teen Apprentices in the Shelton Studio. For more information on the Teen Apprentice Program, Paint Pony Express, or any of the other classes offered through the Education Department, contact them at 307.766.3496.

WY Artist Neltje to be Artist in Residence

Neltje (American, b. 1943), PAT - Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 144 inches, lent by the artist.

Week one of Paint Pony Express kicks off on Tuesday, July 5th at the UW Art Museum. Paint Pony Express is a three week program of FREE art activities for students between the ages of 4 and 11. Each day of Paint Pony Express is designed for a different age group. Ages 4-5 will meet on Tuesdays (July 6, 13, 20), ages 6-8 will meet on Wednesdays (July 7, 14, 21), and ages 9-11 will meet on Thursdays (July 8, 15, 22). Classes are from 1 - 3 pm each day. Please wear clothes that you can create in! Parents are asked to stay with children under 5 years of age.

Under the guidance of visiting artists and museum teachers, students will explore an array of artwork, including paintings, textiles, collages, and more. They will create their own artwork using writing, movement, and visual arts materials.

Each week, the focus will be on a different exhibition. Week one will focus on the work of Wyoming Abstract Expressionist artist Neltje. Neltje will work with students and explore concepts of painting and collage. In addition to working with students, Neltje will be an artist in residence in the Shelton Studio working on her own artwork. Museum visitors are encouraged to stop by to watch her process and ask questions.

Pre-registration for Paint Pony Express is recommended. For more information, please contact Master Teacher Heather Bender at 307.766.3515 or hbender1@uwyo.edu.

Tracy Linder: Artist in Residence for Paint Pony Express

Tracy Linder's Tractor Hides are currently on exhibition at the UW Art Museum. Tracy will be an artist in residence July 14-18.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

Paint Pony Express continues this upcoming week at the UW Art Museum. Montana artist Tracy Linder will be at the museum for an artist's residency throughout the week. She will be in the Shelton Studio working with students and teachers on art making projects, including paper making. Tracy explores themes of ranch life, ritual, the environment and the interconnectedness of plants, animals and people in her work.

Paint Pony Express is an afternoon of free art related activities at the Museum. Art, movement, music, and storytelling are explored during the activities. Students get to explore different artwork at the Museum, including paintings, prints and sculpture, and then get the chance to create their own art. Each day is set aside for a different age group, listed below.

The schedule for next week's Paint Pony Express is:

Tuesday, July 14, 1-3 pm

Ages 4-5 (Please note, parents must stay with children under the age of 6)

Wednesday, July 15, 1-3 pm

Ages 6-8

Thursday, July 16, 1-3 pm

Ages 9-11

Events culminate on Saturday, July 18 with Family Day from 10 am-4 pm at the Museum, where Tracy will be on hand to work with families to create their very own art and she will give an Art Talk at 10:30.

For more information on Paint Pony Express please contact Education Curator Wendy Bredehoft at wbredeho@uwyo.edu or 307.766.3496. Activities are free and pre-registration is not required. Please wear clothes that you can comfortably create in!

Art Museum Closed for 4th of July

A reminder to everyone in the Laramie community and those coming into town to celebrate the 4th of July: the Art Museum will be closed on Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th for the holiday.

If you have free time and are looking for a fun, art-related activity over the weekend, check out Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational around town and on campus. Driving guides are available in the boxes at each sculpture, hanging below the label on the metal signs.

Paint Pony Express also kicks off next week on July 7th, with three weeks of free kids activities in the afternoons. For more information about the activities available, contact Education Curator Wendy Bredehoft at 307-766-3496 or send an email to wbredeho@uwyo.edu.

Tracy Linder installs Tractor Hides

Tracy Linder stands at the entrance of her exhibition,
Tractor Hides, at the UW Art Museum.
Photo courtesy of the UW Art Museum

Tracy Linder grew up on her family’s sugar beet farm near Billings, MT. The agricultural lifestyle of her youth has rooted her creative work, which explores iconic forms and photographic images that reference the farm life that she understands intimately.

In her installation, Tractor Hides, fourteen individual “hides” stand on end and are lit from within, creating pod-like forms. Using animal collagen as the primary material, photographic images of the land, plants, farm machinery, humans, and animals are imbedded into the collagen and formed over the treads of splayed tractor tires. They embody Linder’s interest in life, death, and decay.

Linder will be an artist in residence for the Art Museum's Paint Pony Express program from July 14 - 18. Two public programs are scheduled that week:

Gallery Walk Through, Friday, July 17, 10:30 am

Art Talk, Saturday, July 18, 10:30 am

These events are free and open to the public.