The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund board awarded $331,044 to 32 projects around the state at their recent grant review meeting.

 

Awards were given to a wide variety of projects, including historic preservation, theatre programming, music competitions, public art, arts education, summer music festivals, diversity and access support, community history and museum exhibits. Below is a complete listing of awards by county.

 

Albany County

·         Laramie Main Street Alliance, Pop-Up Art Walk 2021, $3,000

·         Laramie Public Art Coalition, Micro Mural Project, $5,500

·         Relative Theatrics, “Riding Bicycles in the Rain” Production, $4,200

·         Wyoming Singer-Songwriters, Wyoming Singer-Songwriter Competition, $10,000

 

Campbell County

·         Campbell County Public Land Board, CAM-PLEX, Fly Dance Company Presents Hip Hop Summer Camp, $17,000

 

Fremont County

·         Lander Art Center, Art of Home: Wind River Reservation Art Show, $2,700

·         Maker Space 307, Interpretive Center for the Arapaho Ranch Field Station, $30,000

·         Wyoming PBS Foundation, “Fossil Country” (Working Title) Documentary, $15,000

 

Hot Springs County

·         Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center, Historic Middleton Schoolhouse Renovation, $8,876

·         Hot Springs County Pioneer Association, Voices of Our Pioneers Podcast Series, $6,642

 

Johnson County

·         Museum of the Occidental Hotel, Roof Repairs, $15,495

 

Laramie County

·         Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne, Arts Education Program, $10,000

·         Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, A Time to Honor, $12,000

·         City of Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board, Historic Airport Fountain Restoration, Phase II, $25,000

·         Laramie County Community College Foundation, For Those Who Dare To Dream Sculpture, $32,000

 

Lincoln County

·         Horse Warriors, Art Inclusion Program, $2,500

·         Star Valley Arts Council, Upgrade Stage Equipment for the Ford Theater, $30,000

 

Natrona County

·         Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, WSO Pops in the Park 2021, $10,000

 

Park County

·         Buffalo Bill Memorial Association, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Indian Education for All Teachers Professional Development Course, $4,100

·         City of Cody, Concerts in the Park 2021, $2,500

·         Meeteetse Museum District, Heating Unit Replacement at Meeteetse Museums, $2,472

·         Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre, Wild West Spectacular, The Musical, $5,000

 

Sheridan County

·         WYO Theater, Inc., Administrative Funding for WYO PLAY, $15,000

 

Sublette County

·         Pinedale Fine Arts Council, 2021 Soundcheck Summer Music Series, $4,750

 

Sweetwater County

·         Rock Springs Renewal Fund, Snowman Stroll, $3,000

 

Teton County

·         Art Association of Jackson Hole, Beyond the Studios: Community Outreach, $6,000

·         Community Center for the Arts, Diverse Arts Initiative, $3,775

·         Dancers’ Workshop of Jackson Hole, Support our Bilingual Students through Movement and Art, $15,000

·         Jackson Hole Community Radio, Democratizing World Class Music Community Concerts, $7,000

·         National Museum of Wildlife Art, “While They’re Sleeping: A Story of Bears” Exhibit, $3,000

 

Uinta County

·         Young Musicians, Inc, The Arts Inc., Equipment Upgrade, $11,834

 

Washakie County

·         Washakie Museum, Red Road Project Exhibit and Indigenous Peoples Day Public Programs, $7,700

 

For more information about the Cultural Trust Fund grant program, visit the websitewyoculturaltrust.com or contact Renée Bovée, WCTF Program Coordinator, at 307-777-6312 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Wyoming Arts Council Announces
Grant Funding

 

 

The Wyoming Arts Council has awarded nearly $800,000 in Community Support Grants to 111 non-profit organizations, arts and education programs throughout the state for projects, services, and events scheduled from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

 

The Community Support Grant is a competitive grant category open to 501(c)(3) organizations or government agencies, including tribal governments, universities or community colleges, and school districts.

 

The grant supports specific projects or provides operational support within the fiscal year. Organizations can also apply for supplemental funding in the area of Arts Learning. Grant applications were reviewed by a seven-member panel. The community members and arts partners who served on that panel were: Kayla Green, Administrative Specialist, Wyoming Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, Dr. Tiger Robison, Assistant Professor, Music Education, University of Wyo., Karmen Rossi, Wyoming Arts Alliance and Western States Arts Federation Board Member, Doug Spriggs, Lander Art Center, Executive Director, Margaret Creel, Grants Manager, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Mandie Hines, author, poet, and president of WyoPoets, and Andy Couch, The Nicolaysen Art Museum Executive Director. 

 

The panel’s recommendations went to the Wyoming Arts Council board for approval. This year, $773,500 of funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts has been awarded in this grant category. 

 

See the attached document for a complete list of grants awarded, listed alphabetically by organization name and including grant funding by type. More information is available on the Arts Council website -https://wyoarts.state.wy.us/grants/grants-awarded/.

 

For more information, contact Mary Billiter, Arts Education Specialist with the Wyoming Arts Council at 307-757-8806 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Photo Caption: The Communal Pancake Breakfast Troupe works with the organization throughout the year.

Fort Phil Kearny hosts a guided walking tour providing a glimpse of life at the fort more than 155 years ago.

The tour, sponsored by the Fort Phil Kearny/Bozeman Trail Association, is June 24 beginning at 6 p.m. Led by local historian Bob Wilson, former curator, interpreter, and superintendent at Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site, participants get an opportunity tolearn the history of Fort Phil Kearny, related sites, and what life was like for soldiers, civilians and Native Americans. 

Wilson’s tours and in-depth knowledge of the fort and associated events are unparalleled. No reservations are needed. Tour will last about 1.5 hours. State fees apply ($4.00 Wyoming residents, and $8 non-residents; children under 18 free)

Fort Phil Kearny is located at 528 Wagon Box Road, in Banner, Wyo., just off I-90 at Exit 44.

Announcing Digital Skills for Seniors, a free class from the Wyoming State Museum

The Wyoming State Museum is offering a free, eight-week course that gradually introduces skills that older adults can use to simplify and improve their everyday lives. 

Made possible by a Spectrum Digital Education Grant, this program helps participants get comfortable using an Apple device to access the internet, utilize tools like the magnifying glass to read small dinner menus, connect with friends and family on social media, and more. Each class builds on the previous lesson and includes time for one-on-one assistance and practice. 

Participants can bring their own Apple device from home or borrow an iPad from the museum for free. This course will focus on Apple devices only, but a course for Android users may be available in the future.

Classes are scheduled on Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. in the Wyoming State Museum classroom, beginning on July 7 and ending on August 25. Registration is completely free and is open until June 28.

To register, call Melisa McChesney at 307-630-2573. Space in this class is extremely limited, so we encourage those who are interested to sign up as soon as possible. 

This program is offered in collaboration with Wyoming Relay and AARP Wyoming.

The Wyoming State Records Committee will meet at 2 p.m., Thursday, June 10, via Google Meet.
Meeting ID:   meet.google.com/dbg-zggm-ckr

Those wishing to listen in can do so by calling: 
(US) +1 929-282-1396     PIN: ‪399 384 234#

The Wyoming State Records Committee reviews, and considers for approval, retention schedules of public records. The State Records Committee is the final authority in determining whether or not state, county and local government records are retained permanently or disposed of after a designated period. Committee members include representatives from the State Archives, Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Audit.

The meeting agenda includes retention requests for State and local agencies, accession and deaccession requests involving a variety of archival materials.

If you require special assistance, please contact the Wyoming State Archives at 307-777-7826.

Deadline Approaching for Wyoming Arts Council Fellowships 

The application period closes June 10 for the Wyoming Arts Council fellowships in Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Creative Writing and the Native Art Fellowship. All fellowship recipients will receive a $3,000 unrestricted award as well as an opportunity to showcase their work in the state.

 

Fellowships are open to Wyoming residents, and are merit-based awards. Applications are juried by noted artists and professionals in the field who are from outside the state. 

The Visual Arts Fellowships are selected based on the artist’s portfolio and honoring work that reflects serious and exceptional investigation. Artists working in any medium may apply. Up to three fellowships may be given each year. Applications must be submitted online through https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=5390. The jurors for this year’s Visual Arts Fellowships are Tasha Kubesh, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, N.D. and Louise Martorano, Executive Director of RedLine, a non-profit contemporary art center and residency located in Denver, Colo.

 

The Performing Arts Fellowships are given to honor excellence in the artists' field and are based on appropriate media samples and artist statements. Up to four fellowships may be awarded; two in the category of Music and two in the category of Theatre and Dance. Artists may only apply in one category (Music or Theatre and Dance) and applications must be submitted online through https://wyomingartscouncil.submittable.com/submit. The juror for this year’s Performing Arts Fellowship in Theatre and Dance is Kate Jopson, a theatre, film, and voice-over director and producer based in Los Angeles, Calif. The juror for Music is Kenzi Everitt, Founder and Creative Director of Lady Cactus Media in Denver, Colo. 

 

The Creative Writing Fellowships are awards of merit, based on a writer’s body of work, and honoring Wyoming’s literary artists whose work demonstrates exceptional writing. One fellowship will be awarded in each category of Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction, for a total of up to three fellowships. Writers may only submit in one category and applications must be submitted online through https://wyomingartscouncil.submittable.com/submit. The jurors for this year’s Creative Writing Fellowships are Jessica Jacobs from Asheville, NC for the Poetry category, Kailyn McCord from Oakland, Calif. for the Creative Nonfiction category, and Kali Fajardo-Anstine from Denver, Colo. for the Fiction category.

 

The Native Art Fellowship is an award of merit open to Native artists based within Wyoming, across any artistic discipline or medium (visual, literary, performing, folk & traditional, etc.) This fellowship is designed to raise the profiles of the highly talented Native artists in Wyoming and celebrate their artistry. One fellowship will be awarded and applications must be submitted online throughhttps://wyomingartscouncil.submittable.com/submit. For the fellowship's inaugural year, the two jurors will be Molina Parker (Lakota), of Red Shirt, S.D. and Adrienne Benjamin (Anishinaabe) of Isle, Minn. 

 

Additional information can be found on the Arts Council website https://wyoarts.state.wy.us/. Complete eligibility requirements can be found with each call on Submittable and CaFE. For more information, contact Taylor Craig at the Arts Council, 307-274-6673 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Caption: The jurors for the 2021 Wyoming Arts Council Fellowships. Clockwise from top left: Molina Parker, Jessica Jacobs, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Kenzi Everitt, Tasha Kubesh, Adrienne Benjamin, Kailyn McCord, Louis Martorano, and Kate Jopson.

Wyoming Arts Council Announces Free Creative Aging Training for Non-profit Arts Organizations 

In partnership with Lifetime Arts, the Wyoming Arts Council is now accepting applications from Wyoming non-profit arts organizations to participate in a free virtual training on best practices in Creative Aging.

Wyoming has a growing community of older adults. One effective way to address adverse health effects associated with aging is with intentional arts engagement. This field is referred to as Creative Aging. As an extension of a partnership between the Wyoming Arts Council, the Wyoming State Library, and Lifetime Arts, training will be provided to arts organizations throughout the state where they will learn innovative direct arts programming for older adults. Earlier in the year, similar training was provided to librarians and teaching artists across the state. 

 This training will be held virtually September 13 - 15 from 9-11 a.m. MT. The application and full eligibility requirements can be accessed at wyomingartscouncil.org. The deadline for applications is July 9. 

 The professional training and additional resources are being provided by Lifetime Arts, the national leader in creative aging programs and services. Arts organizations who complete this training will become eligible to apply for a creative aging project grant from the Wyoming Arts Council to implement creative aging programs in their communities. 

Thanks to the generous support of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) in partnership with Aroha Philanthropies, this training will be provided to selected participants free of charge. Participation is limited to 25 individuals associated with arts organizations from around the state. Participants can be staff members, board members, or other volunteers that have the capacity to implement creative aging programming.

For more information or to learn how to get involved, please contact Josh Chrysler at the Wyoming Arts Council at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 307-256-2010. 

 

Photo: Caption: Creative Aging participants in a painting class. Photo courtesy of Teresa Moore Photography for Aroha Philanthropies 

Wyoming Arts Council board to meet via teleconference June 10

The Wyoming Arts Council board will hold its next quarterly meeting Thursday, June 10 via Google Meets.

Beginning at 9 a.m. the board will convene to hear reports, get updates on currentArts Council initiatives, and review grant panel recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2022Community Support Grant applications. An executive session may be called if necessary.

The board invites individuals and organizational representatives to join any part of the meeting to observe the board process. The board will be available to hear public comment at 10 a.m.  and this will be the only time when the public can comment on the grant review process. 

Users may join the meeting from computer, tablet or smartphone by going to:meet.google.com/pyz-vker-kdu You can also dial in using your phone: 470-243-0715

PIN: ‪676 201 528#. All participants will be put in silent mode except during public comment.

The mission of the Wyoming Arts Council is to enhance the quality of life for the people of Wyoming by providing resources to sustain, promote and cultivate the arts. For a detailed agenda and more information, please contact Michael Lange at 307-275-4476or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Jason Burckhardt, a Game and Fish Department biologist, presents a program on the management of the Status of Buffalo Bill Reservoir and North Fork Shoshone River fisheries, June 16, from 6 to 7 p.m.

The presentation will take place at the Buffalo Bill State Park Shreve Lodge.

Burckhardt will talk about management of these two high profile fisheries (trout and walleye) and discuss the recent research the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has been conducting in collaboration with other researchers.

He's been a fisheries biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Cody for the past 19 years and these two fisheries have been some of his primary management responsibilities.

Burckhardt has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Truman State University (Missouri) and a Master’s Degree in Zoology and Physiology with an emphasis in Fisheries from the University of Wyoming.

Daily use fee will apply to attend this program.  Thank you for your support.

Contact Buffalo Bill State Park at 307-587-9227 for additional information.