Ucross, the nationally acclaimed artist residency program, announced that Travis Ivey of Mesa, Arizona, is the featured artist in the latest installment of the Big Red Showcase. Ivey’s work will be on view at the Ucross Art Gallery through September 1. Ucross invites the community to celebrate the opening and meet the artist during the public reception on Friday, March 20, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
 
The Big Red Showcase is a rotating exhibition series that champions former Ucross artists-in-residence by offering an intimate platform for an individual’s collectible work, providing direct support to the artists, and creating moments of connection between creator and viewer.
 
“We are honored to present the work of Travis Ivey in the second installment of the Big Red Showcase,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Caitlin Addlesperger. “Through his landscape paintings, Travis captures the contemporary American West in scenes that will resonate across the region, from familiar scenes in northern Wyoming to southern Arizona.”
 
Originally from Laramie, Ivey’s landscape paintings often include candid imagery of humanity’s impact on the landscape. His work moves between traditional landscapes of the American West and intuitive material-driven abstraction.
 
“My reality growing up in Wyoming wasn’t all cowboys and bugling elk,” said Ivey. “I saw energy corridors, coal trains, and drilling-rigs against a backdrop of wild pastoral beauty. For me, it was more authentic and interesting to include those realities rather than pretend they didn’t exist.”
 
A self-described polymath, Ivey works across a wide range of styles and media. He has painted representationally for more than 20 years, while maintaining a rigorous studio practice in abstract and non-objective mixed-media.
 
Ivey earned his Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University. His artwork is featured in numerous private collections, including the University of Wyoming; MUFG Bank in Tempe, Arizona; Arizona State University Graduate College; and the Wyoming State Museum.
 
See Ivey’s work throughout the gallery’s Big Red Barn through September 1. The Ucross Art Gallery and Café, located at 30 Big Red Lane in Ucross, Wyoming, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission.
 
On Friday, March 20, the public is invited to join Ucross for a free public reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This event will include an artist talk by Ivey and complimentary refreshments from Ucross Chef Jackie Vitale.
 
Explore Travis's work in Big Red Showcase here.

​RSVP for the March 20 reception here. 

This month, Ucross Foundation, the acclaimed artist residency program, announced its Spring 2026 Fellows. From February to early June, 64 writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers, and interdisciplinary artists will complete residencies on Ucross’s 20,000-acre ranch in northeastern Wyoming.
 
“We are honored to support the creative process of this exceptional roster of working artists,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Caitlin Addlesperger. “It is always a joy to welcome artists to Ucross and watch each cohort settle into the stillness that generates the spark.”
 
Ucross Fellowships range from two to six weeks, with 10 artists in residence at a time. Each artist receives a private studio, comfortable living accommodations, meals prepared by a professional chef, and the opportunity to work in solitude amid the vast and majestic High Plains. Residencies are fully funded and include a stipend to offset expenses.
 
This session’s Ucross Fellows and recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists were selected from 1,085 applicants by an independent jury of established artists, critics, and arts leaders. In addition, several artists will join the program through partnerships with esteemed national organizations, including the McKnight Foundation, University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program, and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
 
The Spring 2026 roster comprises artists at all stages of their careers. While some are just beginning, various other Fellows have achieved national and international recognition through exhibitions, concerts, performances, and publications. Many have won awards such as Guggenheim Fellowships, Herb Alpert Awards in the Arts, and PEN America Literary Awards.
 
Artists across disciplines will travel to Ucross from 27 states in the U.S., as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.
 
The Spring 2026 Ucross Fellows are:
 
LITERATURE
Elinam Agbo; Fiction; Lewisburg, PA
Jessie Allen; Nonfiction; Pittsburgh, PA
Jason Asenap; Fiction; Albuquerque, NM
Sarah E. Berns; Nonfiction; Winthrop, WA
Kartika Budhwar; Fiction; Houston, TX
Libby Carr; Playwriting; Brooklyn, NY
Grace Carrier; Poetry; Brooklyn, NY
Zoe Carpenter; Fiction; Portland, OR
Elisabetta La Cava; Nonfiction; Austin, TX
Karen Chee; Screenwriting; Foster City, CA
Simran Chugani; Poetry; Orlando, FL        
JR Fenn; Fiction; Rochester, NY
Lillian Fishman; Fiction; Brooklyn, NY
Nikki A. Greene; Nonfiction; Sudbury, MA
Chelsea T. Hicks; Fiction; Pawhuska, OK
Genevieve Hudson; Fiction; Portland, OR
Beth Alison Jones; Poetry; Augusta, ME
Ed Bok Lee; Poetry; St. Paul, MN
Matthew Libby; Playwriting; Brooklyn, NY
Louisa Lim; Nonfiction; Thornbury, Australia
Regan Moro; Playwriting; Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer Neal; Fiction; Berlin, Germany
Lisa Eunice Riesman; Nonfiction; Branford, CT
L. Renée; Poetry; Princeton, WV
Atia Sattar; Poetry; Los Angeles, CA
Zach Shultz; Fiction; Baton Rouge, LA
Carmen Taylor; Fiction; Chimayo, NM
Brittany J. Thurman; Fiction; Louisville, KY         
 
MUSIC, DANCE & PERFORMANCE  
John Atkinson; Music Composition; New York, NY
Arthur Gottschalk; Music Composition; Houston, TX
Dana Jessen; Music Composition; Oberlin, OH   
Song Yi Jeon; Music Composition; Berlin, Germany
Cannupa Hanska Luger; Performance; Glorieta, NM
Victor Marquez-Barrios; Music Composition; Kirksville, MO
May Phang; Performance; Greencastle, IN
Jesse Rundle; Music Composition; Boise, ID
Nola Sporn Smith; Dance; Ridgewood, NY
Anna Sperber; Dance; Brooklyn, NY
Beck Zegans; Music Composition; Ridgewood, NY
 
VISUAL ARTS
Amanda Bonaiuto; Film/Video; Brooklyn, NY     
Rachel Breen; Mixed Media; Minneapolis, MN
Sophia Brueckner; Mixed Media; Howell, MI
Maddie Butler; Mixed Media; San Diego, CA
Laura Colomb; Painting; Jacksonville Beach, FL
Lanie Gannon; Mixed Media; Nashville, TN
Lori Hepner; Drawing; Pittsburgh, PA
Adrianna Hinds; Sculpture; Cheyenne, WY
Tyson Houseman; Film/Video; Montreal, Canada
Lauren Kalman; Sculpture; Detroit, MI
Emily Martinez; Painting; Lutz, FL
ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby; Film/Video; Grand Rapids, MI  
Le Hien Minh; Sculpture; Chicago, IL
Taylin Mornelle; Video; Covington, GA
Natani Notah; Mixed Media; Tulsa, OK
Rehab El Sadek; Installation; Tulsa, OK     
Kelly Sears; Video; Arvada, CO        
Jae Song; Mixed Media; Brooklyn, NY
Chloe West; Visual Art; St. Louis, MO
 
INTERDISCIPLINARY
Mariam Ghani; Interdisciplinary; Brooklyn, NY     
Lance Horne; Interdisciplinary; New York, NY
Bree Lowdermilk; Interdisciplinary; Philadelphia, PA
Anna Maria Nabirye; Interdisciplinary; St. Leonards on the Sea, UK
Annie Saunders; Interdisciplinary; Los Angeles, CA
Cyrah L. Ward; Interdisciplinary; Columbus, OH
 
Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez, and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez, and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.   
 
To learn more about Ucross and its residency program, click here. 

,Ucross, the acclaimed residency program, announces the opening today of Resilience at the Ucross Art Gallery.
 
Exploring the resiliency of Indigenous artists across generations, the new exhibition features artwork from the 2025 recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists, including sculptor Gina Herrera (Tesuque Pueblo) of Bakersfield, California; writer Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) of Cherokee, North Carolina; mixed-media artist Wade Patton (Oglala Lakota)​ of Rapid City, South Dakota; and visual and performance artist Sarah Ortegon HighWalking (Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho) of Fort Washakie, Wyoming.
 
This exhibition is curated by Ucross alumnus Marwin Begaye (Navajo) of Norman, Oklahoma. A working artist, Begaye is a professor of painting and printmaking at the University of Oklahoma, where his research examines issues of cultural identity through the intersection of Indigenous American and popular cultures. He has received numerous awards; his artwork has been exhibited internationally on five continents and is held in several national collections.
 
“Cultural resilience is created through language, kinship, knowledge, and our relationship to place,” said Begaye. “The work in this exhibition is rich and diverse. The collective works are visual evidence of diverse Indigenous narratives and a testament to the power held within cultural memories. Each expresses the idea of resilience in their creative voice.”
 
The Indigenous artists whose works compose Resilience come from different disciplines, as well as tribal nations, each expressing their own concept of resiliency.
 
Gina Herrera uses ceramics, steel, and found materials to construct figurative sculptures that explore her Tesuque Pueblo and Costa Rican heritage, as well as her experiences as an army veteran. Herrera utilizes natural materials and organic forms as a juxtaposition to industrialization and environmental damage, symbolizing the somatic process of creation. She has attended artist residencies across the country and now teaches younger generations of artists at Arvin High School and Bakersfield College.

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a writer, is a graduate of Yale University and the College of William & Mary. Saunooke Clapsaddle is the author of Even As We Breathe, the first novel published by an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. She won the 2021 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, and was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020, among many other notable accomplishments.
 
Wade Patton is a mixed-media artist who borrows symbols from his Oglala Lakota roots to illustrate the delicate relationship between earth and sky, with bison intersecting these sacred spaces. His process highlights the intrinsic connection between art and culture. Patton possesses a natural affinity for various mediums, including oil pastels, ink, and has recently embraced beading guided by his mentorship with Molina Jo Two Bulls.
 
Performance and visual artist Sarah Ortegon HighWalking’s work is ingrained in her Indigenous heritage as a member of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho and her relationship to the land. She has performed in handmade dresses across the United States and beyond, including with Jeffrey Gibson’s acclaimed She Never Dances Alone in the 60th Venice Biennale. In addition to her performance work, Ortegon HighWalking’s visual art has been featured in numerous exhibitions, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts show Women to Watch in Washington, D.C., in 2024. She was featured in the accompanying traveling exhibition Wyoming Women to Watch, which was on view at the Ucross Art Gallery in 2024.
 
All artists featured in this exhibition are recipients of the 2025 Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists. Established in 2018, this fellowship supports contemporary Indigenous visual artists, writers, and performers. The fellowship offers a four-week residency on the majestic High Plains of Wyoming, and includes private studio space, living accommodations, staff support, meals prepared by a professional chef, a stipend, an award of $2,000, and the opportunity to present work publicly, such as a featured exhibition in the Ucross Art Gallery, a reading, or a performance. With early support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the fellowship began by supporting visual artists, then expanded over the years to include writers and performers, with Ortegon HighWalking as the inaugural awarded performance artist.
 
Resilience will be on view from January 29 through May 15. The Ucross Art Gallery and Café, located at 30 Big Red Lane in Ucross, Wyoming, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission.
 
The public is invited to join Ucross for two special events on Friday, April 17. The curator and featured artists will present an artist talk at 11 a.m. in Kinnison Hall at Sheridan College. In the evening, Ucross will host a reception at 6 p.m. in the Ucross Art Gallery for the community to view the exhibition. Both events are free and open to the public with required registration.
 
Click here for more information on Resilience. 

Whether you are an artist-alum, you have attended our community events, or you simply value the arts and connect with our mission, you are a part of the Ucross story.

During this liminal week, we would like to thank you for engaging with Ucross throughout the past year — and it has been an extraordinary year.

In 2025, we welcomed a grand total of 155 artists from across the U.S., as well as Austria, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Belgium, and Canada. Ten at a time, we provided each of these writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers, and interdisciplinary artists with a private studio, living accommodations, chef-prepared meals, staff support, optional community activities, and the experience of the majestic High Plains of northern Wyoming.

We heard from many artists this year that Ucross's uninterrupted time and space was transformative for their creative process — fueling their work, inspiring audiences worldwide, and fostering a deeper appreciation for the arts and their impact on our global community.

We know that this would not be possible without you, our artists, our community, our supporters. Watch a video created this year about our shared impact on the creative spirit.

Then, please, take time for yourself to scroll down and remember some of the top moments that we achieved together in service to artists, the arts, and community this year.

1. INNOVATIVE ART EXHIBITIONS
​
​In 2025, the Ucross Art Gallery exhibited three remarkable shows featuring alumni artists and guest curators: We Have All the Time in the World, curated by Josh Kun; Language of the Land, curated by Sean Chandler (Aniih); and Luminous Forms, curated by Emily McElwreath, currently on view through January 10. These exhibitions explored sound, identity, and light. ​​​Explore the current and past shows.

2. INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

We continued to cultivate cultural connections across the world through new artist-centric partnerships with the European Union, McKnight Foundation, and Rhode Island Foundation's MacColl Johnson Fellowship. Closer to home, we also hosted the inaugural Wyoming Resources Policy Forum on our ranch with University of Wyoming's Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. ​See all of our partnerships.

3. DEEPER LAND CONNECTION

​This spring, we welcomed our first-ever farmer to our staff. Working directly with our chef and her team, Esper's harvests were at the heart of our artists’ table all year long, fueling creative work with home-grown greens, fruits, and vegetables. Our new farm-focused efforts have helped us to responsibly steward and connect more holistically to our 20,000-acre ranch. And we’re just getting started.

4. ULTIMATE OPEN HOUSE

​During Ucross Founder's Day on May 31, all 10 artists-in-residence welcomed the community into their studios. Visitors enjoyed picnics on the lawn, listened to music by the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and enjoyed performances by Sarah Ortegon Highwalking (Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho), the inaugural recipient of the new Ucross Fellowship for Native American Performers. ​Watch the video.

5. SOUND INSTALLATION

​Also on Founder's Day, we launched Confluences, an emplaced sound experience created by Ucross Fellows Teri Rueb and Laurids Sonne. Using a free app and headphones, visitors wandered our grounds and ranch as sounds played, revealing a sonic landscape of voices of resident artists, stories of local residents, field recordings taken in different seasons, and more. ​Tune into Confluences, running in perpetuity.

6. FOLDING IN THE CULINARY ARTS

​Brendan Basham (Diné) was the inaugural recipient of a Ucross culinary residency. This new program provides chefly artists or artistic chefs with the time and space to experiment, learn, and collaborate with the Ucross artists, farmer, and community. As a Ucross alum and former chef, Brendan was the ideal first recipient; he spent his six-week residency writing, experimenting, and cooking for his fellow artists.

7. DOWN TO THE STUDS

​This summer, we began a much-needed renovation of the Big Red Ranch House, the home of our offices. Built in 1882, the house was last updated in 1982. Thanks to generous support from Armand and Mary Brachman, we are restoring the structural integrity of the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, ensuring the sustainability of our artist residency program. Stay tuned for more in 2026!

8. RETURN OF UCROSS ARTS FESTIVAL

​On August 17, hundreds turned out for the Ucross Arts Festival, which featured former artists-in-residence through performances, poetry, and printmaking in The Park at Ucross. Avant-garde musician and performance artist Hayden Pedigo headlined the festivities, with poetry readings by M.L. Smoker and David Romtvedt and printmaking demonstrations and artwork designed by Tawni Shuler. Watch the video.

9. LAUNCH OF BIG RED SHOWCASE

​With the goal of championing former artists-in-residence and further infusing our spaces with their artwork, we created the Big Red Showcase, a seasonal artist spotlight throughout the Big Red Barn, in June. The inaugural showcase artist was Roxanne Everett, who joined us for a public reception and artist talk on September 23. Explore her landscape paintings, on view through February 19.

10. ALUMNI ACROSS DECADES

​Tearjerker: Brokeback Mountain opened in the Raymond Plank Center with an artist talk and film screening on October 2. This special exhibition features prints by Ucross Fellow Natalie Woodlock illustrating scenes from Ang Lee's 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, adapted from the 1997 short story by Ucross Fellow — and former Trustee — Annie Proulx. Explore the exhibition, which is on view by appointment.

11. INCREDIBLE SUPPORT

​On November 6, the Ucross Gala & Benefit in Houston raised more than $1.4 million for our artist residency program. The evening featured music by our partners at Shepherd School of Music at Rice, performances choreographed by Ucross Fellow Jack Wolff of Houston Ballet, and live painting by Ucross Fellow Don Stinson, concluding with an awards ceremony honoring Corbin J. Robertson, Jr. Read the PaperCity Magazine feature.

12. CELEBRATING THE SEASON

​Earlier this month, we welcomed more than 300 people to the Raymond Plank Center and The Park at Ucross for the annual Ucross Community Christmas Celebration. The program featured festive caroling by the Buffalo Balladiers, an extra-special Longmire reading by Craig Johnson, a performance by the Fireants, housemade refreshments, and cannon fire. Dig into the Sheridan Media article.

We accomplished the above — while supporting our artists and our land — with you. Your engagement makes our work possible. Thank you for cheering on our artists, attending our events, and including us in your year-end charitable giving. Thanks for being a part of our story in 2025.

Now, we invite you to become a part of our story in 2026.

If you haven't yet had the opportunity this year, please consider making a tax-deductible gift before New Year's Day. As a nonprofit organization, we depend on individual donations to fund each artist's residency, which costs approximately $12,500. Your contribution also helps us serve as a vital cultural resource for our community, supporting free access to art exhibitions, events, and other programming, as well as a responsible steward of our land. Every donation — no matter the amount — makes a difference. If you have already donated, thank you.

We also invite you to apply for an artist residency in Fall 2026. We support artists across disciplines and at all stages of their careers. We are accepting applications through January 15 at 11:59 p.m. MT.

We wish you a happy end of 2025!

Our staff has also grown this year. On January 1, Caitlin Addlesperger took the helm as President and Executive Director. Throughout 2025, each team member has deepened their role and their commitment to the creative spirit.

From left: Scott Foundation Student Intern from Sheridan College Tate Bateman, Business Director Heather Heath, Maintenance and Grounds Manager Fritz Bates, Communications Associate Emi Whiting, School House Assistant Katrina Conner, President and Executive Director Caitlin Addlesperger, Program Director Tawni Shuler, Residency Associate Carl Largent, Gallery Associate Lacasa Michelena, Maintenance Technician Gage Rathcamp, Advancement Associate Shelly Stoner, Maintenance Technician Zach Fischer, Housekeeping Assistant Sue Albright, and Chef Jackie Vitale. Not pictured: Farmer Esper Gaspardi, on break after her fruitful first season.

And we're hiring! Please send this link to an appreciator of the arts who could be a good fit for the new Administrative Coordinator role.

We have big plans for 2026. See you next year!

Today, Ucross Foundation, the acclaimed artist residency program in northern Wyoming, announced that Wyoming-based visual artist Jennifer Rife is the inaugural recipient of the Al and Ann Simpson Fellowship at Ucross.

The Al and Ann Simpson Fellowship at Ucross is a new residency that supports visual artists from Wyoming with four weeks of uninterrupted time, individual studio space, staff support, and the unmatched experience of the majestic High Plains. The fellowship was announced at the Ucross Gala in 2024, which honored Senator Alan K. and Mrs. Ann Simpson with the Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership for their significant impact on the arts, in addition to their work across national and state government, health, land stewardship, and beyond.

“We are thrilled to award Jennifer Rife with the inaugural Al and Ann Simpson Fellowship at Ucross,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director. “As a land artist and proud Wyomingite, Jennifer’s work reflects the spirit of both Ucross and the Simpsons — connected to place and rooted in community. We couldn’t imagine a more fitting artist to launch this important fellowship that celebrates the creative spirit in Wyoming.”

Rife’s four-week residency concluded in late October.

“As an artist living in Wyoming, the fact that Ucross values those of us from here and gives us the opportunity to experience such a high-class residency is a wonderful gift,” Rife said. “I am especially honored to have been the inaugural recipient of the Al and Ann Simpson Fellowship.”

After 20 years of residing in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Rife has established the American West as her home. Originally hailing from rural Colorado, she has explored a variety of geographies across the world. This enhanced her love and appreciation of the West’s wide-open spaces, sparse population, and vast skies. 

The built environment she has seen along the way provides endless references for her ephemeral art installations on the land, created with objects she makes in her studio. Rife’s installations leave little trace: Viewers experience the work as digital photographs of unfamiliar objects in remote landscapes. Through her practice, she considers how humans interact with the land.

“My residency at Ucross was all I hoped it would be,” Rife said. “I was able to explore the effects of time and weather on my land installation that remained onsite for the duration of my stay, a departure from my usual ephemeral work. New ideas and paths to explore came my way, and I connected with some really incredible creative people.” 

Rife was one of five Wyoming artists under consideration in 2024’s "Women to Watch: New Worlds" at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.; her work was on view in “Wyoming Women to Watch,” an exhibition that traveled throughout the state — including the Ucross Art Gallery — throughout 2024. Her work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and featured in books and articles. She received a Wyoming Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowship in 2016.  

Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez, and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez, and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.  

The Ucross Gala & Benefit raised funds to support the inaugural fellowship; Ucross is currently fundraising to endow the fellowship to support Wyoming visual artists while honoring the Simpsons in perpetuity. 

To learn more about Ucross and the Al and Ann Simpson Fellowship, click here.

Ucross celebrated its national artist residency program at POST Houston on November 6 with a gala and benefit that raised more than $1.4 million for the nonprofit organization. The evening included a performance choreographed by Houston Ballet’s Jack Wolff and an awards ceremony honoring Houston’s Corbin J. Robertson, Jr., Managing Partner of Quintana Capital Group and Chairman and CEO of the general partner of Natural Resource Partners LP. 
 
The link between arts and energy stemmed from Raymond Plank, the co-founder and longtime CEO of Apache Corporation, one of the nation’s largest independent oil and gas companies. A prominent business leader, Plank was also a philanthropist and an appreciator of the arts. He founded Ucross on a historic 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming in 1981 and welcomed the first artists-in-residence in 1983.
 
Over the next four decades, Ucross developed into one of the most respected artist communities in the nation and has supported more than 3,000 artists, including winners of Pulitzer Prizes, Tony Awards, National Book Awards, and Academy Awards, among many others.
 
“Ucross is committed to honoring the creative process of working artists,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Caitlin Addlesperger during the gala. She invited the 150-plus guests to imagine a fellow’s experience. “Now, maybe for the first time ever, your time is your own to dedicate to your work — your passion — exactly as you wish. Uninterrupted time, free from distractions, free from obligations, in the most beautiful landscape.
 
“This is why we’re here, and this is what we must sustain for future generations of artists and those who believe in the power of art and the creative spirit.”
 
Infused with the arts, the Ucross Gala & Benefit featured former artists-in-residence spanning disciplines. Wolff’s choreographic pieces featured performances by his fellow Ucross alumni and Houston Ballet dancers Eric Best and Aoi Fujiwara. The cocktail hour presented a live oil painting by Don Stinson of Austin and a silent auction exhibition featuring artworks by Texan Ucross alumni Elizabeth Hohimer, Polly Lanning Sparrow, and Lynda Kaffie Young, as well as another piece by Stinson.
 
Ucross’s artist partners in Houston were represented at the event, as well, including the Houston Ballet, Alley Theatre, University of Houston's Creative Writing Program, and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
 
The Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership was created after Plank passed away on November 8, 2018, to honor and celebrate business leaders, philanthropists and innovators who have forged their own path and had an enduring impact on business, the arts, or land stewardship. The first recipient was Rex Tillerson, the former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, at a Houston benefit in 2019. Additional honorees have included Jim Nelson in 2021, Scott D. Sheffield in 2023, and U.S. Senator Alan K. and Ann Simpson in 2024.
 
“Corby’s career is a testament to bold leadership, strategic vision, and a deep understanding of the natural resources that power our economy,” said Steve Farris of Houston, co-founder and principal of Forager Energy, a U.S. minerals and royalty company; former Chairman and CEO of Apache Corporation; and former Ucross Trustee. “Corby and his wife, Barbara, have also been tremendously involved in many philanthropic efforts and programs in Texas and beyond in the areas of education, the arts, sports and with underprivileged children. It is truly an honor to be able to call Corby a friend.”
 
The Ucross Gala and Benefit was co-chaired by Ucross Chair Jesse and Cathy Marion and Steve and Vicki Farris, with fellow committee members Ucross Trustee Roger and Connie Plank and Ucross Trustee Christian Nelson and Dan Schroeder. Outgoing Chair Jim Nelson and Judy Rossiter were also in attendance, along with other members of the Ucross Foundation Board, as they celebrated Plank’s legacy, the nonprofit’s mission, and Robertson’s award.
 
You can see the photos from the Ucross Gala & Benefit here. 

Ucross Foundation, the acclaimed residency program, is pleased to announce the annual Ucross Community Christmas Celebration. Free and open to all, the family-friendly festivities will take place on Saturday, December 13, at the Raymond Plank Center, starting at 4 p.m. Complimentary tickets are available at ucross.org.
 
The evening’s entertainment will feature The Fireants, a beloved local band including Ucross Fellow David Romtvedt, as well as caroling by the Buffalo High School Balladiers. Bestselling Wyoming author Craig Johnson will recite a special fireplace reading featuring Walt Longmire. Children can enjoy making a holiday craft to take home. Hot cocoa, coffee, and hot apple cider will be served throughout the celebration, along with seasonal treats made by Ucross Chef Jackie Vitale. A marshmallow roasting station will be outside.
 
The celebration will conclude with cannon fire by Ucross neighbor Joe Reed and a fireworks display orchestrated by Bruce Burns. The Park at Ucross will be illuminated with thousands of twinkling Christmas lights, strung by Powder River Energy Corporation and Ucross staff, adding to the festive atmosphere.
 
“The Ucross Community Christmas Celebration is a beloved annual tradition,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Caitlin Addlesperger. “We look forward to celebrating the season with our community of artists, neighbors, and visitors.”
 
In the spirit of giving, attendees are encouraged to bring canned goods and nonperishable food items, which Ucross will donate to local food pantries in Sheridan, Buffalo, and Clearmont.
 
The Ucross Community Christmas Celebration is sponsored in part by Roger L. Daniels Insurance Agency, QC10 Architects, In Yarak Construction, AlphaGraphics, and Farmers Insurance.
 
Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez, and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez, and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.  
 
Ucross connects its acclaimed artists-in-residence with the community through the Ucross Art Gallery, which offers free admission, as well as a slate of year-round cultural programming.
 
The Raymond Plank Center is located at the junction of U.S. Highways 14 and 16 East. Carpooling is encouraged.
 
For more details and to reserve free tickets, click here.

Ucross Foundation, the acclaimed artist residency program on a 20,000-acre ranch in Wyoming, announced today the inaugural recipient of its new culinary residency: Brendan Basham (Diné), the acclaimed writer, artist, and chef from the Zuni Mountains in western New Mexico.

Launched this year, Ucross’s culinary residency program provides an individual with uninterrupted time and space to focus on their creative practice in and out of the kitchen. The Ucross Fellow receives private living accommodations, access to a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, and an optional supplemental studio for interdisciplinary work.

“We are excited to be able to offer this new layer to our residency program,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director. “We invite chefly artists or artistic chefs to experiment, learn, and collaborate with the Ucross chef, artists, and community.”

After reviewing a slate of qualified candidates, Ucross awarded the inaugural culinary residency to Basham. 

“Brendan Basham was the ideal first recipient,” Addlesperger said. “As an alum, he shares our artist-centric values and is familiar with our program operations. He also brings a strong culinary background — including previously cooking for a group at Ucross.”

Born in Alaska and raised in northern Arizona, Basham earned his Master of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Bachelor of Arts from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He worked as a chef for 15 years, co-owning two successful restaurants in Puerto Rico before writing his award-winning debut novel, Swim Home to the Vanished.

Basham began work on this novel during the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Writers in 2021. In 2022, he returned to Wyoming to cook for the Ucross Native American Art Curatorial Convening, which featured top curators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, Philbrook Museum of Art, and beyond. 

Basham has received numerous honors, including the Poetry Northwest’s inaugural James Welch Prize for Indigenous Writers, along with several fellowships across the country. He is currently a fiction faculty member at University of Nevada, Reno — Lake Tahoe’s Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts Program. 

During his six-week culinary residency at Ucross this summer, Basham worked on his second novel about a “former chef who must return home to the Navajo reservation after his mother dies from cancer caused by uranium mines that still haven’t been properly cleaned up after 70 years,” Basham shared. 

When he wasn’t writing, Basham spent time exploring the Ucross Ranch, experimenting in the kitchen, and cooking for fellow artists.

“During the culinary residency, the artmaking is more hands-on, of course, and as a writer I’ve missed that tactile space, playing with food, using local produce and proteins. It is such a joy to feed other creative souls,” Basham said. “It truly was a pleasure cooking good things for good people. It is a reminder of how essential a meal is for human connection: It brings people together, builds social and cultural capital, and offers meaning and beauty for our hungry minds.” 

Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez, and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez, and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. 

You can learn more about the new culinary residency program here.

To learn more about Basham and his work, visit his website here. 

Ucross Foundation, the acclaimed artist residency program in northern Wyoming, invites the community to the exhibition opening for Tearjerker: Brokeback Mountain by Ucross Fellow Natalie Woodlock of Seattle, Washington, on Thursday, October 2.
 
Originally from Australia, Woodlock is a printmaker who explores queer temporality, subculture, and representation within popular culture in her work. In this exhibition, she explores the impact a piece of media can have on one’s emotions. Tearjerker films are designed to evoke sadness and create ritual spaces for catharsis and release. This can transform spaces, such as cinemas, into a site of communal exchange between audience members.
 
For Tearjerker: Brokeback Mountain Woodlock showed a series of screenings of Ang Lee's 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, adapted from the 1997 short story by Ucross Fellow — and Pulitzer Prize winner — Annie Proulx. During the film, audience members were given handkerchiefs for their tears and asked to write down the scenes that made them cry. This exhibition merges screen-printed illustrations of these scenes and the handkerchiefs embroidered with the names of those brought to tears by this film that tells stories about love, repression, money, and mortality.
 
“Immediately upon its release, Ang Lee's film became a cultural touchstone — for the first time, a story of queer love in a pre-Stonewall era unfolded to a mass audience,” said Woodlock. “My hope is that the circle of sympathy present at each screening of this tearjerker is enshrined in the prints and handkerchiefs embroidered with the name of each viewer who was brought to tears.”

This event will take place on Thursday, October 2, starting at 5 p.m. in the Raymond Plank Center in Ucross, Wyoming, and includes the opening of Woodlock’s exhibition, an artist talk, and a screening of Brokeback Mountain, accompanied by the Ucross chef’s artisanal popcorn. This is a free event that is open to the public with required registration at ucross.org.
 
Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez, and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez, and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.
 
Get free tickets to Tearjerker: Brokeback Mountain here. 

Today Ucross Foundation, the acclaimed artist residency program, announces the addition of four new trustees to its board: Richard Davis of Sheridan, Wyoming; David Leuschen of Roscoe, Montana; Christian Nelson of Fredericksburg, Texas; and Naoma Tate of Cody, Wyoming. 

“We are honored to welcome these new trustees to the board,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director. “Their commitment to our mission, diverse expertise and connection to the Mountain West will be invaluable as we continue to grow as both a premier artist residency and a vital cultural institution in Wyoming.” 

A native of Colorado, Richard Davis moved to Wyoming in 1968 to join the law practice of Henry A. Burgess and continues today as of counsel to the successor firm, Davis and Cannon. He pursued an interest in theater as a participant and through Tandem Productions, a 501 (C)(3) organization created with his wife, Tami. Davis also has a strong interest and experience in ranching, grazing practices, and conservation. Believing in the importance of community, he has served on several boards, including the Northern Wyoming Community College District and Foundation; Sheridan Memorial Hospital and Hospital Foundation; Sheridan Area Community Foundation, WYO Theater, University of Wyoming, and Wyoming Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. On the professional side, he served as president of the Wyoming Bar Association, member of the American Bar Association, the American Judicature Society and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation Wyoming State Bar Delegate to the American Bar Association.   

David Leuschen is the co-founder and senior managing director of Riverstone Holdings, one of the world’s largest energy and agricultural decarbonization investment firms. Prior to this, he held senior positions at Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs Global Energy and Power Group and the Goldman Sachs Energy Investment Committee. Leuschen has served as a director of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Cross Timbers Oil Company, J. Aron Resources, Riverstone Energy Limited and Permian Resources. Leuschen serves on many nonprofit boards, including Conservation International, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Montana Land Reliance; he is also a founding member of the Peterson Institute’s Economic Leadership Council. As a third generation Montanan and lifelong rancher, he is actively involved in large-scale innovation in land and agriculture. His commitment to integrating innovative technology with traditional farming practices aims to create more efficient, productive and eco-friendly agricultural systems. He is the sole owner and president of Switchback Ranch and on the advisory board of Big Sky Investment Holdings. 

Christian Nelson has ties to Ucross dating back to its inception, as her father, Jim Nelson, is a founding member of the board. She grew up visiting Ucross and participating in the Fourth of July celebrations. Nelson is a seasoned philanthropic leader and communications strategist with more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. She has held senior roles at City of Hope, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she led transformative donor engagement and communications initiatives. She has successfully executed multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns and comprehensive marketing communications programs aligned with organizational priorities as well as branding initiatives. Nelson’s career also spans public relations and events leadership, serving high-profile clients across lifestyle, healthcare, and finance industries.  

Naoma Tate is an acknowledged silver historian and certified gemologist. She is an avid collector of Western art and a longtime patron of the arts in Wyoming and Utah. In 2009, she was awarded the Wyoming Governor’s Arts Award. Tate’s interests and expertise have led her to serve on the boards for the National Board of the Smithsonian and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum Gemology Board, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, Leakey Foundation, Berkley Geochronology Center, and the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. She has also served on the Advisory Board for the University of Utah World Leaders Lecture Forum and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. She is a member of the Utah and Wyoming Westerners, the Utah Daughters of the Pioneers, Daughters of the American Revolution, and American Friends of the Louvre. 

“We are looking forward to working with Christian, David, Naoma, and Richard,” said Ucross Board Chair Jesse Marion. “Each brings a deep commitment to philanthropy, along with a depth of experience that will help guide Ucross into its next chapter. Their diverse perspectives will strengthen our mission to support artists and protect the land.” 

In addition to Davis, Leuschen, Nelson and Tate, the Ucross board comprises Chair Jesse Marion of Spring, Texas; Vice President Susan Miller of Sheridan, Wyoming; Treasurer Jim Nelson of Big Horn, Wyoming; Secretary Kim Cannon of Big Horn, Wyoming; Tracy Boyle of Sheridan, Wyoming; Armand Brachman of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Anne Pendergast of Big Horn, Wyoming; Roger Plank of Ucross, Wyoming, and Houston, Texas; Gerald Peters of Jackson, Wyoming, and Santa Fe, New Mexico; Scott Manning Stevens of Syracuse, New York; and Arin Waddell of Sheridan, Wyoming.  

Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez, and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. To learn more about Ucross and its residency program, visit ucross.org.