Ucross today announced Arin Waddell has joined the artist residency program’s board of trustees. A former Ucross Fellow, Waddell has continued to make art, teach, and serve the greater community.
“Arin Waddell is an impressive artist and leader whose strong background in the arts, philanthropy, and community building are a perfect fit,” said Ucross President and Executive Director William Belcher. “As a two-time Ucross Fellow, she also has firsthand knowledge of how the time and space we provide artists changes lives. We welcome her to the board, and we look forward to her input and guidance.” Born in Detroit, Michigan, Waddell was raised on a Black Angus cattle ranch west of Billings, Montana. She is the daughter of oil painter Theodore Waddell and writer, musician, and scholar Betty Whiting. Mother of three, Waddell resides in Sheridan, Wyoming, with her husband John Heyneman and their youngest son. Recently, she developed an online storefront to market custom home products inspired by her original art. Waddell holds three degrees in visual art: a B.A. from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York; an M.A. from California State University, Chico; and an M.F.A. degree from the University of Texas, San Antonio. She has been featured in more than 150 solo and group art exhibitions throughout the Western United States, and has taught drawing, painting, sculpture, design, and installation art at several colleges and universities, including Montana State University, Sheridan College, and SAGE Community Arts. With a deep passion for philanthropy, community service, and education, Waddell has served on several nonprofit boards, including the Whitney Center for the Arts, Sheridan County YMCA, Science Kids, and Sheridan Economic and Educational Development Authority. As a former founder and president of The Food Group, she spent a decade providing nourishment and literature to children in Sheridan County. Waddell has served 12 years as chairman of the board of trustees for the Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation. In 2018, she was elected trustee for Sheridan County School District No. 2 and was re-elected in 2022; this is her fourth year as vice-chair of the district. In addition, Waddell served on the Sheridan County Recreation District Board of Directors for four years and is an active member of Rotary and Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church. “For years, the Ucross Foundation has set a very high bar in its commitment to artists, writers, composers, and dancers from all over the world, who, like me, are deeply inspired by this special place and landscape,” Waddell said. “As an artist, philanthropist, and school board trustee, I hope to humbly serve this organization with creative collaboration, fiscal discernment, and good governance. It is an honor to join the Ucross team.” UCROSS GALA TO HONOR SENATOR ALAN SIMPSON AND ANN SIMPSON, CELEBRATE ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM7/9/2024
![]() Ucross announces today a fall gala in support of its artists, art gallery, and ranch on Thursday, September 26. A Place in Time: The Ucross Gala will culminate in an award presentation honoring former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson and Ann Simpson of Cody, Wyoming, with the Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership. The evening’s activities will include cocktails in the Ucross Art Gallery, a seasonal dinner, performances by artist-alumni, a lively auction, and an awards ceremony in a heated tent on the lawn of Ucross’s historic Big Red Ranch House. “We hope the community will join us to honor Senator Al and Ann Simpson for their distinguished service to Wyoming and the United States, as well as celebrate Ucross and its impact on our arts and culture,” said Ucross President and Executive Director William Belcher. “‘A Place in Time: The Ucross Gala’ will be a memorable evening with art, music and dance, all in the extraordinary setting of our historic ranch.” The Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership was previously presented to former U.S. Secretary of State and former Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil Rex Tillerson in 2018, longtime Ucross Chairman Jim Nelson in 2020, and Pioneer Natural Resources CEO Scott D. Sheffield in 2023. The award honors and celebrates business leaders, philanthropists, and innovators who have forged their own path and had an enduring impact on business, the arts, or land stewardship. The Simpsons have a demonstrated history of leadership across these fields, from the Senator’s celebrated service in the U.S. Senate and Wyoming House of Representatives to Ann’s advocacy for arts and mental health. Senator Simpson was elected in 1964 to the Wyoming House of Representatives, where he served for 13 years. He became majority whip, majority floor leader, and speaker pro tempore before running successfully for the U. S. Senate in 1978. Simpson made his mark quickly by accepting difficult assignments and sponsoring legislation establishing federal standards for clean air and water, toxic waste cleanup, and nuclear regulation. He was active on issues regarding veterans, aging, the environment, and national immigration laws. Following his reelection by a wide margin in 1984, he was nominated by his Republican peers to the position of the assistant majority whip. Simpson retired at the end of his third term, in 1996, and for four years taught as a visiting lecturer at Harvard, and for two years he served as the Director of the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School. Along with funding the University of Wyoming’s Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership, Senator Simpson served as chairman on the board of trustees for Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and trustee emeritus for the Grand Teton Music Festival. In Washington, D.C., he served on the boards of the Smithsonian Institution, Folgers Library, and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. A native of Greybull, Wyoming, Ann Simpson launched the first American Field Service study abroad program in Cody. She has been a passionate advocate for mental health in Wyoming and in D.C., as well as a champion of the arts. She created the University of Wyoming's successful art outreach effort, the Ann Simpson Artmobile, which has traveled the state for more than 30 years showcasing objects from the University of Wyoming Art Museum's collection and engaging rural communities with the arts through hands-on activities. In addition to honoring the Simpsons, A Place in Time: The Ucross Gala will celebrate the Wyoming nonprofit organization’s mission and impact. Ucross is dedicated to fostering the creative spirit of working artists by providing uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations, extraordinary staff support and the experience of the majestic High Plains, while serving as a responsible steward of its historic 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming. Since the residency program began in 1983, Ucross has provided residencies to more than 2,700 writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers, and interdisciplinary artists from across the world. Further championing the work of artist-alumni, Ucross also provides world-class community programming through events, workshops, publications, and exhibitions in the Ucross Art Gallery. All funds raised before and during The Ucross Gala will support residency time for 115-plus artists each year, continued investment in community engagement activities, and responsible stewardship of Ucross’s historic ranch and facilities. Each ticket and table will help Ucross remain a meaningful and relevant resource for artists, the community, and the state of Wyoming. Details for A Place in Time: The Ucross Gala are available at ucross.org or by calling 307-737-2291. Ucross, the acclaimed artist residency program and art gallery in northern Wyoming, will hold an opening reception for We Have All the Time in the World, the third and final installation of a three-part gallery series celebrating its 40th anniversary at 6 p.m.
Friday, July 26. Guest curator Josh Kun has selected 15 fellow Ucross alumni to be featured in the latest show, an interdisciplinary exhibition with a focus on auditory art. “Artists working across music and sound have long been instrumental to the Ucross residency program,” Kun said. “It has been a personal honor to shape an exhibition that draws from their extraordinary work. The artist lineup mixes established musicians, photographers and visual artists with emerging artists who are breaking new ground in the way sound and music are treated as artistic languages.” The selections feature artists ranging from GRAMMY Award-winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington to poet and musician JJJJJerome Ellis, improviser and interdisciplinary artist Bonnie Han Jones, and composer Jessica Pavone. And sometimes, the omission of audio makes just as much of an impact as sound. “Some of the noisiest pieces in We Have All the Time in the World are the ones without sound,” Kun said. Visual artist Rhona Bitner captures photographs of spaces where music is performed, Matana Roberts forays into collage, and Jason Moran melds 43 years of piano with pigment and paper. The complete roundup of Ucross alumni-artists are: Rhona Bitner of New York City and Paris, France; Terri Lyne Carrington of Woburn, Massachusetts; Andrew Raffo Dewar of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; JJJJJerome Ellis of Norfolk, Virginia; Guillermo Galindo of Oakland, California; Michael Harrison of Yonkers, New York; Bonnie Han Jones of Baltimore, Maryland, and Providence, Rhode Island; Regina Martinez of Chicago, Illinois; Nicole Mitchell of Charlottesville, Virginia; Jason Moran of New York, New York; Jessica Pavone of Astoria, New York; Jerónimo Reyes-Retana of Boulder, Colorado; Matana Roberts of La Jolla, California; Ken Ueno of Lawndale, California; and Du Yun of New York, New York. The work of collaborative artists Yuan Liu of Brooklyn, New York; Floyd Webb of Chicago, Illinois; and Habib Azar of New York, New York, are essential to the inclusions of Mitchell, Pavone and Yun, respectively. As a curator, Kun’s projects and exhibitions have appeared with the Los Angeles Public Library, the Vincent Price Art Museum, the California African American Museum, the GRAMMY Museum, and the Getty Foundation. As an artist, his work has appeared with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Prospect New Orleans, and Steve Turner Gallery in LA. Kun is the recipient of a Berlin Prize and an American Book Award. He was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2016. Kun is vice provost for the arts at University of Southern California (USC) and professor and chair in cross-cultural communication at the USC Annenberg School. His books include Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America; Songs in the Key of Los Angeles; Double Vision: The Photography of George Rodriguez, and several others. We Have All the Time in the World will be displayed in the Ucross Art Gallery until Jan. 10, 2025. The gallery is located at 30 Big Red Lane in Ucross, and open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free, thanks in part to support from the Arete Design Group and the Wyoming Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming Legislature. Learn more at ucross.org. Ucross announced today its third annual Founder’s Day on Saturday, June 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. During that timeframe, the community is invited to tour the artist residency campus, located on a 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming; experience live music played al fresco by members of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra; visit the artists in their studios; explore the new exhibition in the Ucross Art Gallery, Wyoming Women to Watch; and enjoy a picnic on the lawn. The event is free and open to the public.
“Since we launched Founder’s Day in 2022, this event has become one of our favorite moments on the calendar. It celebrates our artists, our residency program, and Raymond Plank’s legacy, and it’s one of the rare instances when the public can get an insider’s look at all that goes on behind-the-scenes at Ucross,” said Ucross President William Belcher. “We hope the community will join us for another fun afternoon on our beautiful ranch with an incredible roster of artists from across North America.” From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the community will be invited to visit the studios of photographer Jeremy Dennis of Southampton, New York; choreographer and performer Mauriah Donegan Kraker of Appleton, Wisconsin; painter Roxanne Everett of Seattle, Washington; visual artist Holly Fay of Saskatchewan, Canada; poet Adam Giannelli of West Lafayette, Indiana; musician Steve Jansen of Albuquerque, New Mexico; poet Tamara J. Madison of Orlando, Florida; visual artist Michael Pribich of New York, New York; and fiction author Alyssa Songsiridej of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As they explore the picturesque campus grounds, visitors will encounter live contemporary and classical music from members of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, including Concertmaster and violinist Megan Karls of Great Falls, Montana; Karls’s husband, singer-songwriter David Raba; and principal harpist Jane Ann Hamman of Casper, Wyoming. At 1 p.m., the Ucross Art Gallery will host a reception celebrating the opening of Wyoming Women to Watch. Created by the Wyoming Committee of National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), this traveling exhibition features the five Wyoming artists who were shortlisted for New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024, a critically acclaimed biennial exhibition at NMWA in Washington, D.C. The artists include Sarah Ortegon HighWalking of the Wind River Reservation, Jennifer Rife of Cheyenne, Ucross alumna Bronwyn Minton of Jackson, Leah Hardy of Laramie, and Katy Ann Fox of Jackson. The five artists will discuss their work at the Ucross Founder’s Day reception, which will also include a black-light jingle dress dance performed by Ortegon HighWalking, the artist selected by NMWA. Throughout the event, visitors may enjoy a picnic on the lawn outside of the Big Red Ranch Complex, with Sheridan-based food truck Pete’s Za onsite, as well as the opportunity to purchase coffee, tea, and Chef Jackie Vitale’s housemade ice cream sandwiches at the Ucross Café. The event recognizes the 102nd anniversary of the late Ucross founder, Raymond Plank. Born on May 29, 1922, Plank grew up on his family farm in Minnesota. He entered Yale University in September 1940 but left just three months later, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserves. During World War II, he piloted B-24 bombers, completed 40 combat missions, and earned numerous commendations. After the war, Plank went on to graduate from Yale; form an accounting and tax service; and eventually co-found and become chairman and CEO of Apache Corporation, which was based in Minneapolis and is now based in Houston, Texas. Plank passed away in November 2018 at age 96. Plank founded Ucross Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in 1981, and the residency program welcomed its first artists in 1983. Over the next 41 years, the program has developed into one of the most respected artist communities in the nation. More than 2,700 visual artists, writers, choreographers, and composers have been to Ucross, benefiting from its uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations, and meals by a professional chef, as well as the experience of the majestic High Plains. Many alumni have gone on to earn national recognition, including Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur “Genius” Fellowships, National Book Awards, Tony Awards, Academy Awards and more. Get free tickets to Founder’s Day here. Parking is limited, and carpooling is encouraged. ![]() Ucross and the University of Wyoming announced today that the inaugural Haub Fellow at Ucross will be Corrine Knapp, an associate professor in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. Presented once a year to a Haub faculty member, the fellowship offers a two-week residency at Ucross, which includes private studio space, living accommodations, meals by a professional chef, and the experience of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural conversation with international artists-in-residence, all on Ucross’s 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming. “Our landscape, our land stewardship initiatives, and the deep connection between creativity and place are embedded in the Ucross mission, as well as the unique perspective on the American West that we provide,” said Ucross President and Executive Director William Belcher. “This partnership with the Haub School is a natural extension of our program, and we look forward to welcoming Corrie Knapp to Ucross this fall.” The idea of the partnership began in 2023, after Ucross and the Haub School collaborated on a pilot fellowship project during which Jacob Hochard, the Knobloch Associate Professor of Conservation Economics in the Haub School, received time and space at the prestigious residency program. Hochard described his two-week residency at Ucross and the bond formed with the interdisciplinary artists in his cohort as “lifechanging.” “We are excited about this partnership that brings a member of the Haub School to the Ucross community of residents to seek inspiration from the wild and working lands that are so vital to Wyoming,” said Haub School Dean John Koprowski, also a Wyoming Excellence Chair. “Corrie Knapp is the ideal inaugural Haub Fellow at Ucross, for she epitomizes our interdisciplinary approach and commitment to creative scholarly activities.” Knapp plans to use her uninterrupted time and space to draft an article exploring how socioecological feedbacks can amplify or dampen perceptions of climate change, illustrated with case studies. Before coming to UW in 2019, Knapp directed the Integrated Land Management Program in the School of Environment and Sustainability at Western Colorado University in Gunnison. She received her B.A. in literature and writing from the University of Colorado-Denver, her M.S. in rangeland ecology from Colorado State University, and her Ph.D. in human ecology from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Knapp’s research interests are at the intersection of land-based livelihoods and conservation in the context of climate change. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from local/Indigenous knowledge to climate change adaptation, endangered species management to rangeland ecology. Learn more about the Ucross artist residency program and art gallery here. Ucross, the acclaimed artist residency program and art gallery located on a 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming, announced today the promotion of Caitlin Addlesperger to Deputy Director and Tawni Shuler to Residency Director.
“I’m happy to announce the promotion of these two talented, dedicated, and extraordinary members of our team,” Ucross President and Executive Director William Belcher said. “As leaders and creative professionals, Caitlin and Tawni are committed to our program’s excellence and our role in supporting artists, the artistic process, and the creation of new work. We have benefited from their vision and expertise, and I look forward to their continued success.” Addlesperger, previously Ucross’s Director of External Relations, is an arts administrator with experience in nonprofit leadership, marketing, development, and community building. In her new role, she will work closely with the President and Board of Trustees to carry out the mission of the organization, while creating and implementing a new five-year strategic plan. Since joining the Ucross team in 2020, Addlesperger has expanded the nonprofit’s outreach, engagement, and external relations efforts, which, in turn, led to the successful completion of its $5 million 40th Anniversary Campaign. In addition to her communications, marketing, and media relations work, Addlesperger has managed the Ucross Art Gallery, expanded the Gift Shop, and launched the Ucross Café; produced Ucross’s annual Founder’s Day and other community-based events; coordinated The Ucross Cookbook project from conception to publication; and directed major events across the U.S., including the 2023 galas in Wyoming and Texas, a performance and awards ceremony with three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo at the WYO Theater in Sheridan, Wyoming, and a poetry event featuring M.L. Smoker at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Addlesperger holds a degree in modern languages and literature from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Her professional experience includes work with national and international organizations who value arts, culture, and community. Throughout her career, Addlesperger has worked to foster engagement with arts and culture at Umbra Institute, an American school in Perugia, Italy; the national headquarters of Eataly USA in New York City; and The Sheridan Press. A 2023 graduate of the Leadership Wyoming program, she currently serves on the boards of Wyoming Arts Alliance, WYO Performing Arts and Education Center, Bighorn Arts Collective, and Sheridan County Travel and Tourism. Addlesperger lives in Sheridan with her husband and their three-year-old daughter. “I feel incredibly fortunate to support contemporary artists from around the world, while living in the beautiful corner of Wyoming where I grew up,” Addlesperger said. “It’s an honor to take on this role to help usher in the next chapter of Ucross alongside Bill Belcher, our Board of Trustees, and our staff. We are energized for the future as we work to sustain and grow our residency program, further connect to our ranch, and engage our local and national communities.” As Residency Director, Shuler is charged with maintaining and developing artistic and programmatic excellence at Ucross. Shuler brings her experience as a former artist-in-residence at Ucross — as well as Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts and Jentel — to the leadership team. She joined the staff as Residency Manager in January 2022 and has been instrumental in supporting the 115-plus international writers, visual artists, composers, and choreographers who travel to Ucross for uninterrupted time and space. Born on a ranch in Wyoming, Shuler was enticed to paint and draw early on by the art of western painters Frederick Remington and Charlie Russell. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana, Missoula, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from Arizona State University. Shuler has since served as the Programming Director for the Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana, an Assistant Professor in Watermedia at Utah Valley University, an Instructor of Art at Sheridan College, and Media Specialist for the Arizona Natural History Association. She is currently creating artwork for a solo exhibition at Sheridan College that will open September 19, 2024. "I have been so happy to be back home, where I am inspired by the innovative works being done on the wide-open plains of Wyoming,” Shuler said. “Magic happens when creative minds are given the gift of solitude, community, and space that Ucross provides." Since 1983, Ucross has provided more than 2,700 residencies to distinguished fellows such as Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Ricky Ian Gordon, 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, recent Pulitzer Prize winners Michael R. Jackson and Colson Whitehead, and three-term United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. A public component of the mission, the Ucross Art Gallery presents the artwork of former artists-in-residence through exhibitions guest curated by alumni or outstanding contemporary artists and arts administrators. Currently on view is Celebrating Complexities, featuring recent recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists, through May 17. The gallery and onsite café, located at 30 Big Red Lane, are open with free admission Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more about Ucross here. Ucross and Houston Ballet announced today the inaugural recipient of the Lauren Anderson Dance Residency at Ucross: Jack Wolff of Houston, Texas. In July, Wolff, a choreographer and dancer in company at Houston Ballet, will experience two weeks of uninterrupted time and space at Ucross, the acclaimed artist residency program on a 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming. Wolff will be joined by fellow Houston Ballet dancers Aoi Fujiwara of Osaka, Japan, and Eric Best of Indianapolis, Indiana, with whom he will collaborate on his choreographic project. During his Ucross residency, Wolff hopes to “create and explore movement inspired by events from my own life: modern-day issues within family dynamics, such as infidelity and divorce,” he said. “I will be using Rachmaninoff Piano Suites, which have such drama and have augmented my inspiration for the work. I will be working with one male dancer and one female dancer, who will be asked to explore classical ballet language, gritty contemporary movement, and more. “I’m excited to find the relationship between the dancers, the music, and ideas of familial issues,” Wolff continued. “These modern conflicts have become more common in society, and I find it important to bring representation of such events to the ballet stage.” Wolff joined Houston Ballet as an apprentice in 2018 and is currently a demi soloist after his promotion in winter 2022. Wolff started his training at Precision Dance Academy, Houston METtoos, and Houston Ballet Summer Intensives. In 2015, he moved to New York City to train at American Ballet Theatre’s JKO School on full scholarship. While living in New York, Wolff was awarded Young Arts winner in Tap, represented the JKO School at ABT at Prix de Lausanne, and at 16 years old made his professional debut in Bulgaria as a guest artist with iMEE, a company under the direction of Spencer Gavin Hering and Andrea Dawn Shelley. Since being in the company at Houston Ballet, Wolff has worked with respected choreographers such as Arthur Pita, Justin Peck, Azure Barton, Disha Zhang, and Trey McIntyre. In 2022, Wolff performed in McIntyre’s world premiere of Pretty Things and had his principal role debut as Peter in McIntyre’s Peter Pan. Wolff has also been invited to choreograph for both Houston Ballet II and the Houston Ballet main company. He had his choreographic premiere with his piece PIEL in May 2022. “We look forward to welcoming Jack Wolff, as well as participating dancers Aoi Fujiwara and Eric Best, for the first Lauren Anderson Dance Residency at Ucross,” said Ucross President William Belcher. “It has been an honor to work with Lauren Anderson and the Houston Ballet to organize this partnership, which nurtures choreographers and performers by giving them time, free of distractions, in our stunning new dance studio and performance space.”
Awarded annually, the fellowship includes exclusive access to the Lauren Anderson Dance Studio in the Koehler Performing Arts Center, which opened in December 2022 as part of Ucross’s 40th Anniversary. The state-of-the-art studio features large accordion-style doors that open onto a concrete patio, allowing artists to cross between the sprung-floor dance studio and the open air. A green room and second-story observation room are also part of the 2,200 square-foot performing arts center. In addition to the private studio space, the fellowship includes living accommodations for the recipient and all collaborators, meals by a professional chef, staff support, a stipend, and the unparalleled experience of the High Plains on Ucross’s ranch. The fellowship and dance studio are named for Lauren Anderson, the first Black principal ballerina at Houston Ballet. Anderson performed leading roles across the world to great critical acclaim from 1983 to 2006. Today, she conducts master classes and gives lectures for Houston Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement program. Anderson will continue to help select recipients of the residency named in her honor. “Excited doesn't begin to describe it: I am thrilled to announce Jack Wolff as the first fellow in residence at Ucross,” Anderson said. “His creativity and commitment to having art reflect life promises an inspiring fusion of movement and emotion. This residency marks a significant milestone in fostering artistic expression and collaboration between Ucross and Houston Ballet, and I am honored to have my name on this residency." The Lauren Anderson Dance Residency at Ucross is fully funded, thanks to a generous donation by Deborah and Edward Koehler and the Raymond Plank Philanthropy Fund (RPPF). That endowed fund gift provides funding for an annual Houston Ballet residency at Ucross in perpetuity, strengthening the bond between Ucross, Wyoming, and Houston, Texas, by connecting Ucross to one of the largest and most influential ballet companies in the United States. To elevate the Ucross experience for dancers, choreographers, performers, and collaborative groups, Deborah Koehler, executive director of the RPPF and former Ucross Foundation trustee, also provided a leadership gift to support the construction of the studio and performing arts space in 2022. Ucross Art Gallery announces today the opening of Celebrating Complexities, on view from February 12 through May 17. The exhibition features art by the 2022 and 2023 recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists, including Gerald Clarke (Cahuilla Band of Indians) of Anza, California; Savannah LeCornu (Tsimshian, Haida, and Nez Perce) of Bellingham, Washington; Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota Nation) of State College, Pennsylvania; and Cara Romero (Chemehuevi Indian Tribe) of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Celebrating Complexities showcases the work of four talented artists who work across many different mediums, including photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, beading, quillwork, and basketmaking. Hailing from diverse backgrounds, geographies, and tribal affiliations, they are at different stages in their careers. Each artist explores and celebrates complex ideas in their work, looking at the specific to elucidate the universal. They emphasize their connections to their families, their ancestors, and their communities, presenting an Indigenous worldview that encompasses the past, the present, and the future. They are reclaiming materials and techniques, narratives and identities, and their work tells rich contemporary stories about people and cultures that are vital and thriving. The exhibition is guest curated by Brenda Mallory (Cherokee Nation) of Portland, Oregon, a recipient of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists in 2018, the first year of the program. “I’m honored to come back now to curate this exhibition of works by these recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists,” Mallory said. “Having the opportunity to study their work closely, to listen to their public talks, to delve deeper into their thinking and motivations has been enriching and gratifying. It makes me appreciate anew what Ucross can provide to Native artists.” Launched in 2018, the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists was designed to support the work of contemporary Native American visual artists at all stages in their professional careers. Each year, two artists are selected and presented with a four-week Ucross residency, which includes uninterrupted time, a private studio, living accommodations, meals prepared by a professional chef, staff support, and the unparalleled experience of the majestic High Plains. The fellowship also includes the opportunity to be featured in an exhibition at the Ucross Art Gallery and a $2,000 award. “I am grateful to Ucross not only for creating the Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists and for the opportunity it affords these artists to advance their themes and careers, but also the opportunity for us, the viewers who see the work, to broaden our own thinking and worldview through their considerations and creations,” Mallory said. Celebrating Complexities is on view at the Ucross Art Gallery, located at 30 Big Red Lane in Clearmont, Wyoming, through May 17. Admission is free. The exhibition is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. Additional exhibition support is provided by the Arete Design Group and the Wyoming Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming Legislature. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The onsite Ucross Café, which offers coffee, tea, and freshly baked pastries by the Ucross artist residency chef, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Friday, May 3, Ucross will present an artist talk at Sheridan College’s Kinnison Hall at 11 a.m. (registration here), as well as an exhibition reception at the Ucross Art Gallery at 6 p.m. (free tickets here). Both events will be free and open to the public. After the exhibition departs the Ucross Art Gallery, Celebrating Complexities will travel to the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana, where it will be on view from June 21 to October 6, 2024. For more information, visit ucross.org. This week, Ucross launched its spring session, welcoming its first group of artists-in-residence in 2024. From February through early June, 62 artists — writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers, and interdisciplinary artists — will receive residencies at the renowned program, which is located on a 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming.
“We are honored to support these exceptional artists and their work,” said Ucross President William Belcher. “Our program continues to be a beacon for artists from around the country, and we look forward to providing each of them with open space and uninterrupted time.” Notable Ucross Fellows this session include famed jazz drummer, composer, producer, and educator Terri Lyne Carrington of Woburn, Massachusetts; PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author Alyssa Songsiridej of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; painter Margaret Curtis of Tryon, North Carolina; and performance artist Sharon Mashihi of Brooklyn, New York. Fellowships range from two to six weeks, with a maximum of 10 artists in residence at one time. Ucross Fellows receive a private studio, living accommodations, meals by a professional chef, and the unparalleled experience of the majestic High Plains. The residency is fully funded and includes a stipend to defray expenses. Ucross has two open calls each year. This session’s roster includes general Ucross residents selected from 635 applicants by an independent jury of artists and leaders in the field, as well as the 2024 recipients of the Ucross Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers. In addition, several artists will join the program through partnerships with esteemed national organizations, including the PEN/Hemingway Award, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, University of Houston, and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. The artists will travel to Ucross from 21 states, as well as Canada and Poland. The Spring 2024 Ucross Fellows are: LITERATURE Brittany Allen; Fiction; Brooklyn, NY Jeffery Allen; Nonfiction; Chicago, IL Judith Baumel; Poetry; Bronx, NY Mahogany Browne; Fiction; Brooklyn, NY Samantha Burns; Fiction; Moscow, ID Joseph Campana; Poetry; Houston, TX Wah-Ming Chang; Fiction; Brooklyn, NY Marissa Chibás; Screenwriting; Los Angeles, CA Alice Crow; Poetry/ Nonfiction; Anchorage, AK Adam Giannelli; Poetry; West Lafayette, IN Coco Harris; Screenwriting; Greenville, SC Ariel Katz; Fiction; Houston, TX Andrea Kleine; Fiction; Craryville, NY Su-Yee Lin; Fiction; Lake Grove, NY Tamara J. Madison; Poetry; Orlando, FL Catharine Murray; Nonfiction; South Portland, ME Yxta Maya Murray; Fiction; Studio City, CA Dominika Prejdova; Fiction; Warsaw, Poland Carina del Valle Schorske; Nonfiction; Brooklyn, NY Alyssa Songsiridej; Fiction; Philadelphia, PA Héctor Tobar; Fiction; Los Angeles, CA Judy Tuwaletstiwa; Fiction; Galisteo, NM Phillip Tuwaletstiwa; Fiction; Galisteo, NM Ethelene Whitmire; Nonfiction; Madison, WI Sherry Wong; Playwriting; Alberta, CAN MUSIC/DANCE/PERFORMANCE Keren Abreu; Music Composition; Brooklyn, NY Saif Alsaegh; Performance Art/Video; Anaheim, CA Lora-Faye Åshuvud; Music Composition; Brooklyn, NY Terri Lyne Carrington; Music Composition; Woburn, MA Steve Jansen; Music Composition; Albuquerque, NM Mauriah Donegan Kraker; Dance; Appleton, WI Soo Jin Lyuh; Music Composition; Los Angeles, CA Sharon Mashihi; Performance Art; Brooklyn, NY Hayden Pedigo; Music Composition; Amarillo, TX Kurt Stallmann; Music Composition; Houston, TX Yuhan Su; Music Composition; Brooklyn, NY Matthew Williams; Dance; Baltimore, MD Aja Burrell Wood; Curator; Boston, MA VISUAL ARTS Jason Brown; Sculpture; Knoxville, TN Jinseok Choi; Mixed Media/Installation; Carson, CA Margaret Curtis; Painting; Tryon, NC Jeremy Dennis; Photography; Southampton, NY Sean Downey; Painting; Fairfield, IA Roxanne Everett; Painting/Mixed Media; Seattle, WA Holly Fay; Drawing; Saskatchewan, CAN Cameron Elizabeth Harvey; Painting; Los Angeles, CA Christopher Paul Jordan; Painting; Tacoma, WA Brad Kahlhamer; Mixed Media/Print/ Draw/Paint/Sculpture; New York, NY Debbi Kenote; Painting; Brooklyn, NY Delvin Lugo; Painting; New York, NY Magnus Maxine; Painting/Sculpture; Pasadena, CA Siobhan McClure; Painting; Los Angeles, CA Michael Pribich; Drawing/Film/Video; New York, NY Cara Romero; Photography; Santa Fe, NM Gail Spaien; Painting; South Portland, ME Steven Yazzie; Painting; Denver, CO INTERDISCIPLINARY Alex Arzt; Interdisciplinary; Oakland, CA Liz Ferrer; Interdisciplinary; Miami, FL James May; Interdisciplinary; New Orleans, LA Paul Outlaw; Interdisciplinary; Los Angeles, CA Joe Seely; Interdisciplinary; Altadena, CA Bow Ty; Interdisciplinary; Miami, FL The public will have an opportunity to explore the studios and work of the final cohort of artists during Ucross Founder’s Day on June 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, more than 2,700 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. Learn more about Ucross here. Ucross Foundation is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a total of $91,000 in grants to support its acclaimed artist residency program and gallery from institutions including the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as Ruth Foundation for the Arts, The Ford Family Foundation, and Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced Wednesday that it has approved Ucross for a Grant for Arts Project in the amount of $15,000. This grant will allow Ucross to expand its Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers to include, for the first time, Native American Performers. The selected artist will receive uninterrupted time, studio space, staff support, meals by a professional chef, and the opportunity to perform their work publicly at a future event. This marks the fifth highly competitive grant Ucross has received from the NEA since its first award from the federal agency in 2020. “The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to Ucross, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.” In December, Ruth Foundation for the Arts awarded Ucross with a $50,000 Core Grant for general operating support. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ruth Arts is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs and lived experiences of artists, communities, and arts organizations whose work is anchored by visual arts, performing arts, and arts education. Ruth Arts grantmaking is focused on artist-centric organizations that have deeply influenced creative practices and contributed the national ecosystem of artmaking. Ucross also received $16,000 from The Ford Family Foundation (TFFF) to support residencies for mid-career visual artists from Oregon. TFFF is a nonprofit, private foundation headquartered in Roseburg, Oregon. Ucross and TFFF have partnered since 2013, providing the Ucross experience to more than 30 Oregon-based artists in that time. The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund awarded Ucross with $10,000 to support the next exhibition at the Ucross Art Gallery, Celebrating Complexities, which features work from four recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists. The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund serves the citizens of Wyoming by supporting Wyoming’s culture and heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation and protection of the state’s arts, cultural, and historic resources. “We’re honored that these inspiring institutions have recognized Ucross’s commitment to building a community for artists over the past 40 years,” said Ucross President William Belcher. “These grants will support our mission to provide artists with time and space to focus on the creative process, as well as share their artwork with our surrounding community.” Learn more about Ucross here. |