Sixteen hours shy of the Kickstarter deadline, Ucross, an artist residency nonprofit in northern Wyoming, exceeded its goal in its first crowdfunding campaign and raised $44,179 for The Ucross Cookbook: Cooking for Artists on a Wyoming Ranch by Tuesday morning. 

“Kickstarter has an all-or-nothing protocol, so if we had not received the full amount by 7:45 a.m. on the dot today, we would not have been able to keep any of the funds we had raised,” said Sharon Dynak, Ucross president and executive director. “We are grateful to the 261 backers across the country who believed in our cookbook project.”

The Ucross Cookbook will feature the most popular recipes by Cindy Brooks, the artist residency program’s longtime chef. Brooks worked with acclaimed novelist and cookbook author Cree LeFavour, a New York City-based Ucross alumna, to transcribe her recipes and stories from more than a decade of cooking for artists. 

The book will be seasoned with creative essays by 10 additional Ucross alumni, mirroring the residents’ experience of sitting around a dinner table after a long day in the studio. The contributing artists include author Sigrid Nunez; writer, poet, and former chef Brendan Basham; visual artist Munson Hunt; composer and playwright Michael R. Jackson; choreographer Ann Carlson; playwright and screenwriter Doug Wright; investigative journalist and novelist Suki Kim; writer, multi-disciplinary composer, and performer Karma Mayet; operatic baritone Nathan Gunn; and novelist and nonfiction writer Judith Freeman. The book will also feature photographs of the Ucross grounds, located on a 20,000-acre working Wyoming ranch, captured across seasons by photographer and Ucross alumna Martirene Alcántara.

“The Ucross Cookbook will really give the reader a taste of life at our artist residency program,” Dynak said. “We feel fortunate to have been able to work with so many acclaimed former artists-in-residence to complete this project. And, thanks to the success of our Kickstarter campaign, we will be able to design and print a beautiful, hard-cover book and distribute it to readers across the country.”

The Ucross Cookbook is slated for publication by Ucross Foundation in December 2021.  Sign up for our email newsletters to receive the latest pre-order information.

Ucross, a prestigious artist residency program and creative laboratory for the arts, announced today the opening of a new temporary exhibition in the Raymond Plank Center, Narratives of the Possible: Artists’ Books, on view by appointment only.

The first book art show to be presented at Ucross, Narratives of the Possible: Artists’ Books, travels from the Laramie County Library System in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Mark E. Ritchie, professor of printmaking at the University of Wyoming and a former Ucross artist-in-residence, curated the mixed-media exhibition, which includes work by 20 artists.

“As you explore the pieces in the exhibit, I urge you to consider what makes a book,” Ritchie writes in his introduction. “Is it the physical object or the narrative it contains?”

The exhibition presents books in classic presentation, as well as scrolls, accordion structures, and other artful interpretations and deconstructions of the traditional book as an object. Visitors can also explore audio recordings, flip through colorful collaged pages, and create their own narratives by arranging film negatives on a light board. 
 
“We are delighted to share these unique creations with our greater community,” says Sharon Dynak, President and Executive Director of Ucross. “This surprising and thought-provoking exhibition is unlike anything Ucross has featured in the past. We are honored to be part of this statewide project.” 

In addition to Ritchie, contributing artists include Alicia Bailey of Colorado, Aleta Braun of New Mexico, Katie Christensen of Wyoming, Kayla Clark of Wyoming, Casey Gardner of California, Marine Lahaix of France, Joseph Lappie of Iowa, Maria Lee of Arizona, Lisa Lofgren of Illinois, Toni Mosley of New Zealand, Val Pexton of Wyoming, Marnie Powers-Torrey of Utah, Andrea Przygonski of Australia, Mark Ritchie of Wyoming, Nick Satinover of Tennessee, Marc Snyder of Pennsylvania, Sue Sommers of Wyoming, Louise Taylor of the United Kingdom, Cerese Vaden of Arizona, and Ian van Coller of Montana.

The exhibition is supported in part by the Wyoming Arts Council through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Narratives of the Possible: Artists’ Books is open Monday through Friday by appointment only, with free admission, through October 27. The exhibition is located in the Raymond Plank Center, a community space situated at the intersection of Highways 14 and 16 East in Ucross.

​To schedule an appointment, prospective visitors may email info@ucross.org or call 307-737-2291.

Ucross, a prestigious artist residency program in northern Wyoming, announced the forthcoming publication of “The Ucross Cookbook: Cooking for Artists on a Wyoming Ranch.” 

The cookbook will feature the most popular recipes of Ucross Chef Cindy Brooks, who has served Ucross artists for over 12 years. Brooks, a California native, owned her own restaurant in Bozeman, Montana, before she brought her culinary prowess to Ucross in 2009. 

Brooks’s coauthor of the cookbook was Ucross alumna Cree LeFavour. LeFavour, who lives in New Orleans, is a novelist, memoirist and the author of several cookbooks, including the James Beard Award finalist “Fish.” 

“Cindy’s cooking is an art form,” Ucross President and Executive Director Sharon Dynak said. “Our artists have been begging Cindy to share her ‘secret recipes’ for years. And — because we are all about art in all forms — this is going to be much more than a cookbook. It will be a true celebration of Cindy’s creative thinking, a tribute to our resident artists and a look at our extraordinary High Plains setting.”

As Joy Harjo — U.S. Poet Laureate and a Ucross alumna — wrote, “The imagination finds refreshment in lands rich with plants and creatures of all kinds. Ucross is rich in spirit food.”

In addition to exploring the recipes, readers will enjoy a taste of the cultural experience of ten artists sitting around the communal Ucross dinner table at the end of a long day in the studio. Ten acclaimed former Ucross artists-in-residence have written brief essays for the cookbook, including author Sigrid Nunez; visual artist Munson Hunt; choreographer Ann Carlson; playwright and screenwriter Doug Wright; writer and former chef Brendan Basham; multi-disciplinary writer, composer and performer Karma Mayet; operatic baritone Nathan Gunn; novelist and investigative journalist Suki Kim; composer and playwright Michael R. Jackson; and novelist and nonfiction writer Judith Freeman.

“The Ucross Cookbook” is slated for publication in December 2021, but it is dependent on public participation in The Ucross Cookbook campaign on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform for creative projects. The fundraiser goal is $40,000, which will cover the costs of photography, printing and design by Radius Books, among other expenses. Contributors will receive thank-you gifts ranging from a signed copy of the cookbook to a dinner for six prepared by Brooks. Following Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing model, if the full amount is not raised by September 14, then Ucross will receive none of the donations. 

“We are glad to welcome the public into this creative project,” Dynak said. “We know that this cookbook will be a beautiful bookshelf addition, for both Ucross alumni and those just getting to know the organization.”

More information on “The Ucross Cookbook” and Kickstarter campaign is available at ucross.org.

Ucross, a prestigious artist residency program and creative laboratory for the arts, announced today its Fall 2021 Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers. The two awards represent Ucross’s commitment to supporting contemporary Native American art and voices.

Novelist Brandon Hobson lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he is assistant professor of English at New Mexico State University.  He also teaches at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. Interdisciplinary artist Jessica Mehta, currently based in Exeter, England, is completing a PhD at the University of Exeter. She was recently awarded a 2021/2022 Fulbright U.S. Scholar award in Bangalore, India. Both Fellows are enrolled citizens of the Cherokee (Aniyunwiya) Nation.

Hobson and Mehta will each receive residencies that include uninterrupted time, studio space, and living accommodations on Ucross’s 20,000-acre ranch at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. Each Fellow is awarded a $2,000 stipend, as well as opportunities to present their work publicly, at Ucross or elsewhere.

“We are honored to award our Native American Fellowships for Writers and Visual Artists to Brandon and Jessica,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Sharon Dynak. “These two accomplished artists have shown excellence and great dedication to their craft. We are thrilled to be able to support each of them with the gift of uninterrupted time, and to welcome them to Ucross this fall.”

Hobson’s most recent novel is The Removed, published to high praise earlier this year by Ecco Press. His previous novel, Where the Dead Sit Talking, was a finalist for the National Book Award, winner of the Reading the West Book Award and longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Award. He is also the author of Desolation of Avenues Untold and Deep Ellum. At Ucross, he plans to work on a book that will be published by Scholastic. His writing has won a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in many journals, including McSweeney’s and Conjunctions.

Mehta is the recipient of a 2021 GLEAN: Portland award and Regional Arts and Culture Council Make/Learn/Build award and is the upcoming poet in residence at Hugo House in Seattle. In 2020, she was a First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Fellow. She has two books releasing this year, When We Talk of Stolen Sisters (Not a Pipe Publishing) and Antipodes (New Rivers Press). Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries, including Carnation Contemporary Gallery in Portland and the International Print Center in New York. While completing her PhD in Literature at the University of Exeter, she serves as a post-graduate researcher at the largest Victorian Centre in England, the first Native American to hold this position.

Live bluegrass, food trucks, art giveaways — Ucross Foundation is hosting its first-ever festival on Sunday, Aug. 22, from 4-6:30 p.m. 

As part of Sheridan County’s Celebrate the Arts series, Music in the Park will be a free, family-friendly event held throughout the artist residency campus. 

The afternoon will feature live music by acclaimed bluegrass musicians Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger, and Sharon Gilchrist. Popular Sheridan-based singer-songwriter Sarah Sample will give the opening performance. The concert will be held at the Park at Ucross.

The festival will also include art giveaways and gallery tours in the iconic Big Red Barn.

Event schedule:

At 4 p.m., drive straight to the art giveaway in the iconic Big Red Barn, where you can select a piece from our archive, free of charge! Then, tour the Ucross Art Gallery's summer exhibition, American Memory: Inside Out.

Then, at 4:45 p.m., head to The Park at Ucross for the bluegrass/folk concert featuring Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger, and Sharon Gilchrist with Sarah Sample.

Notes for guests:

• Bonafide will be onsite with their food truck's refreshments available for purchase. You are also welcome to bring your own picnic.
• Plan to bring blankets and camp chairs.
• Please carpool with your household, as parking will be limited.

The Park at Ucross is located at the intersection of Highways 14 and 16 East in Ucross. The Big Red Barn is located at 30 Big Red Lane, a half-mile east of the intersection.
​
ABOUT THE MUSICIANS
Grammy Award-winning musician Laurie Lewis is internationally renowned as a singer, songwriter, fiddler, bandleader, producer and educator. She was a founding member of the Good Ol’ Persons and the Grant Street String Band and has performed and recorded since 1986 with her musical partner, mandolinist Tom Rozum. Lewis has twice been voted “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association and has won the respect and admiration of her peers. She is a Ucross Fellow.

Fiddler, composer, producer and educator Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent. Exceptional among modern fiddlers for his versatility and depth, Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous path-breaking ensembles, such as his Republic of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, his Duo with Mike Marshall and others. He has performed and taught all over the world with musicians such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Bela Fleck, Bill Evans, the Detroit Symphony and many more. Anger is a Ucross Fellow.

Sharon Gilchrist has long made her home in the American traditional acoustic music scene. Whether she's playing mandolin or upright bass, singing a traditional ballad or performing original material, you hear an artist steeped in traditional Appalachian music relaying those sounds through her own diversified musical lens. Gilchrist has performed with Darol Anger, the Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet, Scott Nygaard and John Reischman, Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, Uncle Earl, The Kathy Kallick Band, Bill Evans, Scott Law & the Bluegrass Dimension and the Ger Mandolin Orchestra directed by Mike Marshall. She is currently based in the Bay Area of northern California.

Sarah Sample is an award-winning songwriter with a “raw, graceful voice” (Salt Lake City Weekly) and beautiful songs that weave a trail of stories through folk, Americana and country and have garnered comparisons to Sheryl Crow, The Weepies and Bonnie Raitt. Sample has played several prominent festivals, including Merlefest, Cayamo, Folks Fest, Sisters, Telluride and Kerrville. She has also warmed up stages for artists such as Darrell Scott, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Marketa Irglova, and Over the Rhine. Sample lives in Sheridan with her husband and two daughters.

Local art lovers are invited to a free reception for American Memory: Inside Out, the latest exhibition in the Ucross Art Gallery, on Friday, July 30, from 5-7 p.m.
 
The exhibition features work by former Ucross artists-in-residence Monica J. Brown of Chicago, Bill Will of Portland, and Sheridan’s own Brittney Denham-Whisonant. Curated by Ucross Program Director Tracey Kikut, the 31 works in the exhibition explore the idea of collective memory, offering a cross-section of Americana through a variety of expression, including sculptural work, quilted textiles, photo-collage and mixed media. The exhibition will be on view through Aug. 27.
 
Held in Ucross’s iconic Big Red Barn, the reception will include gallery walk-throughs, complimentary food and drink, and the opportunity to meet one of the featured artists, the local Denham-Whisonant. Joined virtually by Brown, the Ucross alum will also guide workshops with students of the Wyoming Girls School in the days leading up to the event.
 
The Ucross Art Gallery is located at 30 Big Red Lane, a half-mile east of the intersection of Highways 14 and 16 East in Ucross.
 
About the artists
Brittney Denham-Whisonant is a multidisciplinary artist, born in California and raised in Wyoming. She earned an MFA at The Ohio State University, and she is currently Gallery Director and Assistant Professor of Photography and Printmaking at Sheridan College. Her work has been exhibited nationally. Recent exhibitions include The Arrival: Works by Brittney Denham at COS Gallery in Visalia, California; Everything is Different Now at Stay Home Gallery in Paris, Tennessee; and Woman’s Work at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana. She lives in Sheridan, Wyoming.
 
Monica J. Brown explores memory, history, and personal mythology through visual art, sound, movement, writing, and performance. She has exhibited nationally and internationally; created murals with Chicago’s Hubbard Street Mural Project and Detroit’s Live6 Neighborhood Arts Project; and performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Prop Theatre, and the Columbus Performing Arts Center. In addition to Ucross, she has attended residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Ragdale, and the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony. Brown earned a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and an MA from Columbia College Chicago. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
 
Bill Will is a conceptual sculptor and installation artist whose work is known for its focus on contemporary social and political issues. In 2005, The Art Gym at Marylhurst University featured a 25-year mid-career retrospect of his work, and in 2006, he was awarded the 15th Bonnie Bronson Fellowship, which is an award made to outstanding artists living and working in the Pacific Northwest. In 2017, the Hoffman Gallery of Contemporary Art at Lewis & Clark College presented Fun House, a site-specific exhibition of installations and sculpture created by Will between 2005 and 2017. In addition, Will has completed more than 30 public art commissions. He is a Professor Emeritus at Oregon College of Art and Craft. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Ucross, WY (June 23, 2021) — Ucross is pleased to welcome two new employees to its full-time staff, Randy Rosalez and Caitlin Addlesperger.

Rosalez joins the Ucross team as the business manager, bringing with him more than 30 years of accounting experience. Rosalez grew up in the Sheridan area before attending the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he obtained an accounting degree. Early in his career, he moved to Casper, where he became a Certified Public Accountant and specialized in nonprofit and government auditing, as well as tax accounting. For the last 20 years, he has worked as a private controller, largely for energy companies in Casper and Denver.  
 
“I am excited to return to my roots, both living near the Bighorn Mountains and working in the nonprofit sector,” Rosalez said. “And I am equally humbled and happy to now be part of the Ucross family.”
 
Addlesperger joins Ucross as the communications and special events manager. She grew up in Sheridan and attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where she obtained a degree in modern languages and literature. Over the next decade, she worked in marketing for Umbra Institute, an American school in Perugia, Italy; the national headquarters of Eataly USA in New York City; and, most recently, The Sheridan Press, where she was director of special projects. Addlesperger serves on the boards of the WYO Theater and the Civic Theatre Guild, is a member of AAUW, and teaches the occasional Italian cooking class at Verdello. She lives in Sheridan with her husband and three-month-old daughter.
 
“I have always admired Ucross and its mission to provide artists with uninterrupted time in the place I love most—Wyoming,” Addlesperger said. “Ucross’s contribution to arts and culture are invaluable, as are the effects that the organization has had on our own local community through world-class programs and events. Now, I am thrilled to help spread the word about the artist residency program and its impact.”
 
“We are very pleased to have these two talented professionals join our team,” said Sharon Dynak, Ucross’s president and executive director. “Ucross has grown so much over the years, in many exciting ways. We’re fortunate that Caitlin and Randy are bringing their expertise and enthusiasm to our vibrant organization. I especially like that they both have roots in Wyoming along with national and international experience.”

Ucross, WY — June 14, 2021 — ​Ucross today announced the establishment of a National Advisory Council. 

The council, which officially launched in 2020, is a distinguished group of Ucross alumni; supporters; and business leaders who share a commitment to the organization’s mission, financial sustainability, and vision for the future. Ucross President and Executive Director Sharon Dynak and the Board of Trustees personally invited Advisory Council members, who serve as advisors to program staff and ambassadors in key geographic regions, including New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and the areas of the Mountain West.  

"Serving on the council is a deeply meaningful honor for me,” said Gene Back, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and co-chair of the all-volunteer group. “Ucross transformed my artistic perspective when I was a resident. The council is one way for me to give back to an organization that nurtured my artistic journey with its unparalleled natural surroundings and supportive staff. There are few places on Earth that can match the magical atmosphere of Ucross, and that's something I want to share with the next generation of artists."

Among other duties, Ucross National Advisory Council members will help spread the word about the distinctive residency program, celebrate the significant achievements of alumni artists, and advise staff and board on trends in contemporary arts and letters. In addition, members will promote fellowship opportunities to artists across the country, with a particular emphasis on prospective applicants from underserved communities, including Indigenous artists who may apply to Ucross’s prestigious fellowships for Native American visual artists and writers.

“The continued success of our residency program is connected to the deep relationships we’ve created with our alumni artists, partners, and leaders in the field,” said Dynak. “Our National Advisory Council allows us to extend our reach to new disciplines, new geographic areas, and new audiences.” 

The Advisory Council has 21 members, with two co-chairs who rotate on a biannual basis. They share a common devotion to supporting Ucross, as well as an understanding of the importance of residency programs to the artistic process.

“I am honored to serve on the National Advisory Council, as I am inspired by the extraordinary talent of the artists, writers, and performers the program supports,” said Christie Davis, Major Gift Officer of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. “Ucross provides a nurturing and vast environment where creative people flourish. It is a vital part of the arts ecosystem.”

2021 National Advisory Council members include: 

• Martirene Alcántara, Visual Artist, Mexico City, Mexico; New York, NY
• Gene Back (Co-Chair), Composer, Multi-Instrumentalist, Los Angeles, CA
• Christine Castro, Consultant, Santa Fe, NM
• Christie Davis, Major Gifts Officer, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
• Carolyn Eason, Former Ucross Trustee, Santa Fe, NM
• Judith Freeman, Writer, Fairfield, ID; Los Angeles, CA
• Mary Garland, Former Ucross Trustee and President of the John P. Ellbogen Foundation, Laramie, WY
• Andrea Hanley, Chief Curator at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, NM
• Anthony Hernandez, Visual Artist, Fairfield, ID; Los Angeles, CA
• Steve Jimenez (Co-Chair), Writer, Producer, Santa Fe, NM; New York, NY
• Rainey Knudson, Writer, Editor, Founder of Glasstire, Houston, TX
• Karen Kitchel, Visual Artist, Ventura, CA
• Josh Kun, Writer, Curator, Music Critic, Professor in Cross-Cultural Communication, USC Annenberg School for Communications, Pasadena, CA
• T. Allen (Tim) Lawson, Visual Artist, Sheridan, WY
• Gerald Peters, Gallerist, Santa Fe, NM; Jackson, WY; New York, NY
• John Ryan, Partner, Seward & Kissel LLP, New York, NY
• Elissa Schappell, Writer, Editor, Brooklyn, NY
• Lawrence Schiller, Photojournalist, Producer, Director, President of the Norman Mailer Center, Newtown, PA
• Louise Steinman, Writer, Artist, Literary Curator, Los Angeles, CA
• Josette Urso, Visual Artist, Brooklyn, NY
• Nina Wiener, Editor-in-Chief, Mayo Clinic Press, New York, NY

Ucross, WY (May 4, 2021) — Today, Ucross announced that the 2021 Raymond Plank-University of Houston Creative Writing Fellow is poet Niki Herd. The fellowship, named in honor of Ucross’s founder, provides a four-week residency and stipend to one writer each year. Herd is receiving uninterrupted time, studio space, and living accommodations on Ucross’s 20,000-acre ranch at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains.
 
The Raymond Plank-University of Houston Creative Writing Fellowship at Ucross, established in 2019, was made possible by the vision and generosity of the Raymond Plank Philanthropy Fund, and Deborah and Ed Koehler of Houston.
 
“As one of the nation’s preeminent artist residency programs, the quality of the partnerships we have with academic institutions, artistic programs, theatres, and awards enhances our relationship with both established and emerging artists,” said Sharon Dynak, President and Executive Director of Ucross. “Niki’s talents are vast, and she is a welcome addition to our 2021 spring season.”
 
Herd’s poems have appeared in Tupelo Quarterly, Lit Hub, The Rumpus, Obsidian, and the Academy of American Poets’ “Poem-a-Day” project, among other journals and anthologies. Her work has been supported by the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and Cave Canem. She is the author of The Language of Shedding Skin and co-editor of Laura Hershey: On the Life & Work of an American Master, which features the poetry of and critical essays about disability activist Laura Hershey. Herd is currently at work on a prose meditation on memory, gender, and the act of speaking, as well as a collection of poems about violence in America. She is an Inprint C. Glenn Cambor Fellow of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Houston. Herd was recently selected to serve as the 2021-2022 Visiting Writer-in-Residence in Poetry at Washington University, St. Louis.
 
Raymond Plank (1922-2018) was a World War II veteran, business leader, and philanthropist. After graduating from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he formed Apache Corporation, which under his leadership became one of the world’s leading independent oil and gas companies. Recognizing that artists need creative space and time to produce their best work, Plank established Ucross Foundation in 1981. Ucross welcomed its first cohort of artists in 1983.
 
Since then, more than 2,500 artists have received residencies at Ucross, including such distinguished fellows as Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Ricky Ian Gordon, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez, and Tayari Jones. Recent 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 current United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.
 
Ucross participates in a number of partnerships with national organizations that enhance its ability to support outstanding individual artists with residencies. National partners include the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction, the Whiting Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, the Alley Theatre, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, and others. In 2020, along with the Yale School of Drama and the Yale School of Music, Ucross forged several exciting new partnerships with an array of high-profile creative forces in the United States, including the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Cave Canem, and The Blank Theatre (Los Angeles).