SNAPSHOT OF OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Ucross has had a remarkable year. We provided uninterrupted time to more than 140 artists, served as a responsible steward of our 20,000-acre ranch, and expanded access to the arts to our community. Throughout it all, we celebrated our anniversary, fostered the creative spirit, honored our past, and prepared for the future, most notably by entering the final stage of our $5 million comprehensive 40th Anniversary Campaign.

​JOY HARJO​

We kicked off our 40th Anniversary with the great Joy Harjo (Muscogee/Creek), three-term U.S. Poet Laureate and acclaimed musician. Joy received the Ucross Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts during her performance at the iconic WYO Theater in Sheridan, Wyoming.

​DANCE STUDIO​

We welcomed the first-ever residents of the Lauren Anderson Dance Studio in the Koehler Performing Arts Center, constructed as part of the 40th Anniversary Campaign. The 2,200-foot center includes a sprung-floor dance studio that opens onto a concrete patio, a green room, a private restroom, and an observation room.

​NATIONAL GRANTS & PARTNERSHIPS​

We were awarded institutional funding from grantmakers, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Wyoming Arts Council, The Ford Family Foundation, Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, and Amazon Literary Partnership. We also forged new partnerships with Houston Ballet and LatinX Playwrights Circle to better serve working artists from all backgrounds.

FOUNDER'S DAY​

Artists opened their studios to the community during the second annual Ucross Founder's Day. Throughout the afternoon, visitors explored our grounds, picnicked on the lawn, and enjoyed music performed by Wyoming Symphony Orchestra and Möbius Strings.

​UCROSS SYMPOSIUM​

At the conclusion of the Native American Art Curatorial Convening, a historic three-year gathering at Ucross of many of the nation's leading Native art curators, we presented the Ucross Symposium: Curating Native American Art at the Denver Art Museum, funded in part by The Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts.

​NEW STAFF​

We welcomed key new staff, including Residency Manager Tawni Shuler and Chef Jackie Vitale, as well as new team members in maintenance, programs, and external relations. After the residency session ended earlier this month, our staff and trustees gathered to toast the team.

​UCROSS ART GALLERY​

The Ucross Art Gallery, majorly renovated as part of the 40th Anniversary campaign, presented three exhibitions with alumni artwork: Time, Mark, Memory: Ucross at 40; Field Guide: Teresa Baker + Anthony Hudson + Jessica Mehta + Eliza Naranjo Morse; and The Shape of Time: 16 Photographers and Their Creative Paths.

​UCROSS CAFE​

We opened the new Ucross Café in the Ucross Art Gallery. The café offers beverages featuring espresso by Snake River Roasting Company from Jackson, Wyoming, and freshly baked pastries by Chef Jackie Vitale, sharing her culinary artistry with guests beyond the residency program.

​ALUMNI NEWS​

We further championed our artists after their residencies with Ucross Alumni News. Shared with the public, incoming artists, and trustees, these bulletins celebrate our former residents' latest performances, films, releases, publications, exhibitions, awards, and other accomplishments.

​UCROSS ARTS FESTIVAL​

The Ucross Arts Festival presented Ucross alumni The Sea The Sea and Wyoming band The Two Tracks to a packed audience in The Park at Ucross, as well as the exhibition opening for The Shape of Time at the Ucross Art Gallery. The event was part of Celebrate the Arts, a series in partnership with local arts organizations.

​40th ANNIVERSARY GALAS​

We hosted two major fundraising events, which together raised $1+ million to support our mission. The Wyoming gala honored Governor Mark Gordon and Jim Nelson and kicked off Wyoming Arts and Humanities Month. The Houston gala honored Scott Sheffield. Both featured Ucross alumni and partners.

​RANCH SUPPORT​

Our 20,000-acre property remains a working cattle ranch that is managed holistically. More than half is in a conservation easement through The Nature Conservancy. This year, we broke ground on a living snow fence, which includes the planting of hundreds of trees, in partnership with TNC and Sheridan County Conservation District.

​CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION​

Just two weeks ago, we welcomed more than 500 community members to the Raymond Plank Center for the 11th annual Ucross Community Christmas Celebration. The program featured a performance by Ucross alumnus Dave Munsick, a reading by Craig Johnson, carols by a Buffalo choir, fireworks, and more. Watch the video.

​RESIDENCY PROGRAM​

And most important of all? We provided residencies to more than 140 visual and interdisciplinary artists, writers, composers, and choreographers from across the world, including recipients of the Ucross Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers. All fellowships are fully funded and include a stipend.

Thanks to our commitment to artists and the creative process, Ucross has become one of the most sought-after and relevant residency programs. And your support has made this all possible.

We hope that you will consider including Ucross in your year-end giving and help us conclude our 40th Anniversary Campaign with a flourish. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on individual donations to support each artist's residency, which costs approximately $12,000.

Your tax-deductible gift will also help us serve as a cultural resource for our local and national communities by supporting free access to exceptional exhibitions, performances, artist workshops, author talks, and other programs.

Every donation, at any amount, counts toward our 40th Anniversary. Every gift matters. Help us ring in the next 40 years.

Thank you. We wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!

The last artist dinner of 2023 with, from left: Bean Gilsdorf, Tracey Cockrell, Jane Wong, Ann Carlson, Mary Ellen Strom, Jacob Hochard, Axl Kumar Tamang, Keri Ataumbi, and Matthew Aquilone