UCROSS HOSTS RECEPTION FOR ‘AMERICAN MEMORY’

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.