ART EXPRESS TO VISIT CARBON COUNTY MUSEUM

University of Wyoming Art Museum’s Traveling Exhibition comes to town

The University of Wyoming Art Museum exhibition  Avian Wildlife of the Northern Rockies: Prints by Hans Kleiber will be on view at The Carbon County Museum from August 5, 2008 to September 30, 2008.

Drawn from the University of Wyoming Art Museum's collection of more than 400 works by Hans Kleiber (1887–1967), Hans Kleiber: Avian Wildlife of the Northern Rockies conveys Kleiber's love of wildlife, and birds in particular. He had a special fondness for ducks, which he depicted more often than any other bird.

Born in Germany, Kleiber immigrated with his family to the United States in 1900 when he was thirteen years old. He arrived with an abiding love of the outdoors and a desire to see the wild terrain of the West. His opportunity came in 1907 when he took a job with the newly-formed U.S. Forest Service and relocated to Dayton, Wyoming. His work with the Forest Service took him all over the Northwest, from eastern Washington to the international boundary of northern Minnesota, a diverse and beautiful region that would eventually inspire his artwork.

Kleiber did not have any formal art training, however, in the 1920s, he learned printmaking to earn extra money for his family. He built a press and began producing and selling his illustrations. His imagery of nature and wildlife was popular among outdoor enthusiasts in both the United States and England. In 1924, he resigned from the Forest Service and devoted all his time to art. By 1929, Kleiber was exhibiting widely and developing a reputation as an important Wyoming artist.

The Touring Exhibition Service is celebrating 25 years of service throughout Wyoming.  It is made possible by FMC and the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum.

The Carbon County Museum is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday, located at 904 W. Walnut, Rawlins, WY.  Admission is free.  For more information, please call 307-328-2740 or visit www.carboncountymuseum.com. 

Image: Hans Kleiber, Pheasants III, Etching, 9 3/4 x 7 5/8 inches, Gift of William and Carole Ward, University of Wyoming Art Museum

The 2008 Carbon County Museum TREK annual fund-raising activity will take place on July 26^th.  Mammoth Excavation Site, Fillmore Ranch, and the Daley Sheep Barns are the historic subjects.  Lectures on the historic sites and a catered lunch are included for $25/individual.  Those who desire to participate will meet at the Museum, 904 W. Walnut at 8 a.m.  Car pooling is available, but with limited seating.  It is suggested that participants bring a four wheel or all wheel drive vehicle.  Coffee and pastries will be served, and at 9 a.m., participants will travel to the historic sites.  Reserve your place by Tuesday, July 22nd by calling 307-328-7814 or e-mailing frontoffice_carbonc@wyoming.com.   Please mail your name, address, phone number, and check to the Carbon County Museum, P.O. Box 52, Rawlins, WY  82301.

This exhibit will feature contemporary paintings, prints, tapestries, and crafts created by traditional Aboriginal women who live in the remote bushlands of Central Australia. The artwork portrays the importance of landscape and the living embodiment of ancient stories and culture of the Anangu people, estimated to be 50,000 to 60,000 continuous years old. For the Anangu Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara, the images of the land around them and all that grows and moves upon it is ingrained in their hearts and minds, and readily transferred to their art.

This contemporary artwork, much of it created in recent workshops, has been selected on-site at various women-owned art centers located on the APY Lands of Central Australia by Andra Archer, Denver based art curator.  Since 2001, she has traveled often to this area to work and live among the artists and has developed a strong friendship with these humble and inspiring people.

On July 8, Andra Archer will also give a talk and slide show presentation on how these people lived and walked the land, developing a rich cultural heritage for 50,0000 – 60,000 continuous years. Archer, who lives and works for blocks of time on the APY Lands in the remote bushlands of Central Australia will share her experiences living among these amazing indigenous people and the knowledge she has gained of their vibrant art and ancient culture.

For the last seven years, Ms. Archer has been working with an Aboriginal language group in remote Central Australia.  She has had the unique privilege of working alongside indigenous women artists at various women’s art centers (AnanguKu) on the Anangu Pitjanjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Lands, located in northern South Australia, on both a volunteer level and as a visiting artist teaching workshops. She has also assisted the Aboriginal women with painting techniques, marketing, promotion of their art and curating and producing exhibits in the United States. Andra has become passionate about this art and culture and continues to volunteer her time working on the production of a video/documentary of the Aboriginal women artists and the pursuit of exhibit opportunities for Aboriginal art.