As COVID-19 closed Wyo venues, artists migrated online

Arts — be it live performances, museum exhibits or theater shows — were among the first casualties of the COVID-19 outbreak as venues across Wyoming and the world abruptly shuttered.

As the pandemic shut down bars and galleries, however, artists moved online. Wyoming artists and venues are no different, and have been offering a wide range of opportunities for viewers to enjoy music, painting and more via their devices. Here is a rundown of some of the online ways to see — or support — what Equality State artists are up to.

Visual arts

The Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition showcases the best of Wyoming work. Pieces from it are purchased for display in state buildings, and the work is also available for sale through this new website. Proceeds are used to purchase artwork for the Wyoming State Museum’s collections.

The University of Wyoming Art Museum has a buffet of videos and activities on its Facebook page.

Buffalo Bill Center of the West is offering a variety of virtual programs. It also has extensive arts education resources for kids.

The Western Spirit Art Show and Sale is an annual juried sale of western art, offered by the Old West Museum in Cheyenne.

“Molten Memories” by Neltje. (Sue Sommers)

The Nicolaysen Art Museum’s McMurry Gallery exhibit has gone online. Neltje, a celebrated painter from Banner, shares her most recent work in a show titled “In The Family of Things.” The Nic is also offering classes on Facebook.

The Wyoming Artist Collective is a new venture of photographer Delsa Allen of Pinedale. A juried group of artists shows work for sale on her site. New artists are always joining the site, and current artists update regularly with new work, so check back regularly.

Looking for arts education resources? Check out the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Many of its wildlife and nature-based resources can also work for science education.

Music

Many Wyoming bands have been hosting online concerts. (With these, on Facebook, be sure to click on the video link for previous concerts you can watch, and the events link for upcoming concerts. New events are being posted daily.)

Screen Door Porch has hosted several Sunday Brunch Music concerts. They take place Sundays at 11 a.m.

Screen Door Porch performing in 2019. (Susan Moldenhauer)

Wyoming Singer-Songwriters, a non-profit, has been holding weekly concerts on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.

Western AF, run by photographer Mike Vanata, hosts the weekly Cabin Fever Series Fridays at 5 p.m. It includes musicians from outside the state.

10Cent Stranger has been recording music simultaneously on YouTube. Look for the quarantine recordings and the Tiny Desk submission.

Bob LeFevre and the Already Gone started posting a song daily on You Tube in June 2019 and hasn’t run out yet. Some feature just Bob, and some are with the band.

Theater

Relative Theatrics, out of Laramie, has been hosting virtual plays. The company’s mission is to provide theater that is risky, relevant and real. They have multiple live streamed events coming up in May.

Off Square Theatre, from Jackson, hosts virtual classes. Check out the company’s Facebook page for details.

Cheyenne Little Theatre Players is hosting a virtual melodrama and also a cabaret. The company is currently taking video auditions for the cabaret, which will be live on May 15.

Poetry

David Klarén is one of the featured artists on the Wyoming Artists Collective. “Burst” is a graphite piece from the Silhouette Series. (David Klarén)

David Romtvedt, former poet laureate of Wyoming, musician and professor emeritus of University of Wyoming, has a YouTube channel. For the first month of the quarantine, he posted something daily —either a poem or a piece of music. He’s dropped back to once a week. He offers both his own poetry and others, and a wide variety of music.

Dance

Dancers’ Workshop, a non-profit dance education organization, is offering a wide variety of classes taught by its superbly trained dancers online for adults and kids. Dancers’ Workshop also hosts Contemporary Dance Wyoming, the only professional dance company in Wyoming, and brings in a wide variety of professional dance artists and organizations throughout the year.

Multiple art forms

Ucross Foundation, an internationally known residency program located in Ucross that serves visual artists, writers and musicians, started the Ucross Spotlight on Zoom, with the next one coming up May 28. In addition, through May, Ucross will be rolling out two videos a week on its website for three weeks.

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Studio Wyoming Review is supported in part by generous grants from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources and the Wyoming Arts Council with funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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