Arts

Two young musicians competed in and won the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra's Young Artist Competition recently. The winners applied in very different ways and will now get to play with the professional orchestra.

On a Wednesday night in a church basement, nine members of the improv comedy troupe Laff Staff danced in a circle as they practiced a parody song. For the members of the comedy group in Jackson, improv is more than just something to do after work. It’s a family – and together, they’re getting ready for their 15th anniversary show on February 16 at the Center for the Arts in Jackson.

Artists, musicians and vendors came from across the region to participate in áyA Con, an Indigenous Comic Con festival this past weekend. They reflected on Indigenous history and celebrated their culture.

Events will consist of a tour of the campus grounds, a behind-the-scenes look at artist’s studio spaces, preview the Ucross Foundation Art Gallery, in addition to a picnic and pizza outside the Big Red Ranch House. This is only the second time Ucross has opened their facilities to the public in four decades.

The show streamed on Tubi and showcased the works of several artists in Sheridan and Sheridan County.

A new theater project in Boulder, Colorado hopes to get communities to reach a consensus over divisive subjects through the power of music and the spoken word. "The Empathy Theatre Project" is the brainchild of Laramie native Cordelia Zars. Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards starts by asking Zars how the idea came about.

The College of Arts and Sciences hired a new dean last June. Before Dean Camellia Moses Okpodu came to the University Wyoming (UW), she was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana. She's trained as a plant physiologist. Due to restructuring, the UW College of Arts and Sciences is projected to become the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Wyoming Public Radio's Ivy Engel sat down with Dean Okpodu to talk about her deanship thus far and the future of the college.

President and Executive Director Sharon Dynak is retiring after 15 years at the helm and over 25 at Ucross. William Belcher, the current Director of Development and External Relations, will take over the reins later this year.

The Ucross Foundation is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Over the years, Ucross has welcomed a few thousand artists, playwrights, musicians, as well as others in the art world to southeast Sheridan County. Wyoming Public Radio's Hugh Cook has more.

Story House Inc., is looking to build a film studio in Sheridan and develop Wyoming's film industry.