I hope Spring Break is being good to everyone here in Jackson Hole!
As noted in a previous post, this summer Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) plays host to the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters (RMPAP); the nationally acclaimed group arrives in the Park to paint July 1 – 12th. July 13-15, a fine art show and sale, benefitting GTNP, will be held at the Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitors Center in Moose, Wyoming. A gala opening reception takes place there on Friday, July 13, at 7:00 pm. Thursday, July 12, artists will participate in a Quick Draw, 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Please note: Quick Draw paintings will be included for sale in the show at the artist’s discretion. There will NOT be a sale or silent auction following the Quick Draw. The show concludes Sunday, July 15th, at 4:00 pm.
RMPAP is noted for its exceptional roster of painters. Jackson Hole is well represented, and artists scheduled to paint in this summer’s event include Gregory I. McHuron, Kathryn Mapes Turner, Jennifer Hoffman Gessler, Erin O’Connor and Lee Carlman Riddell. Other names well-known in Jackson’s gallery community are John Potter, Carol Swinney, Ruth Rawhouser and Lanny Grant. Over 40 artists are expected to participate. Plein air painter Steve Datz, RMPAP’s executive director, will also be painting for the event.
For more information on the 2012 National Paint Out & Show, log onto www.rmpap.org.
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Artists for 2012’s Artists In the Environment series are selected! The Grand Teton Association is pleased to announce that this year’s plein air painters are Gregory I. McHuron, Travis Walker, Tammy Callens and Sharon Thomas. Each artist will be painting on site in Grand Teton National Park the second Saturday of every month, June-September, 2012. McHuron will paint at Blacktail Pond, June 9th; Walker, at Oxbow Bend on July 14th; Callens, at Sawmill Pond on August 11th; and Thomas will appear at Menor’s Ferry on September 8th.
Artists in the Environment is funded by the Grand Teton Association, an organization whose purpose is to promote appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone area. The program is free to the public, with Park admission. www.grandtetonpark.org
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An arts and technology website, “Technology in the Arts,” recently ran a piece about the role arts play in economic development. The writer, Sean Bowie, strikes at the heart of the matter:
“We can all agree that funding the arts is crucial to fostering community and culture in cities all across the country. But is it absolutely crucial to long term economic growth? That’s where it gets tricky: the list of public policy measures that rank above the arts community is quite long. If given the choice between an artistic redevelopment project and a new hospital or transit station, the physical and transportation needs of the city will win out.
But, as cities and municipalities invest in infrastructure, public services and needed resources, it’s always important to remember how the arts can add to the benefits being accrued. A city with no culture, no life, and no sense of vitality is vulnerable to losing out on the same kind of economic benefits that were desired when public officials decided how to spend resources in the first place. Investing in roads, schools and infrastructure is absolutely essential to an area’s long term economic growth; however, without a vibrant and committed arts scene, the desire of residents and tourists to experience the best of what the area has to offer will be diminished.”
My italics.
Bowie concludes by saying that public policy needs to find the right balance between providing funding for infrastructure and the arts. Encouraging creativity is critical to growth. Read Bowie’s full article here.
Tammy Christel 
