In the Gallery: Prayers on Fire Solo Exhibition from Kelwin Coleman

Prayers on Fire is a solo exhibition juxtaposing sports based masculine imagery against queer based religious ideology. Through intaglio, cyanotype, relief and drawing based printed 2d works on paper, wrestlers are collaged; they are distorted into submissive poses that harken towards the spiritual. The work is meant to create a direct connection between the aggressive nature of sports and solitude of masculinity by introducing queerness and religious contemplation. 

Violence through sports and competition is viewed as safe whereas violence outside the arena is a crime. What propagates our need to see and facilitate masculine aggression within these acceptable guidelines and what happens when they take on a revised context? The prayers that influence the titles of most of the work in the exhibition are prayers of a submissive nature. They explore the wrestlers pose into acts of contrition and openness to and through vulnerability.

The exhibition will be featured in Laramie, WY 26 years after the death of Matthew Shepard. Although legislation has been passed for processing hate crimes, there remains a disparity between how queer hate is manifested through challenging masculinity and accompanying activities like sports. Our culture celebrates and indulges in controlled physical contact sports; we embrace male brutality within these arenas. Masculinity, when re-contextualized, elevates this brutality to savagery. This exhibition is interested in starting that conversation and asking why?

Edward J. Kempf defined "gay panic" as a condition of "panic due to the pressure of uncontrollable perverse sexual cravings". The defense of gay panic is often introduced and barred from cases involving queer based hate crimes. Prayers on Fire questions what underlying curiosities exist within masculine sports culture violence. How do we resolve the threat of this panic if not through opening the doors for discourse between these positions of affirmative and submission.

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The artist, Kelwin Coleman, will be at Gem City Nights at the Downtown Farmer’s Market on September 6 from 5-7 PM hosting a community workshop. Find the Laramie Plains Civic Center tents at the South end of the market by the stage.

In the Gallery: Juntos Florecemos

A NOTE FROM THE CURATOR

"As someone who has grown up Mexican in a very Caucasian small Wyoming town, I've seen and experienced the way us brown folk can be treated and pushed to the outside of the community; I've also seen the incredible ways we've been invited in and included. Through both of these one thing has persisted, that is the community that we find and form in order to bolster each other and raise ourselves up”

"Juntos Florecemos" is an exhibition in celebration of Latiné artists, the art we make, and the ways our support for one another helps us rise above adversity. "

- Ismael Dominguez, 2024

GENERAL INFO

Submissions will be accepted until September 12th and artists will be able to drop off work September 26th from 9am - 3pm (or by appointment).  Drop off is in the Gallery located in Room 331 of the Laramie Plains Civic Center Located at 710 E. Garfield St. If you need to arrange a different date and time please email Aubree at awallace@lpccwy.org.

Juntos Florecemos will be open to the public October 4th - December 5th. 

A public artist reception will be held in the Gorgon Gallery on October 4th from 5-7 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

In the Gallery: Queer Expression

Laramie Pridefest and Laramie Plains Civic Center's Gorgon Gallery (710 E Garfield, Rm 331) are thrilled to announce our collaborative art show: Queer Expression! This is an open call for local Laramie and Albany county artists and we especially encourage 2SLGBTQIA+ Wyoming artists to apply! The application is open.

Our joint organizations will hold an opening reception on SATURDAY JUNE 1st from 5 to 7 PM to help us kick off to June Pride Month and celebrate Laramie's local LGBTQ+ artist community.

-The general open show will open to the public from June 3rd - July 25th.

If you want to submit your work, your artwork can be submitted until Thursday, May 2nd.

SUBMIT YOUR WORK AT: https://forms.gle/ZCCvgzzYHYwjA1SCA

SHOW STATEMENT:
Queer Expression is a collaborative show with Laramie Pridefest on the start of Pride Month to showcase the celebration of the myriad forms of queer identity in the West. Through the lens of art, this exhibition seeks to illuminate the rich tapestry of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, experiences, and narratives in Laramie. From bold statements challenging societal norms to intimate reflections on personal journeys, each piece invites viewers to explore the beauty and complexity of queer rural existence. This show celebrates the power of art to uplift local queer voices, provoke thought, and foster connection within the local LGBTQ+ community and beyond. The artists showcased in this exhibition are invited to engage with diverse perspectives, embrace authenticity, and envision a world where all expressions of love and identities are celebrated. 

In the Gallery: Woman - Perspective from the Feminine

In the Gallery: Mindful - Art Making as Meditation

In the Studio: Free Creative Aging Courses in Ceramics & Printmaking

A little about the programs

The Creative Aging Program, hosted by the Laramie Plains Civic Center is completely free and is made possible through funding by the Wyoming Arts Council and the Wyoming Health Department.  We have designed four separate program opportunities with two printmaking classes and two ceramics classes.  Each class will be taught by a local teaching artist. These programs meet once a week for eight consecutive weeks, building on skills each week.  Participants must be 55 years or older to enroll.  Students are welcome to enroll in multiple programs if they wish.  The purpose of Creative Aging Programs is to encourage adults to engage in creative activities not only as an enjoyable experience but also to stimulate the brain, build community, and contribute to overall mental well-being. Learning new creative skills can be a fulfilling way to keep the mind active and healthy. Join us for these exciting programs where you can explore the world of printmaking and ceramics in a supportive and enriching environment. 

Class capacity and enrollment

Each class has different capacities for how many students can enroll.  Students will be accepted on a first-come, first serve basis by those who fill out this form.  By filling out this form, you are not guaranteed a spot in the class, as seats are limited.  Aubree will reach out to you via email to confirm your seat for the class as soon as class registration is full.  If you have questions, concerns, or have special accommodations you need to support attending this program, please contact us at (307) 745 8000 or awallace@lpccwy.org

Culminating event

To celebrate this year's programs, we will be hosting an art exhibition in the Gorgon Gallery located on the 3rd floor of the building titled "Art through Aging" this August!  Each participant will be encouraged to submit one or two pieces for the exhibition and to attend the Artist reception.  The exhibition will be set up the last week of July and the first week of August, and works will need to be dropped off to Aubree before this.  The Exhibition will be open for public viewing Monday - Thursday, 10am-8pm, from August 5th to September 19th in the Gorgon Gallery.  The Artist Reception will be held on August 8th from 4 - 6 pm. There will be food, drink, and conversation.  This is to celebrate the achievements and creations of our participants in these programs.  

2024 Class Programs

Printmaking (with Jim Jereb)
Program Date and Time: Wednesdays, 2-4 pm, March 13th - May 1st
Location: The Workshop, Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St. 

(Enter through the red doors on 7th Street)
Details: Meets once a week for 8 weeks to teach students the basics of printmaking. Students must be 55 or older to enroll.

Ceramics (with Aubree Lynn)
Program Date and Time: Mondays, 10 am - 12 pm, March 18th - May 6th
Location: Siren Studios, Rm 127, Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St, Laramie, WY 

(Enter through the entrance on 8th and Custer St.)
Details: Meets once a week for eight weeks to teach students hand-building processes. Students must be 55 or older to enroll.

Printmaking (with Ashley Quick)
Program Date and Time: Wednesdays, 4-6 pm, May 22nd - July 10th
Location: The Workshop, Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St, Laramie, WY 

(Enter through the red doors on 7th Street)
Details:  Meets once a week for 8 weeks to teach students the basics of printmaking. Students must be 55 or older to enroll.

Ceramics (with Sadie Winter)
Program Date and Time: Wednesdays, 4:30 - 6:30 pm, May 20th - July 8th (no class Memorial Day)
Location: Siren Studios, Rm 127, Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St, Laramie, WY (Enter through the entrance on the corner of 8th and Custer)
Details: Meets once a week for 8 weeks to teach students the basics of ceramics. Students must be 55 or older to enroll.

In the Studio: Tipsy Tarot & Terracotta Workshop

Join Siren Studios at the Laramie Plains Civic Center for an all-levels pottery workshop!

Attendees can spend their evening being guided through our flower pot workshop, chatting over drinks and getting their cards read by a local tarot reader.

This year we will hold the event in the Phoenix Ballroom, however, the studio will be open if you would like to stop in.

Community-Centered Installation to Look Back at Civic Center History with Laramie’s Youth

The trophy cases of Laramie Plains Civic Center’s (LPCC) South Gym Lobby have long-held dusty remnants from the building’s nearly 150-year history, featuring trophies from past Laramie High School and Junior High students. Funding from United Way of Albany County’s Community Impact Cooperative will now support rehabilitating these public displays to to capture stories from within the building and this community.

The project will begin in the Spring of 2024 and will include the research and fabrication of a modernized display to share a community-focused and contextualized history. Funding will cover paid internship costs for University of Wyoming students of Anthropology and Laramie High School students interested in community engagement. These students will work alongside local leaders and artists to capture stories, research the LPCC’s history, and craft the public exhibition located in the Sunshine Coffee dining area.

This collaboration is projected to be complete in the summer of 2024, with an unveiling event to be announced in late Spring. Opportunities to engage with the project team will be announced later this year.

WY Community Foundation Funds Laramie Art-Making Space

The Laramie Plains Civic Center’s (LPCC) Workshop, located in the historic building’s 1920’s era former locker room, serves as a hub for creative work, collaboration, and learning around the arts. This space will soon be able to serve the arts community better due in part to a grant received from the Wyoming Community Foundation (WCF) this December.

Since its first century as a school, the LPCC’s structure has housed creativity as an avenue for growth and connection. Like any school, the facility nurtured growing minds in science, math, and history, alongside music, art, and recreational activities. Today, LPCC, a stand-alone nonprofit organization, offers diverse learning and growth opportunities. Funding from WCF will support the first phase of overhauling a previous storage space to handle the materials and needs of those working with paints, inks, and other art materials. The project includes the installation of a stainless steel sink with washboard, faucet, and sand trap, as well as the later removal of defunct fixtures to allow for communal storage of materials and works in progress.

“This initial investment in the plumbing infrastructure is a crucial step in developing this space to serve Laramie’s creatives best,” LPCC Executive Director Jessica Brauer said. “For many years, the resilient artists of this building have made do with the insufficient amenities, and to move forward on these upgrades is long overdue.”

In 2014, the local artist group Wyoming Art Party rehabilitated the LPCC Workshop as a communal art-making space for creative workshops, educational programming, and opportunities for civic engagement. Their investment in the space solidified LPCC as a home for artists, and this draw continues to grow as Wyoming looks to arts and culture as an asset for the state. 

In addition to WCF’s grant funds, profits from the Artists Sunday Market held Thanksgiving weekend and in-kind donations from local artists will be used to continue this rehabilitation project.

“This space is a unique asset in the building and the community at large.” Brauer said, “WCF’s support is a gift to the work we’re doing to preserve and sustain this institution for years to come.”

Artists Market Invites Community Investment in Creative Economy

On the Sunday following Thanksgiving, over fifty artists will gather at the Laramie Plains Civic Center (LPCC)’s Artists Sunday Market to showcase their work as Laramie kicks off the holiday shopping season. 

This one-day celebration is a national movement created to celebrate the importance of artists within the community serving as valuable drivers of economic and cultural growth. In over 500 participating communities across the United States, Artists Sunday events invite artists of all mediums to share their work and residents to engage with, appreciate, and invest in the arts. 

This year, LPCC will host the second annual Artists Sunday market on November 26 in collaboration with Laramie Main Street Alliance’s (LMSA) Small Business Saturday. “We are thrilled to invite Laramie to invest their time and money in the creative community,” LPCC Executive Director Jessica Brauer said. 

“This season is a critical time to show up for the locally owned businesses and creative entrepreneurs who bring value to our town through their work. To partner with Downtown Laramie on championing the “Shop Local” mission for this busy weekend of holiday shopping is an exciting opportunity.”

Positioned during the year’s busiest holiday shopping weekend, the event takes place after Black Friday and Small Business Saturday and before Cyber Monday. This year’s market will include a diverse array of vendors selling their work, live music from six local ensembles and soloists, and refreshments from the LPCC’s newly opened Sunshine Coffee. The market will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the LPCC’s South Gym, located off of Custer St.

“We have a full house booked, “ Brauer said, “including everything from handmade jewelry to photography. Whether you’re shopping for a unique gift for a loved one or a new piece of art for your home, this year’s roster won’t disappoint.” 

Help Fill the Tree!

Are you a local artist? We want to sell your handmade ornaments!

The Laramie Plains Civic Center and Laramie Main Street Alliance have partnered for this year's local shopping celebrations, including Small Business Saturday and the Artist Sunday Market! 

This festive fundraiser will sell handmade works through the holiday season, supporting local creatives and raising funds for the Laramie Plains Civic Center's arts spaces. Shoppers can browse the ornament tree at its debut at the Artists Sunday Market hosted on Sunday, November 26th. Sales will remain open until December 22nd. (More to come on where to find the ornament tree!)

Interested in selling your handmade ornaments?

Registration is now open. All mediums welcome!

Artist Registration Is Now Open

Artists Sunday is a nationwide art-shopping event taking place with professional artists, non-profit art organizations and municipalities across the country. Laramie Plains Civic Centet has joined community partners in a city-wide week of local shopping opportunities for the kick-off of the holiday shopping season. Join us as we invite Laramie to keep their dollars local and support local artists, makers, and performers.

Register now to sell your work at: lpccwy.org/artistmarket

Early registrations help staff plan the appropriate space for the event. While we work to accommodate all registrants, space will be first-come, first-served.

Thank you for the Nights to Remember!

This summer we celebrated with you at the 3rd annual Gem City Nights at the Downtown Farmers Market. This art and music series is a labor of love brought to the community at no cost, thanks to many giving hands.

The community showed up to learn, create, and gather around performing and visual art with us each week, and it was a treat. This community event is a love letter from us to you, and we felt the love right back. Join us in thanking all who contributed their energy, talent, and passions with us.

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Thank you to the talented teaching artists who gifted their time to collaborative art-making each week. These artists brought their skills to you to learn, share, and create together. What a treat it was to make art together each week! Stay tuned because we will hang your hard work in the building later this fall for you all to see.

To to the energetic performing artists, many of whom traveled to join us each week. They showed up through rain, shine, and lots of wind and gifted Laramie a treat. Thank you for helping us fill the park with many dancing memories.

A big thank you goes to the staff who brought you this event. While a community event may last one night for Laramie, it takes many months to execute for the team. This event was made possible thanks to hours of support from the Laramie Plains Civic Center, Gryphon Theatre, Siren Studios, and Laramie Main Street teams.

Last but not least, thank you to our sponsors. We could not do it without your financial support. Thank you for your vote of confidence in this team and this programming for Laramie. Your contribution is priceless.

Photos by Laramie artist and Laramie Plains Civic Center board member Ana Castro

Less Waste = More at Siren Studios

In the summer of 2021, the Wyoming Community Foundation supported the installation of a clay pugmill at Siren Studios as a means to support the environmental impact and sustainability of the Laramie Plains Civic Center’s community ceramic space.

In the wake of supply chain delays and the economic health of 2020 until today, this equipment addition was finally installed and put into use in mid-June of 2023. 

Despite the lengthy wait, this installation has already begun to make an impact, thanks to these generous grant dollars. 

What is a pugmill? 

A pugmill is a machine that reconstitutes old clay. Perhaps you’ve noticed the large tubs of clay and water in the corner of Siren Studios. These are step one of the recycling process. After removing excess water, the clay is placed in the pugmill–a large piece of equipment used to homogenize the clay bodies and remove air. New, usuable clay is extruded from the machine, bagged, and saved for use by artists of the studio!

Studio teachers and volunteers rallied around the new clay recycling equipment in the late Spring of 2023. After nearly two years of supply chain delays, this heavy lift was long overdue.

How will it make an impact?

Since installation, the studio's recycling process has allowed all classes and workshops to use recycled clay. This means the materials in Siren Studios leave a gentler footprint by eliminating the costs and impact of packaging, shipping, and receiving.

Additionally, recycled clay creates a more financially feasible way for Siren Studios to offer accessible learning and create opportunities for the community. The dollars spent on clay go further, allowing funds within the Civic Center’s arts programming to pay teachers, support facility improvements, and support a future for the nonprofit as a whole. 

Pieces from July 2023’s Kids Camp sit to dry in the ceramic studio. Since the pugmill installation all classes and workshops have benefited from using 100% recycled clay.

Less Waste = More for Siren Studios!

Beyond the financial implications, Laramie artists have enjoyed learning and working with the pugmill, knowing that the clay wastes are being recirculated back into the studio instead of being unnecessarily tossed away. While some instructors managed reprocessing by hand in years past, the staff time and physical labor required to do so was not a physically sustainable practice to achieve the notable results of this equipment installation. We’re eager to see how this addition continues to support the community resources made available through Siren Studios to Albany County. 

Learn more about Siren Studios, upcoming classes, workshops, and more at sirenstudios.art.

Free art & music series comes to Laramie Farmer's Markets this August

This August, Laramie Plains Civic Center’s (LPCC) Gryphon Theatre and Laramie Main Street Alliance present the third annual Gem City Nights art and music series at the Downtown Laramie Farmers Market. This summer’s series features free music performances from ten regional acts, five art making workshops, and art sales from local artists. 

“This collaboration between nonprofits is our way of giving the community a unique opportunity to connect,” LPCC Executive Director Jessica Brauer said. “A summer night at the Laramie Farmer’s Market is the perfect place to gather in appreciation for the arts.”

Each Gem City Night, hosted Fridays from August 4 to September 1, will feature one all-ages art making drop-in workshop from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and two musical acts from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the North side of Depot Park. 

"Laramie Main Street is thrilled to partner with Gem City Nights to bring music to the Downtown Laramie Farmers Market this summer,” Laramie Main Street Alliance Communications Director Jennifer Power said. “We love collaborating and supporting artists especially through events that bring the community together downtown."

This year’s event lineup  includes:

August 4: Rob Icke’s and Trey Hensley & Ansel And the Brain Tattoos

August 11: SGRNY & Crooked Rugs

August 18: Taylor Shae Band & Jen Korte and the Loss

August 25: Pleasure People & Gasoline Lollipops

September 1: De Gringos Y Gremmies & Banshee Tree

“We have ripsnorting local and regional bands including SGRNY, De Gringos Y Gremmies, Gasoline Lollipops, Jen Korte and the Loss, and Banshee Tree, and we have the Grammy-nominated Nashville pair of Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley,” local musician and LPCC Board Chair J Shogren said. “A great summer of free live music downtown!”

Gem City Nights is presented by Blue Federal Credit Union and supported by the Wyoming Arts Council and local sponsors.

The Laramie Plains Civic Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to conserve the integrity of Laramie’s historic building while cultivating safe and accessible spaces for Laramie to gather, connect, and grow together.