You don't have to make a film to take part - come to the Top 10 screening at the Atlas Theatre on Sunday October 7th, 1p.m!
TSOC is offering a 25% discount on the already discounted Early Bird
prices through September 22nd. Just enter promo code: tsoc2012.
TSOC asks filmmakers to trust their courage, imagination and
determination by making a film in just 24 hours. The challenge and skill
involved becomes evident with the list of required technical, material,
and timing 'rules' for creating the films. There are three categories
this year: TSOC Classic Films - 7 minutes; TSOC 3D Films - 90 seconds;
TSOC Smart Phone Philms - 7 minutes.FMI: http://www.theshootoutcheyenne.com/
Jeff Tish is a freelance theatre scenic designer from Cheyenne. He sends this news about a new
non-profit organization dedicated to the performing arts:
Next Step Performance Company, a newly formed non-profit organization,
will be hosting two informational meetings and Q & A at the Laramie
County Library August 26th (Willow Room) @ 2:00 PM and August 27th
(Cottonwood Room) 7:30 PM. The public is encouraged to attend. We will
discuss the plans for our first season as well as answer questions about
public involvement, funding, performance opportunities and our plans
for a Performing Arts Scholarship that will be funded by Next Step
events.
• No need to RSVP.
• Seating is limited.
• Open to the Public
The NEXT STEP PERFORMANCE COMPANY will be a producing company that will
support local and regional programs in Dance, Music and Theatre related
performances. At the heart of the NEXT STEP PERFORMANCE COMPANY is our
performing arts scholarship program. We will be raising money to give to
performance arts students attending college and performing arts
schools. We hope you will be as excited in this project as we are.
Please feel free to pass this information to anyone you think may be
interested in this. If you have any questions please email me @ jtish52@gmail.com or call me at 307-630-7778.
Reminder: Tomorrow is election day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wyoming allows you to register at the polls and/or change your party affiliation, if you so desire. Let's face it -- there are more choices on the R side of the ballot than there are on the D side.
What's at stake? Contested races for city council and county commissioner. State Legislature primary races and one U.S. Senate and one U.S. House seat. Lots and lots of sixth penny tax proposals.
I plan on voting for all of the sixth penny proposals, with the possible exception of the recreation center (Proposition 1). The rec center seems the least important, and one that will take shape after all of the other infrastructure projects on the ballot are completed. Is a new facility for plants (Cheyenne Botanic Gardens) more important than one for people? The Botanic Gardens is a city treasure, one that promotes the health and well-being of flora and fauna, even big fauna such as humans. It's one that is brought up over and over again as one of those "amenities" that make Cheyenne a great place to live. Cheyenne outgrew its original Botanic Gardens building at least a decade ago. It's time to get with it. The new building will have more room for plants and research and more room for people in the form of meeting rooms.
Go vote tomorrow, if you haven't already. Be a citizen. Do your duty. And if I hear you complaining after the election, whining that the rec center or Botanic Gardens or airport terminal or flood control project is a waste of money, I will ask you if you voted. If you did, then we have something to discuss. If you didn't, I'm not talking to you. I don't mind whiners, as long as you're a voting whiner.
If you're confused about polling places, go to the Laramie County Clerk's web site at http://www.laramiecountyclerk.com/elections.aspx. There's a cool little search box where you only have to type in your street address to find the correct polling place.
Sept. 12, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Little America,
Cheyenne: Progressive attendance needed at Wyoming Liberty Group's
presentation by Cato Institute on the "dangers posed to your family" by
Obamacare. Come tell the truth about the Affordable Care Act (ACA)! To register, $30/fee
to the Wyoming Liberty Group, 307/632-7020. To rally, contact Democratic Party headquarters,
1909 Warren Avenue, Cheyenne.
Attended the Cheyenne NAACP (Unit 4108) Freedom Fund Banquet last night for the first time. My wife Chris has been a number of times, as she's actively involved with the local NAACP in planning the annual Juneteenth Celebration in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. It's the longest-running Juneteenth event in Wyoming and, until recently, the only one. Chris and I were given a gift membership to NAACP last year. This year, we renewed the membership.
Also attending were about a dozen members of the Laramie County Democrats and the the Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coalition. Love & Charity hosted a big table of youth, giving them an opportunity to see the NAACP in action. A number of Colorado NAACP members were present, including the Wyoming/Nebraska/Colorado region chair.
Cheyenne NAACP President Elder Rodney McDowell presented a number of awards to sponsors and volunteers. Chris was surprised when she received a "President's Choice" plaque, so surprised that she burst into tears. She does most of her work behind the scenes and isn't used to blatant public presentations of awards. She got as standing ovation, to boot, and a big hug from Elder McDowell. The wording on the plaque: "In appreciation of your commitment and dedication to Civil Rights and Social Justice in Cheyenne and throughout Wyoming." Those words mean so much in Wyoming, a place that doesn't always lived up to its motto of "The Equality State." So proud of you, Chris!
Guest speaker was Dr. Robert Bartlett, actor and professor of Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University in Cheyenne, Wash. He performed a one-man presentation, "Manservant York." York was the manservant/slave that William Clark brought with him on the famous "Voyage of Discovery." The two has grown up together on the Clark Kentucky plantation. Clark taught York outdoor survival skills as the two hunted and fished the wilderness. When Jefferson appointed Lewis and Clark to make their trek, Clark felt that York's skills would come in handy. They did. York became known as "Big Medicine" to the Indians encountered along the way. On more than one occasion, his presence dissuaded the Indians from killing the voyagers. One Nez Perce chief thought so much of Big Medicine that he had him bed all four of his wives.
During the expedition, York became a free man in the wilderness. On his return to St. Louis, he once again became Master William's slave. He was even beaten after he'd asked for his freedom once too often. York's end is a mystery, although Bartlett opines that he lit out for Indian country, spending the latter part of his life with the Crow Nation in northern Wyoming. York urged the audience to look for him in the history books, "although you'll have to look awfully hard."
Citizens for a Better Wyoming has been running radio spots during morning air time on KTWO and KWYY in Natrona County. They oppose Rep. Bob Brechtel, a Republican legislator who tends to end up on the right-wing fringes of his party's votes. "Too extreme for Wyoming" -- as the radio ad says. Listen for the spots between 6-10 a.m. on "My Country 95.5" FM (KWYY) and KTWO, 1030 AM, which broadcasts country music and talk shows such as Rush Limbaugh throughout the state.
Here's the text for one of the short but pithy spots:
Bob Brechtel likes to vote no. He voted no on kindergarten readiness. He voted no on dyslexia and literacy screening. He voted no on stronger punishments for domestic violence. He voted no on open public records. Bob Brechtel is too extreme for Wyoming. It's time to vote no on Bob Brechtel.
Republicans try to be hip, but they just can't seem to find the right soundtrack to go with their regressive policies.
In Rolling Stone, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine writes about Republican Veep candidate Paul Ryan's supposed Rage fandom, something that Ryan has bragged about in the past.
Rage Against the Machine writes songs that ferociously advocate unions, fair wages, immigrants and social justice. In other words, what Rage is for, Ryan is clearly against. And lest you think that Rage is only angry at Republicans, remember that the band put on a huge concert at the Denver Coliseum during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and then -- with Iraq Veterans Against the War -- staged an antiwar march to the convention center. I hope that Morello and the band plans similar events in Charlotte and Tampa this year.
A few thoughts by Morello from Rolling Stone:
"He [Ryan] can like whatever bands he wants, but his guiding vision of shifting revenue more radically to one percent is antithetical to the message of Rage.
"I wonder what Ryan's favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of 'F--- the Police?' Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings."
Wyoming Equality sends out this Facebook invitation:
We don't feel like the recent events at Chick-fil-A are representative of how a majority of Americans feel today.
Let's show the world how many people stand for love and equality, and
against hate, bigotry, and homophobia! I'll bet we can pack Cheyenne's
Ruby Juice with people who feel like you and I do. I want to see lines
out the door and around the block!
So here's what we're going
to do; on Wednesday, August 22, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., we are holding a "Take a Stand for Love
and Equality Day" at Ruby Juice [in downtown Cheyenne]. Let your voice and dollar speak out for equality! Make a statement that you'll also stand in line for an hour to support what you believe in.
Cheyenne business man Jay Harnish runs Ruby Juice. He is staunch ally
in the war on equality! In fact, he used to invite Chick-fil-A into his
restaurant once a week to supplement his menu, but when he found out
about their anti-gay stance and support of hate groups, he parted ways
with the franchise.
Help us put Wyoming back on the map as the
"Equality State!" This is going to be a huge event with media coverage.
Bring your friends, share this event, and help us show the world that
standing up for equality is ALWAYS the right thing to do!!
Jay has agreed to donate a portion of the day's profits to Wyoming Equality.
NPR has put out an open call for nominations, asking North Americans to describe their favorite arts town:
This summer, NPR’s Destination Art series is going off the
beaten path to visit small to mid-sized North American cities that have
cultivated lively arts scenes. And we want to hear from you! Where’s your
favorite art hot spot? What makes it unique?
NPR’s form is simple and easy to fill out, and this is a
great opportunity to get one of Wyoming’s great art towns on the national map!
I love Jackson for all of the obvious reasons. The Center for the Arts for its downtown location and for housing an eclectic mix of Teton County arts orgs. The National Museum of Wildlife Art for its eco-friendly design and for its new sculpture walk. The Jackson Hole Writers Conference, one of the best of its kind in the U.S., all organized by a coterie of Jackson writers, led by Tim Sandlin. The conference would have disappeared long ago without the thousands of hours put in by Teton County and Wyoming-based writers.
I like Sheridan for its public art on almost every downtown corner, for its commitment to homegrown art forms such as the saddle makers showcased at Kings Ropes and Saddlery. There is a ton of great artists and writers in Sheridan County, as well as two of the country's foremost artists' residencies: Ucross and Jentel. And one of my favorite mystery writers, Craig Johnson, actually lives in the tiny town of Ucross.
I like Casper because the Casper College English Department and the CC Foundation had the moxie to step up and sponsor the state's first statewide book festival in 2006. We hold our fourth bookfest Sept. 14-15 with a great line-up of writers, both domestic and out-of-state. I love the Nicolaysen Art Museum, housed in a former power plant, for its dazzling array of contemporary art exhibits and for having the vision to make downtown a regional arts destination with its new public art exhibit and its NIC Fest and its outreach to all sorts of entities in Natrona County. BTW, Casper College now has its own on-campus arts district. How many community colleges anywhere can say that?
I like Laramie for Works of Wyoming and the Laramie Plains Civic Center Theatre and its cool downtown and the dedicated arts faculty at the University of Wyoming, the state's only four-year public university. So many fantastic writers teach at UW (Brad Watson, Alyson Hagy, Jeff Lockwood) and have been visiting writers -- a great new crew will be there during the fall semester. Two indie bookstores liven up downtown, which has plenty of good restaurants with great beer. And did I mention -- the trains run through it!
I like Lander for the Lander Art Center. I like Rock Springs for its renovated downtown theatre. I like Gillette for its public art program and its engaged citizenry. I like my city of Cheyenne for our great library with its many programs, and for its community theatre, one of the few in the region to actually own two performance venues. What is your favorite Wyoming arts town? Don't be shy -- speak up!
Mitt Romney wants to defund the National Endowment for the Arts. Once again, he's pandering to his supporters on the Far Right. And he doesn't understand how arts funding works. Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, said Romney has a 'misunderstanding' of how NEA funding works, in that the funding helps stimulate state and local arts councils as well as seed the growth of small businesses. Read Lynch's entire response at Americans for the Arts News
Cheyenne artist Georgia Rowswell is one of the 30 artists exhibiting at
the first-ever 17th Street Arts Festival . The title of this piece by
Georgia is "Rock Fragment Landscape #1." It is 10" x 20" and is made of compressed
strips of cast-off clothing and is contained in an old oak desk drawer.
The inaugural 17th Street Art Festival is this
Friday and Saturday, Aug. 17-18, in the Downtown Dineen Building's 17th Street
parking area.
Friday kicks off with an artists' reception
from 5-9 p.m. It is open to the public and will be catered by the Plains Hotel.
There will be live music throughout the evening and a chance to talk with and
purchase original art from over 30 regional artists.
Saturday's show opens at 10 a.m. and goes till
8 p.m. All day music, arts activities and more are planned for Cheyenne's first
17th Street Art Festival.
When I left the Wyoming Arts Council building after work on Friday, I did what I often do -- attend an arts event. Because I work in the arts, you might say that I left work to go to work. And on a Friday!
The event was an artist's reception at the Cheyenne Family YMCA. YMCA stands for Young Men's Christian Association. In the old days, young men of the Christian faith used to live and exercise at the local YMCA. It was a safe -- and inexpensive -- place to do both.
Now YMCAs are exercise meccas for men and women and children. The Cheyenne Y has some 7,000 members. My wife and daughter both work at the YMCA, and I work out at the Y. Some may be surprised to learn that the Y has an active arts program that includes exhibits, workshops and performances. It has a gallery adjacent to the front desk that features a new local artist each month.
The gallery was my destination on Friday. Tony James is August's featured artist. He's a fantastic photographer who specializes in landscapes. He has a knack for capturing the inner life of High Plains clouds, exposing them as they get ready to spew rain or snow or hail. He has an entire series of photos of aspen leaves, portraying them in different settings and different colorations. Tony had two pieces in this summer's Governor's Capitol Art Exhibition. One of them received a purchase award and now is part of the state's permanent collection.
Tony's wife Dee is also an artist. She's the power behind the recent renovation of the Cheyenne Artists Guild building in Holliday Park. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and had fallen on hard times. Using her considerable skills of persuasion, Dee talked Lowe's into donating $50,000 work of material and labor to completely redo the building. Artist Guild members wielded paint brushes and hammers, too. Go see the results and be impressed. Membership is up from about 50 to 200. New art is on the walls and the place now has a new furnace and space for year-round workshops. The city, which owns the building, will soon install a new roof. The Guild is one of the stops on the monthly Art Design & Dine Artwalk.
Tony and Dee James are forces of nature. They are both retired but are not retiring folks. Tony is a Cheyenne native and Dee is almost a Wyoming native, her family arriving in Wyoming from Kentucky when she was two. They are practicing artists and community organizers. Every day, they leave behind their work and go to work promoting the arts in the town that they love. People love to talk about Cheyenne as a place where volunteerism means something. Our largest annual event, Cheyenne Frontier Days, is volunteer-driven. My friend John Coe, a retired arts administrator an music composer, tells the story of moving from Cheyenne to Winchester, Kentucky, to take care of his aging mother. At his first Kiwanis meeting, John said he has just moved from Cheyenne. The Winchester Kiwanians besieged him with questions about the CFD pancake breakfast which, apparently, is known throughout the land.
Which just goes to show how important is it to give back to your community. And to make sure that your community has a solid arts infrastructure.
Since we moved to Cheyenne in 1991, my wife and children and I have played a role in the arts. So many others have done the same. So it's no accident that every night there are multiple offerings. No longer can my children say, "There's nothing to do in Cheyenne," although I still hear it occasionally. When I leave work every day, I can go home or I can attend an exhibit, a concert, a play. The summer schedule has been filled with events, and that continues as I look at the fall events listed on the Arts Cheyenne calendar. Go see for yourself at artscheyenne.com.
She had me there. It was “Masquerade” by Leon Russell. Keith
“Boxcar” Blaney was doing a great job with it on the stage inside the Hynds
Building.
“And we’re the only ones here.” Chris gestured around the
room. We were the only audience members at the moment on this Art Design and
Dine Artwalk Thursday. So nobody would be watching my geeky dance floor moves.
But while I was pondering the dance, a trio of young women
wandered in and, while they helped themselves to some lemonade and cookies,
Keith wrapped up the song.
“Darn,” I said.
“Procrastinator.” Chris gave me the evil eye. She stood.
“Time to move on.”
She was right. I’d
enjoyed Keith’s repertoire of Beatles, Keb Mo and Leon Russell. But we had
other stops to make. It was date night and there was no time to waste. We were
prowling around downtown, hitting those ADD venues we hadn’t seen before. We’d
been to the Hynds for art shows but had never seen Keith perform.
Earlier, our first stop had been The Ancient Sage on the
corner of 18th and Capitol. It features handmade products by local
artists and Fair Trade artisans. There are books on natural healing and racks
filled with herbal remedies. Proprietors Lisa Marie and Jody had filled a table
with veggies and fruit and boxes of wine. I snacked and talked to Lisa Marie
about her role as a medium/clairvoyant. She spoke of “cleaning” homes of
unwanted spirits, about how she can sense their presence. An odd sort of gift
to have.
Out front, BeatGrass, an up-and-coming Cheyenne bluegrass
band, warmed up. Some police cruisers appeared on Capitol Avenue, the advance
guard for a parade of Senior Olympians in Cheyenne to compete for the gold. A
group of 100 or so senior athletes were led by the Cheyenne Pipe Band. Parade
Marshal Kenny Sailors cruised down the street in the back of an old
convertible. Kenny is credited with bringing the jump shot to college
basketball when he played for UW in the 1940s and led his team to the NCAA
tournament.
When the sounds of pipes and drums faded into the distance,
BeatGrass performed some bluegrass standards and a few unexpected tunes, such
as “The Breeze” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. I hadn’t
seen BeatGrass perform, although they’ve had a busy summer playing at bars, the
Atlas Theatre and the American Legion. They are good musicians and a lot of fun
to watch.
Chris and I had no preconceived notions for the evening. We
like doing things together. We had been pleasantly surprised by the music and
the parade. In the distance, we could hear the strains of “Ghost Riders in the
Sky” coming from a band playing for the senior athletes at the Depot. Here on
the corner, while BeatGrass played, a girl twirled her hula-hoop and a
skateboarder rolled up on a long board. The Cheyenne Trolley rolled up and the
people gazed out the window at the street spectacle, as if it were an everyday
occurrence here in the Capital City.
Our next stop was Studio 17. We looked at photography by
proprietor Dana Gage and talented local Briana Barber. Dana showed off one of
Briana’s framed portraits, a larger than life image of a local street person.
The man’s face bore the marks of a hard-knock life. Briana’s specialty is
street scenes of Cheyenne, but she also shoots flowers and Wyoming’s big sky.
Dana has some incredible landscapes in the studio. He let me have two
hand-painted tiles left behind several months ago by a street artist who never
returned for them. Very odd and colorful pieces.
"The Tivolism," photo by Briana Barber at Studio 17. The Tivoli is the home of Freedom's Edge Brewing Company.
Our next stop was Freedom’s Edge Brewing Company at the
Tivoli. It was not a part of the ADD Artwalk but its beers are a work of art.
Freedom’s Edge opened in March but I’d never been inside to quaff a pint. But
that was remedied when I sat down with a pint of Frontier Daze IPA and Chris
ordered up a Strawberry Blonde Ale. The interior is a combination of Old West
and 2012 craft brewery. There’s an outdoor beer garden that opened for Frontier
Days and looks like a great way to while away a summer evening. Freedom’s Edge
is bottling their beers. You can take home a monster of its limited edition
stout or a growler of any of its other beers. But Chris and I halted at one. It
was getting late and we needed to eat.
Our last stop was the Morris House Bistro patio on Warren
Avenue. No tables were available so we hung out and talked to some old friends
as they wrapped up their dinner. Morris House is friendly that way – we always
see someone we know. It was bustling on this August Thursday night. Chris and I
split an order of crab cakes. She ate marlin and black rice while I had shrimp
and grits and collard greens. Some friends wandered in and joined us for
dessert. When I went inside to use the facilities, I saw that all the tables
were filled. I heard some southern drawls and a foreign accent that I couldn’t
place. We later heard from the manager that there were lots of out-of-town
visitors who are referred to the bistro by TripAdvisor.com. I don’t know the
site but our friends use it when they travel. Apparently it’s a great way to
find good food and cool places to stay. It’s terrific to see that MHB, open
only a year, is becoming the place to eat in Cheyenne. (I checked out
TripAdvisor and Morris House is the top-rated Cheyenne restaurant out of 86
choices.)
We closed down Morris House and headed home. Chris wanted to
keep the night alive so we sat out on our back porch and watched the lightning
light up the eastern sky. The night’s breeze carried a promise of rain but it
fell only on our friends in Burns and Pine Bluffs or maybe nowhere at all.
Teased again. But we went to bed with the promise of rain in our heads. That’s
about all that we’ve had this summer – teased by rain but delivered once again
into the dry hands of drought. But on this night, I didn’t care.
The Art Design & Dine Intown Art Tour takes place the
second Thursday of the month, 5-8 p.m., April through December, at various
Cheyenne venues. Get more info at artdesigndine.org.
One of America's best writers will be in Cheyenne Oct. 5-6.
Tim O'Brien, author of "The Things They Carried" and "Going After Cacciato," will be at the Literary Connection at Laramie County Community College on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5-6. On Friday, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., he will join two other award-winning writers -- John Calderazzo and Cat Valente -- who will each conduct a free workshop. Tim is a Vietnam veteran whose work continues to explore the legacy of that conflict on the American psyche. Here are the workshop details:
Tim O'Brien: The Things We Carry
"In this workshop I'll be discussing my approach to writing fiction and will touch on such topics as the use of autobiographical materials in fiction, the principle of simultaneity, animating a story, thematic gravitas, etc."
Tim O’Brien received the National Book Award in Fiction in 1979 for his novel Going After Cacciato. In 2005 The Things They Carried was named by the New York Times as one of the twenty best books of the last quarter century.
You might have seen Georgia Rowswell Monday morning on Channel 5
promoting the Art Design & Dine Art Tour. Georgia launched ADD three years ago. She's
an artist and proprietor of The Artful Hand Gallery.
Beatgrass will perform at The Ancient Sage during Thursday's Art Design & Dine
The inaugural 17th Street Arts Festival, located at the
new Dinneen
Downtown Plaza in Cheyenne, will feature dozens of visual and
performance artists, children’s activities, food and fun. The festival begins Friday night, August 17, with an Artist Preview
Reception, including performances by local artists and a wine tasting
bar. The Reception is from 5-9 p.m. Then all day Saturday,
August 18, from 10 a.m.–8 p.m., enjoy visual and performance
art, a children’s area complete with bounce house, all day family
arts and crafts, and local art exhibits. The Performance Stage will
showcase continuous local music and theatre acts through the day.
There is no charge to attend the Festival.
Singer Robin Munis died five years ago when her estranged husband fired
a bullet from a high-powered rifle as she was performing inside Old
Chicago.
But her death did not silence her wonderful voice. Friends and fans are continuing a tradition to keep her memory alive.
Area
musicians will pay tribute to Munis at the fifth annual benefit concert
from 4-10 p.m. Saturday [tonight] at Cheyenne Depot Plaza, 121 W. 15th St.
Four
bands whose styles range from jazz to blues rock to variety will
perform. They are Avenue, Jazztet, Second Opinion and Beatgrass. The
musicians will donate their time.
The concert is free but donations will be accepted for Safehouse Services. Safehouse provides shelter for those people fleeing abusive situations.
The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center at the site of a World War II
Japanese-American internment camp outside of Cody, Wyo. will present a
new exhibit featuring self-portraits that reveal Muslim Americans in
everyday life. The exhibit is intended to counteract stereotypes and
preconceived notions about Muslims in America at this time in history. Esse Quam Videri: Muslim Self-Portraits will be exhibited in the Ford Foundation Special Exhibition Area through Sept. 18, 2012.
"This exhibit is the first in a series of exhibits at the Interpretive
Center that will encourage visitors to think about prejudice,
stereotyping and religious, racial and ethnic profiling," said Stevan
Leger executive director.
"Esse Quam Videri" means "to be rather than to seem." The exhibit
includes photographs, collaged images and self-drawn portraits of and by
Muslim Americans are presented with short essays to add context.
For more information, please contact Steve Leger at 307-754-8000 or by email at sleger@heartmountain.org.
Interesting to note that the exhibit has drawn a fair number of critics. This was in an excellent July 30 editorial in theCasper Star-Tribune:
Leslie Maslak of Cody recently questioned the new exhibit in a letter
published in The Billings Gazette. “What in the world does a Muslim
exhibit have to do with the Japanese-Americans’ internment?” she asked.
Maslak
added, “Is this a ‘comparison’ to how we mistreat the ‘peace-loving’
Muslims? Whatever the reason, this exhibit does not belong at the Heart
Mountain Relocation Camp.”
Many other area residents apparently
agree. An online poll by The Powell Tribune showed that through July 27,
55.9 percent of 1,101 respondents agreed with the center’s decision to
host the exhibit, while 44.1 percent disagreed.
--clip--
Shirley
Ann Higuchi, chairwoman of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation’s
board of directors and the daughter of Heart Mountain internees,
explained why the exhibit is perfectly in keeping with the story told by
the center.
Higuchi said even 70 years after the internment camps
were opened, “We are still sometimes misled by the power of false
stereotypes to express mistrust and intolerance toward fellow Americans
simply because they resemble an enemy.”
“This exhibit takes a
thoughtful look at the diversity and challenges of real Muslim-Americans
today, and we hope it will prompt visitors to reflect on possible
parallels between perceptions of Japanese-Americans after the attack on
Pearl Harbor then and Muslim-Americans now,” Higuchi said.
It's tempting to label the exhibit's critics as narrow-minded rubes. We are at war (and have been for more than ten years) with people who resemble those in the exhibit. Stereotypes are hard to counter, especially when they are reinforced so readily and so often.
But look at the mission of the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center and tell me that this exhibit doesn't belong there or somehow defames the place. Thanks to the Casper Star-Trib for standing up for something that is so obviously righteous and, judging by the criticism, so necessary.
"In this workshop I'll be discussing my approach to writing fiction and will touch on such topics as the use of autobiographical materials in fiction, the principle of simultaneity, animating a story, thematic gravitas, etc."
