Jackson is admired and reviled around the state.
First the "admired" part. Jackson has a new Center for the Arts that earns envious sighs from people in other parts of the state, especially those with larger populations. I live in the most populous county (Laramie) yet Cheyenne has no arts center. Neither does Casper in Natrona County. Let's face it -- nobody in WYO has a facility like it. The Wyoming Arts Council board met May 17-18 in one of the third floor arts studios run by the Art Association, the facility's largest tenant. Down the hall is a digital photo studio and a fully equipped traditional darkroom. Then there's the painting studio at the other end of the floor.
Local organizers, initially led by Candra Day, raised $36 million in private funds. There were several million-dollar donations. I doubt if that could be duplicated in any other WYO community.
The arts center houses 20 organizations, including the aforementioned Art Association, Dancer's Workshop, Jackson Hole Writers Conference, Off Square Theatre Company, the Wildlife Film Festival, and others. Novelist Tim Sandlin runs the writers' conference and is the night manager three days a week. He's also there on Sunday as his daughter takes classes in Chinese. He cites a cooperative spirit among the center's residents as one of the best aspects of the place. Tim says that it's easy to snag an empty room for a class or event. They all share resources and info. This never would (or could) have happened, he says, when the arts groups were scattered all over town.
It's not all sweet. The relationship between management and tenants can be tense. Not too unusual. The arts field is an intense world populated by dedicated people, many of whom limp along in woefully underpaid (even unpaid) positions to keep their visions alive. When you throw a bunch of underappreciated visionaries into one place, you're bound to get fireworks.
Why is Jackson reviled? Some of it is envy and jealousy. I admit to mine here and now. The revilement comes mostly from what Jackson stands for. The scenic backdrop for gazillionaires' second mansions. Home of loony left-wing environmentalists and loony right-wing Bush-supporting Texans. Home of Dick Cheney when he isn't terrorizing the world. There are many more art galleries than convenience stores, and more coffee shops than diners. Too chi-chi for cowboy tastes and too expensive for family vacations.
Teton County is the second-to-last county in population because most of the land is owned by the feds. Living space is limited. Living costs are astronomical. Many Jackson workers live across Teton Pass in Driggs and Victor, Idaho -- or down valley in Alpine or even all the way to Star Valley.
Meanwhile, the second (and third) homes of the gazillionaires sit empty most of the year. They're off earning scads of dough, some of which they sink bank into the Jackson arts economy.
That's enough for now. I'll be seeing you this summer in Jackson. We can all revile the place together as we sip lattes, admire the art, watch great movies at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, and read a book by one of the area's fine authors as the strains of the Grand Teton Music Festival's Mahler fill the air.
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