By Jamie Wolf
IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE that I invite everyone to the opening reception for Public Lands, Personal Visions: A Big Horn Basin Juried Art Exhibit, 7:30-9 p.m., Wednesday, October 13, at the Northwest Gallery in Powell.
For those of you who cannot make the opening reception, please take advantage of the opportunity to bring your friends and family to the Northwest Gallery before the show’s closing on November 19th.
I grew up exploring the public lands of the Big Horn basin, and was therefore very excited about the prospect of this exhibition. I have not been disappointed. Sometimes a picture, or a sculpture as it may be, really is worth a thousand words.
It is deeply satisfying not only to catch glimpses of some of my own memories in this place, but also to experience the appreciation and relationships of others with the basin through the creative products of the 19 contributing artists.
The 31 works are diverse, and include pieces in oil, watercolor, cast plaster, monotype, fabric, and photography. All pieces share a common theme, which features artists’ personal perspectives of, interactions with and experiences within the public lands of the Big Horn Basin.
The show is a collaborative project sponsored by the Wyoming Outdoor Council, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and Northwest College.
It is our hope that the art will inspire viewers to reflect about their own lives and times in the Basin. Furthermore, we hope that those viewers will move beyond a visual dialogue and be inspired to actively participate in a planning process that will have a lasting impact on how the public lands of this area will be managed far into the future.
BACKGROUND
The Bureau of Land Management is in the midst of revising its resource management plan for the Big Horn Basin. A resource management plan is the document that guides all management decisions and actions on BLM lands for upwards of 20 years.
In January 2011, the BLM will release the draft of its plan to the public, from whom it will solicit feedback.
Your comments on the draft plan this winter will have a major impact on the final plan. Participation is vital and helps balance stewardship of our public resources.
In this plan, the BLM makes decisions that affect energy development, air and water quality, public health, grazing, protection of fish and wildlife, and land use designations. It is our land, as citizens, and this is our chance to help shape how it is managed.
Please take advantage of the opportunity not only to influence the future of Big Horn Basin’s public lands, but also to enjoy and reflect the art and themes of Public Lands, Personal Visions.
If you have questions or comments about the exhibit or the resource management plan, please contact:
Jamie Wolf, 307.721.7610, jamie@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org, or
Hilary Eisen, 307.527.6233, heisen@greateryellowstone.org.
Image above: Anne Toner, Uprising, Watercolor