Cultural Trust Fund Grant Awards
The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund board awarded $123,630 to 24 projects around the state at their recent grant review meeting.
Awards were given to a wide variety of projects, from historic preservation and facility infrastructure, museum kiosks and conservation projects, community festivals celebrating diverse cultures, online art exhibitions, music festivals and young artist competitions, oral histories, public art and art education. Below is a complete listing of awards by county.
Albany County
Laramie Community Foundation, Touchstone Laramie 2020 Online Exhibition and Sale, $2,560
Laramie Main Street Alliance, Wyo Theater Façade Pre-Development, $6,500
Wyoming Public Media, Wind River Reservation Reporter, $6,000
Wyoming Singer-Songwriters, Competition Years 2-3 Compilation Album, $3,000
Carbon County
City of Rawlins, Latino Heritage Celebration Event, $2,000
Old Pen Joint Powers Board, Finishing and Furnishing the Exhibit Space in the Historic Guard Quarters, $5,000
The Rawlins Lodge No. 4, I.O.O.F., Electrical System Rehab for the Rawlins Odd Fellow Lodge, $12,000
Fremont County
Lander Art Center, 2020 Art of Home Exhibition, $2,400
Lander Community Foundation, Lander Bike Racks for Beauty, $4,000
Wyoming PBS Foundation, Home From School: Children of Carlisle Post Production, $8,000
Hot Springs County
Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Interactive Display Project, $8,000
Laramie County
Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne, Arts Education Program, $3,300
Downtown Development Authority, History Under Foot, $6,745
Wyoming State Museum, Wyoming First Battalion, Spanish American War flag conservation, $7,465
Natrona County
Casper Artist’s Guild/ART 321, Basement Expansion: Workshop, Conference and Co-Creating Space, $7,000
Stage III Community Theatre, Backstage/Greenroom Remodel, $5,000
Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, Young Artists Competition, $5,000
Park County
City of Cody, Concerts in the Park 2020, $1,000
Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre, Wild West Spectacular The Musical, $2,000
Sublette County
Pinedale Fine Arts Council, 2020 Soundcheck Music Series, $3,000
Teton County
Conservation Ink, Kemmerer-Diamondville Coal Oral History Project, $8,960
The Jackson Hole Chorale, Electronic Keyboard, Expanding the Reach of the Jackson Hole Chorale Singers, $3,500
Washakie County
Town of Ten Sleep, Nowoodstock Ten Sleep Music Festival, $5,200
Washakie Museum, Indigenous People’s Day 2020, $6,000
For more information about the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund grant program, contact Renée Bovée, WCTF Program Coordinator at 307-777-6312, renee.bovee@wyo.gov.
Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund
A Division of Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources
2301 Central Avenue, 3rd Floor, Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-6312, wyospcr.state.
This Month's Featured Story
Caldera Productions Receives Emmy Nominations
Two documentaries by Caldera Productions, LLC, of Lander, Wyoming, have been nominated for top 2020 Emmy Awards by the Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
“The State of Equality”, which tells the story of Wyoming’s world-leading role in recognizing the right of women to vote, was nominated for best historical documentary. As the nation celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution affirming women’s suffrage, audiences watching “The State of Equality” learn that women were voting in the Wyoming Territory 50 years before that, thanks to legislation proposed by a saloon owner from the gold boomtown of South Pass City in 1869. The documentary is a co-production of Caldera and Wyoming PBS, based in Riverton, with grant support from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.
“Ferret Town”, about the recovery in the wild of the black-footed ferret, once thought to be extinct, has been nominated for best feature among environmental subjects. The documentary short tells the dramatic story of the ferrets precarious fight for survival amidst the prairie dog towns near Meeteetsee, Wyoming. In addition to the Emmy nomination the film has been awarded 8 official selections at film festivals in the U.S. and Canada. Director Virginia Moore notes the importance of telling conservation success stories to “underscore the role we all play in ensuring that no species goes extinct.” "Ferret Town" received grant support from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.
In addition, “The State of Equality” nabbed a nomination for best musical composition and arrangement. The original music for the documentary was composed and orchestrated by Anne Guzzo, from the University of Wyoming.
About the Emmy nomination “The State of Equality” Producer Sophie Barksdale feels incredibly proud that the film is being recognized. “We had only a year and a half to produce an hour-long documentary,” said Barksdale, “To research it, shoot it, find the archival material, edit it, score it, and get it up on the screen. It was an incredible effort.” And, “It was an incredible honor to produce this film and raise awareness of the history of women’s suffrage. We involved as many women as possible in this project, both in front of the camera, and behind the scenes. Representation matters.”
Producer Geoff O’Gara, the president of Caldera Productions, thanked Wyoming PBS for launching “The State of Equality”, and cited the hard work of the project team, particularly Producer Barksdale, Director of Photography Kyle Nicholoff (of Wyoming PBS), Virginia Moore, Rose Steller Burke and Gina Colovich. “We had a big story to tell and a small staff that never quit,” says O’Gara.
The Emmy award winners will be announced on July 25. Both “The State of Equality” and “Ferret Town” can be viewed online and via DVD purchase at www.calderaproductions.com and www.ferrettownmovie.com.
