PHOTOS: Nic hosts reception for “Sissy” Goodwin, the scholarship recipients’ exhibits

CASPER, Wyo – The Nicolaysen Art Museum held opening receptions on Friday, one for an exhibit celebrating late polymath Larry “Sissy” Goodwin. The other is the “When Things Dream” exhibit, featuring the six Wyoming Arts Council Biennial Fellowship recipients selected over the past two years.

Two of the scholarship artists, Shawn Bush and Rachel Hawkinson, are from Casper.

The biennial exhibit is something that Nic executive director Andy Couch has described as the “Wyoming Art Olympics,” as the facility only comes to the Nic every four years.

The scholarships are juried by a panel of artists from out of state, and a juror is chosen to organize exhibitions.

“Wyoming’s magnificent landscape, rich in historical resources, deeply influenced each of the six artists chosen for this exhibition,” curator Iwan Bagus, professor at American University in Washington DC, said at the reception.

When visiting the studios, “I got the impression that the work itself was alive,” he said. “Everyone touched me and left me a question.”

During these visits, Bagus told Oil City that he saw that the work of artists was far more important than what was in their portfolios. Most of the pieces selected in the exhibition are things he encouraged them to include.

that of Diana Baumbach the job “was like reading your diary,” Bagus said. Reflecting on motherhood, her works are constructed from handmade paper and baby clothes that have been ‘pulverized’ and sculpted.

“I have used radial symmetry to allude to eyes, breasts, and cycles, while the protruding wool is reminiscent of hair, tightness, milking and tying,” reads his artist statement. .

Shawn bush featured installation “Observer Effect” is a series of light boxes illuminating digitally and physically cut photomontages of botanical life.

“The complexity of the layers in each photograph is the result of the juxtaposition of data and information,” Bagus said. “The energy in his work reflects the rapid pace of environmental change in the world around us.”

Rachel hawkinson, a native of Casper, uses traditional goldsmithing techniques combined with materials such as stone and feathers to create delicate sculptural pieces. They’re also functional accessories, with brooches and other items made from sterling silver and reclaimed wood.

Inspired by her father’s ability to weld simple objects into desirable pieces, her work now presents “abstract versions of places, events and objects significant throughout her life,” Bagus said.

Based in Laramie by Wendy Bredehoft his work stems from his residences with the Carissa Gold Mine Project, exploring the historic mine near South Pass City. While everything at the site is protected, the artifacts and materials she later recovered from other sources replicate the aesthetic of the mine with juxtapositions of warp, wood, and burlap.

It also includes live audio from the site, which Bagus encouraged her to include via a scannable QR code.

Well said that of Garrett Cruzan The work is an exploration of the landscapes of social media and the modern relationship with big data. “He composes beautiful and compelling meta-narratives from assembled materials. “

The dark renderings of acrylic and toner on canvas in his Black Box series “examine the act of looking,” Bagus said.

Favian Hernandez, working from Laramie, “creates an animal world out of paper,” Bagus said, especially celebrating endangered and mythical species with papier-mâché, pulp and acrylic paint.

Bagus said the “fantastic” and “fantastic” tone of the work is reminiscent of fables.

Amanda Yonker curated the exhibit celebrating Larry “Sissy” Goodwin, native of Douglas, Vietnam veteran and former Casper College educator. An accomplished builder whose designs included ponds, gazebos, golf clubs, wine, and an airplane, it was Sissy’s penchant for puff-sleeved dresses and blouses that earned him national attention.

“You can do anything, no matter what you wear,” Yonker told Oil City News. “The point was to show that Sissy was more than the clothes he wore.”

The exhibition includes many of his wardrobe selections, collages, photographs and drawings.

“I’m a better person because I married this man,” his widow Vickie said at the reception. They have been married for 51 years.

“As I challenged him to see his intelligence, he inspired me to come out of myself. We encouraged each other to go beyond our humble beginnings in Wyoming to work to make our state and our world a better place for everyone. “

“Above all, we believed in each other,” said Vickie.

Goodwin adopted the nickname “Sissy” to disarm the negativity and harassment he faced due to the fashion he chose.

Vickie told Oil City that every time a story about Sissy aired in the media, they received letters thanking him for helping them understand themselves or their family members who were also not complying. to traditional genre tropes.

His granddaughter, Brittany Ratliffe, told Oil City that Sissy taught him the art of birdwatching, and some of his fondest memories with him are nature walks and chasing rabbits.

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