Big Horn Basin Folk Festival celebrates Wyoming artisans

The first major folk festival in Wyoming in 20 years will be held Aug. 1-2 in Hot Springs State Park, Thermopolis.

The Big Horn Basin Folk Festival includes a juried folk & fine arts show/sale, trading post sale area, food vendors, music performances both days, a mountain man camp with outdoor activities, and more than two dozen demonstrators and try-it-yourself hands-on activities for all ages.

“This celebration honors our artisans and skilled crafts persons, especially in the middle and northern part of the state,” said Annie Hatch, Wyoming Arts Council folk arts specialist. “This is an opportunity to recognize the people who live, work and create here.”

The festival is one of the largest gatherings of crafts persons recognized for quality by the state of Wyoming and Wyoming Arts Council. It includes members of the Wyoming Artist Roster, individuals who have received Arts Council apprenticeship awards, and participants from the recent Art of the Hunt events.

“This is a rare opportunity to see so many of our state’s skilled crafts people in one place,” said Annie Hatch. “Many don’t participate in a typical art festival or sale. They may never produce enough to sell. Or they may reserve what they make for family and friends.”

The festival is sponsored by Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation with support from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, Hot Springs Travel & Tourism, Thermopolis Community Fund and Wyoming Arts Council.

The festival is free. For more information: http://www.wyomingfolkfestival.com.

What’s at the Festival

Regional Musicians - Ana & Rachel Merchant & Friends from Casper; The Fireants from Buffalo; Heaven Bound from Basin; Miss V the Gypsy Cowbelle from Kirby; and Thermopolis groups Ken Swick & the Vintage Cowboys and John Brooks & Friends.

Celebrating Wyoming - Buffalo Bill Boycott, Dr. Jo, Lander, and Shoshone elder Willie LeClair, Wind River Reservation, will present “125 Years of Wyoming Statehood,” in music, story and audiovisuals.

Arts & Crafts Demonstrations - fly-tying, horsehair hitching, mohair cinch work, leatherwork, taxidermy, forged metal art, basketry, spinning, weaving, needlefelting, quilting, rug braiding and twining.

Juried Art Show & Sale - artists working in glass, jewelry, Native American beadwork, flintknapping, pottery, furniture, textiles, folk art, photography, painting, mixed media.

Kiwanis Trading Post - arts & crafts vendors from around the state, food vendors.

Mountain Man Camp - with sharpshooter Karl Milner, Gillette, and his 13-year-old son, Teddy, considered one of the best black powder shots in the state. They will give a demonstration of black powder shooting at 9 a.m., Sat. and Sun. morning in the Buffalo pasture area.

Special Guests

* Chainsaw artist Roy Pilcher, Devil’s Monument, will create a statue for a Children’s Nature Park area during the event.

* David Osmundsen, Arrowhead Forge of Buffalo, will be working at his portable forge fashioning metal art.

Mini-workshops & activities

* Children’s workshop: How to make and play homemade music instruments with “Miss V, the Gypsy Cowbelle.”

* Mini-workshop: Traditional Basque dance steps with the Fireants.

* Workshop: Gourd painting with Toddi Darlington, Thermopolis.

* Workshop: How to make natural plant baskets with Sally Wesaw, Thermopolis.

* Tween-teen workshop: Restyling Tired T-shirts - Make a new top or vest with Gayle Wilson, Laramie

* Hands-on activities in quilting, spinning, weaving, sewing, taxidermy, ropemaking and roping.

Mini-exhibits

* Old Trail Town Western Art Quilt Exhibit by The Textile Artists of Greater Yellowstone (TAGY) - wall hangings based on images from Old Trail Town in Cody and the Wyoming West. This is the first time the quilt show has been seen outside of Cody.

* The Rainbow Snake Project - an 18-foot-long mural by Hot Springs Middle School students guided by Wyoming Artist Roster artist Paul Taylor, Laramie. It tells a story of the mineral hot springs in the state park and other important elements of the community.