SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
The Nevada Museum of Art will be featured at the 27th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering taking place January 24-29, 2011 in the small community of Elko, Nevada. The annual event is a week-long celebration of life in the rural West, featuring the contemporary and traditional arts that arise from lives lived caring for land and livestock and has become an annual ritual for thousands of people who value and practice the artistic traditions of the region, and are concerned about the present and future of the West.
Many events, performances and workshops are featured during the week of the Gathering – including a special presentation and screening on Saturday, January 29 at 10:30 am of the film “Anthem: the prologue to Grass”.
The film was created in conjunction with the exhibition Between Grass & Sky that was presented at the Nevada Museum of Art in 2009 and the Western Folklife Center. The exhibition was inspired by the widely-celebrated poem Grass, which was written by legendary Texas poet Buck Ramsey. The gallery presentation of the exhibition was designed by Los Angeles-based designer Nik Hafermaas who provided the artist direction for the film itself.
The film has since received a number of awards, including top recognition by the American Association of Museums. The AAM judges commented, “An absolutely beautiful video, the Nevada Museum of Art has created a moving piece which effectively transports the viewer right into the West.”
The film will be available for sale in the Museum Store and during the Gathering. You can watch the film here: http://www.nevadaart.org/about/news#story-7
ABOUT THE FILM:
Anthem: the prologue to Grass
Created in conjunction with the exhibition Between Grass & Sky presented at the Nevada Museum of Art and the Western Folklife Center in 2009
Since it was first penned in the late 1980’s, Buck Ramsey’s prologue to the poem Grass has resonated with generations of cowboy poets throughout the American West. This audiovisual presentation, created in conjunction with the jointly-organized exhibition Between Grass & Sky presented at the Nevada Museum of Art and the Western Folklife Center in 2009, features an original rendition of recitations by three renowned cowboy poets combined with a 1993 recording of Ramsey’s own rendition. Joel Nelson, a dear friend of Ramsey’s, works a ranch outside of Alpine, Texas. Andy Hedges, a young reciter and musician, lives and works in Lubbock, Texas. Jerry Brooks, of Sevier, Utah, is one of the most respected reciters of “Anthem” and other beloved poems. Together, these poets’ voices pay tribute to the legacy of Buck Ramsey and the universal themes his words evoke.
Both organizations wish to thank the E. L. Wiegand Foundation for its generous sponsorship of Between Grass and Sky: Rhythms of a Cowboy Poem and Between Grass and Sky: Trappings of a Ranch Life.
Proceeds from this sale will benefit the Nevada Museum of Art and the Western Folklife Center.
Written by Buck Ramsey © Buck Ramsey
Buck Ramsey’s Grass, published by Texas Tech University Press © 2005
Featuring recitation by Jerry Brooks, Andy Hedges and Joel Nelson.
Artistic Production: FLF Films Inc., Reno
Artistic Direction: Nik Hafermaas, UeBersee Inc., Los Angeles
Director: Jerry Dugan
Producer: Erika Frick
Additional Photography: Ryan Baker
Sound Designer: Matt Smith
Production Assistant: Ryan Fagan
Graphic Design: Nik Hafermaas, UeBersee Inc., Los Angeles
Nevada Museum of Art Exhibition Curator: Ann M. Wolfe
Western Folklife Center Exhibition Curator: Meg Glaser
