Ucross to Hold Artist Reception

Brittney Denham-Whisonant Textile art

On Friday, July 30th, The Ucross Foundation will be hosting an artist reception, the first such event in over a year.

“All of us at Ucross look forward to hosting our first in-person gallery event since 2019,” said Ucross President and Executive Director Sharon Dynak. “We are honored to present work by this trio of distinguished artists and to welcome back everyone in the community.”

The opening reception will be held at the Ucross Art Gallery to celebrate this summer’s exhibition, “American Memory: Inside Out.” It will take place from 5–7 pm and is open to the public at no charge.

“Brittney Denham-Whisonant, local artist and Assistant Professor of Photography and Printmaking at Sheridan College, will be at the reception and will give a talk about her art,” said Tracey Kikut, Ucross Foundation Program Director. “Unfortunately, Bill Will and Monica Brown will be unable to attend.”

All three were artists-in-resident during the 2021 summer session. Their art is on display in the gallery at the Ucross Foundation.

Kikut had this to say about some of the exhibits. “The title of the exhibit is ‘American Memory: Inside Out.” All of the work on display revolves around that theme and presents a cross-section of Americana through a variety of expression, including Bill’s sculptural work, Brittney’s quilted textiles, and Monica’s photo-collage, poetry, and mixed media.”

“Will’s pieces are from a collection called ‘Maps’ which depicts maps of the U.S. in artistic forms. The denim map can be interpreted in various ways, as can all art. I like to think of the map as denim is the fabric of the country, and a tribute to all those who settled the U.S., especially the west.”

“Monica Brown’s exhibit is more memory based. Her exhibits are about memory and memory of things in the past, especially family,” Kikut said.

“Brittney’s art is in the textile media. She does a process called Cyanotype, a photography process on fabric. She also raises her own indigo to use to dye the fabric.”

Held in Ucross’s iconic Big Red Barn, the reception will include a gallery walk-through, and complimentary food and drink, “And they have awesome food,” Kikut laughed.

There is also an opportunity to meet one of the featured artists, local artist Denham-Whisonant, who teaches at Sheridan College and will give a talk about her artwork.

“Our receptions usually have around 50 to 75 people in attendance,” Kikut said. “We hope for a good turn-out this year, hoping that people are ready to come out and see the exhibit. It will be our final reception for the year.”

She added that there will be a Music in the Park music event on August 22.

“This will be a big event, we expect around 300 people, and it will be held in The Park at Ucross, from 4-6 pm. There will bluegrass and country music, food trucks, and an art giveaway. We have a lot of art, and we thought we would try it this year and see if people like the art and want to take it home.” Kikut said.