"For my humanity, I turn to cowboy poetry," writes poet Jonathan Odermann in this ode to listening, healing, and the connecting power of poems shared.
“The Western Folklife Center will be forever in Daniel’s debt… that’s why we’re thrilled to tell you he won’t be straying too far.”
Executive Director Kristin Windbigler’s writes this guest column to provide critical context to the Elko Daily Free Press’ article about our financial challenges, and what’s next for the Western Folklife Center.
This month, the cowboy poets gather some of the most meaningful moments from their time in Elko as they answer this question asked by Feeling Nostalgic, “Could you describe a uniquely memorable moment you experienced at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko?”
From year one, Meg has been an integral part of the Gathering and the Western Folklife Center. Now, 37 years later, she continues to bring a splash of style to all she does. In honor of Meg’s well-deserved retirement, we asked some folks to say a few words. Nevada Humanities Executive Director (and longtime friend and colleague) Christina Barr recounts some of Meg’s many contributions.
In this month’s edition of the advice column, Saddled-Up and Starstruck asks the sage cowboy poets a straight-shooting, no-nonsense question: "What are the cowboy poets really like?" To which we said, “do you really want to know?” Joking aside (mostly), we rounded up their (mostly) serious responses to this forthright, but rather philosophical, query.
Send in your own questions for the cowboy poets via Facebook, Instagram, or email to media@westernfolklife.org.
When you get together to listen to the musings of some of the great cowboy poets and musicians of the West, it’s easy to find yourself carried away to another place or another time, moved by the power of these artists’ thoughtful words and the pictures they paint for us through their verse. But how does an artist protect themselves from another coming along and taking credit for the work they’ve so thoughtfully crafted over the years? Well that’s the question our friend Jacqueline sent in to us from Facebook this last month, looking to get a better understanding of the way these poet masters operate. It sure intrigued us, and we hope you enjoy what they each had to say in return.
Don’t forget you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram to send in your own questions to ask our cowboy poets! Email submissions can also be sent to media@westernfolklife.org.
It is with heavy hearts that we must announce the cancellation of the upcoming National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, originally planned for Jan. 24-29, 2022. After careful consideration of logistical challenges and financial hurdles due to the COVID pandemic, we have determined it will be impossible to deliver a Gathering experience that resembles anything close to what we have all come to expect.
As Waddie Mitchell said, “We’re all disappointed, but the board has made a wise decision. It's like finding the road's washed out when you’re headed to the yearly dance. You've got a date and you’re on the wrong side and there's nothing you can do about it. It's no one’s fault. You just have to say, ‘Shucks. We’ll try it again next year.’”
The second annual #earsieweek is upon us. And it’s all happening on our Instagram (check us out @cowboypoetrygathering).
What’s an “earsie” you ask? It’s a photo shot by a rider, with their horse’s ears in the frame. So, instead of the ever-ubiquitous social media “selfie” where the camera is turned on oneself, an “earsie” turns the camera out to the world that the photo-taker sees. And, more than that, an earsie specifically highlights the world one sees from horseback.
As summer fades and the reality of snow sets in, do you ever think, “sometimes, I just wish the Gathering could come to me”…? Well, it’s happening! We’re gathering—In. Your. Town.—with our new northern Nevada traveling series that brings family-friendly, sunset film screenings and classic cowboy poetry, music, and humor direct to your backyard.
Drawing on over 30 years of archival footage and a wide network of artists, each stop on the Gathering in Your Town circuit will be unique, just like the towns it visits.
To celebrate the current, and if we do say so, exquisite, exhibit, The Western Sights of Jo Mora, we did everything up Mora-style the first weekend in October.
Between gallery tours led by Mora experts, a live acoustic show by musician (and Mora fan) Mike Beck, book signings by Mora scholar Peter Hiller, and swigs from Mora-adorned limited run beer bottles, there was an homage to Mora everywhere we turned. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of Mora left to imbibe! The Western Sights of Jo Mora exhibit in our Weigand Gallery will be on view through May 14, 2022. And, you can still catch the livestream of Mike Beck’s show.
This month’s question is one I think we’ve all wanted to ask the poets we’ve seen perform at one point or another over the years. It gives us all a unique opportunity to remember why we come to the Gather year after year to watch these artists and others perform their craft, what it means to them, and how it translates back to us in our lives. Our friends at Buckaroo Bling submitted their question through Instagram:
“I'd like to ask your advisors how/why they became poets. Is it to make the hard ranching life easier by putting their feelings down on paper? Or is it to prove that country folk are as articulate and talented as anybody else? Or for some entirely different reason?" - @buckaroobling
One of the gems of the Western Folklife Center is our permanent contemporary gear collection. And it just got even better! We’re beyond thrilled with the most recent acquisition to the collection, a custom Jeremiah Watt saddle.
Commissioned in 1993, the saddle made its way from Watt’s workshop to the Western Folklife Center this September. Using skills and expertise (and inspiration) that came to fruition over the years, Watt has made a truly one-of-a-kind museum piece that exemplifies the artistry of Western gearmaking.
This month the poets try their best to give a lesson in love poetry to a lonesome wrangler out of Lovelock. It’s an age old art that many can attest is hard to master, but with a little help from our friends here we have plenty of faith that this cowpoke can pull it off. We hope it sparks some inspiration in all of you.
“Dear Cowboy Poets, I'm currently dealing with a long distance relationship scenario, and I was thinking a good way to bridge the gap was with some good, old-fashioned love poetry. Do you have any favorites that you'd recommend sending to a loved one? Or any tips for trying to write some of my own? Thanks for the help!” - Lovesick in Lovelock
It is understood that the poets and other artists who have become regulars at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada are masterful storytellers, wordsmiths, and musicians but rumor has it there are quite a few who have made a quite a name for themselves as jokesters. In this month’s edition of “Ask a Cowboy Poet,” a few of our poet panelists were willing to share a little of this behind the scenes, good-humored jesting that has turned into legend and lore of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
“What was the best prank you ever pulled, participated in or witnessed on a fellow artist at the Poetry Gathering?” - John Breternitz
Here at the Western Folklife Center we’ve been fortunate enough to forge relationships with wise wordsmiths and performers from all over the world. What better time to reach out and tap into this wealth of insight, wit, and humor than now! You send in your big (or small) questions and we put them up to the pros. We hope that our columnists, including Dick Gibford, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Bill Lowman, Waddie Mitchell, Gwen Petersen, and more, can help you find the answers you’re looking for.
“Greetings all, What was the toughest drought you faced, in what year did it happen, and what did you do to get through it? If you faced the same drought again would you do anything differently?” - Jonathan Odermann
Through the Ian Tyson Legacy Fund, individuals from ranching communities will be eligible to apply to participate in any of the exciting workshops hosted during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering for only $50, no matter the original cost. They will also receive a yearlong membership at the Western Folklife Center. The Ian Tyson Legacy Fund will also go toward supporting specialized workshops that focus on navigating both the creative and business side of performing cowboy music and poetry.
The Ian Tyson Legacy Fund has been seeded by longtime friend and supporter of the Gathering, Vickie Mullen, and is sustained by the continued giving of other generous donors and friends. We hope you will join us in supporting this effort.
We may not be able to gather in Elko, but we’re not going to let that stop us! In ranching, a rodear happens when cattle are gathered together and held in a circle, typically in a remote location where there are no corrals available. This allows the cowboys to perform their work. We find ourselves in a similar position this year—unable to hold our beloved event at headquarters. In the spirit of rodear, that just means we're going to have to ride out into the landscape and improvise. The event, poster and pin will be free for Western Folklife Center members!
The Western Folklife Center is honored to host The Art of Jack Malotte, a major retrospective exhibition showcasing the breadth of Malotte’s career, organized by the Nevada Museum of Art, opening July 11 in Western Folklife Center’s E. L. Wiegand Gallery, 501 Railroad Street, Elko.
An enrolled member of the South Fork Band of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, Jack Malotte makes artworks that celebrate the Great Basin with a unique focus on contemporary political issues faced by Native people seeking to protect and preserve access to their lands.
The Elko County Commissioners published a letter to our board recently in the local Elko Daily Free Press expressing their wish for us to reconsider the cancellation of the 2021 in-person Gathering. We are so grateful for all the positive notes we've received from you in support of our decision and want to share with you our board's response.
The Western Folklife Center Board of Trustees has decided to forego an in-person event for the 2021 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, originally planned for January 25-30, 2021. While it was a difficult decision, the board unanimously took this action after consideration of the potential risks posed by uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, the Center will offer online programming rooted in both archival recordings as well as new performances and other productions filmed on location and in its iconic G Three Bar Theater in Elko, Nevada.
The organization's top priority is concern for the health and safety of everyone who makes the Gathering a success each year, including Elko residents and the thousands of attendees who travel to the small Northern Nevada community from all over the United States and beyond. Additionally, the board acted to manage financial risk that could jeopardize the longevity of the organization and event.
“After significant exploration and thoughtful discussion with our board, it became quite clear that a full-blown Gathering like we are all used to cannot be in the cards for the 37th year of this event we all hold so dearly,” said Kristin Windbigler, the organization’s executive director.
“Despite the inevitable sadness we all feel about this decision, we remain hopeful and even a little excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. The Western Folklife Center’s archive of more than 40 years of audio and video recordings, along with the addition of a new multi-camera television studio in our theater will enable us to share online the full breadth of the Gathering year-round while also keeping Elko on the public’s radar as a travel destination once it’s safe to do so again,” she said.
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering — often referred to simply as “Elko” — has brought together communities bound by shared interests to celebrate the magic of Western lands and lifestyle through live performances, workshops, and much conviviality each January. It is a community-wide experience, with businesses all over town offering hospitality and dining as well as trade shows, exhibitions, and open mics. The Western Folklife Center’s programming injects millions of dollars into the local economy during a time when Elko needs it most.
Paul Caudill, chairman of the Center’s board of trustees offered on behalf of the governing organization, “We are clearly aware of the impact this decision will have on the local economy, but feel strongly that health and safety must come first. But, in the face of adversity comes opportunity. We are committed to deliver a first-class program that will serve to keep our broad community together through the balance of 2020 and Gathering week in 2021. We ask for your continued support through a trying time.”
We’re happy to announce the re-opening of the Western Folklife Center’s Gift Shop and Wiegand Gallery with Black Box Theater! These areas have been reconfigured to provide a safe environment for our visitors. Other areas of the historic Pioneer Building - business offices, Pioneer Saloon, G Three Bar Theater, and lower level including restrooms - remain closed at this time. Forgot your mask? We've got plenty of bandanas and are happy to share!
Due to continuing health concerns, we remain taking precautionary measures to maximize social distancing and minimize the potential spread of COVID-19. Beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, the Western Folklife Center Gift Shop, Wiegand Gallery, and administrative offices will temporarily close until further notice. The Western Folklife Center staff will be periodically checking phone and email messages.
We invite you to join us online for music, poetry and other interesting and entertaining programs of the Western Folklife Center. Watch videos on Vimeo and YouTube, listen to interesting and entertaining audio pieces, explore through online exhibitions, join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more.
Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe!
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