CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A unique combination of trendy electric guitar sculptures, multicolored African Americans portraits and colorful quilt collages are on display at the Cheyenne Civic Center.
Although different from one another, the pieces of art are all inspired by Gee’s Bend for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, the theme of this year’s Art in Music Art Show.
A beloved attraction by the community for more than 30 years, the show is a collaboration between student artists at Laramie County School District 1 and the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra.
At the beginning of the school year, symphony staff sent background videos on and music arrangements influenced by Gee’s Bend to LCSD high school and middle school art classes.
Dan Holroyd, fine and preforming arts coordinator at LCSD1, said students developed the artworks based on their own interpretations of the theme.
“Student developed the art based on what the music meant to them, or made them feel, so it’s a pretty cool process,” he said.
Holroyd said his favorite part of the art show is browsing through the completed projects.
“We have a number of incredible, talented kids in our district,” he said. “It’s not just the students but also the teachers, through their teaching of the techniques, that helps the kids develop style and artist statements.”
Located on the Alabama River in one of the poorest areas of the South, Gee’s Bend or Boyken is a small isolated town inhabited primarily by African Americans who are descendants of Civil War slaves. The residents developed their own traditions, including making quilts out of leftover fabrics with bold colors and abstract patterns.
Inspired by Gee’s Bend, Grammy award–winning composer Micheal Daughtery created Gee’s Bend for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, which intertwines American guitar rock and southern folk music with contemporary classical music.
Daughtery’s arrangement, along with other music arrangements from American composers, will be preformed by symphony orchestra members at their Saturday Made in America show.
To further incorporate the artworks into the performance, selected 2D and 3D projects will be photographed and shown during the concert, said Lindsey Reynolds, executive director of the orchestra.
“The audience will be able to see some of the winning artwork while they are listening to the piece that inspired it,” she said.
The student artwork will be on display at the Civic Center from today until March 4. The center is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Made in America Concert will take place on Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the center.
Tickets can be purchased at 307-778-8561 or cheyennesymphony.org.
