Photo Credit Mr. Mystery

November 9, 2011 — Denver, Colorado — The Left Bank Writers Retreat, a small-group writing workshop, is slated for June 17-22 in Paris, France. Hosted by writer Darla Worden, the workshop will focus on writing in a salon setting during mornings and touring Paris in the afternoons.

“Writers at every level enjoy this retreat,” Worden says.  “We explore Paris’s deep literary roots while also experiencing Paris’s sights, restaurants and museums.”

The cost of the six-day Left Bank Writers Retreat is $1999 and includes morning writing sessions, coaching and one-on-one time with the instructor for a maximum of 8 writers, as well as lunch each day, admission to museums and area sights, an excursion to Montmartre, a picnic on the banks of the Seine and a literary tour visiting many of the sites featured in Woody Allen’s recent movie Midnight in Paris.

Now in its third year, the retreat takes place on the historic Île Saint-Louis in the heart of Paris. Writers arrange their own lodging and transportation to Paris, and can reserve a spot in the retreat with a $500 deposit.

Worden has written more than 100 magazine articles about art, architecture and travel over the past 20 years.  Author of the novel Road Shoes and co-author of The Rusty Parrot Cookbook (Gibbs Smith, 2009), she also writes the popular blog Frenchophile

For additional information, visit www.leftbankwriters.com or Facebook or email at darla@wordenpr.com.

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Hunting Adelies, The Ross Sea, Antarctica. © John B. Weller

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – October 12, 2011 – Award-winning conservation photographer John Weller gave an impassioned presentation in Jackson, Wyo., at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, stressing the importance of protecting the pristine ecosystem of Antarctica’s Ross Sea.  “Conservation is a necessity, not a luxury,” said Weller in his talk before an audience that included acclaimed Antarctic scientist David Ainley and Claire Christian of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition and the Antarctic Ocean Alliance in Washington, D.C.  Weller’s presentation was in honor of the opening of an exhibition of his work, “The Last Ocean: Antarctica’s Ross Sea Photographs by John Weller,” on display at the museum through January 29, 2012.

“Weller has the unusual ability both to make great art and to speak intelligently about larger issues affecting our world,” said Adam Harris, National Museum of Wildlife Art curator of art.  “The message behind his work really speaks to our overall goals as an institution interested in humanity’s relationship with nature.”

Through his remarkable photographs, John Weller celebrates the Ross Sea as one of the last healthy marine environments, offering a glimpse into the lives of wildlife from Emperor penguins to silverfish that inhabit the remote region both above and below the ocean’s surface.  A SeaWeb fellow and photographer/writer based in Boulder, Colo., he received a 2009 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to support his work to promote protection of the Ross Sea.  For more information on those efforts, visit The Last Ocean Charitable Trust website.

Two additional fall exhibitions at the National Museum of Wildlife Art offer thought-provoking connections between animals, habitat and humans as presented through the fine arts: In “George McLean: The Living Landscape” (November 19, 2011 – April 22, 2012), the artist uses meticulous fieldwork to create what has been described as “wilderness live- action painting.” And the avian artwork show “In the Spotlight: Mark Eberhard’s On the Edge” (October 22, 2011 – April 15, 2012) uses a painting of bird species on the brink of extinction as its centerpiece.

A member of the Museums West consortium and accredited by the American Association of Museums, the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe.  A complete is available online at www.wildlifeart.org.  The museum is also active on Facebook and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Ponteir Sackrey, National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5444, psackrey@wildlifeart.org.

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The EHA Family Trust Residence, winner of the AIA Award of Citation.

 Jackson, Wyoming – October 3, 2011 – Ward + Blake Architects has been named 2011 Firm of the Year by AIA Wyoming at its recent Honor Awards ceremony.   In addition, the Jackson, Wyo. firm won an Award of Citation for its EHA Family Residence.  About its selection of Ward + Blake for Firm of the Year, the AIA states: “For nearly 20 years Ward + Blake has contributed to the ongoing design discourse of New West architecture in Wyoming by creating contextually designed public spaces and homes that possess an accountability to the site, client, and historical continuum in which they were conceived.”

“We are deeply honored by the Firm of the Year recognition from AIA Wyoming,” says Ward + Blake Principal Mitch Blake.  “It is especially meaningful to receive an award that stresses collaboration and long-term contributions to the community, both of which have always been an important part of our overall mission.”

“It’s terrific to have our staff and body of work recognized in this way,” adds Ward + Blake Principal Tom Ward.  “We continually strive to learn and grow, pushing the boundaries with our passion for sustainable, contextual design, honestly expressed.  It’s gratifying to be acknowledged for how that looks over the past 20 years even as we continue to evolve and refine our mutual vision.”

The AIA Wyoming Firm of the Year Award recognizes the continuing collaboration among individuals in a firm that has produced distinguished architecture over a period of at least 10 years, has made significant contributions to the institute, the profession, and the community, and has transcended local boundaries.  As a whole, the AIA Wyoming Design Awards program recognizes excellence in design, planning, and construction of projects located anywhere in the world that are designed by AIA architects registered and licensed in Wyoming.  The 2011 awards banquet was held at Spring Creek Ranch in Jackson on September 23.

Ward + Blake’s EHA Residence, Winner of the Award of Citation, is a 7,334-square-foot home built in a grove of Aspens between the Teton Range and the Snake River in Jackson Hole.  One of the home’s unique features is traditional dovetailed logs finished with cast glass “chinking” to allow diffused light into the interior space by day and to provide a lantern effect by night.

Ward + Blake Architects was built on a distinctive vision: be provocative in thought, flexible in nature and disciplined in execution. Since 1996, the firm has gained recognition for architecture that is sensitive to its environment and successfully integrated with its surroundings.  Ward + Blake creates buildings that are tactile, modern, bio-climatically responsible, honestly expressed, technologically sound and artfully crafted.  For additional information visit Ward + Blake online at www.wardblakearchitects.com or call 307.733.6867.

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335

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Jackson, Wyoming – September 29, 2011 – Attendance at this year’s 20^th Annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale showed a substantial increase over 2010 numbers, announced Conference Director Nancy McCullough-McCoy.  The Western Design Conference (WDC), which includes a fashion and jewelry show gala and lectures, as well as a gallery-style exhibition and sale of one-of-a-kind Western design by artisans, is held annually in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

“We’re very pleased with the attendance of this year’s event,” says McCullough-McCoy. “Plus, artists in the event reported an increase in sales this year. Most of the artists left very happy.”

Some 1,200 people, purchased tickets to attend the show held at Snow King Pavilion during the three-day event, September 8-11. In addition, the Western Design Conference Gala Fashion Show at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts hosted a sold-out crowd.

The nation’s finest Western-influenced designers and artists from across the country applied to be part of more than 100 exhibitions on display for this year’s exhibition and sale, with cash prizes totaling more than $22,000 awarded to handcrafted works in leather, metal, accents, woodworking, jewelry and fashion.  This year’s award winners included $5,000 for Best of Show to Many Tears (Supaya Gray Wolfe) of Camp Verde, Ariz.; $1,000 for The Wort Hotel Historical Craftsmanship award to Gauteraux Boot Co. of Redmond, Oreg.; $1,000 for the Sonny Tuttle Spirit Award to Timothy Jennings of Jackson, Wyo.; and a $4,000 Peoples’ Choice Award, chosen via votes by visitors to the show and sale, to Sue and Jim Berkenfield of Tetonia, Idaho.  A full listing of this year’s awards is available online at http://www.westerndesignconference.com/awards/.

The Western Design Conference is the foremost exhibition and celebration of what is happening in the world of Western furniture, fashion, and home accessories.  The 19th Annual Exhibit + Sale is a multi-million-dollar event featuring one-of-a-kind works of museum quality functional art on display and for purchase.  Additional information on the conference, including schedules and tickets, is available at www.westerndesignconference.com, and on Facebook and Twitter (@WesternDesign).

Media Contacts: Allison Merritt, allison@westerndesignconference.com, 307.690.9719; Nancy McCullough-McCoy, nancy@powdermountainpress.com, 307.690.0238

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Jackson, Wyoming—September 21, 2011—Ward + Blake Architects received four Dream Home Awards, presented annually to companies and individuals who “set new standards of excellence in the nation’s building industry,” according to the Dream Home Awards organization.  The Jackson Hole architecture firm Ward + Blake received a Gold Award and two Silver Awards in the category of Best Conceptual Home Design plus a Silver Award in the category Best Whole House Remodel.  Its Gold-winning design concept for the Freedom, Wyo., Sharp Residence is published in the annual Dream Home Awards issue of hab-i-ta-tion Design Magazine.

Dream Home Awards are presented to those companies and individuals who assist in creating America’s Dream Homes; the awards honor trend-setting products and technology from the previous year.  The competition is open to interior designers, architects, building and remodeling firms, communities and trade contractors from across the country who compete in categories related to custom home products, interior design, commercial and mixed-use projects. The program describes itself as “the only comprehensive competition open to the nation’s design-build industry.”

For its Gold Award-winning concept for the Sharp Residence, Ward + Blake integrated the residence with the environment, nestling it into the site’s grassy slope – a distinct revision from the owner’s original expectation of a two-story house.  Three small ponds, created using excavated fill from the daylight basement, enhance the property’s existing stream.  In addition, the firm received Silver Awards for its designs of the Rominger residence in Jackson, Wyo., the Yanke residence in Thomasville, Georgia, and for the remodel of the Villa di Famiglia Vita in Alta, Wyoming.

Ward + Blake’s use of a ‘New West’ architectural vocabulary epitomizes the growing Western Modernism movement. The Jackson Hole residential and commercial architects capture the authentic, independent spirit of the West while taking regional design in a fresh and modern direction. The Jackson, Wyo., residential and commercial architecture firm is known for its award-winning eco-friendly innovations and received the Wyoming AIA Award of Excellence.  To view photographs of the awarded projects and learn more about the winners, see hab-i-ta-tion Design Magazine at http://www.dreamhomeawards.com. For additional information, contact Ward + Blake Architects at 307.733.6867.

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A model walks the runway during the WDC Fashion + Jewelry Show Gala.

Jackson, Wyoming — August 29, 2011— The Western Design Conference Gala, Sept. 8, 2011, at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts, expands this year with the addition of a special showing of celebrity costume designer Manuel’s State Jacket Collection and the Winners Circle Art Auction, announced Western Design Conference (WDC) Event Manager Allison Merritt.

“We are extremely excited about the addition of both these events to our lineup,” says Merritt.  “The auction will add another interactive element to the fashion show, and we are honored to have Manuel and his historically significant State Jacket Collection at this year’s event.”

For the Winners Circle Art Auction, past WDC Design Excellence Award winners donate new works to be auctioned off, with proceeds to benefit the annual WDC artist awards fund.

Manuel’s State Jacket Collection will be displayed during the Exhibit + Sale and on the runway during the fashion show in the Center Theater. Known as the “Rhinestone Rembrandt,” Manuel will display his series of jackets stitched and sequined in tribute to the 50 states.  Manuel’s star-studded client list includes Johnny Cash, Elvis, Patsy Cline, the Beatles, Gram Parsons, and the Rolling Stones. The exhibit is sponsored by Jackson Hole architecture firm Ward + Blake Architects.

The WDC Fashion + Jewelry Show Gala reception takes place following the fashion show. Reserved-seating ticket prices range from balcony seats at $35 to premium seating at $125.  Tickets for the Fashion + Jewelry Show Gala are available at Center for the Arts, 240 South Glenwood, or by calling the Ticket Office, (307) 733-4900 or (877) 733-4901.

The Western Design Conference is the foremost exhibition and celebration of what is happening in the world of Western furniture, fashion, and home accessories. The 19th Annual Exhibit + Sale is a three-day, multi-million-dollar event featuring one-of-a-kind works of museum quality functional art on display and for purchase at the Pavilion at Snow King Resort, Sept. 9-11 from 10am to 5pm.  Tickets are available at the door for $15, or present your WDC Gala ticket stub for free admission. Additional information on the conference, including a full schedule of events and ticket details, is available at www.westerndesignconference.com, and on Facebook and Twitter (@WesternDesign).

Media Contacts: Allison Merritt, allison@westerndesignconference.com, 307.690.9719; Nancy McCullough-McCoy, nancy@powdermountainpress.com

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Construction on the new sculpture trail continues at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – August 25, 2011 – Visitor numbers at the National Museum of Wildlife Art have been steady so far this summer, proving that a little construction won’t detour art lovers.  Work has been continuing on schedule for months on a planned capital improvements campaign that includes an upfit to exterior stone walls and a new roof for the structure.  In addition, construction has been underway on the museum’s new major outdoor art venue, a Walter Hood-designed sculpture trail, slated for September 2012 completion.

“Luckily our visitors haven’t minded the work going on outside the building; they are much more interested in the exhibitions – including the chance to take a hard hat tour of our new sculpture trail for a behind-the-scenes peek while it’s under construction,” says Ponteir Sackrey, Barnes Family Director of Development & Marketing for the museum.

Recent construction developments at the National Museum of Wildlife Art sculpture trail include excavations and pouring of concrete at the entrance and along the north trail.  In addition, demolition and preparation for widening the road has been taking place along the east entry driveway and west driveway.  Curb and gutter work continues along with the installation of stone seating for the new outdoor amphitheater.

The museum will continue to offer its hard hat tours of the construction goings-on to the public twice daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. through September.

A new underpass is nearing completion that  connects the museum and new sculpture trail to the North 89 Pathway for hikers and bicyclists.

A member of the Museums West consortium and accredited by the American Association of Museums, the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe.  A complete schedule of museum exhibitions and events is available online at www.wildlifeart.org.  The museum is also active on Facebook at wildlifeartjh and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Ponteir Sackrey National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5444, psackrey@wildlifeart.org.

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Jackson Hole PR company WordenGroup uses fall in the Tetons for unusual employee review process. Photo courtesy of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.

Jackson, Wyoming —August 24, 2011— When Jackson Hole public relations coordinator Katie-Chloe Stock was ready for her 90-day review at WordenGroup Public Relations, she imagined sitting across the desk from her supervisor and listening to a critique of her work performance.  But unlike Corporate America, small businesses can create business practices that suit their employees and their work environment. “I told K.C. we’d take our dogs and go on a hike and talk,” says WordenGroup principal Darla Worden.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with its abundant hiking and biking trails, offers numerous opportunities to get out of the office—and that’s what WordenGroup encourages its employees to do.  “The last couple years have affected us like most businesses,” Worden says. “We’ve cut back on perks to remain profitable, so I try to think of creative things I can do for our fabulous staff to make their job fun.”

Things like the pedicure gift certificate Worden gives employees after a break-up, with a note that read, “You may be in pain, but at least you can have beautiful toes.” The staff dresses in their best cowboy boots to take in the fashion show at the annual Western Design Conference. The company celebrates current and former staffers’ birthdays, and closes the office for an annual WordenGroup ski day. Public relations executives in the firm’s Denver office travel to Jackson to take part in the fun of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, and one associate even received a trip to the Artic to experience firsthand a client’s polar bear expeditions.

“Life is short and our employees work hard, so I encourage them to take as much vacation as they can plus flex hours to accommodate hobbies and second jobs—we live in Jackson Hole where it’s normal to have two jobs when a person is starting their career,” Worden says. As a result, she receives a steady stream of resumes and applicants. “So many qualified people are out there looking for jobs; we’re never at loss for talent.”

WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations is an award-winning boutique public relations firm representing companies in hospitality, tourism, ecotourism and architecture—many with eco-friendly components.  Based in Jackson Hole, Wyo., the firm also has associates in Denver, Colo. For additional WordenGroup information, visit www.wordenpr.com.

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335

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A chef dips into freshly prepared fondue at the Taste of the Tetons event.

Jackson, Wyoming – August 24, 2011 – Jackson Hole’s talented chefs, restaurants and caterers will provide samples of their best culinary work at the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Taste of the Tetons on Sunday, September 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  At the popular annual event, valley chefs will offer artistic tastes of their wares from booths on Jackson’s Town Square.  Visitors purchase $1 tickets to buy the samples, which range in price from $1 – $5.

Menu items include sample-size offerings from gourmet to game, sushi to soup.  Past tastes have included perfect-for-strolling bites of seared ahi tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes, Mead Ranch Beef bourguignon with crimini mushrooms, buffalo chile rellenos, crawfish beignets and mustard-dill tortellini salad on a skewer.

Participating restaurants for the 2011 festival include Bistro, Bistro Catering, Café Genevieve, Cascade at Teton Mountain Lodge, Couloir, e.leaven Food Company, The Garage, Gamefish at Snake River Lodge and Spa, Ignight, Il Villagio Osteria; Jackson Hole High School, The Kitchen, Million Dollar Steakhouse, The Mural Room at Grand Teton Lodge Company, Pinky G’s Pizzeria, Q Roadhouse, Rustic Inn, Snake River Grill, Snow King Resort, White Buffalo Club and The Wort Hotel.

In addition to the food booths, Taste of the Tetons will include a wine tasting, silent auction, and Howdy Pardners “Pickin’ in the Park” musical entertainment by The Jackson Hole Cowboy Jubilee.

The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival is widely recognized as one of the premier cultural events in the Rocky Mountain West with its trademark mix of visual, contemporary, Western, landscape, wildlife and Native American arts by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists – along with an exceptional array of music, cowboy poetry and cuisine. More than 50 events round out the 11-day festival, September 8 – 18, 2011.

This popular event fills Jackson’s hotel rooms, so early reservations are highly recommended.  Lodging options and a complete schedule of Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival events may be found at the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce website, www.jacksonholechamber.com.  For additional information, contact Maureen Murphy at Jackson Hole Chamber, 307.733.3316.

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335

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Rear exterior view of the Geneva House by Arch11; the bungalow makeover is featured in the August issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles.

Boulder, Colorado – August 18, 2011 – Two Boulder homes designed by Arch11  and built by Hammerwell, Inc., both Boulder-based firms, are featured in the August 2011 issues of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Mountain Living magazines.  Though distinctly different, the homes, a sleek indoor-outdoor foothills residence and a modern in-town Craftsman makeover, illustrate the sophisticated aesthetic and green-build savvy the design-build team is known for.

“We are excited to have two of our Boulder residences – both done in conjunction with Hammerwell – in print at the same time,” says E.J. Meade, an Arch11 principal.  “It is rewarding to see popular regional shelter publications like Mountain Living and Colorado Homes & Lifestyles embracing the type of sustainable and site-sensitive modern Colorado design projects we love to do.”

Arch11 overcame a variety of challenges including an odd-shaped lot, strict height and solar shadow restrictions and a wetlands buffer zone in designing the Syncline residence, which appears in the August 2011 Mountain Living feature “Open House.”  The award-winning residence received its LEED Gold certification for numerous green attributes including a green roof planted with native grasses and wildflowers atop the garage; renewable-based Icynene spray-foam insulation throughout the home; windows glazed with the highest-performing glass coatings on the market; and a ground-loop heat-exchange system with seven 300-foot wells.

Colorado Homes & Lifestyles story “Art and Craft” features the transformation of a 1914 bungalow with a newly streamlined interior.  The owner hired architect-builder team Arch11 and Hammerwell to “create a dialogue between modern living and historic roots” in the vintage Craftsman home.  “A blend of clean lines and comfortable materials,” the redo includes a second-floor addition that replaces a small attic, creating a treehouse effect that captures panoramic views of the Flatirons and Boulder.

Founded in 1993, Arch11 has gained recognition for projects ranging from exceptional residences to institutional planning, mixed-use development and product design.  Recent awards include 2009 Firm of the Year Award from the Colorado AIA and four 2011 Builder’s Magazine Watermark Awards, including Project of the Year.  Arch 11’s Ken Andrews also was named 2011 Young Architect of the Year by Colorado AIA. Based in Boulder, Colo., Arch11 has 30 combined years of green building technology leadership.  The staff’s unusual level of hands-on experience ranges from boat building to furniture making, contributing to its reputation for commitment to craft, detailing and design integrity.  For additional information visit www.arch11.com.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335; E.J. Meade, Arch11, ejmeade@arch11.com, 303.546.6868

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