(intense ambient music) - We are very fortunate in Wyoming to have a governor and a first lady that are so supportive of the arts and the culture within our state, and just deep down, just good humans.

And so thank you again for all you do for the state (crowd applauding) and for us.

And so with that, I'd like to introduce the governor of the great state of Wyoming, Mark Gordon.

(crowd applauding) - All right, thank you.

Thank you.

(chuckles) Thanks so much and welcome to the most wonderful evening of the legislative session.

(crowd cheering) (crowd applauding) Truly, it is always a great pleasure to be here on this gala, and you all look good.

I just gotta say, you do everybody here, so.

(crowd applauding) And it is a pleasure to serve with the people that I do, and I hope as you have a chance to see the various legislators are here, I hope you thank them for their service.

You can tell because they're here, they're just embedded in Wyoming's culture, they care about Wyoming, they're part of their community.

And so for the legislators that are here, thank you for caring about this great state that we call home.

(crowd applauding) And I am blessed to serve with, I would say old, but that would be not right.

So I have to say, it's a great joy to serve with auditor, Recina.

Thank you.

And I know you joined me in saying thank you to superintendent, Degen Felder and Chuck Gray, thank you for being here this evening.

This is a taste of what Wyoming is all about.

(crowd applauding) So.

- Jean is an old friend, and a fabulous teacher, and earlier this evening, I was talking about how important it is that we allow the teachers that teach our kids to have that opportunity to do what they do best, which is teach, not test, but teach.

And, (crowd applauding) Jean was that phenomenal teacher that led our kids into ambition, into trying to make better for themselves.

And so Jean, thank you.

And your poetry has gotten better over the last few years.

(crowd laughing) So it's nice to see your humor.

And as I was thinking about every event that's happened this year, every single event that's happened this year from the second when we had the inauguration on, has been accompanied by a major winter storm.

(crowd laughing) I don't know if there's a message in that, but I was thinking, and I don't know if any of you know, there's a wonderful painter, and I had a friend when I was in college who was doing her paper on something called, on an artist called, Barnett Newman, and I completely was surprised by 'cause Barn Barnett Newman painted just fabulous pictures.

So they said, and I never really understood them until this winter, so Barnett Newman was one of those artists that would have a blank canvas with a single line down it.

And I now realize that Barnett Newman was a landscape artist (crowd laughing) about Wyoming.

And so.

(chuckles) But tonight, it is truly a joy to report on arts in Wyoming.

And Wyoming has a very strong tradition of arts.

And I will start with what we see in every community, in every school.

We see native talent that is emerging and trying to find ways to express itself.

And your presentation this evening was remarkable, thank you for that, for the history lesson, as well as for everything else.

(crowd applauding) Thank you (indistinct).

And for those of us that grew up on a ranch, there was always that person, and I know you know that Mr. President, there was always that person on the ranch that would just doodle in the evenings, and he would come up or she would come up with a fabulous picture of the place we call home.

That is something that, you can't live in this state without appreciating landscape, without appreciating people, without appreciating what a gift it is that we live where we do.

I will also say that thankfully we are filled with communities that respect and care about the arts.

(crowd applauding) Almost every community in Wyoming has some form of museum, and in that museum there's not only the relics and the features of what our history is, but there's also someone's rendition of art through the years.

And we have some remarkable museums.

In Casper we have the Nicolaysen Museum.

(crowd applauding) (crowd cheering) As you look to Jackson, you have the Museum of Wildlife Art.

And if you have a chance to wander through that, do, (crowd applauding) phenomenal.

And I had the opportunity in that wonderful main foyer that they have to listen to some of the most beautiful piano music from a local artist.

That's what happens here in Wyoming, for people to know what a treasure we have in Cody with the Buffalo Bill Historic Museum, and thank you by the way for your support here.

(crowd applauding) But everywhere you go in Wyoming, people care, they care deeply about the arts.

And we actually write real stories about the West.

We don't write things that are mistaken about saying Yellowstone is somehow part of Montana.

(crowd laughing) Really?

No, no, no, no, we write the real stories of what it means to be in the West of the West about the West and for the West.

So tonight it is my honor to talk about how important and how strong the arts are in Wyoming.

Arts drive tourism across the state.

And you can see in northeastern Wyoming how communities like Sheridan and Buffalo and Ucross and Banner have made such a statement, an important statement about art.

You can see that in Casper and you can see that right here in Cheyenne.

People traveling to Wyoming often report that they stay longer and spend more on average twice those who are traveling to other activities because they love the arts that are here.

The Wyoming Arts Council grants dollars that reach every corner of our state.

And I'm happy to say that for every $1 of state funding, local communities contributed an additional $17,30.

(crowd applauding) That's how much we pay.

That's how much we pay.

Wyoming is home to 10,500 arts and cultural workers making up approximately 3.8% of the workforce.

We create that front, artists create that front country experience that helps inform and parallels Wyoming's backcountry wonders.

Something is for everyone here in Wyoming.

Our lives are enriched, our communities are more vibrant and our ideas are more vital when imbued with the beauty and grace and perspective that creative arts provide.

They are important pieces of the puzzle for improving the quality of life that makes Wyoming a place that people not only want to visit, but they want to live.

The weather kind of changes, they maybe we wanna live here thing, but they'll remember Wyoming and come back.

And I often say this for the people who have moved here, how wonderful it is that they're here, it took me 18 years to vote, I think they should take 18 years before they can vote.

(audience laughing) Just kidding, just kidding, we're welcoming.

Artists bring new perspectives to the community, conversations and help communities think creatively while solving some of the most pressing problems here in Wyoming.

There is no better way to highlight Wyoming's beauty and character than through the arts.

And tonight is about honoring excellence in the arts and lifelong dedication to making Wyoming a more vibrant state.

Wyoming is proud to be home to many wonderful artists, and this is the opportunity that we have to celebrate their work, to celebrate their commitment, and to celebrate those who commit themselves to making sure that arts are in all of our lives.

And we thank you all for the work that you do.

Artists and supporters of the arts are upstanding citizens for our state, and use their courage to be a creative to enhance all Wyoming has to offer.

Express Wyoming's character the to the world, show our unique personalities, and our unique character, and engage us in thought about the world around us and the state we love.

And tonight it is so nice to have the opportunity to thank the sponsors like U.S. Gold and others that are here this evening who recognize how important the arts are for us and to have this evening to celebrate that.

So please give all of our sponsors a hand.

(crowd applauding) Darren to the Arts Council, to the Cultural Resource Council, to the Humanities Council, now I served once upon a time in the Humanities Council, and we always talked about how arts are about doing, and humanities are about talking about what's being done.

(crowd laughing) Probably why I'm governor.

(chuckles) But I want to thank all of you for your commitment in advancing the arts, the culture, the thinking, and the wisdom of the west, and the wisdom of what Wyoming brings and what my former friend and, or former boss and great friend, Raymond Planko always talked about, taking in a bit of the, just the quiet of Wyoming.

It brings you back, it settles you.

So please give a hand to the Arts Council members, to the Arts Council staff, (indistinct) the staff, to the Humanities Council, and the Cultural and Resource Natural Trust.

Please give a hand.

(crowd applauding) And Darren, I believe this is my cue to hand the mic back to you.

Thanks.

(crowd applauding) - Well, thank you Governor.

I think we can all be very proud that the arts in Wyoming and the cultural world that we live in is doing well and on a upward trajectory, so thank you again.

So now we're excited to honor the 2022 Governor's Arts recipients, arts awards recipients.

If everyone would please direct your attention to the screens for a short video honoring this year's recipients.

(upbeat ambient music) - You know, in theaters we have a ghost light.

It is a tool that shines a light so that the people who are coming in and out of that space in the dark are kept safe.

And I think that it also serves as a really beautiful metaphor for the theater itself.

The theater serves as a light to illuminate all of this human condition.

It is serving there as a way to keep the people safe.

- Anne is the type of person that when you meet her, your soul just feels lighter, you can just sense her passion for Wyoming and the arts.

- You know, she has this tremendous presence on the stage and this real desire to connect with people.

And I really feel like she performs and engages with theater to serve other people and to build those connections, not to just have the spotlight on her.

- I think I can say that nothing else in life really gives me the same feeling of purpose or fulfillment.

- When you go to a Relative Theatrics play, like you can hear the actors breathe, they are right there.

- I would say my favorite Relative Theatrics performance was at the skate park.

And you could see people sort of on the edge of the park, really curious about what's going on over here.

And walking over and sort of looking into the experience and then stopping with their families to observe.

And Relative Theatrics has been amazing at not only having, pay what you can performances so that anybody in the community can come in and experience that, but taking the theater out into the community.

- I think that theater is a really powerful tool to bring about change.

It is this art form that holds up a mirror to society.

- Anne Mason can be this down to earth, great person to just chat with about the world and then you watch her shift and become all these different things on the stage.

- For me, it's very important to provide as many engagement opportunities as possible so that patrons will come see a play and feel moved and choose to do something different in their life going forwards.

- Well, one of the things that happens after every Relative Theatrics performance is a chat back.

The performers, the director, the designer, they're invited up onto the stage to have a conversation with the audience.

That is one of the ways that community gets built.

- So I think about Anne and I think about Relative Theatrics and the role they have in community building.

And it goes back to a quality of life and a connection with one another and understanding through the stories that are told with Relative Theatrics, our shared humanity.

And when we have empathy for one another, it's easier for us to, as community members collaborate, come together and work on issues from the grassroots level.

- I have multiple sclerosis and there have been times in my life where I've questioned if I could do the art form and in those periods of time where sort of the disease had a stronger hold than the art form, that gave me a purpose to get better so that I can keep doing this work that I love in this place that I love with the people that I love and not just benefit my life, but ideally enrich everyone's.

- [Narrator] Anne Mason, recipient of a 2022 (crowd applauding) Wyoming Governor's Arts Award.

(upbeat ambient music) - At her core, mom was a servant, and she loved people.

So you put those two things together and I think that that was her motivation in life.

My mom moved to Jacksonville in 1959 with my father, they moved here for my dad to take a teaching position at the high school.

She and my dad bought the (indistinct) Hotel at May of '62.

Now she was kind of the everything there, she was the desk clerk, the housekeeper, the maintenance department.

(chuckles) They felt very obligated to work themselves silly because Jackson was not a year-round economy by any means.

Businesses would open about June 1st and they would close about September 1st.

- Clarene and other leaders at the time, they were always trying to figure out ways to extend both the ends of the seasons.

And one of 'em was through the the arts in our community.

- I came to Jackson to work at the Jacksonville Playhouse, and one of my jobs was to come over to the Antler.

When the tour buses pulled up, we had jumped on the buses and sing a song and invite 'em over to the playhouse to see Oklahoma.

And she invited us over to do that because she wanted her guests to have a real experience in the valley, so they'd want to come back and have good memories.

- She supported all of the arts, whether it was somebody welding on metal to create something or somebody who painted.

- Part of her motivation was probably about helping to drive visitors to town.

But then it was also mixed with her motivation of just helping people and creating beautiful things.

- Clarene was involved with the development of the Center for the Arts in Jackson.

It wouldn't exist without her.

Clarene was one of those quiet people who both on an individual basis wanted to help fellow human beings, but on a larger community basis, whether the community be Jackson, Teton County or the state.

- One of my fellow board members came up to me one day and he said, "You know, your mom is really quite responsible for the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

- When they originally passed the Cultural Trust Fund, there wasn't any money in it.

So when you let people know that this was something Clarene had done, that she passed that, they were more than happy to put millions of dollars into it.

On the end, it has done great things.

- She was involved in Arts for the Parks.

They would solicit artwork from artists and it had to be based on a national monument or on a national park.

- Because she loved the connection of putting wonderful artists able to put down in their medium images of all of our national parks and then be able to share that with people of the world.

- She was fair, she was honest, she didn't play games, she was looking to get something done.

- Her involvement with the National Museum of Wildlife Art continues to draw tourists from all over the world to visit our Magic Valley.

- She understood how important art was to a community and how it rounded out and made a community more than it otherwise would be.

It improved the lives of the people who lived here who called this place home.

- [Narrator] Clarene Law, recipient of a 2022 (crowd applauding) Wyoming Governor's Arts Award.

(upbeat ambient music) - About two years ago, we did a performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and we had a full house.

Just prior to the show's opening, the power went out, but I ended up, while wearing a corset and fishnets crawling underneath the stage to run some emergency lights.

It was so awesome that we had this packed house full of people, they understood what was going on and they were with us the whole way, no one was complaining about being hot or why the lighting wasn't perfect.

And that was one of those magical moments where you had people throughout the community just coming together for this one event.

- Theater is the mother of all arts.

Actress Mission is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

This performance, Silence Sky is our 75th production.

- It's another important thing to think about theater is, it connects people in a way that you don't get from other media.

- In community theater, we bring together people of different faiths, of different political beliefs, different orientations, and we all come together and produce this one thing.

Some would say that community theater really represents the American ideal of that melting pot coming together for a unified purpose.

- I think it's very therapeutic because if you have something that you're going through, maybe you can put it out there on stage and maybe your character can go through it and you can deal with it that way.

- It's a beautiful social experience to have a group of people come and get emotionally involved together.

And that experience is not something you get from watching movies or watching TV at home.

- Food is usually referenced in the play.

So we try and design a meal to go with the play.

- We're going to give you food to fill your belly and we're going to offer you something for your mind as well.

- Silence Guy had reference to a glazed ham, so we had ham, we did a play called "Kitchen Witches", and that was cauldrons of boiling, bubbling soups.

- Auditions are absolutely open.

This is a very cardinal principle and has been from the beginning, so it's not like five or six or a dozen artsy people choosing plays, they want to be here.

- About six months ago, my wife and I moved here, and my wife saw an audition post for Actors Mission on Facebook and said, "Hey, let's go."

We both got cast and very quickly in the last six months growing to feel like our family here in Sweetwater County.

- Theater provides a psychological outlet for people both who are involved as well as the people who are in the audience.

- It's good for the community because they can see a lot of different problems that we present on stage and solve those problems.

- Having these kinds of organizations here really helps a place like this feel like home when you come from somewhere else.

I need to be engaged in community to be happy.

- My goodness, we've had some moments where there's just kind of a feeling that it's all clicked.

The theatrical experience when it clicks like that is close to the meaning of life.

- [Narrator] The Actor's Mission (crowd applauding) recipient of a 2022 Wyoming Governor's Arts Award.

- Well, how about those videos?

I'd like to thank Dean Peterson (crowd applauding) for putting those together.

Well done, Dean.

Joining the governor tonight to issue the awards is Carrie Dewitt, she's our board chair for the Wyoming Arts Council, (crowd applauding) so well done.

- Okay.

I was never good at stage directions, so invite Anne Mason to the stage.

(crowd laughing) Anne, (crowd applauding) would you please come here?

Woo.

- Yeah.

(laughing) - Wow, okay.

Little lower.

Even with these heels, I'm so short.

Okay.

Oh wow, this is, what an honor.

First of all, thank you to the Wyoming Arts Council for organizing this truly heartwarming event.

I don't think that Relative Theatrics would've gotten off the ground as well without a professional development grant from the Arts Council for, I don't know, $500 or something like that.

But here we are 10 years later with this company and receiving so much funding and support and commissions and beautiful partnerships, and so grateful for the Arts Council.

So thank you very much.

It is incredibly humbling to be acknowledged alongside Clarene Law, also getting something so important for our state off the ground from nothing.

And Actor's Mission, another theater company that enriches all of society in our state.

Governor Gordon, first lady, thank you for this recognition and for investing in the arts, and particularly in theater and in the performing arts.

At the beginning of this year, I had a really wonderful opportunity to tour an Iliad around Fremont County, I had some performances in Lander, but one of the highlights of that time was actually to do workshops in the high schools all around Fremont County.

And there was this experience in pavilion where after I gave a little performance excerpt, similar to what you saw earlier, this young man, he was incredibly taken and he didn't really look like sort of your, I mean, this is generic and stereotypical, but you're like standard, like high school theater nerd, just like a regular guy, right, and he was just in awe.

And he was like, I could see it.

Like I was there, I was there, I could see the fountain and I could see the plaza, and I could see the mother with her child and I could see the battle, like I could see it.

And he was so moved to the point that after the workshop ended, which was at the very end of the school day, right, you know, the bell rings, all the kids wanna leave, they wanna go home.

He hung back for I think 10 minutes to just come up to me and say, "Thank you so much for bringing this experience to the middle of nowhere, Wyoming.

Thank you."

(crowd applauding) And I mean, I like, oh gosh, that just like melts my little heart, I like probably started crying right there, I don't know.

But I just, I have so much hope for this young man and really for all of the young adults, those high schoolers and younger that are growing up here in Wyoming, and this hope that there are more community experiences that enrich their lives and give them vision and hope for a future here in Wyoming, a happy, healthy future full of opportunity and experiences where they can make a home here.

And maybe, who knows, this is maybe patting myself on the back a little, but, like hopefully he remembers and holds this fond memory of some traveling theater artist that came to his town and invested in his community and helped him feel seen.

And I think that that's what an investment in theater does.

It is a powerful thing.

And when you invest in local theater, you're investing in so much more than a couple of hours of entertainment or a really great boost to the creative local economy.

You're investing in community, you're investing in people, in the cohort of artists that created this brave new world out of nothing but words.

You are investing in the collective of individuals who gather with one another, maybe complete strangers, but to bravely witness viewpoints that are different from their own.

And then investing in the ripple effect of all of those individuals going out and going forth to interact in society, hopefully changed a better person than they were when they came in.

So when you invest in theater, you are investing in a democratic art form, you're investing in civic engagement, you're investing in humanity because when a brave space is provided for people to collectively do and create their best work, magic ensues.

So I would like to, yes, I would like to, (chuckles) I'd like to thank every individual who has invested in me and in my artistic journey.

Those that have mentored, challenged, and educated me, growing up in Laramie at the University of Wyoming.

Those that have contributed to the strength and impact of Relative Theatrics over this last decade of existence of the organization, our staff and board of directors past and present, our family of artists, many of whom are here this evening, and the additional artists that have helped us create over 40 productions.

We have built a wonderful family of over a 100 artists.

And it's really wonderful to see that all be grown right out of local talent right here in Wyoming.

And all of our patrons, donors, supporters, community partners, everyone that has made that work a reality.

And my own family, those that are chosen and those that are blood related.

My best of friends, my feeling 22 family.

(laughing) (crowd cheering) The Mason Earl clan.

(chuckles) And this is where I get emotional, that's not in stage directions.

(crowd laughing) It's just happening.

There are three individuals in particular that I would like to thank because, (sulking) without their exceptional care and compassion, I would not, I could not be standing here right now.

First is Dr. Tamara Miller at Advanced Neurology of Colorado.

She is a fierce warrior in the battle to end MS. She is a relentless advocate for my own right and ability to lead a rich and full life.

And she has provided me life-changing care that has really allowed me to be here.

And this is care that I'm only able to afford because of government assistance and disability insurance, which I acknowledge that not everyone is able to receive in my position, but this is support that allows me to do my best work.

And that leads me.

(crowd applauding) This leads me to state that healthcare should not be a privilege.

Quality.

(crowd applauding) Quality affordable healthcare is a basic human right.

(crowd cheering) (crowd applauding) And without it, we all lack the ability to do our best work.

And finally, I want to thank my two greatest supporters, my parents.

(crowd applauding) Chuck Mason and Glenda Earl, you are so much more than just parents, you are colleagues, (chuckles) you are business advisors, you are caretakers, you're my best of friends, and I love you so much, and I'm so grateful for everything that you have provided.

Thank you.

(crowd applauding) The word theater, it comes from the Greeks, it means to behold.

Well, the verb "theatron" actually is the place itself, which means the seeing place.

It is the place where people come to see the truth about our lives and the social situation.

And I wanna thank you all so much for acknowledging and supporting the theater tonight, for being here this evening and for this exceptional honor to be seen.

Thank you.

(crowd applauding) (crowd cheering) - Can I do another?

Anne, thank you so much for your passion and for your talent, and for offering that to us tonight.

It is now my honor to ask the members of Clarene Laws family to come up here to be recognized.

(crowd applauding) Please Charice and others please.

Yeah.

- Seems inappropriate for me to be here instead of mom because she loved to talk so much.

Almost 10 years ago, mom stood here to accept the honor of being inducted into the Wyoming Business Hall of Fame.

She said that she felt like a mosquito next to a helicopter compared to the greats that were being honored that night.

However, she took a certain glee in the fact that she was the only inductee that night that was not receiving the honor posthumously.

(crowd laughing) Well, mama, tonight the shoe is on the other foot.

(crowd applauding) Profound thanks to the Wyoming Arts Council for bestowing this great honor on my beloved mama.

I haven't cried and I don't wanna blow it.

Thank you Governor Gordon for lending the prestige of your office to this worthy endeavor.

And thank you Tony O'Brien for this beautiful property that we can celebrate in tonight.

Each and every time I find myself in a room of artists, I leave lifted and inspired.

And I was so inspired by Anne Mason tonight.

(crowd applauding) (crowd cheering) My thanks and my family's thanks and gratitude to the other honorees for their amazing contribution to the arts of Wyoming.

Mom would've been stunned, but very pleased to be recognized by this group.

You see, she always wanted to be numbered in your ranks, but she always felt unworthy.

As a little girl, Clarene grew up rough and tumble among her daddy's road construction crew.

She moved frequently and had to face a new school and a new classroom all too often.

In one of those new classrooms, she tried to join her little voice with the other kids in a choir class.

The teacher mocked her voice and left a wound.

That was a hard blow for a little girl that loved music so much.

As she grew, she watched her beloved brother Fred, who's, now I'll cry, whose granddaughter Danielle is here tonight from Laramie.

She watched Fred become an amazing musician.

His guitar around our campfire was the soundtrack to our family.

He had his very own swing band where he did vocals and played the saxophone.

In fact, his band played at the Wyoming Centennial Ball in 1990 at Snow King Resort.

She certainly found her place in the world of business and politics.

If she were here, mama would tell you that she's not an artist.

However, let me tell you why she was.

While she was not encouraged in choir, mom came to understand that she did have skills and talents that could help choirs sing, orchestras soar, and painters captivate.

She came to understand that artists need support and facilities in order to grow and thrive.

Initially, her contributions were her time and her effort to raise money and to help build organizations.

She rallied the troops in support of dreams, big and small.

She stood up for the visions of others in the town hall, the schools, the state house, and she helped make those dreams a reality.

In the process of doing so, she found her voice, despite the less than parsh surroundings of her childhood.

Oh dear, I messed up, see, I knew I would do that, honey, you have to help me.

(chuckles) He said, "Do this on my iPad."

(crowd laughing) I said, "I like".

You did it, here it goes again here.

Yeah, it went again.

(crowd laughing) - Just.

- I said I liked paper, I like paper.

Okay.

(chuckles) Where did I leave off?

Okay.

Oh gosh, now I lost my place.

See, I knew this would happen.

Okay.

In the process of doing so, she found her voice, despite the less than parsh surroundings of her childhood, Clarene grew up in a family where great literature and music were appreciated and enjoyed.

I need to say that in our family, the redheaded stranger qualifies as great classical music.

(crowd laughing) In our family, if music, if somebody didn't die or starved to death, it wasn't on our musical list.

(laughing) Through that exposure, she learned the art of storytelling and came to see the power of an idea properly expressed.

She could paint, I did that again.

Okay, I gotta stop this.

All right, Kurt.

All right, sorry.

This is the last time I'm gonna do this, all right.

Sorry about that.

She could paint with her words and lead disparate instruments, sometimes called senators and representatives (crowd laughing) to a beautiful harmony.

She came to realize that all art, regardless of the medium, is nothing but storytelling.

Every artist here has played to a tough room.

You know that audience that just seems poised to dismiss what you have to offer.

A couple of years ago, I witnessed mom take on the toughest audience, one of the toughest audiences and the toughest rooms on the planet, a hearing room in Washington DC addressing an IRS panel.

She was there to testify about a change to a regulation that would harm family businesses all across the nation if it was implemented.

Those that testified before her were experts in the accounting and economics.

When it was Clarene's turn to testify, she didn't trot out a single statistic or prediction.

Instead, she told them the story of a young woman who had a dream of buying a motel in a small Wyoming town in 1962.

A story of the generations of family and the people that live in that town.

She painted such a vivid scene that you could almost hear the tread of cowboy boots on the sidewalk.

She helped these powerful but jaded people to see the humanity of the people that they impacted.

When she finished, she got a standing ovation from the other panelists, the spectators, yes, and members of the IRS panel.

(crowd laughing) That was her art.

And like all great art, it made a difference in the lives of those who witnessed.

She used her art to help other artists recognize and develop their unique talents.

She used her art to support her children and grandchildren in their quest to find their own muse in music and theater.

And her granddaughter Madison is here tonight.

(crowd applauding) Granddaughters, Grace and Mia are both not here tonight because they are performing.

(crowd applauding) Hmm-mm, yeah.

One in the Sound of Music with last year's recipient Off Square Theater Company at the Center for the Arts.

And tonight's performance is dedicated to mom.

And the other in a.

(crowd applauding) Thank you.

And the other in a performance at Baylor University in their 70 year song and dance competition called "Sing".

(chuckles) That's our daughter Mia.

The first performance, these are the first performances of her family that she is missing, although maybe not.

Whether it was songs sung around a campfire or a performance on the main stage at the Center for the Arts or a National Fine Arts competition, she was there to make sure the artists were supported and the spotlight was shining on the right person.

She also helped make sure that the facilities were there for those artists to showcase their work.

Mom understood not just the importance of art, but its necessity to all people.

Let me close with the inspired words of the great music producer Rick Rubin from his recent book, "The Creative Act", "The goal of art isn't to obtain perfection, the goal is to share who we are and how we see the world.

Artists allow us to see what we're unable to see, but somehow already know.

We recognize some part of ourselves and feel understood and connected."

Thank you so much for this wonderful honor for my mother.

(crowd applauding) - Well, thank you, and we certainly miss Clarene.

For those of you who might not have known Clarene, if somebody had trotted out a statistic, Clarene would've known what that statistic meant, and made you feel a little bit silly for asking her that question.

But she was also a remarkable author.

So I recommend the book, "And I Had Fun", which is her book.

(crowd applauding) Thank you.

And now it is my honor, and unfortunately they can't make it because of that Barnett Newman thing, it's all white right now.

But Reverend, it would be great to have you come here to accept and speak about the Actor's Mission.

(crowd applauding) Thank you.

There's a story.

(chuckles) - Okay, called me Reverend, I'm a little nervous.

(crowd laughing) I also am not even remotely sure how I ended up standing on the same stage with Anne Mason and the family of Clarene Law.

I'm just humbled and bat and cleanup after those two is not an easy task.

(crowd laughing) But it is my great, great honor to be able to talk to you about Actor's Mission.

As Governor Gordon mentioned, and I'm sure you've heard, Southwest Wyoming is closed.

(crowd laughing) We'll be open to receive visitors probably for International Day, which is the second week in July.

(crowd laughing) So I'm who you get tonight.

We were all supposed to be here, but it's me.

But I am thrilled to be here.

I've been such a fan of the Governor's Arts Awards from when I first came down and served Sweetwater County and the House of Representatives and then moved over to the Senate.

And I don't think I ever missed a Governor's Arts Award because it's so exciting to see what happens in this state, to see what happens in this place that we call home and that we make a better place because of the arts.

I cannot thank the.

(crowd applauding) I cannot thank the Wyoming Arts Council enough, governor Gordon, thank you.

Thank all of you.

And even though I'm the only one standing, I'm a very proud member of the Rock Springs Actor's Mission.

And it is my great honor to accept this amazing award on their behalf.

I will tell you, they are heartbroken.

Heartbroken.

And when I tell them what they missed, they're really gonna be sad.

(crowd laughing) But this is an award that as you heard, the Actor's Mission has been around for 20 years.

And from their very first beginnings, and I remember their very first beginnings, it was in a storefront, in a really seedy part of Rock Springs.

And we got some seedy parts (crowd laughing) Right then, two people said, "Let's get together and let's do theater, and let's do theater for everybody.

Let's make this theater not just for the folks that like theater, but for the kids, for the people on the street, for everybody.

Let's do theater, and let's have our model be, 'Feed the body, nourish the mind'."

And I'm a great one for tradition and I would never try to argue with tradition, but I am suggesting we add a third caveat to that, "Feed the body, nourish the mind, nurture the soul."

(crowd applauding) Because that's what we do.

That's what's fed me for years.

And when I hear people say, "Why do the arts matter?

Why should we do this?"

I can remember arguing on the floor of our august bodies for amendments to the Hathaway Scholarship Program to put fine and performing arts into the Success curriculum.

(crowd applauding) And I remember a colleague asking me how I thought we could afford fuzzy little add-ons.

And I said, "Let me tell you, they're not fuzzy little add-ons because they do feed our body, nourish our mind, and nurture our soul."

(crowd applauding) (crowd cheering) And they also, they stimulate us to be the best people we can.

My undergraduate degree is in theater, and thank God the Actor's Mission lets me exercise my little passion every now and then.

But I'm not gonna make it on Broadway, I never tried.

But what I did do was I took that degree and I leveraged it to be the very best human I could be, whether it was as a politician, whether it was as an educator, whether it was as a therapist, I used my knowledge of the fine and performing arts, and I would suggest you all did too.

(crowd applauding) (crowd cheering) Which brings me back to this group I love with all my heart, the Actor's Mission.

They've always operated unlike any other theater I've ever been associated with, you are never, ever going to pay an admission charge at Actor's Mission ever, and never, yeah, (crowd applauding) I don't know anywhere you can get free.

And I didn't think there was a free lunch anymore either, but there is, (crowd laughing) because what we do is an hour before the performances, we give you this great meal for free.

And the performances are free.

And every single person who participates is a volunteer.

Nobody is paid.

And I can tell you, I've spent a whole lot more hours at the Actor's Mission than I have on my day job a whole lot of the time.

(crowd laughing) But we do it for free, we do it because we love art, we do it because we love our community and we do it because we believe theater is for everyone.

Everyone, and it should be available to everyone.

And there should be something for everyone.

That's why we do it to absolutely feed the body, nourish the mind, nurture the soul.

And we get grants.

(crowd laughing) Yeah, thank you.

So I'm gonna switch hats now and speak to you as the Executive Director for Sweetwater BOCES.

We have been the proud underwriters of Actors Mission for almost as many years as they have been in existence.

And that's because we believe so strongly in volunteers nourishing the community in every way possible.

And I cannot tell you, I wish they were here with me, I know they're here in spirit, but if you could see these dedicated people, and if you knew that in this wind swept corner of Wyoming, there's some really good stuff happening.

I ran across this wonderful quote from Aaron Copeland, and it absolutely says what I would like to say.

He said, "So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, the arts in some living form will accompany and sustain it.

As long as the human spirit thrives, the arts will be there."

So in the summer when the snow melts, and I-80 opens, (crowd laughing) please come to Rock Springs.

Please come.

Please.

(crowd applauding) (crowd cheering) And when you're there, come and find us at Actor's Mission.

We're about ready to move into our very own building, for the first time, we've been homeless for 20 years and we're getting a home.

Come and visit us.

(crowd laughing) Come and visit us.

And please, please let us feed your body, nourish your mind, and nurture your soul.

(crowd applauding) - Bernadine, I tried to set you up with a one-liner.

Bernadine, when I first saw her, she said, "Never call me Bernadette."

She was a saint, but tonight we see that you also are a saint.

(crowd applauding) God bless.

Thank you.

- Darren just told me that I have to come up and talk after all those folks 'cause he doesn't want to do it.

And then he reminded me that I put the script together.

(crowd laughing) Yeah.

How about another round of applause for Anne Mason?

(crowd applauding) (crowd cheering) A round of applause for the Laws and Haws family with us today.

(crowd applauding) And a round of applause for Actors Mission and Dr. Kraft.

(crowd applauding) So my four takeaways for the night, Bernie said she leveraged the arts to be the best person she could possibly be.

We know that the arts teach so many skills that can be used across the entire workforce and really to make society better.

Anne said, "The theater and I would add other spaces where art is created is where people come to see the truths about their lives.

And like all great arts, it is used to make a difference."

And lastly, Anne said, "The arts help me do the thing I love with the people I love in the places I love."

I hope you all have a wonderful evening, and go support the arts.

(crowd cheering) (crowd applauding) (upbeat ambient music)