The Laramie Artists Project
The Laramie Artists Project hosts the biennial exhibition Touchstone Laramie and is a consortium of Albany County artists working to provide a professional environment to view work in Laramie and Albany County; offer professional development for local artists; encourage public recognition of community artists and encourage collecting their work; and to promote Laramie as an arts center within the geographic region. The group of artists meets once a month and puts on, organizes, and executes the exhibition themselves.
Purpose of the Laramie Artists Project
The Laramie Artists Project (LAP) is a non-profit consortium of artists under the umbrella of the Laramie Community Foundation 501(c)3 working to provide a professional environment to view work in Laramie and Albany County; offer professional development for local artists; encourage public recognition of community artists and encourage collecting their work; and to promote Laramie as an arts center within the geographic region.
The purpose of the Laramie Artists Project’s is to contribute to the cultural climate and creative economy of Laramie and Albany County by supporting the high quality and diverse art forms produced in this community through exhibitions, projects, programs and educational opportunities. Toward that end, LAP’s operating principles include the following:
Build community appreciation and support for high quality artwork created by artists living and working in and around Laramie and Albany County.
Offer professional development opportunities for Laramie's artists.
Develop strategic thinking that establishes and furthers connections among the arts, artists, and arts audiences.
Function as a regional catalyst for the arts.
Touchstone Laramie History
Touchstone Laramie originated in 2004 with a 2-person exhibition by artists Susan Moldenhauer and Wendy Lemen Bredehoft. In 2005 it expanded to include 5 artists in an open-studio venue and now The Laramie Artists Project (LAP) has hosted the biennial exhibit Touchstone Laramie ever since. The first exhibitions took place at the Ramada Inn in Laramie and in 2010 the exhibition moved to the Fairfield Inn and Suites. Well over a thousand people each year have visited the small individual galleries to view the work Albany County's top professional artists. In 2020, the in-person exhibition was cancelled and instead the group hosted an online exhibition including a live public opening reception hosted on Zoom. In 2023, the exhibition was moved to the gallery room in the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site.
Each exhibition year not only are the artists required to display 90% new work that has never before been seen in the region, but the actual configuration of artists changes as well which allows for a blend of "old-timers" with "newcomers." It provides viewers with the opportunity to personally meet Laramie’s artists face-to-face, to discover or reacquaint themselves with their favorite local artists work, to encounter original work, and to build new connections. For some, Touchstone Laramie is the only event in which they exhibit their work locally and many artists spend all year preparing for the show. It provides a wonderful opportunity for all artists to share new work, to meet new viewers and potential patrons, and to connect with the community. It also creates opportunities for professional development as participating artists actively engage in the business of art: curating their work for exhibition, developing marketing strategies, fundraising, installation of the exhibit and more.
Artists learn from and encourage each other, working together on all aspects of producing successful events. Touchstone Laramie has become an established and looked-for cultural occurrence every two years. Well over a thousand people now regularly attend the exhibition and it has turned into an event that the entire community can look forward to.