Book Discussion: Casper
Monday, May 10, 6:30 p.m., Natrona County Public Library
Register and pick up a copy of Riding the Edge of an Era: Growing Up Cowboy on the Outlaw Trail, by Diana Allen Kouris

Meet the Author: C.J. Box: Casper
Tuesday, May 11, 7 p.m., Natrona County Public Library
If you love a good outdoorsy mystery, you won’t want to miss C.J. Box’s new book, Nowhere to Run, released April 6, 2010. Meet the author, get an autograph and hear about his newest adventures at 7 p.m. in the Crawford Room. Books by the author will be available for purchase following the event.

Reading Wyoming: Community and the Western Landscape: Casper
Thursday, May 13, 6:30 p.m., Fort Caspar Museum
A reading and discussion series that explores the West’s diverse areas and history, facilitated by Nicole Bryant.

Humanities Forum: My Horse, My Gun, My Libraries: Cheyenne
Thursday, May 13, 7:00 p.m., Wyoming State Museum
As Mabel Wilkinson, Lynne Swanson describes some of the adventures and difficulties of bringing libraries to Platte County and to the rest of Wyoming in the early 1900s.

Meet the Author: John Erikson
Wednesday, May 13, 7:00 p.m., Casper
Hank the Cow Dog has become a beloved character among kids and adults alike. Children and families won’t want to miss a chance to meet author John Erickson who has written over 52 books featuring Hank, his timid sidekick Drover, his sworn enemy Pete the Barncat, and their adventures on the M-Cross ranch. Erickson books will be available for purchase after the event, and attendees are welcome to bring their own Hank the Cow Dog favorites to be signed by the author. The event will be held in the Crawford room.

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Kasebier: Cody
April 10- August 8, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, John Bunker Sands Photograph Gallery
In 1898, New York photographer Gertrude Käsebier embarked on a deeply personal project, editing a set of prints that were among the most compelling of her celebrated body of work. Käsebier was on the threshold of a career that would establish her as both the leading portraitist of her time, and an extraordinary art photographer. Her latest undertaking being inspired by viewing the grand parade of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West troupe en route to Madison Square Garden in New York. Within weeks, Käsebier began photographing, formally and informally, the Lakota (Sioux) people travelling with the show in her 5th Ave. studio. Since 1969, more than 100 of these photographs have been preserved in the Photographic History Collection in the National Museum of American History. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Käsebier represents the first time this important collection has been displayed together in over a century.  Also included are related ledger art drawings by Lakota artists, historical camera equipment, and more.

Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection Preview: Cody
Now on View at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Eighteen beautiful objects from the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection are now on view in the Plains Indian Museum Land of Many Gifts Gallery. This is the second round of objects from the collection, totaling over 2,000 artifacts, to be displayed.

Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art
On view through September 6 in the Special Exhibitions Gallery, Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art features over 140 objects of American Indian art from the Northeastern Woodlands, Plateau, and Plains regions, all of unique artistry and powerful cultural expression. Organized by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, from the collection of John and Marva Warnock. Funded at the Historical Center by a grant from MetLife Foundation’s Museum and Community Connections program, the Wyoming Humanities Council, and a donation from Naoma Tate.

When settlers came west, they sang of hope, adventure and Eden on the plains.  They learned quickly, and soon their songs featured alkali, snakes and stampedes.  Presented by Bill Rossiter.

Reading Wyoming: Canine Companions: Story
Monday, April 5, 6:30 p.m., Story Public Library

A reading discussion series of memoirs about the relationship between man and dog, facilitated by Norleen Healy.
CJ Box Reading and Signing: Laramie
Monday, April 5, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
American Heritage Center

Wednesday Writers: Casper
Wednesday, April 7, 10 a.m.
Natrona County Public Library

Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) 2010 Annual Conference and Bookfair
Wednesday, April 7-10th, Hyatt Regency Denver & Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO

Each year, AWP holds its annual conference in a different region of North America in order to celebrate the outstanding authors, teachers, writing programs, literary centers, and small press publishers of that region. The annual conference typically features 350 presentations: readings, lectures, panel discussions, and forums plus hundreds of book signings, receptions, dances, and informal gatherings. The conference attracts more than 8,000 attendees and more than 500 publishers. It’s one of the biggest and liveliest literary gatherings in North America.
Refer to http://www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting/showevent.asp?eventid=29045 for event details.

Wyoming, The Energy State: Casper
Wednesday, April 7, 2:00 p.m., Platte River Restaurant
This presentation by Duane Keown explores the history of energy development in Wyoming and looks to the future of Wyoming’s energy economy.

Humanities Forum: Pronghorn Passage: Cody
Thursday, April 8, 12:15 p.m., Buffalo Bill Historical Center

Emilene Ostlind and Joe Riis tell their story of walking the 150-mile migration corridor of the pronghorn antelope to document one of hte world’s greatest long-distance animal migrations.

The Natural Step: A Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Society: Jackson
Friday, April 9, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Teton Public Library, Ordway Auditorium

Sustainability is becoming a mainstream concept, but it can also be vague, complex and poorly understood. Duke Castle is one of the original organizers of the Oregon Natural Step Network, a scientific framework to guide sustainability initiatives. He will talk about how the method is being used in Portland, Ore., and throughout the U.S. He will also talk about how it might apply to our Energy Sustainability Project or Comp Plan. Complementary refreshments will be provided.
The Swedish developed approach is being used worldwide by a variety of organizations including Nike, Starbucks, Electrolux and Whistler, Canada – co-host of the recent winter Olympics – and even the U.S. Army. Castle’s business experience includes 10 years as a marketing manager at Hewlett Packard and 15 years as a strategic planning and sustainability consultant. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA in marketing from Stanford.

Retrieving the Past: Photos from the Archives: Cody
Now on View, Buffalo Bill  Historical Center

These 68 images are highlights from the digital collections of Jack Richard, Charles Belden and the Buffalo Bill Online Archives. The photographers Richard and Belden each captured moments of energy and action in their respective genres. Richard, a photographer from Cody, worked in the Yellowstone area from the 1940s to the 1980s, where his crisp, superbly composed images captured the Western way of life. Belden’s images were taken in the 1920s and 1930s on the legendary Pitchfork Ranch at the base of the spectacular Absaroka Mountains near Meeteetse, Wyoming. By photographing cowboys and cattle against this spectacular backdrop, he created some of the classic images of the American West.
The historic photographs taken from the Buffalo Bill Online Archive show the changing face of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) from young man living and working on the frontier to Wild West entrepreneur to aging businessman. Cody has been call one of the most photographed figures of the 19th and early 20th century – and the Buffalo Bill Archive is indeed proof to that claim.
Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection Preview: Cody
Now on View, Buffalo Bill Historical Center

Eighteen beautiful objects from the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection are now on view in the Plains Indian Museum Land of Many Gifts Gallery. This is the second round of objects from the collection, totaling over 2,000 artifacts, to be displayed.
Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996-2008: Laramie
January 30- May 8, University of Wyoming  Art Museum

Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996 2008 is a small retrospective that features signature works and conveys how the artist has considered and resolved various approaches to integrating video into temporal and spatial experiences.

Book Discussions
Monday, February 8, 6:30 pm
Register and pick up a copy of the book at the Library’s 2nd floor reference desk.  This month’s book is March by Geraldine Brooks.
Natrona County Library, Casper

My Horse, My Guns, My Libraries: Cheyenne
Monday, February 8, 12:00 p.m.
As Mabel Wilkinson, Lynne Swanson describes some of the adventures and difficulties of bringing libraries to Platte County and to the rest of Wyoming in the early 1900s.
Little America, Cheyenne

Powell Book Club
Monday, February 8, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Our “Around the World in 8 Books” book discussion. Every two weeks on Monday there will be a new book discussed until May 3rd. Sign up at the Powell Branch Library. Club is limited to 15. Call 754-8828 for more information.
Powell Branch Public Library, Powell

Why We Took Off Our Corsets: Laramie
Tuesday, February 9, 1:45 p.m.
In this presentation Melanie O’Hara looks at East Coast women who traveled West, settled, and in the process, declared their independence from undergarments that impeded their new-found freedoms.
Spring Wind, Laramie

Canine Companions: Newcastle
Wednesday, February 10, 7:00 p.m.
A reading discussion series of memoirs about the relationship between man and dog, facilitated by Phyl Sundstrom.
Weston County Library, Newcastle

Voices of the Valley: River Stories
Thursday, February 11, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum’s winter storytelling series presents inspiring tales from local icons whose livelihoods stem from the Jackson Hole landscape. Tonight’s presenters, John Simms and Tom Montgomery, will share their most memorable and sometimes unbelievable true stories as professional fly fishing and river guides for a combined eight decades on the Snake River. Cost: Free. Location: Ordway Auditorium. Contact: Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org.
Teton County Public Library, Jackson

Remembering Sunrise Mine: Cheyenne
Thursday, February 11, 7:00 p.m.
Using historical and contemporary photographs, Mary Humstone and Sophia Beck present a history of the Sunrise mine and its community, touching upon issues including the economic and social impact of Sunrise Mine, the role of Sunrise as an exemplary community town, living conditions and daily life in Sunrise, and ethnic relations.
Wyoming State Museum, Cheyenne

Living Between Fences: Jackson
Thursday, February 11, 7:00 p.m.
The books in this reading and discussion series consider fences and divisions both in their visible form on the landscape and as metaphors for the barriers that separate us.  Stephen Lottridge leads the discussions.
Old Public Library, Jackson

Thursday Thrillers Frankenstein Film Series
Thursday, February 11, 7:00 p.m.
This week’s featured film is Bride of Frankenstein.
Albany County Library, Laramie

Student Reading
Friday, February 12, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Fearuring:
Scott Rosenberg, poetry
Bison Messink, fiction
Quinnie Kenworthy, nonfiction
Reading with Faculty Member
Alyson Hagy author of Snow, Ashes and the new Ghosts of Wyoming
Second Story Bookstore, Laramie

Teen Movie Night
Friday, February 12, 5 p.m. – 7p.m.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a showing of 10 Things I Hate About You rated PG-13. Pizza provided thanks to the Friends of the Library. For 7th-12th graders.
Natrona County Public Library, Casper

Retrieving the Past: Photos from the Archives
Now on View
These 68 images are highlights from the digital collections of Jack Richard, Charles Belden and the Buffalo Bill Online Archives. The photographers Richard and Belden each captured moments of energy and action in their respective genres. Richard, a photographer from Cody, worked in the Yellowstone area from the 1940s to the 1980s, where his crisp, superbly composed images captured the Western way of life. Belden’s images were taken in the 1920s and 1930s on the legendary Pitchfork Ranch at the base of the spectacular Absaroka Mountains near Meeteetse, Wyoming. By photographing cowboys and cattle against this spectacular backdrop, he created some of the classic images of the American West.
The historic photographs taken from the Buffalo Bill Online Archive show the changing face of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) from young man living and working on the frontier to Wild West entrepreneur to aging businessman. Cody has been call one of the most photographed figures of the 19th and early 20th century – and the Buffalo Bill Archive is indeed proof to that claim.
Buffalo Bill Cody Historical Center, Cody

Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection Preview
Now on View
Eighteen beautiful objects from the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection are now on view in the Plains Indian Museum Land of Many Gifts Gallery. This is the second round of objects from the collection, totaling over 2,000 artifacts, to be displayed.
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody

Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996-2008
January 30- May 8
Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996 2008 is a small retrospective that features signature works and conveys how the artist has considered and resolved various approaches to integrating video into temporal and spatial experiences.
UW Art Museum, Laramie

This work explores ideas of class, race, ownership, value, cultural identification and faith. I collaborate with members of The Church Under the Bridge in Waco, Texas, a non-denominational, multi-cultural Christian church that has been meeting under Interstate 35 for sixteen years. Many of the people have had significant disruptions in their lives, experienced periods of homelessness or incarceration, addiction to drugs and alcohol, mental illness or profound poverty and hopelessness. Many are working toward a new measure of stability and accomplishment through the programs and opportunities offered through the church. Other members have more stable lives and are drawn to service at the Church Under the Bridge. I ask each person what he or she keeps and why it is valued.

The portraits are spare, taken under the bridge on Sunday mornings against a backdrop of gray concrete. Each subject holds or displays the one thing he or she will not discard, and each photograph is accompanied by an explanation in the subject’s own words. Mullally’s lens is both kind and thoughtful; the words and images combine to provide a compelling look at these individuals and their community.

Striking a very different note, the British blog Angry People in Local Newspapers is a collection of photographs of people with grievances published in, well, local newspapers. Most of the newspapers are in the UK, with a few from Australia and New Zealand sprinkled in. All of the posts include links to the original articles, providing those of us in the US with an often amusing glimpse into the daily life of other cultures: how trash collection or public transportation or local government works, or doesn’t, in English villages. Much of the anger that the photos attempt to communicate is justified; some of it is most certainly not.

Finally, Matt Logue’s award-winning book empty L.A. features photographs of Los Angeles with no people or cars. Bedrooms, beaches, parking lots, and many, many streets and highways — all uninhabited. It’s eerie, like stepping into an episode of The Twilight Zone. It’s also a jarring reminder that what makes a city a city is the humans in it.

Wednesday Writer’s Group
Wednesday, February 3, 10 a.m.
The Wednesday Writers group will meet at the library. All participants are welcome.
Natrona County Library, Casper

Yak!
Thursday, February 4, 5:00 p.m.
Frankenstein the movie will be shown at the LCCC extension in Laramie.
LCCC Laramie Campus, Laramie

Powell Wii Event!
Friday, February 5, 8:30 a.m.- 10:00 a.m.
Every week there will be a different Wii Event. Check Powell Library Facebook account or call 754-8828 for more info.
Powell Public Library, Powell Meeting Room, Powell

Cody Wii Friday
Friday, February 5, 9 am- 5pm
6th-12th grades can play the Wii!
Cody Public Library, Cody

Retrieving the Past: Photos from the Archives
Now on View
These 68 images are highlights from the digital collections of Jack Richard, Charles Belden and the Buffalo Bill Online Archives. The photographers Richard and Belden each captured moments of energy and action in their respective genres. Richard, a photographer from Cody, worked in the Yellowstone area from the 1940s to the 1980s, where his crisp, superbly composed images captured the Western way of life. Belden’s images were taken in the 1920s and 1930s on the legendary Pitchfork Ranch at the base of the spectacular Absaroka Mountains near Meeteetse, Wyoming. By photographing cowboys and cattle against this spectacular backdrop, he created some of the classic images of the American West.
The historic photographs taken from the Buffalo Bill Online Archive show the changing face of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) from young man living and working on the frontier to Wild West entrepreneur to aging businessman. Cody has been call one of the most photographed figures of the 19th and early 20th century – and the Buffalo Bill Archive is indeed proof to that claim.
Buffalo Bill Cody Historical Center, Cody

Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection Preview
Now on View
Eighteen beautiful objects from the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection are now on view in the Plains Indian Museum Land of Many Gifts Gallery. This is the second round of objects from the collection, totaling over 2,000 artifacts, to be displayed.
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody

Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996-2008
January 30- May 8
Peter Sarkisian: Video Works, 1996-2008 is a small retrospective that features signature works and conveys how the artist has considered and resolved various approaches to integrating video into temporal and spatial experiences.
UW Art Museum, Laramie

Voices of the Valley: Stories of Skiing Through the Generations
Thursday, January 14, 7:00 pm
Pepi Steigler and Tommy Moe, Gold Medal Olympic skiers and employees of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort of different generations, share stories at the Wort Hotel, Jackson Room, Thursday, January 14, 7-8:30 pm. Refreshments provided. FREE. “Jackson Hole Stories: Voices of the Valley” is a five-part oral history program. Each program’s speakers share stories of their expertise: alpine skiing, backcountry skiing, dude ranch outfitting, fishing/river guiding, and playing music professionally.
Wort Hotel, Jackson

Teen Anime Club
Thursday, January 14, 7:00 pm
Campbell County Public Library, Gillette

Poetry Jam
Friday, January 15, 7:00 pm
Poets and musicians please arrive EARLY! Uncensored. High School & up. Refreshments and RefreshING!
Sweetwater County Library, Green River

Anne Muller Photography Exhibit: Land. Trust. Ranching in Their Hands
Through January 28
Teton County Public Library, Jackson

Let it Snow Reading Program
December 10, 2009 – March 31, 2010
Read or listen to 10 or more library books to complete the program.  Everyone who finishes the program will receive a flexible reading light.  Read 5 more books and enter a drawing for a grand prize.  Come to the “Let it Snow Somewhere Else Party” this spring just for participating.
Lincoln County Library, Kemmerer and Star Valley Branch Library, Star Valley

Retrieving the Past: Photos from the Archive
Now on view
In the photography exhibition, Retrieving the Past: Photos from the Archive, 68 images were selected for exhibition to reveal the diversity of the collection to the public, as well as the capabilities of the library’s new digitization program.
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody

Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Preview
Now On View
Eighteen beautiful objects from the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection are now on view in the Plains Indian Museum Land of Many Gifts Gallery. This is the second round of objects from the collection, totaling over 2,000 artifacts, to be displayed.
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Plains Indian Museum, Cody

African Perspectives: Through the Eyes of Nancy-Carroll Draper
Now On View
Featuring more than thirty images taken by Nancy-Carroll Draper (1922-2008), African Perspective: Through the Eye of Nancy-Carroll Draper – A Tribute to Vision, is an interactive, digital experience presented on a 47-inch monitor. The exhibition allows visitors to select and view images; see the details and further deepen their experience of the beauty and wildness of Africa.
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Draper Museum of Natural History, Cody

The 50 States Project is an online photographic tour of the country, courtesy of 50 photographers, one in each state. From their website:

Each photographer lives in one of the 50 states and during the year long project each photographer will represent the state where they currently live. Every two months each photographer will be sent an assignment by e-mail, they then have two months to produce one image in response. The images must represent both their style and their state.

By the end of the project there will be 300 images which hopefully represent the talent of the photographers involved and have something to say about the USA today.

The photographers are midway through the yearlong project right now, having completed photographs for the “People,” “Habitat,” and “Landscape” assignments. “Industry” will be up next month. The images are not all brilliant — I found some of them disappointingly predictable — but the images from Jeremy and Claire Weiss, the duo photographing California, are wonderfully surreal (they have a nifty blog, too). And if you head straight for the quietly nostalgic, sepia-toned photos of Wyoming, taken by Story’s own Adam Jahiel, well, who could blame you?

Google Insights for Search offers a fascinating (and often overwhelming) look at who is Googling what, when, and where, sometimes with surprising results. I plugged “humanities” into their search engine and learned that the state where the most people run searches that include the word “humanities” is Alaska — and Wyoming comes in at a more than respectable number ten! Hooray for Wyoming humanities! “Humanities council” is the second most popular search that includes the word, after the more straightforward “the humanities.” And the related search that has increased the most over time is “digital humanities.” Hours of fun, everyone. Hours of fun.

Finally, for the second year in a row, the Boston Phoenix celebrated the Fourth of July by naming the best band in each state in the union in their 50 Bands, 50 States feature (last year, they also named the best all-time band and solo artist from each state). Being an alternative weekly, their tastes run a little more punky and hard rock than mine, but it’s still fun to see what musicians are up to across the country. I’ll ruin the suspense and tell you that this year’s Wyoming pick was Laramie’s Looker; last year’s was Teenage Bottlerocket; and they claim that the best all-time Wyoming band is The Dirty Dogs, with the best solo artist being Jeb Loy Nichols. Feel free to agree or disagree (both with their choices, and about whether they all even count as Wyoming bands). I’ll leave the other forty-nine states to swallow your Friday afternoon…

This past fall, the International Center of Photography hosted the exhibit Bill Wood’s Business, organized by Marvin Heiferman and Diane Keaton (yes, that Diane Keaton). The ICP site describes the exhibit nicely:

Bill Wood’s business was photography—and he produced tens of thousands of images over the course of his career. From 1937 (the tail end of the Great Depression) through the boom years that followed World War II and until his death in 1973, the Bill Wood Photo Company… provided commercial photographic services: using large format cameras, and shooting mostly black-and-white film, Wood offered studio portraits and professional photographs, taken on location. The variety of subjects and situations he captured provide an in-depth photographic record of life in Fort Worth, Texas, a post-World War II American city just hitting its stride.

I especially love this image of a Pontiac convertible filled with a year’s supply of kleenex: your incentive to buy!

Like so many parents, photographer Jack Radcliffe started taking photographs of his daughter Alison soon after she was born. Unlike most parents, though, he turned his photographs into a fine art project. His camera follows Alison as she grows from a small child into a troubled adolescent into a complicated adult. The black and white photographs are lovely and troubling.

Finally, Jamie Livingston’s Photo of the Day serves as a memorial to Livingston, a cinematographer who took  a photograph of something or someone every day, from March, 1979, until his death in 1997. Taken together, the images provide a glimpse into how Livingston saw the world: what mattered to him, what amused him, what caught his eye every day for almost twenty years.

Sergey Larenkov intermingles historical photographs of World War II’s Seige of Leningrad with contemporary photographs of the same locations. Bombed-out buildings are blended with their own rehabilitated selves; tanks roll through placid parking lots; women kneel beside the dead in urban green space. The photographs offer a tangible representation of how the past stays with us and how our own lives and times wash over it.

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, on the other hand, photographed the past while it was still the present. In the early 1900’s, Prokudin-Gorskii was sent to survey the Russian Empire by Tsar Nicolas II. He did so beautifully and, through a tri-lens process I still don’t quite understand, in color. His subjects included old Russian architecture; railroads, bridges, and other forms of transport;  industry in all its forms, from factories to farms; and, perhaps most strikingly, the many peoples who inhabited the Russian Empire at the time. After his death in 1948, Prokudin-Gorskii’s heirs sold his equipment and photographs to the Library of Congress, which has created a searchable online archive of the images: The Empire That Was Russia. Worth a look, for sure.

Today’s post is all about Russia. Why? Because I adore the blog English Russia, whose tag line is “Because something cool happens daily on 1/6 of the Earth’s surface.” And what’s not to love? The blog has a quirky sensibility. Awkward English. Images of long lines and emerging punk fashion in Soviet and post-Soviet days. And photos of giant fish at Chernobyl.

Of course, English Russia isn’t the only one documenting contemporary Russia. Photographer Andy Freeburg’s marvelous Guardians series documents the workdays of the little old ladies who guard the art at national museums. His artist statement sounds earnest and sweet–

In the art museums of Russia, women sit in the galleries and guard the collections. When you look at the paintings and sculptures, the presence of the women becomes an inherent part of viewing the artwork itself. I found the guards as intriguing to observe as the pieces they watch over. In conversation they told me how much they like being among Russia’s great art. A woman in Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery Museum said she often returns there on her day off to sit in front of a painting that reminds her of her childhood home. Another guard travels three hours each way to work, since at home she would just sit on her porch and complain about her illnesses, “as old women do.” She would rather be at the museum enjoying the people watching, surrounded by the history of her country.

–but the photographs themselves are more than a little sly: many of the women look bored or asleep.

Leaving the quaint old ladies to Freeburg, another photographer, Anna Skladmann, has taken it upon herself to document the lives of Russian children. Wealthy Russian children, that is. Her Little Adults series captures the offspring of the nouveau-riche in their gaudy homes and garish outfits, looking, well, like little adults. It’s creepy. I can’t look away.