WYOMING GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT 38th ANNUAL COLLECTIBLE CONSERVATION STAMP ART SHOW JUDGES: Meg Thompson Rod Dugal Douglas Spriggs Ray Hageman Bill Hepworth (Non-Voting Biological Consultant) Richard Guenzel (Non-Voting Biological Consultant) Mark Zornes (Non-Voting Biological Consultant) Art sale and show continues through May 1, 2021 Page 1 WYOMING CONSERVATION STAMP HISTORY The first-place artwork selected in this contest will be printed on the 2022 Collectible Conservation Stamp. The original art will become the property of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and added to the permanent public display at the Headquarters Office in Cheyenne. The Wyoming conservation stamp originated in 1984 as set forth in Wyo- ming state statute. Each person licensed to hunt or fish in Wyoming, with minor exceptions, must purchase a single conservation stamp, which is valid for one year. Money from the sale of conservation stamps is deposit- ed in the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Wildlife Trust Account. The body of this account may not be spent, but the interest accrued is used for habitat acquisition and improvement, non-consumptive use of wildlife and nongame projects. As of 2020, the physical, paper conservation stamp no longer fulfilled stat- utory requirements for hunting and fishing; the stamp is collectible only. The printed stamp is known as the “Collectible Conservation Stamp.” This collectible stamp has no legal authority for hunting and fishing licensing requirements. Game and Fish still requires a conservation stamp for any- one in the field, per licensing requirements. This field-valid conservation stamp is only offered as digital/electronic and is sold only through Game and Fish license selling agents and the Game and Fish website. A policy to destroy past years’ stamps was initiated in 1990 to enhance the value of the stamps to collectors and heighten interest in the conservation stamp art competition and new limited-edition print program. Thus, all stamps from 1984 -2019 have been destroyed. All stamps remain available for collectors for one year following the expiration date (December 31) at which time they will also be destroyed. There will be a limited quantity of the new collectible stamps printed, and they will only be available while supplies last, making them a rare and unique stamp for collectors. Page 2 SALE OF ARTWORK All artwork, except that which takes first place, is available for pur- chase for the price selected by the artist. All artwork will remain on dis- play on our website and on social media, and will remain for sale until May 1, 2021. After that time, the second and third place winners, along with the honorable mentions, will remain on display on our website: wgfd.wyo.gov. The first place winner’s artwork will become proper- ty of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and will remain on dis- play permanently. After the show, the artwork (except first place), will either be returned to the artist or shipped directly to the buyer. Nearly all artwork has been signed by the artist, although signatures are con- cealed during the judging process. In the event a piece you want to buy is not signed (and you would like your artwork signed by the artist), please let us know. We will arrange to have the artwork returned to the artist for signing before it is shipped to you. Purchases of artwork can be made in the Gift Shop at the Game and Fish Headquarters. Proceeds from the sale of artwork will be disbursed as follows: 60 percent back to the artist and 40 percent to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. ABOUT THE ARTISTS The 2022 Wyoming Conservation Stamp Art Competition brought in 105 entries from 94 artists in 20 states within the U.S. and Mexico. For- ty-eight of the entries are from Wyoming artists. The Wyoming contest continues to lead the country among state wildlife stamp art competi- tions in number of entries, prize money and quality of artwork provided by renowned artists. Many artists have experience selling and exhibiting their artwork – showing in local and national galleries and in large and small art shows. Many enter various art competitions across the coun- try, and some have their work published as limited-edition prints as well as featured in art publications and art gallery websites. Several artists donate work to charitable organizations and commission artwork local- ly, nationally and worldwide. Many of our artists enter this contest an- nually; however, 32 of the entries (30 percent) were from first-time en- trants. Game and Fish welcomes and appreciates their continued interest in Wyoming’s wildlife. They are a group of talented wildlife artists. Page 3 ABOUT THE SPECIES The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), also commonly called antelope, can be found in every county in Wyoming, typically in sagebrush habitat. They are known for their speed and impeccable eyesight. The big game animal has the body shape of a deer, weighing 90-150 pounds with long legs, short tail, a long snout and hollow, tan hair. Prong- horn have white stripes on their necks and additional white markings on the face, stomach and rump. Both males and some females have a pair of horns on the top of the head. The males’ horns are larger, reaching up to 10 to 12 inches long. At the front of the horn is a small notch or prong that points forward, hence the animal’s name. Pronghorn begin breeding in the late summer and throughout early fall. Female pronghorn produce one to two fawns in the spring. Fawns stay with their mother for up to a year. Wyoming’s pronghorn have the longest documented migration of any spe- cies in the lower 48 spanning 150 miles each way, between Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin and Grand Teton National Park. Page 4 ABOUT THE JUDGES The winning artwork was selected by a panel of judges from the profes- sional disciplines of art, printing, gallery/museum direction and wildlife biology. The judges for this year's competition are: Meg Thompson Stanton Meg Thompson Stanton was born and raised in Laramie and received her B.A. from the University of Montana in 1999. After working as a carpen- ter throughout the West, and as a cabinetmaker in New York City, Thomp- son evolved into a professional visual artist, public artist and furniture maker. After being away from Wyoming for 15 years, she moved back to Laramie in 2011. As a visual artist she has attended the School of Visual Arts Residency Program, the Brush Creek Residency, and her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows in New York City and Wyoming. She is a co-founder of Wyoming Art Party: an artist-run organization that organizes inclusive local projects that celebrate and engage our local com- munities. She has worked on several community public art initiatives, including the Laramie Mural Project. In 2013 she won the commission to design bike racks for downtown Laramie. From 2013-2015 Thompson Stanton worked for the public art consulting team to develop the Laramie Public Art Plan. She served as the founding director of Laramie Public Art from 2016-2019. Currently she free-lances as a woodworker, carpenter, and artist. In her spare time she enjoys hunting/fishing/biking/hiking/ski- ing in the Wyoming outdoors with her wife and son and friends. Douglas Spriggs Douglas Spriggs is a native of Lander and currently works as the exec- utive director of the Lander Art Center and WYO Photography Studio. Doug graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BA in second- ary education: English and communications. His MA is of Arts: theology and philosophy; and is working on a Ph.D. in Leadership. As a native of Wyoming, he has a love for the great outdoors and all that Wyoming has to offer. At a very young age he developed a passion for photography and capturing “pretty things” on still images through the 4-H program in Lander. His love for wildlife and gorgeous landscapes grew from there and he has always had a connection with the local arts scene, wherever life’s journeys took him. Fourteen years ago, he opened his fine art photography business, sharing much of his work with Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and local church organizations. He continues to build Page 5 alliances with these organizations today and also works to build his fine art with WYO Photography Studio. Doug has been recognized by multiple or- ganizations for his dedication to the fine art community and conservation. His photography has won many awards, but he believes the largest award has been having the ability to give back to the world around him through his photography. Rod Dugal Rod Dugal was born in Houma, Louisiana and grew up shrimping, crab- bing and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. After working a few years on oil drilling rigs in the Gulf, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from Louisiana State University. In an attempt to escape the oppressive heat and humidity of the south, he traveled north to receive his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. He has held teaching positions at the Vermont State Craft Center at Frog Hollow, Middlebury College, State University of New York at Plattsburgh and the University of Notre Dame. He and his family moved to Sheridan in 2005 where he is a senior professor of art at Sheridan College and en- joying all that Wyoming, especially the Big Horn mountains, has to offer by way of hiking, fishing and cross-country skiing.