Panelists Wyoming Rep. Cathy Connolly, Washington Sen. Randi Becker and Hawai’i Rep. Joy San Buenventura discuss their experiences as women in politics. The all-women’s panel is one example of CSG West Chair Rep. Kimberly Dudik’s effort to get more women in leadership roles for CSG’s annual meeting. PHOTO BY BELLA BUTLER
BIG
SKY – For the 72nd year in a row, members of Western state
legislatures gathered for the annual meeting of the Council of State Governments
West. This year Montana hosted the meeting at Big Sky Resort from July 16-20, an
event that included government representatives from 13 states, four territories
and two Canadian provinces.
The
nonpartisan national CSG is divided into four geographic areas to allow regions
to create space to focus on issues that are specific to them. In the Western
region, founded in 1947, these topics are focused via committees such as the
Agriculture, Public Safety and Water and Environment committees.
“[The
annual meeting] is an opportunity for legislators and other elected officials
throughout the West to come together and share best practices and learn about
issues that are keenly relevant to the West,” said CSG West Chair and Montana
Rep. Kimberly Dudik, who is the first woman from Montana to serve in the
position and is running for Montana Attorney General.
The
event featured keynote speakers, committee meetings and breakout sessions as
well as other opportunities for different state governments to interact.
Breakout sessions covered issues ranging from daylight savings to foster care.
At a session on women in politics, Dr. Gayle Alberda of Fairfield University in
Connecticut shared tips on how women can use social media as a gender-neutral
tool in their campaigns.
This
year, one of Dudik’s goals for the meeting was to involve Western tribal
nations more, which she said she accomplished by including a panel on Missing
and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls as well as inviting leaders from all
Montana tribes.
Dudik
said she also fulfilled her goal to instill more gender and ethnic equality in
the organization’s leadership positions, which she did by appointing more women
and ethnic minorities.
One
of CSG’s missions, according to Dudik, is to improve state governments as well
as motivate constituents to educate themselves on state candidates during
election time.
“Everyone
gets really caught up in national politics but where rubber hits the road is at
state level,” she said. “What deals with trade, what deals with women’s rights,
what deals with education funding, what deals with healthcare is all at the
state level, and people should really be aware of it.”
Each
year, the annual CSG West meeting takes place in the home state of the current
chair. According to Dudik, Big Sky Resort was the only place in Montana large
enough to host the event. Wyoming Sen. Michael Von Flatern is the current
chair-elect, and the 2020 meeting will be hosted in Jackson, Wyoming.
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.