Albany County arts groups win $32,300 in Wyoming cultural grants

Albany County arts groups received $32,300 from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, money that will land in a kiln room at Ark Regional Services, promotional work for the 2026 Snow Train Music Festival in Laramie, and a book tour built around Steamboat, Wyoming’s famous bucking horse. The awards are part of a $529,405 statewide round that went to 44 projects, and because the fund requires dollar-for-dollar matching, the local grants could leverage at least another $32,300 in support.

Ark Regional Services received the smallest of the three county awards, $7,000, for a dedicated kiln space. The organization has operated in Albany County since 1963. Ark’s day services include arts, education, occupational development and equestrian programs.

The largest Albany County award, $15,300, went to Wyoming Singer-Songwriters for headlining acts and promotional materials tied to the 2026 Snow Train Music Festival. The festival is set for Oct. 9-10, 2026, in Laramie, and a 2025 community calendar listing put the event at 12 venues and 85 artists.

Wyoming Community Foundation, through Mountain Stars Press, received $10,000 for an A Home for Steamboat book tour. The 48-page hardcover children’s book, published in 2025 by Mountain Stars Press and Farcountry Press, centers on Steamboat, the state’s best-known bucking horse. It was selected as Wyoming’s 2025 Great Reads from Great Places Youth Selection.

The June 25 announcement came after the trust fund board reviewed April 1 applications at a public meeting May 17-19 in Pinedale. Created by the Wyoming Legislature in 1998, the fund's mission is to support arts, cultural and historic projects, with deadlines on April 1 and Oct. 1 each year. Since 2007, it has distributed $10.9 million statewide. In fiscal 2024, it awarded 51 grants totaling $710,068.54 across 16 counties and 22 communities.