LCCC art students accepted into Western Spirit Art Show

Under a sky bruised with storm clouds, Laramie County Community College student Sarah Baynard’s photo “Wyo Peaks” captures Wyoming’s rugged heart: jagged peaks rise from a glassy lake, their reflections shimmering like a mirror, while ominous clouds hover low, threatening rain over the tawny earth. 

The scene feels both familiar and otherworldly — southeast Wyoming’s quiet drama, frozen in a moment of moody stillness. But the photo, now headed for the Western Spirit Art Show, wasn’t planned. 

Sarah was lost, cursing under her breath navigating Wyoming state highways, en route to the Snowy Range with a friend for graduation pictures. 

“This isn’t the right way,” she said, pulling off near a fishing spot, the clouds darkening fast. She grabbed her camera on a whim, not noticing the reflection in the water — until later, when she was editing the shot and thought, “Oh my gosh, that’s good.”

That accidental detour, born of a wrong turn, became her masterpiece, a testament to the serendipity that often sparks art.

And that unexpected photo opportunity has led to even more, as it will be among LCCC student art appearing in an upcoming prestigious Cheyenne art exhibition.

The Western Spirit Juried Art Show & Sale, held annually in March at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, stands as the premier exhibition in the Rocky Mountain Region, showcasing original artwork by emerging and established artists that interprets the American West. Founded in 1978 as a 501(c)3 non-profit, the museum cultivates a rich educational space rooted in the western legacy of Cheyenne Frontier Days, relying on private support to preserve and present the art and material culture of the region through year-round programs and this prestigious event, which features categories like photography, painting and sculpture.

Two of Sarah's photos and fellow student Evelyn Slovik's painting will be in the show.

For Evelyn, the acceptance of her painting feels like a step toward her life’s ambitions, a chance to step into a world she’s long admired. 

“I’m very excited to be part of it for my future career,” she said. 

As a sophomore double-majoring in business and art at LCCC, she sees the show as a pivotal moment — not just to pursue her passion for painting, but to build a résumé that bridges her creative and professional ambitions, potentially opening doors in advertising where she can stay artistic while making a living.

Evelyn’s painting, “Scavengers,” captures the wild heartbeat of Wyoming in a dynamic profile: a coyote racing across the canvas, its fur a blur of motion, with a crow soaring above, wings spread in tandem, both moving in the same direction. Inspired by the symbiotic relationship between the two — coyotes and crows often partnering to scavenge across the plains — it reflects Evelyn’s deep connection to her home state. 

Born and raised largely in Wyoming, she drew from her family’s home in Medicine Bow National Forest. Her dad’s trail camera snapshots of elusive wildlife — often accompanied by a midday text asking her to identify an animal — sparked her inspiration for “Scavengers.”

Painted with a spontaneity that surprised even her, “Scavengers” beat out a more labored piece to earn its spot.

“I didn’t spend as much time on this one, but something told me to just do one more painting,” Evelyn said. 

Sarah’s path to art is equally rooted in home but shaped by a different kind of inspiration. A Cheyenne native who’s lived here her whole life, she grew up surrounded by creativity — her mom, an art school graduate from Colorado, painted with an ease that captivated her as a child. 

“I remember being a little kid, like looking at her, like, ‘I want to do that,’” Sarah said with a laugh. 

Her dad, a photographer, handed down old cameras whenever he upgraded, turning photography into a playful hand-me-down passion. By her sophomore year at South High School, a photography class “kicked my spark into gear,” Sarah said. But it was her teacher, Lisa Hushbeck, who truly ignited her trajectory. As a teaching assistant the next semester, Sarah dove into the behind-the-scenes — organizing equipment, setting up backdrops, mastering tripods and lighting in the TV studio. 

“She actually let me practice what I want to do in the future,” Sarah said. 

The teacher, Sarah said, put her in front of the class to teach, transforming her shy demeanor into a budding educator’s confidence. Those lessons stuck, grounding her photography business today and her vision for what’s next.

Looking to the future, Sarah said she wants to help students experience the same kind of transformational growth she has as an artist. Sarah will graduate from LCCC this spring with an art degree, then she’s gearing up to transfer to the University of Wyoming to pursue a path toward becoming an art teacher. 

“I want to do something that I actually enjoy doing for the rest of my life,” she said. 

For Sarah, teaching isn’t just a job — it’s a way to share the calm and joy art brings her, especially through photography.

At LCCC, Sarah’s artistic growth has flourished in ways she couldn’t have imagined achieving on her own. The college’s small classes — sometimes just 10 students, like her sculpture sessions — offered the one-on-one attention she wanted, a stark contrast to the larger university setting she once feared. 

“I probably wouldn’t have thrived with a lot more students,” she said, explaining how LCCC let her be “less of a number, more of a student.” 

Evelyn, too, has found LCCC a transformative crucible for her art. When she arrived in Fall 2023, a massive 24-by-18-inch Strathmore paper for a self-portrait felt overwhelming — “really, really intimidating,” she said, used to smaller high school sketches. 

But semesters of practice, guided by instructors like Daniel Maw and Ron Medina, turned that fear into fluency.  

Drawing classes started with still lifes of foam shapes — “I’m so sick of foam,” she laughs— but those fundamentals built her confidence to tackle bigger canvases, like the spontaneous Scavengers. 

“Now I don’t think I can go small,” she said.

The college’s support, from Daniel’s encouragement to submit to the Western Spirit Art Show to the networking opportunities with visiting artists like Conor Choi, has fueled her dual ambitions in art and business, setting her on a path to merge painting with a marketing career, perhaps even opening a Wyoming studio.

Evelyn first saw the email in the middle of her art history class. The subject line — Western Spirit Art Show — made her stomach drop. Expecting another rejection, she hesitated before clicking. But there it was: her painting had been accepted.

It wasn’t luck. Last year, she missed the deadline. This year, she made it a priority. The acceptance meant more than just getting into a show — it was validation that her goals weren’t out of reach. She could set her sights on something and achieve it.

LCCC gave her the space to take those first steps, to push her skills further, to take risks and see them pay off. If she could do this, she could do more. The future — whether in art, marketing or a combination of both — suddenly felt wide open.

Evelyn knows she’s learning more than art fundamentals at LCCC — she’s given the opportunity and confidence to take chances. 

“You should go for it,” she said. “There are so many opportunities, even while you’re in school, that are worth it. The connections you make can open doors — you just have to put yourself out there.”