Exhibit and reception honor Soulé's Retirement from CFAC

After 24 years of service, Debora Soulé is retiring as director of the Community Fine Arts Center.

To celebrate her retirement, the first exhibit of 2025 at the CFAC will feature Soulé's work. "A Time of Change" will be on display until Jan. 31. An opening reception for the exhibit and retirement reception for Soule was hosted last Saturday, Jan. 4.

"Being the Community Fine Arts Center director was the best job I could have ever imagined having in our town," Soulé said. "Yes, there was a lot to learn to start but then I was allowed to dream of new things to serve the people of our community, support both beginning and established artists, and see young faces beam as they were allowed to create."

Soulé said that ending her role at the CFAC is about change.

"I am looking forward to challenging myself as a studio artist," she said. "How could I not be inspired by all the wonderful fine art I saw everyday coming to the CFAC? Working with both local and visiting artists has helped me to remember who I am."

As for her exhibit, Soulé said, "Being able to share some of my paintings completed over the last several years seems a fitting way to end one chapter, and begin a new one."

Soulé has responded to and painted the landscapes of Wyoming, but said she is more in-line with the birds and animals that share that landscape.

"My great uncle gave me my earliest memories of connecting with wildlife," she said. "I had to be 3 or 4 years old when he taught me to be still and patient until I was feeding peanuts out of my hand to the backyard squirrels."

Soulé's connection with animals is shown with those that she has raised.

"Over the years, along with the usual cats, dogs, and horses, I have raised a days-old starling wo had fallen from its nest," she said. She added, "My daughter and I tamed a BLM colt, and one of the most meaningful, though painful lessons was the power of an African Grey's beak. He was communicating in his language and it was I who had to learn the message.

"So what it comes down to, is that I hope my images of birds and animals shows that we humans are not alone in expressing thoughts and emotions," Soulé said.

Over the course of her time at the CFAC, Soulé worked to expand the center's educational programming by celebrating Youth Arts Month; inviting both local and traveling artists to teach workshops for community members; bringing in arts programs such as ballet, Irish step dancing, opera, symphonies, solo and duo pianists, violin masters, and pop, country folk and classical singers. She also collaborated with other organizations to help establish the ARTember art fair, the Sweetwater Plein Air Competition, and the March Art and Craft Market.

"Debora has been a pillar in the art community both locally and statewide," said Lindsey Travis, Sweetwater County Library System director. "She has done such great work over her time at the CFAC. We are going to miss her passion for the arts and strong presence within the library system."

The CFAC operates as a department of the library system.

"After all her years of service, she has earned time to work on her own artwork," Travis said. "I can't wait to see what she creates."