Call and Response

MLK Community Art Collage

2012-01-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

On the Missouri Southern State University campus, on the MLK Day of Service, I facilitated this project with students wandering past in the union. It took some verbal invitations to get some folks involved, as they were hesitant and perhaps intimidated by the large projection and smell of glue, but many added their hand tracing to the collage. I was generously assisted by brilliant MSSU student Jessica Waldo. The artwork served as a backdrop for a reflection ceremony at the end of the week of service. Hopefully it will end up on display somewhere on the campus.

Collaborative Grids: Art for Elementary

2011-11-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

It's tried and true, this classic collaborative grid. It essentially works every time. I took a copy of Audrey Flack's "Queen" (Flack and piece pictured), cut it into small squares, and gave one of the squares to each student. Their job was to recreate the small square's contents onto a larger white square. Once all squares were completed, it the class as group had to piece it together. It's always fascinating to see who becomes the leaders in this part of the process. As it comes together, there is an aha moment when the student discovers their seemingly "lame" square is vital to the whole, and that the imperfections actually enhance the whole and make it much more interesting to view. The second grid is simply a second section of the same class. It's fun to compare and contrast the two.

Faith Ringgold Workshop and Lecture!

2011-11-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

I have been following the accomplished artist, Faith Ringgold, my entire artistic career. She was an art teacher in Harlem, created story quilts that are in museum collections around the world and commissioned by people such as Oprah and the Cosbys, won the Caldecott award for her book Tar Beach based on the same story quilt. She's taught, traveled, lectured, written an autobiography, and is currently making work to fund Obama's re-election campaign.

I was honored to participate in an art educator workshop with Faith at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri. For three hours, we created our section of a quilt. The pattern consisted of triangles that read "Teach Today Touch Tomorrow". As we worked feverishly, we took turns getting our photos taken and books signed by Faith. I also had a few minutes to speak with her privately, asking her questions about balance and longevity in the life of an artist. She was fiery and passionate in her encouragement and advice to me. I had been thirsting for this, from anyone and anywhere. Unbelievable that it came from my art heroine!

At the end of the workshop, we got to watch Faith lay out our pieces. Magical watching her; you could see her wheels turning and the creative juices bubbling out of every pore. Then most of us left while six or seven who had sewing skills stayed and constructed the quilt. So by the time I returned for the evening lecture, the quilt was on the wall. Brilliant. The lecture itself was informative, inspirational, humorous, touching, and full of stories, just like Faith's life and art.

The Butterfly Effect: Dreams Take Flight

2011-11-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

Seeing is believing or so the saying goes, but it may be the other way around. In order to see you must believe, because your horizon fits around your view of who you are. So don’t be afraid to believe you can do great things— or at least more than you think you can— and mountains will push back, lakes deepen with reflections of trees aflame with gold, and snow drifting against brilliant blue skies till you can’t tell which is simple reflection, because everything you see sharpens into brilliant hues of light and shadow. Don’t let fears frame your world too small; the widest horizon can be revealed, in even the smallest detail, if you only have the courage to see with your own eyes. anonymous

Annie Vought: Paper Cut Letters

2011-10-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

A fellow artist brought my attention to Annie Vought. Her work is meticulous and beautiful. She says this about her body of work:

"Email, text messages, instant messaging and Twitter are all examples of fun and immediate means of 'written' communication. Through the computer I am in touch with people I may never have seen before and I can respond in real time to a loved one. But with the ubiquity of this access and convenience, we are losing the tangible handwritten letter. Handwritten records are fragments of individual histories. In the penmanship, word choice, and spelling the author is often revealed in spite of him/herself. A letter is physical confirmation of who we were at the moment it was written, or all we have left of a person or a time...I have been working with cut out correspondence for the past four years. I meticulously recreate notes and letters that I have found, written, or received by enlarging the documents onto a new piece of paper and intricately dissecting the negative spaces with an Exact-o knife. The handwriting and the lines support the structure of the cut paper, keeping it strong and sculptural, despite its apparent fragility. In these paper cutouts, I focus on the text, structure, and emotion of the letter in an elaborate investigation into the properties of writing and expression. Penmanship, word choice, and spelling all contribute to possible narratives about who that person is and what they are like. My recreating the letters is an extended concentration on peoples’ inner lives and the ways they express their thoughts through writing."

I too am grieving the decline of the handwritten note or letter. I still attempt it occasionally and keep a drawer of stationery. I love letterpress cards and try to send those to friends and family.

But I'm not interested in making work about other people's letters, as Annie does. It is good for me to look at her work, as I am getting into paper text installations. I'm just more selfish, perhaps. I am interested in my OWN handwriting, perceiving it as the truest self-expression of my own unique mark-making. The hand is mine, the 'font' is mine. I am fascinated by the idea of text as art, text as image. And the huge range of temperature it connotes, from a personal warmth to an impersonal chill. I want my installations to resonate as personal.

I admire Annie's scale. It appears she's created some small paper cut letters and others that are very large. I am interested in scale, as well. I want my text to live large, to explode up and down a wall, or to slowly and quietly seep across the entire surface. But either way, to have an engulfing presence. I just bought a neat, old house with vast wall space. I may try my hand at some painted, large-scale text. And leave the temporary installations at other venues to paper. The options are exciting to consider.

Visit Annie's website at: http://annievought.com/

On the Other Side: Kris Korb

2011-10-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Kris Korb
"Remembering...Protecting...Caring..."

Originally I am from the fine state of Michigan, but I have lived in Nevada, Missouri, since 1988. Since that time, I have been the coordinator of campus activities, tickets, and calendar at Cottey College, a private women's college offering associate degrees and select baccalaureate programs. In addition to planning, promoting, and producing a wide variety of performing artists, I am also the curator of the P.E.O. Foundation Art Gallery at the college. I have taken a few art classes just for fun at the Spiva Center, at the Nevada Regional Technical Center, and at Cottey College. My bachelor's degree is in conservation and my master's degree is in campus recreation (so when combined, I am certified to play outside!) This is the first piece I have entered in a professional gallery.

While I was not directly affected by the tornado, I know several people who lost their homes, businesses, and family members. I am the American Red Cross Vernon County disaster chair and volunteered with the local Red Cross in setting up shelters in three locations in and around Joplin soon after the tornado hit. The physical devastation was (and is) profoundly amazing.

I was so glad that Spiva was offering an opportunity to provide self-expression of thoughts and feelings related to the tornado. I knew that many pieces would reflect the destructive physical impact of the tornado on the people of Joplin, and I wanted to convey the feelings of loving, kindness, and hopefulness of the survivors and volunteers that emerged afterwards.

I attended the opening of the exhibition and felt extremely uncomfortable wearing the name tag indicating I was an "Artist," as I do not think of myself in that way. I work with professional performing and visual artists on a daily basis and cannot compare myself to people at that level.

My piece is entitled "Remembering...Protecting...Caring..." and represents some of the emotional stages that survivors and volunteers went through. The figure is based upon a Native-American grandmother who is looking both backwards and forwards. She is acknowledging the loss and is trying to accept the present while preparing for the future. She is holding two heads, each nestled in a bird's nest, in a protective manner. Have these two physically flown from this devastated area, or is she trying to care and comfort them? It's up to the viewer to decide.

The head of the piece is made of paper clay covered in hand-dyed silk and the body is built on a wire armature. The hair on all three heads is made of silk and the outerwear is remnants of an old dress. The skirt is made of small sticks and the feet are made of nut shells and fur. While none of these materials are from the Joplin area, one could easily have found them on the ground and in the trees. The figure stands on a base that has a large heart shape naturally formed in the center of the wood.

I am for an art revolution.

On the Other Side: Natalie Wiseman

2011-09-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

I received my bachelors of art with emphasis in painting in 1991 from Missouri Southern. By 1995, the paintings were piling up and I began painting murals in area homes and businesses. I have only just recently started painting for myself again, and have tried to be more involved in what's going on with art locally. I have to thank Tricia Courtney at Rose Gallery for showing an interest in my recent work.

I was motivated to participate in Spiva's "On the Other Side" show because I had already begun work on the piece when I found out about the specifics. It was a natural response to the event, but I feel that area artists will be creatively impacted by the storm for years.

My piece, an acrylic titled, " Life in 3D" began as a pretty literal interpretation of the event. The items that I included were those that reveal a sense of vulnerability. No matter how personal the items, they were all scattered and blended then placed on display for the rest of the world. Some of the items included in the still life were directly related to things my family and I had seen in town. As I thought about the show's name, though, it made me think more of how clearly I remember the events of that day, leading up to the storm. Almost like a windowpane, the rough frame irepresents the " present" conditions through which we have to
look back through. My intention is to focus on that moment, day, hour directly before the storm that we cannot undo, we just have to examine.

I am for an art...masters program at Missouri Southern.

On the Other Side: Clayton Woolery

2011-09-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

"A Scream of Questions"

I'm Clayton Woolery. I'm a high school junior currently studying in Washington, DC and I am fascinated by emotions and mental states. I incorporate this into my art. Joplin is my hometown and to not participate in this show at Spiva would be a huge disservice to my roots there. I was motivated to capture the moment as a visualization of the collective mind of the citizens the day it happened. My piece focuses on a rendering of "the minds eye." it is a found windowframe with two panes missing. All the materials are found and the concept of found poetry is practiced in the paper elements. My goal was to capture the emotional state that comes with disaster, a disbelief, an emptiness. I am for an art community that engages with the real world in a valid and relevant way. I believe that art is the point of existence and it is more powerful than tragedy. It is human.

Spiva's On the Other Side

2011-09-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Josie Mai
City of Joplin News Archive May 23-June 13th, 2011
cut paper and sticky-tak

This installation is composed of headlines from the following website: http://joplinmo.org/newsArchive.cfm
I hand-wrote the headlines onto an overhead transparency and projected them onto white roll paper and traced my own handwriting with pencil. I then cut out each line of text with scissors and affixed them to the wall. The bottom line represents the first news headline after the storm. The headlines are continuous and meant to be slightly illegible. They represent the media storm that followed the actual storm, a cacophony of meaningless words as we struggled to find relevant, essential information through the shockwaves. To me they are fragile, temporary, and an homage to information that we still can't comprehend.

Twist and Shout: The Joplin Crew

2011-08-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Several of us from Joplin arrived early to Twist and Shout to view the show privately, touch base with one another, and get trained on how to collect the cash from the auction sales of over 100 pieces of art work. Pictured left to right, front to back:
Cleo Copeland, Josie Mai, Meg Skaggs, Linda Kyger, Kerstin Landwer, Monica O'Flaherty and family,
Tom Brown, Karl Lipscomb, Ann Leach, Jeremy Mitchell, Nellie Mitchell, Sam Skaggs, Lauren Stauffer, Roger Buchanan, Gary Kyger, Jo Mueller, Don Ayers, David Martin. Several other Joplin residents attended the event and bid on the art. It was a truly transcendent night for all of us.

Twist and Shout!

2011-08-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Words can't express the love in the room last night at Leedy-Voulkos in KC. Art can express it, though. Over 100 brilliant pieces of original art, created from the tornado debris of five Joplin families, expressed the transformation of treasure to trash and back to treasure again. In celebration on a hot August night, 100 artists, 50 Joplin residents, and countless Kansas Citians came together to raise $23,000 for Joplin artists to rebuild their creative lives. These people are my literal family, my figurative family, my tribe, my colleagues, my mentors, my mentees, my crushes, my past present and future. My whole life and heart and energy in one room. It was explosive...the repercussions will be felt for years to come. You can continue to donate for one more month. Please do.

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Project Reclamation: Phil Hughlett

2011-08-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

How did you come upon the Project Reclamation installation?
Holly told me about it. I was eager to help my home town.

What were your reactions/feelings as you viewed it? Any other stories from that event?
Honestly, after spending a few days in Joplin, cleaning up my parents house and helping the neighbors, the stuff in the gallery looked very clean and safe. One thing you notice in the disaster zone and surrounding areas is the random danger lurking everywhere. Broken glass, nails, sheet metal, etc. Once it is put in the gallery is appears more organized and calm.

Describe why you chose the debris you chose, and what you are doing/will do with it.
Lastly, could you finish this sentence: "I am for an art....."
I chose a few pieces of wood that I could paint on. One particular piece was wavy and it reminded me of wind and water, so I painted a seaside sunrise on it. The rising sun always makes me appreciate a new beginning, and the sea is very calming. I thought it would be a good transformation.
On another, I painted a cubist inspired cello playing over a broken piano keyboard. One of the images my cousins shared with me was of my Aunt & Uncle's home, just shredded to pieces. But right in the middle was their poor piano, hardly moved, but completely ruined. I call it "Requiem For a Piano".
And on the smallest, square piece I painted the Hindu God, Shiva the Destroyer. They believe that Shiva holds the powers of the universe in his destructive dance and when he is done, the universe will be replaced by a new one. The path of the tornado made the landscape I had known for decades look like another planet. I think that Joplin is going to look like a new city when the rebuilding is complete.

I am for an art that transcends time and place. I like to think the act of creation is more important than the final product. I hope that Spiva can help many people take the time to just create something new and forget about the stress of the past.

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Project Reclamation: Maria Vasquez Boyd

2011-08-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

The Leedy Voulkos Gallery in Kansas City emailed me information about Project Reclamation, an art auction/exhibition to benefit the art community in Joplin. I read through the details and quickly made a decision to participate. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by a need to do something, you know make a difference. It’s better to be part of the solution, right? I couldn’t just stand around saying, “Wow, that’s tough.”

Alone in the gallery I heard the quiet whispers of salvaged items now estranged from their owners. I gazed at the collection of twisted metal mailboxes, fan blades, pipes, gears, paper, gloves, even a torso of a plastic Jesus with outstretched hands, and many other things. They delivered a powerful history of their former lives. But I can only offer transformation out of the chaos to these things. I carefully sorted through items that define who you are in life and collected picture frames, dolls, hummingbird feeder, a shoe, stuffed monkey, and other things unrecognizable to me. My plan is to create a frame with salvaged items completely covered in white paint with text that declares, “I AM HERE.” I decided it would be more provocative in Spanish, so it became “ ESTOY AQUI” adding “SIEMPRE” translated as “always.” With the addition of that last word painted with glow in the dark paint, it shimmers in the dark like a ghost, SIEMPRE.

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Project Reclamation: Mark Cowardin

2011-08-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

1. how i got involved in project reclamation: matt dehaemers is the reason i'm involved. matt contacted me early on because he knew that i grew up around and in joplin. i went to school through high school in carl junction, and spent a few years at missouri southern before transferring to the university of kansas in 1995. i'm a big fan of matt, the artist and the person, and i would probably have a hard time ever saying no to him.

2. the most striking and unexpected thing i noticed about viewing the installation was my tendency to look for and find objects that i could see in my own home. creating a personal connection with an object makes it easier to grasp the gravity of the event. being from the joplin area, i know several people directly effected by the storm.

3. the debris that i chose, i picked because it was material that might show up in my work anyway. chunks of 2x4s, a furniture leg, and tree limbs. i also took a yellow ball that hangs in your garage to let you know when to stop your car ( i wouldn't have chosen this piece, but my 3 year-old was with me and he insisted). much of my work deals critically with issues of humans interaction with the natural world, and i often use found objects (www.markcowardin.com). i honestly struggled a little with this sculpture because i didn't want to make a piece about humans destroying/damaging nature. this is an event about nature overpowering humans. to me, the resulting wall mounted assemblage, is about remembering the impact of this event on real peoples lives. i live less than three hours from joplin, and my parents live less than 10 minutes from the epicenter of the tornado. my day to day life hasn't changed a bit, but i'm acutely aware that thousands of peoples lives in joplin won't return to normal for a long time. the wall mounted sculpture i completed for project reclamation is entitled "right here". i don't think describing the work would do it justice.

4. i am for an art that makes the viewer stick with an idea long after being entertained by the initial viewing.

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Project Reclamation: Larry Thomas

2011-08-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

How did you come upon the Project Reclamation installation?

Matt contacted me and asked if I would be interested in participating. I went and saw the installation the first night it was on view.

What were your reactions/feelings as you viewed it? Any other stories from that event?

Its a sobering sight to see so many other people’s possessions piled up, knowing they were once the personal effects used in their day life, and that this was just a small sampling of the massive amount of debris cause by the tornado. The people who suffered such loss probably took their lives and possessions for granted, just as we all do. Then all of a sudden in a matter of minutes, devastation that will change many peoples lives forever. Its hard to imagine the anguish of so many people who lost loved ones, and then on top of that, the loss of one’s house and all the personal objects that make a home.

It was very sad, yet the prospect of making a work of art to help someone else, was very rewarding. I was thankful that Matt asked me to participate. I had made some small contributions to Joplin relief funds before this event, but being able to do something related to my field has been very gratifying.

Describe why you chose the debris you chose, and what you are doing/will do with it.

I chose a garden hose, a twisted piece of wire, a small branch, and a poster (which I didn’t incorporate into the piece.) I photographed the hose, wire, and branch and then used them in my piece. The work is a hand-colored Ultra Chrome print.

Lastly, could you finish this sentence:

"I am for an art that makes people see and think about things they haven’t seen or thought about before.”

All my best,
larry

http://larrythomasart.com

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Project Reclamation: Ada Koch

2011-08-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Josie Mai,
Thrilled I can help in some small way.

Ada Koch-Bio
Raised near Wilmington, DE, Koch won early scholarships to the Delaware Art Museum before studying in Washington, DC and Chicago, IL. Later studies with David De Rousseau of the KCAI and personal studies in the museums of Paris, France preceded Koch's exhibitions in various galleries and museums of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Florence, Italy. She currently teaches art at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and Artichokes in Leawood, KS. She is on the board of directors at the Kansas City Artists Coalition and was the founder of Open Studios in KC. Her art is in collections both corporate and private throughout the United States and as far away as Germany and Switzerland.

I heard about the Project Reclamation from my friend Matt who I met years ago at the Arts Incubator. I am thrilled to be a part of something to help the Spiva Arts Center as they strive to help their community. Choosing pieces of debris from the pile at the Leedy-Voulkos was not easy. The mangled pieces of metal spoke of the physical violence that people had to face and the assortment of destroyed books, furniture, and personal items sent chills down my back - especially the children's toys. I finally chose two books, one a large art history book, and a small toy clown. Originally, I had planned to make some sort of circus out of the book, but it wasn't coming together. The next week, I took a short vacation with my husband and daughter where they had a live butterfly room, filled with the beautiful fragile creatures. On the way home, I was inspired to create a piece with butterflies cut from the book and swarming out of the book in a tornado-like swirl around the clown who has been transformed into an angel with butterfly wings. Eerily, one day after working on the sculpture, I had a drink with my neighbor, Jonya Redwine, whose son lives just north of Joplin. Jonya loved the butterfly theme because of the "butterfly stories" which have come after the tornado. I had NEVER heard of them before and was even more convinced this is the right project. I came home and got onto the computer right away and found the most touching stories. You can read some on http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2011/06/22/a-letter-from-joplin-part 6-The butterfly people.

My piece is called "Rebirth" and is filled with symbolism, but is meant to be positive and inspiring, as I'm sure all the art built out of debris will be. I will try and send you some photos of what I originally chose and the art piece now. I just finished it yesterday, so it will be at the LV on the first friday of August. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Best regards,
Ada Koch

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Project Reclamation: David Bandy

2011-08-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

I came familiar with project reclamation, the installation, and twist and shout through word of mouth from fellow artist Jenny McCall...and my relationship with Holly Swangstu at the LV. My feelings toward the installation and Joplin in general are pretty personal. All the family on my father's side either lived or currently resides in Joplin still. I spent a lot of times growing up going on visits to my grandparents on the outskirts of Joplin. I have a lot of memories from childhood such as playing with my cousins, fishing, exploring, and even learning to drive. Much like my family, I find the people of Joplin to be a kind and simple one. Honest and hardworking for the most part. Many live their whole lives in Joplin without a desire for the complications and abundance of larger cities. I find this contentment to be honest and charming.

I grabbed a handful of debris, including vinyl and broken plastic to adhere to my canvas to make a simple tribute to a state, city, and love I have for Joplin and this project/event.

I am for an art allows self-exploration. Always. The journey into the self-conscious for myself or artist is not always an easy or self-willing one. However, the curiosity and necessity for me to explore my mental landscapes and well-being allow me a therapy and excavation of emotion not found elsewhere in life.

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Project Reclamation: Chris Frye

2011-08-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

Walking up to the installation of debris in the middle of the gallery at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, I was struck with emotion when I realized that it was made up of people's belongings that had been blown around in the tornado. Reading the pieces and looking at the photos of those affected with their whole world in shambles around them saddened me, yet there was a sense of hope and relief expressed in them. When I went to pick pieces to use in an artwork, the pile had been spread out around the gallery and it was easier to identify individual objects. I chose a birdhouse, a drawer, an electronic circuit board and a burner from a stove. My idea for the piece is to paint sparrows with banners on the outside of the drawer and to suspend the birdhouse above the circuits with the spiral of the burner crashing into the house.

I am for an art that surpasses the mundane yet accumulates dust just the same as any object in a collection of prized possessions. I am for an art that is created in the moment but evokes a lifetime of intrigue.

www.facebook.com/pages/The-Artwork-of-Christopher-Vaughan-Frye

www.kcartists4joplin.com

Children's Mural Workshop Drawings

2011-08-12T07:27:00.001-07:00

I can't believe the mural team has been here for a month now. We're getting closer to the halfway point. Be sure to follow artist-in-residence, Dave Loewenstein, on his blog at joplincommunityartproject.blogspot.com. Dave, Kyle, Nick, Amber and I spent a couple weeks with about 200 children from Boys and Girls Club, the Joplin YMCA, and Spiva Center for the Arts. After team and kid introductions, Dave would share about the idea of a mural, that one would happen here in Joplin, and that several have happened in other towns. He had postcards of past murals, and would show the kids up close what those looked like instead of a cold, large projection on a screen. Then we would would prompt the kids to draw collaboratively, 2-4 kids per one large sheet of white paper. What is your idea of home? What do you dream about? Flying? Do animals dream? Do plants dream? Do machines dream? Draw a machine that is part machine and part plant that would help rebuild Joplin. Design and draw a website or video game that shows a new Joplin. The kids jumped in wholeheartedly, no hesitation, clearly needing and wanting to work some things out, not editing themselves. Then we had them share their drawings and ideas with the group. I truly believe this combination of SHOWing their art and TELLing their story was a healing, beautiful encounter for all in the room.

During the Third Thursday Artwalk on August 18th, many of these drawings will be on display on the ground floor of the Gryphon Building at 10th and Main from 5:30-8:30. Families of these 200 kids will be invited to come to the show. Encore!

The Mural at 20th and Main St

2011-07-31T14:01:00.001-07:00

The following is from a student. She didn't put her name on the paper, so I don't remember who she was. Students, put your name on your work! Jeez!

The piece of artwork that I have chosen to critique is the Joplin mural painted on the side of a fairly large building at 20th and Main. There are many artists that participated in this mural, which is what makes it so great. Obviously, this spray painted mural was done because of the May 22nd 2011 tornado. This kind of art can be called street art, or graffiti, but in this case it is done legally and is publicized for a purpose. Because there were so many artists involved in this mural, every part of it is very different and unique. The mural displays many very colorful, large pictures and words that are positive and uplifting. The size of the mural plays a large role because it is made for everyone that drives by to see right away and hopefully make a statement. The mural uses many bright colors such as, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple and even neutral colors like brown, black and white that all together keep the mural “lite” up. Some of the words like “restore,” “dream,” and “love,” are made to look 3-dimensional, as if they are popping out at you. The outlining and lines of the shapes and words are purposely not done to look perfect or straight and this is what makes the mural so interesting to look at. The texture does not play as big of a role, because it is made to be seen from far away at a larger scale. The drawings of figures, animals and plants are randomly placed throughout the mural and do not take any definite shape. There are no defined lines or form to it and that is what makes it such a fun piece of art. It looks as if there are unlimited boundaries and as if one could keep adding and adding to it.

Most of the shapes and words are separately done, but are related in a sense of what they represent which is how all of the
parts work and form together. The colors are all similar in brightness and in depth, but because so many different ones are used on top of each other it creates a contrast that is very appealing and eye-catching. For example, the word “DREAM” is yellow with black outline that make it really stand out. The colors are also all very positive and happy colors; which pulls the art together and sends the uplifting message that it is made to do. As a whole, the mural is kind of off-balanced; everything is very randomly placed, but it all goes together because each word or symbol is representing the same concept. The importance of this street art is for it to be seen; so size, color, space and location are all very important in making it so grand.

I absolutely love this mural. It is hard not to love when it sends such a great message to the people of Joplin, Missouri. The message is so powerful because of the creativeness and especially the size and location. I love that it is randomly placed on the side of a building next to a gas station. The words are so positive and the pictures are so well done and fun to look at. Not to mention, everything is symbolic; the eagle represents our Joplin High School that was devastated in the tornado. The cross represents—hope, love and faith and the tree with the tire swing represents that we will rebuild and recover together. What our community needs right now is a sense of hope and strength and little reminders like this, do just that. The message is beautiful, along with the art itself. I find graffiti very interesting to look at and when done at such a large scale it makes a big impression. Joplin is and will continue to rebuild with the strength and hope from our community and we can see that in this beautiful mural.

This is a picture I took of the mural on 20th and Main. I thought it was cute and ironic because a worker that has been helping clean up Joplin asked if I wanted to be in the picture and he could take it for me; I told him he could get in if he’d like and he was so excited! Just thought it represented Joplin well!

Local Artist: Justin Kidston

2011-07-27T18:59:00.001-07:00

I had the privilege of meeting Justin a couple of weeks ago at the Boys and Girls Club, and discovered he is an artist. He recently showed at Columbia Traders in downtown Joplin during the Third Thursday Artwalk. Here is his story:

My name is Justin and I am currently working at the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Missouri.

My art is about trying to set my own trail through my art, veering away from traditional styles and making things people don't see in everyday life. I'm tired of seeing your typical art pieces. I'm taking those and putting my own creative spin on them. The events of May 22 completely changed my life. The tornado destroyed my apartment and it changed alot of things for me, but if I could go back I still wouldn't change anything about that day. It humbled me; it made me realize that all my possesions are just things and I'm glad to have my life. It gave me the ability to start fresh with my life and it also helped me overcome my creative block and made it possible for me to create more artwork.

I want my artwork to make people ask questions. If they ask questions, then they are interacting with it which means it's affecting them in some way. I don't want people to just walk by my artwork, look at it, then go on the the next. I will have put something strange enough in it for them to look twice.

Rebekah's Art Writing

2011-07-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

(photo by Nellie Mitchell)

The following was written by MSSU summer art appreciation student Rebekah Wilkins:

Art Criticism Paper No. 1

Today I experienced something that I have never experienced before. I finally walked the two and a half blocks up to the high school and was flabbergasted by the wooden carved eagles that sit on the property of the Joplin High School. I had a hard time with this task but I knew it would not only help me with my homework but it would also help me with the healing that my family has tried to endure these past couple of months. I do not know the name of the artist who created these eagles, just as I was about to read the yellow plaque posted on the wood, a police officer lead me off the property and left me with a warning. But before he arrived, I was walking up to the carvings and I was able to appreciate the carefully crafted art work. I was able to see the imperfections of the wood, the holes that animals had dug out when it was only a tree and the bugs making it a home again. Though some of the eagles were smoothed out still in many places you could see where shards were sticking out and had a rough surface. The artist hit many details of the eagle, from its beak to its talons, even the carefully shaped feathers. In this peace, the viewer didn’t have to have an imagination. And knowing that the eagle represents America, the artist sent the message that we are strong and we will recover. They sent the message that we have hope; that we have a community that will rise above and in time will recover. It didn’t appear that the artist used anything extra special to create these beautiful, bold eagles but kept it simple, using only the raw materials of the wood and the carving utensils. Though I am not much of an art appreciator, in different circumstances I don’t know if I would feel the same but I really like these pieces. I like the message it sent. It’s just as clear as a cross representing Christ, these eagles represent hope. A symbol that is almost breath-taking as it is simple.

Ami's Art Writing

2011-07-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

The following was written on July 14th, 2011 by Ami Richardson, a summer art appreciation student at MSSU:

The work of art pictured above, has caught the attention of many people. It portrays unity among a town that has suffered loss and tragedy. Although the artist is unknown to me, it doesn’t take away the meaningful message it portrays. As we talk about the piece of art, one can see it was painted on the side of a building, centered in the middle. The jagged lines of the letters give the piece a unique three-dimensional affect, and the dark red heart accents the cool pastel colors of the letters perfectly. Look at the brick wall behind the painting, the brick gives the painting just enough texture to avoid it having a flat matte appearance. And look at the heart in the center of the painting, shading in light contrast is be seen, it gives the piece visual depth. Furthermore, the line curvature of the flag gives it the appearance as if it is waving. The artist also personalized the piece by leaving an inspirational message, wrote to the bottom left of the painting. It tells the significance of the painting. All the pieces accent the painting and make it extraordinary.

I like the painting immensely. Is it because it is sentimental? Probably so, but that’s not the only reason. It is an inspirational selfless gift. Furthermore, the designs complement each other and send meaningful messages. Joplin went through an F-5 tornado, many lives, homes, and businesses were lost. The painting above sends a message, even though hearts are broken, they will mend. The flag is significant to Joplin because the people stand united and strong, not only just in Joplin, people all over the US came together to help one small city most of them have not ever heard of till it was almost wiped of the map. Again, the flag portrays unity among all of us. The compassion of others has been shown, not only through the love of one another, through art as well.

Nellie's Lomography Show

2011-07-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

(photos by Nellie Mitchell)

According to urbandictionary.com Lomography is defined as "a type of art photography in which color is emphasized. Traditionally, cameras such as the Holga, Lomo, Colorsplash, and Supersampler are used to create strange and unusual photographs. Lomographic photos are primarily characterized by vignettes (blurry and faded edges), random subjects, and nonadherance to traditional photography rules. Lomography is a pleasant break from most photojournalism."

My good friend, fellow artist and teacher Nellie Mitchell, just had an opening last Third Thursday at the Joplin Artwalk. She showed several groupings of fun and stunning photos at Tyrannosaurus Press. Nellie always draws a crowd, and this was no exception despite the 100 degree temps. Pictured here at the show is me with her, her husband Jeremy, and Karalee and Lacey, two new art teachers in the area who had the exquisite opportunity to student-teach with Nellie in her classroom. I am so proud of Nellie and her consistent, creative, and inspiring artist's life!

Bountiful Harvest

2011-07-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

Wish I could claim these as my own, but thanks to the Webb City Farmers Market, I cooked up a storm this past weekend. Food just tastes so much better and my body feels so much better because of it! I made salsa, tomato sauce, roasted potatoes, bean concoction for burritos, cucumbers for hummus dipping and noodle toppings. Garlic, onion, and peppers in everything. YUM. And bonus that I got to buy fresh flowers from Sylvia, a way cool 6th grader that is part of a community garden. Thanks, Sylvia!

Check Out the Hair

2011-07-21T13:23:00.001-07:00

This is Nicky Quinn, age 7. His Dad, local art supporter Mark Quinn, took him to see Tony at T's One Stop Barbershop on 8th and Main in Joplin. Nicky knew what he wanted, Mark let him do it, and rumor has it that Grandma wasn't thrilled. Way to support your city, Nicky!

The Spiva 3rd Grade Dog

2011-07-17T07:42:00.001-07:00

Each February 1000 third grade students from Joplin area schools visit Spiva Center for the Arts. It is often a student's first time to an art gallery of any kind. They are welcomed by staff and area art teachers, introduced to the show in the Main Gallery, work on a Gallery Activity that encourages them to interact with the art through math, writing, and vocabulary, and last but not least head upstairs to make art based on the show. One is a take-home project, and one is a large-scale collaborative project assembled in the "Secret Room". This year, I worked with Joplin-based artist Jorge Leyva to construct three large animals based on the art of Linda Mitchell. Jorge welded a dog, a rhino, and an elephant. I recruited some volunteers to help wrap the armatures in chicken wire. Many more volunteers cut clothes and blankets into strips that nine-year old hands could then weave into the animal. Today, the dog is on display outside the Joplin Public Library (pictured), the rhino is in the lobby at Spiva, and the elephant is in city hall. It was a fabulous community art experience for all.

I Wonder by Gwen

2011-07-03T14:08:00.001-07:00

I've already posted some of her art created at MFAA, but here is a video she just posted reflecting on her/our life as an artist. It is absolutely brilliant. Enjoy Here's what she posted:

"I made this piece in honor of the AMAZING students and staff I met while attending the Missouri Fine Arts Academy in the summer of 2011. I left with a love for question and the simplicity of just not knowing where something may lead to. Thank you all sooo much for giving me the experience of a life time! I will never forget you.

CHECK OUT THIS MUSIC!
"Melissa Harper" & "Socks and Chimes"! Their songs "Lovin You" & "New Mexico" were used in the making of this video. Not only is Melissa an awesome RA and Ian an awesome teacher but they are both awesome musicians as well (;"

Gretchen's Juxtaposition

2011-07-01T09:29:00.001-07:00

Gretchen self-curated only two pieces. The one on the right a Matisse Study in oil pastel. She did this first. The one on the left, a project I introduced where she drew her symbol system down the left-hand side, a classmate's symbol system down the right-hand side, and then original text down the center somehow linking the two. She hung them side by side on the wall, I photoshopped them like this. There is something about this juxtaposition that makes me extremely fulfilled, balanced, and happy. It includes a serious looking at a master artist, with new eyes and materials. It includes an original set of meaningful and personal symbols at a tender moment in a young artist's emergence. It includes careful observation and the rendering of a contemporary's work, and then the text...the beautiful writing in Gretchen's own hand, not a font. Like Chinese calligraphy. Linked by blues, greens, burnt siena, and graphic blacks. Together, old and new, ancient and contemporary, personal and communal.

More MFAA Visual Art

2011-07-01T09:11:00.001-07:00

Self-Curations by Whitney, Gwen, and Elisa

Matisse at MFAA

2011-06-29T08:52:00.001-07:00

This year at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy gave me another opportunity to play with curriculum I started developing a few years ago. The talent and drive of the students actually fleshes out my ideas quickly. I throw them a seed and they bring the tree to full fruition. Then I take that fruit back to Spiva Center for the Arts, where I continue to teach and revise with new, open audiences in ArtLab, a K-12 professional development opportunity.

This particular class started with a study of Matisse on 11x14 bristol board. They could choose the image they would render, and use a maximum of three mediums. I gave them a bit of history, showing them paintings through the paper cut-outs. We talked about representation, abstraction, distortion, and surrogates. Surrogates as stand-ins, symbols of representation. Next they developed a series of self-representational symbols. Sometimes they were direct references to existing symbols, sometimes they were original and carried secret meaning. The fun and brilliance came next, in the installation and variation created with these symbols. A bold group installation went up on a wall, consisting of black paper cut-outs representing one symbol from each student. They also installed their own tiny symbols in white card stock, some in clear view, others harder to find and surprisingly beautiful when discovered. Between installations, students worked on a series of folio pieces. These were experimentations and manipulations of the symbols using varied materials. Again, I showed several examples of pieces I had created, and they ran with it.

This is Ellen and her work. She curated and displayed her own work for the exhibition at the end of the academy. It's fantastic. I am extremely proud of these students. More to come!

After the Tornado: Project Reclamation

2011-06-29T08:43:00.001-07:00

From artist and friend Matt Dehaemers:

With the urging of fellow artists friends in Joplin...I wanted to share a two part project to benefit the art community of Joplin devastated by the recent EF-5 tornado.

Part I of Project Reclamation
This First Friday
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
Friday July 1st 6-9 pm

I have created an installation out of materials and random objects that were collect by myself and other artist during to trips to Joplin. We visited with the director and board president of the Spiva Arts Center along with other artists whose homes where lost to the tornado.This installation is made up of material that was apart of their lives...there will also be a series of photographs and stories of these individuals that reflect what they have endured. We honor these and the countless others who have survived and those who did not.

Part II of Project Reclamation
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
Twist and Shout! Event
Saturday August 27th 6-9 pm

It is this debris--these objects and materials that will be transformed by KC area artists into new works of art filling the entire main gallery of the Leedy-Voulkos. Making something new out of the chaos and destruction. In late August there will be a one night silent and live auction of the works that are created. 100% of the proceeds from this event will go to a special fund through the Spiva Arts Center to assist artists in rebuilding their lives, their studios and create art again. It will also aid the Spiva art center which is the cultural hub of Joplin in providing therapeutic workshops to the people of the area.

To Learn more about the "Twist and Shout" event I invite you to visit and visit often our website for this entire project...
the website is www.kcartists4joplin.com

An army of people both artists and non-artists are working to make this a memorable event for all!
Please pass this along and to others and we hope to see you support this important opportunity for those of Joplin!

Hope to see you there!!!

Thank You, MFAA 2011

2011-06-27T08:04:00.001-07:00

Another beautiful teaching and learning experience. It's always hard coming down from the mountain. You learn how to move up there; how to breathe that air. How to live in the wild, together. May we tell our stories and show our images and remember.

http://www.facebook.com/mfaa.msu

After the Tornado: Ann

2011-06-12T08:31:00.001-07:00

This is my friend Ann and what's left of her house in Duquesne, a small hamlet bordering Joplin that was just as damaged. Ann and I serve together on the board of the art center. We laugh and roll our eyes together during these meetings, trying to strike a balance between keeping it light (it's ART, enjoy) and demanding excellence (you said you'd volunteer for this vital place, so DO it, people). She is a light in my life, someone I immediately connected with when I moved to Joplin and someone who is truly genuine with her evolution. Not so ironically, perhaps, she has her own business in the healing arts called Life Preservers grief support: http://lifepreserversgriefsupport.com/ She is such a guiding light for others, I often wonder who guides her.

Artist Matt Dehaemers took this photo of Ann on the day he and other KC artists collected the debris to create an installation in KC (stay tuned). She is rising above, yet she is in the midst. It reminds me of epic oil paintings, a Delacroix scene of unspeakable agitation in a turbulent Turner landscape. The next photo is one Ann took herself, a sign of hope or maybe just the stubborn longevity of a best-seller. Ann will rise and rebuild, because that's who she is. I hope to be there as she does.

After the Tornado: Meg and Sam

2011-06-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks since May 22nd. I still can't grasp what happened. The tornado came and went in seconds, minutes, and now our lives our changed. I was in Joplin for a week stunned, trying to help, wandering aimlessly, crying, punching things, having nightmares, overeating, getting drunk, staring at the tv and internet when I could get it in awe that Anderson Cooper was in my town. That the whole world had descended on my town, kind of like the tornado did, but now it was people bustling over the same ground, in the same exact path, working over what was left, picking through it, mulling it over.

Then I left for Springfield to work with amazingly gifted high school arts students from all over the state of Missouri. I just left. My head knows there will still be tons of rebuilding to do when I get back in a month, that the same people-friends-tribe will be there when I get back. But for the first time since I moved to Joplin 6 years ago, I want to be with those folks. They are my every day. This wonderful Academy experience is a utopia of sorts; I love these people but they are not my every day. This is difficult to reconcile right now.

Meg and Sam are two of those people I know in Joplin. This is their house. Matt Dehaemers took this photo. He is a public artist who was there yesterday collecting the wreckage of Meg and Sam's house to take back to a KC gallery and remake nothing into something. What a wonderful collaboration; I was able to set this up and it makes me happy. The next photo is of them in my kitchen. Our mutual friend, Nellie Mitchell, took this shot. She is an artist, too. I'm letting Meg, Sam and their three kids and dog live in my house for the summer while they figure out their next steps. I got to visit them last night and they are healing. They are a tight, precious family unit and they are comfortable in my house. This makes me happy, too.

Dancing with Matisse

2011-05-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

I completed this drawing, colored pencil on black paper, about 18x24". The black and white shapes are appropriated from Matisse's Acrobatic Dancer. Everything floating beneath, the concentric warm circles, the tropical blue, is mine. I've been working with these circles for quite awhile, and wanted to overlay this work with mine. Do a dance, see how our shapes move together, riff off each other. I do think this piece moves. Not in a big-top circus-spectacle kind of way, but in a passionate, caressing, mutually respectful meringue salsa kind of way. See how the lower right circles are held or embraced by the two black and white organic appendages? Those shapes seem to reach like tendrils across the surface that is punctuated by these hotspots, stepping stones, pulsating subwoofers. Or stretching into brave and proud warrior overlaying the first, second and third chakras.

Small (Art) World

2011-05-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

While in Chicago a couple weeks ago, I was able to view the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's MFA Thesis Exhibition upon the recommendation of my colleague, art historian Dr. Thor Mednick. He had been at the opening the week before and actually purchased this piece by artist Carly Silverman:
http://carlymichellesilverman.com/artwork/1964094_A_Lady_on_Her_Bike.html

Keep in mind this MFA class is huge, well over 100 candidates, the show spanning a couple floors of a couple buildings. Thor had described the piece, and I found it. As I approached I noticed two people in folding chairs in an apparent critique of the work. I recognized Jerry Saltz right away. He is an art critic who visited a class I had in grad school at Parsons. He told us we were already a part of the art world, not just emerging, not on the outside. I started reading his reviews of shows in various publications and found them highly enjoyable, educational, and accessible. OK, and severely entertaining. Reading them made me want to look up artists and pop culture icons and art movements if I wasn't already familiar, in order to see what he was seeing, Seeing Out Loud as in the title of his first collected reviews. I went on to share his reviews with my Art Theory class, as an example of written critique. Bonus that I can tell them I met him in NYC. And now here he was again, discussing this artist's work, the very artist whose piece was purchased by my colleague the week before. Crazy. So I stuck out my hand and said hello to them both and how I was already connected to them both. I mentioned that the work brought Alex Katz to mind, and Jerry exclaimed they were both talking about him, much to my pure delight that I was able to see what Jerry saw, that I was still a part of the art world, maybe even a bigger, more-contributing part, of the art (small) world.

Beasts of the Sea

2011-05-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

For several years I've been sharing Matisse's Beasts of the Sea with teacher education students. After introducing his work and life, and the unrelated format of a triptych, I demonstrate how they can make a Matisse Triptych geared toward first or second-graders. We talk about organic shapes and abstraction; it's easy for these non-artists to see the influence of sea forms in the piece, and how he might have gone about abstracting them. This triptych is the work of a college student. I decided to try my hand with colored pencil on black paper, to recreate the geometric shapes behind the organic ones, to see how Matisse isolated the shapes or let them flow into each other. I didn't strive so much to match colors or technique, but to try to experience the composition and create an homage to the bold and graphic images Matisse created late in his life.

Feeling Out Matisse

2011-05-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

I forgot to bring my own pencil when I was studying the Matisse Jazz Series at the Ryerson library in Chicago. So I used a few of the short stubby library pencils to do this drawing as I looked at the original print. As an artist, I needed to do more than just look and read and write and type. Drawing from observation helps me feel my way around another artist's hand. Laying out the composition of this piece gave me a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the image. The abstract shapes and bold colors make the space look deceivingly simple. And that original piece is not a drawing; it is pochoir, stenciled gouache on paper. Matisse talked about the immediacy of the paper cut-out, more visceral than drawing and then coloring in a shape as I did in my study. My next step will be to approach my materials in a similar way, to cut and paste or cut and print.

From Matisse's Mouth

2011-05-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

“What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter, an art which could be for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as for the man of letters, for example, a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.”

“Expression to my way of thinking does not consist of the passion mirrored upon a human face or betrayed by a violent gesture. The whole arrangement of my picture is expressive, the place occupied by figures or objects, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything plays a part. A work of art must be harmonious in its entirety.”

“The cut-out paper allows me to draw in colour. It is a simplification. Instead of drawing an outline and filling in the colour—in which case one modified the other—I am drawing directly in colour, which will be the more measured as it will not be transposed. The simplification ensures an accuracy in the union of two means…..It is not a starting point but a culmination.”

“It was always in view of a complete possession of my mind, a sort of hierarchy of all my sensations that I kept working in the hope of finding an ultimate method.”

“There is no break between my paintings and my cut-outs—only with something more of the abstract and the absolute…..the cut-out is what I have now found the simplest and most direct way to express myself…..one must study an object a long time to know what its sign is…..I now keep only the sign.”

“I believe my role is to provide calm…..I have looked for the same things which I have perhaps realized by different means.”

Studying Matisse's Jazz Series in Chicago

2011-05-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Susan is a lovely librarian and very generous. The Ryerson Library here at the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago is beautiful with an art deco ceiling letting in natural light. Large wood tables. The Matisse display is under glass just as you walk in. I requested a couple books, including the recent Neret books, so gorgeous. I did a quick once-over through the glass, but you can’t quite tell if they are cut-outs, painting, or print. Once Susan brought out the folio of the rest of the collection that had already been on display, she laid out a piece of foam and took them out, unfolded them one at a time and laid it out on the foam to view. We went through them like that, me making comments and asking questions, about the process (he had them printed), looks like gouache, thick rough-edged paper, remarkable condition. This was all last exhibited in 1989. Too bad you don’t speak French. Hopefully the books will clue you in to some of his hand-painted text. There is just as much text as image if not more.

Interesting imperfections. Some rough-cut edges, some text that is crossed through. I wonder if this is the painter part of him that still desired some blurred edges.

Taschen folio 2009: Facsimile of the illustrated book Jazz by Henri Matisse, originally published in 1947 by Editions Teriade, Paris.

Taschen publication is stunning. BUT, they couldn’t quite capture some of the luminosity in the color. For example, the original Formes, sculptural silhouettes almost…the gorgeous airy light bluish gray of the original shows a more opaque warm gray in the book. HUGE difference. I spent time taking the folio prints out and comparing them to the originals.

Susan showed me the first display: the first and last five in the series, because of the spread of table of contents written by Matisse. His table of contents displays a two-page spread of roman numerals, pages 5-15, in abbreviated line drawings showing simplest contour of the pages. Wow! Current display is the middle ten. The blacks are much more rich and creamy in the original prints, as well. The edition owned by Chicago is #29 out of 270 Sold for $345 at the time; one just went to auction for almost a million.

After drawing the horse print, had Susan show me the originals pulled one more time. She had a poster of the horse print in high school; the Museum had a large Matisse show last year, so she had him on her mind. She is in charge of exhibitions in the library. It was pretty simple to request the series from the Prints and Drawings department for display. The trick has been the light: they need equal exposure, so couldn’t all be displayed at once in the provided space. Also, this show has gotten more traffic than anything she’s seen exhibited in the library. It was special that I got to see it out of the archives. The P&D Dept doesn’t want it viewed often. Susan actually has said no to people who have requested it since I asked. What a rare opportunity!!!

The Dead Christ in the Tomb

2011-04-24T10:01:00.001-07:00

The Dead Christ in the Tomb, Kehinde Wiley, 2008, oil on canvas, 3x12'
This piece is also on view for a few more weeks at the Kemper's Pattern ID exhibition in Kansas City. I've been looking at Wiley's work for quite awhile, and I believe it provides the beginning of a counter balance to the history of the painted portrait. Not to mention this guy is flipping us off. From his website: "...Wiley has firmly situated himself within art history's portrait painting tradition. As a contemporary descendent of a long line of portraitists, including Reynolds, Gainsborough, Titian, Ingres, among others, Wiley engages the signs and visual rhetoric of the heroic, powerful, majestic and the sublime in his representation of urban, black and brown men found throughout the world...larger than life figures interrupt tropes of portrait painting, often blurring the boundaries between traditional and contemporary modes of representation and the critical portrayal of masculinity and physicality as it pertains to the view of black and brown young men." www.kehindewiley.com

Putting Down Roots

2011-04-10T12:53:00.001-07:00

I'm starting to get this planting thing! I'm starting to get it! I can't believe after all of these years of being an artist, a creator, a provocateur in my own mind, I have not teased out the beautiful, organic and edible from my own dirt. Three weeks ago I was inspired by Karen in Carthage and Adam and Elizabeth in Denver. They plant things, and they were starting to tend their seeds. So a couple weeks ago I took the leap and planted two small tomato plants, two lettuces, basil, cilantro, and oregano. All in planters on a table on my back deck. While I was at it, I transplanted sedum and hostas from my yard, put velvety begonias in my front window planter, and surrounded my Japanese elm with Arkansas river rocks. This weekend--OH JOY--the lettuces and herbs have sprouted. This is so incredibly satisfying. My first salad from my first green thumb will surely be the best I've ever tasted.

Pattern ID at the Kemper: Nick Cave

2011-04-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Saw a fantastic and important show yesterday at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City. It's called Pattern ID. "Over the last two decades, artists have increasingly turned to pattern and dress as a language with which to communicate who they are and where they come from. The experiences of culture clash, immigration, and multi-ethnicity in our globalized world have driven artists to use this visual language to chart their personal and communal histories."

There are many layers of meaning in this for me as an artist and teacher. Culture, class, gender, race, sexuality; all are explored. These are mostly artists of color, artists from around the globe. They seek to revise the canon of Western art history with their stories, and do it boldly and vividly, using traditional and non-traditional materials. I want to take my young nephews to the show. The spectacle of color, pattern, and shiny things will attract their little attention spans, but more importantly, they will be exposed to these important artists and issues who are working their way into our lexicon.

This particular piece is one of the soundsuits by Nick Cave, 2009, metal flowers and armature, fabric with appliqued beading, sequins, and embroidery, courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery in NYC.

Abarat

2011-04-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

Found a treasure trove of writing and painting. Abarat, by Clive Barker. Beautiful, mysterious, fascinating, terrifying, incredibly imaginative. As an artist and writer, it is clear Barker was and is (project is ongoing) obsessed. The following is found at the beginning of Part Three.

The Day is words and rage.
The Day is order, earth and gold.
It is the philosophers in their cities;
It is the map-makers in their wastelands.
It is roads and milestones,
It is panic, laughter and sobriety;
White, and all enumerated things.
It is flesh; it is revenge; it is visibility.

The Night is blue and black.
The Night is silence, poetry and love.
It is the dancers in their grove of bones,
It is all transforming things.
It is fate, it is freedom.
It is masks and silver and ambiguity,
It is blood; it is forgiveness;
It is the invisible music of instinct.

-Fasher Demerondo
The Division of the Hours

Strength & Beauty, Spring & Moon

2011-03-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Said the Wind to the Moon, "I will blow you out.
You stare in the air
Like a ghost in a chair,
Always looking what I am about.
I hate to be watched; I will blow you out."

The Wind blew hard, and out went the Moon.
So, deep on a heap
Of clouds, to sleep
Down lay the Wind, and slumbered soon--
Muttering low. "I've done for that Moon."

He turned in his bed; she was there again.
On high in the sky,
With her one ghost eye,
The Moon shone white and alive and plain.
Said the Wind, "I will blow you out again."

The Wind blew hard, and the Moon grew dim.
"With my sledge and my wedge
I have knocked off her edge.
If only I blow right fierce and grim,
The creature will soon be dimmer than dim."

He blew and he blew, and she thinned to a thread.
"One puff more's enough
To blow her to snuff!
One good puff more where the last was bred,
And glimmer, glimmer glum will go the thread."

He blew a great blast, and the thread was gone;
In the air nowhere
Was a moonbeam bare;
Far off and harmless the shy stars shone;
Sure and certain the Moon was gone!

The Wind he took to his revels once more:
On down, in town,
Like a merry-mad clown,
He leaped and hallooed with whistle and roar--
"What's that?" The glimmering thread once more.

He flew in a rage--he danced and blew;
But in vain was the pain
Of his bursting brain;
For still the broader the moon-scrap grew,
The broader he swelled his big cheeks and blew.

Slowly she grew--till she filled the night,
And shone on her throne
In the sky alone,
A matchless, wonderful, silvery light,
Radiant and lovely, the queen of the night.

Said the Wind: "What a marvel of power am I
With my breath, good faith,
I blew her to death--
First blew her away right out of the sky--
Then blew her in; what a strength am I!"

But the Moon she knew nothing about the affair,
For, high in the sky,
With her one white eye,
Motionless, miles above the air,
She had never heard the great Wind blare.

Poetry: George MacDonald's "The Wind and the Moon"
Image: Alphonse Mucha's "Spring"

Winston Churchill was a Painter

2011-02-20T10:28:00.000-08:00

Excerpts from the book:

Painting came to my rescue in a most trying time, and I shall venture in the pages that follow to express the gratitude I feel.

Painting is a companion with whom one may hope to walk a great part of life’s journey, ‘Age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety.’

One by one the vigorous sports and exacting games fall away. Exceptional exertions are purchased only by a more pronounced and more prolonged fatigue. Muscles may relax, and feet and hands slow down; the nerve of youth and manhood may become less trusty. But painting is a friend who makes no undue demands, excites to no exhausting pursuits, keeps faithful pace even with feeble steps, and holds her canvas as a screen between us and the envious eyes of Time or the surly advance of Decrepitude.

Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day.

To have reached the age of forty without ever handling a brush or fiddling with a pencil, to have regarded with mature eye the painting of pictures or any kind as a mystery, to have stood agape before the chalk of the pavement artist, and then suddenly to find oneself plunged in the middle of a new and intense form of interest and action with paints and palettes and canvases, and not to be discouraged by results, is an astonishing and enriching experience. I hope it may be shared by others. I should be glad I these lines induced others to try the experiment which I have tried, and if some at least were to find themselves dowered with an absorbing new amusement delightful to themselves, and at any rate not violently harmful to man or beast…

Nouveau Riche

2011-02-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

Having an out-of-body out-of-town kind of afternoon. Drove to Fayetteville and found Dickson St. Books, a gem of a used bookstore. Found a few small treasures, including an Art Nouveau book published in 1972, complete with gorgeous color plates. I am reminded of Paris last summer, the d'Orsay and the most stunning collection of this original work I've ever seen; such gorgeousness. A featured painter is Alphonse Mucha. His images just transport me, like great art is supposed to do.

From the introduction of "All Color Book of Art Nouveau" by Geoffrey Warren: "Think of a sensuous line; of a flowing line; a line which bends and turns back on itself. Think of the feminine form, rounded and curving. Think of plant forms growing and burgeoning. Think of flowers in a bud, in overblown blossom, as seed pods. Think of lines which seem not to conform; think of waves, think of women's hair; think of twisting smoke. Think too, of controlled lines: lines which begin parallel but then converge and eventually contradict each other. Think of the resulting stress. As the English artist, Walter Crane, one of the earliest exponents of the 'New Art' said in 1889: 'Line is all-important. Let the designer, therefore, in the adaptation of his art, lean upon the staff of line--line determinative, line emphatic, line delicate, line expressive, line controlling and uniting."

A Valentine to Art

2011-02-10T20:19:00.001-08:00

Socks and Chimes

2011-02-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

At my summer job, the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, I get the privilege of working with fantastic artists. Ian Merrigan is a Renaissance man of sorts...theater, music, spoken word, all-around special dude. We both hail from KC; way to represent! He's been recording and living in LA. What he had to say about his latest adventure:

"The band is called Socks and Chimes. It's me and Zibby and then the guy who's getting out of the shower produces us. His name is Casey Hurt. He is a fantastic musician too, so you should definitely check his stuff out, too.
There is another live video going up on youtube today. We play live a bunch in LA and somebody described it as 'a bear and a pixie singing magical love duets.' I think that's pretty accurate, actually. I would love you to post it and share it. I'm very excited about it. Our album should be done by the spring."

Thanks for putting it out there, Ian. Rock on.

End of a Rope

2011-01-29T07:46:00.001-08:00

I understand my experiences and emotions through metaphors. It is the most direct way in for me. This week I have been thinking about being at the end of two ropes, personally and professionally. In fact, I unpacked that idea with my therapist today. Thanks, Dr. B. And then like life does, I saw it in front of my face that very night at the Shriner Circus. My life does not come off as elegant and treacherous as this daring act, but it's my metaphor, right? I believe I have chosen a daring path. And the best part...after all the twirling and gasping and applause, they had to stop. They had to get down somehow. Another rope was presented, and they reached out and clung to it, letting it lead them to solid ground.

Terrariums

2011-01-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

I admit I'm a junkie for CBS Sunday Morning. It's a slow, lovely report on current events, but what I appreciate is that they always feature art and writing. Today they featured artist Paula Hayes and her terrariums. I am inspired. She currently has an installation in the lobby of the MoMA. I hope to make some of my own very soon. What is appealing to me is that these are not just sculpture or plants, not just objects. They breathe. They are kind to the earth; the glass is recyclable and the material inside is all organic. I am more drawn to this philosophy of art-making, working with nature and not against it. I've used my acrylic (plastic) paint for years to make objects that hang on a wall. It may be time for a change.

www.paulahayes.com

www.gardenguides.com/102114-start-terrarium.html

Yard Art

2010-12-31T21:32:00.000-08:00

Came across this photo recently. It's me. As I walked up to the Art Department in my first semester, I find this stuck in the ground. First thing I notice is the HAIR, then that it's on a FLAMINGO, then that it's not pink so what is that on the body MY ART. I felt extremely welcomed to my new job. I find it hard to believe that was 5 years ago. Thanks, MSSU art students.

Travel PhotoLogs II

2010-12-31T21:26:00.000-08:00

Travel PhotoLogs

2010-12-31T21:23:00.000-08:00

Future Art Educators

2010-12-31T21:18:00.000-08:00

So proud of my art education majors. They not only are on their way to student teaching and teacher certification, but they are accomplished artists and fantastic people. Congrats: Melanie, Amber, Whitney, Karalee, Danna, Lacey, and Rachel.

Sense of Order at PEO Gallery, Cottey College

2010-12-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

Not My Grandma's Quilt

2010-11-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday. I got some new, sexy paint. I'm in a naughty mood; time to make new things. I'm thinking of the traditional quilt patterns I've been working with, like "Puss in a Corner", puss as in "cat". Why not make a new pattern and call it "Pussy in a Corner", in the great feminist tradition of non-traditional reinvention? Definitely not my Grandmother's quilt. Hee hee. I am reminded of Egyptian artist Ghada Amer and her show I saw at Brooklyn Museum in 2008. Shown here is And the Beast (2004). She stitched right onto the canvas. I started painting with my sexy tubes of Golden acrylic onto a giant blue tarp (by the way, why are tarps blue? Why not pink?). It feels great to start something new, but this something can't remain decorative pattern for me, even if it's already not traditional quilting materials. Maybe I'll keep you posted...wink wink.

Visiting Artist, Matt Dehaemers

2010-11-18T15:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, friend and artist Matt Dehaemers accepted my invitation to come to MSSU and share his art with students and area artists. It was fantastic. Last year he completed a mural at the I-44 visitors center in Joplin, and this week he completed a public art piece called Catalyst at the corner of 31st and Troost in KCMO. We were honored to host him. He was on KCUR 89.3 Central Standard, interviewed about the KC piece here: http://kcurstream.umkc.edu/central/Central_11-15-2010.mp3
www.matthewdehaemers.com

Thanks for your time and your art, Matt!

Book of Anton

2010-11-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce the self-publication of a book I have been working on with a dear friend, the Book of Anton. I did the art and book design, and Kevin Still wrote the magical stories.

You can download the PDF for a buck, or buy the paperback book, or both. Just in time for the holidays! Please consider the gift of art this year for your family and friends. If sales go well, I might hike up the price so we can actually make a measly profit. But for now, we wanted to offer it to you at production cost to get it into your hands.

Happy reading.

PDF format: http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/book-of-anton/13630300

Book format: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/book-of-anton/13630299

Icon?

2010-09-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

World English Dictionary
icon (ˈaɪkɒn)
— n
1. Also: ikon a representation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint, esp one painted in oil on a wooden panel, depicted in a traditional Byzantine style and venerated in the Eastern Church
2. an image, picture, representation, etc
3. a person or thing regarded as a symbol of a belief, nation, community, or cultural movement
4. a person regarded as a sex symbol or as a symbol of the latest fashion trends
5. a pictorial representation of a facility available on a computer system, that enables the facility to be activated by means of a screen cursor rather than by a textual instruction

[C16: from Latin, from Greek eikōn image, from eikenai to be like]

Webb City Art and Food

2010-09-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

Another great year at the Webb City Farmers Market Arts in the Park event. I volunteered at Spiva's table to help kids make creatures out of the veggies. Always fun.

Leedy-Voulkos in KC

2010-09-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

The opening was fantastic. After putting up the show Thursday and Friday, I changed clothes and put on my chatty face and enjoyed the onslaught of the First Fridays crowd in the Crossroads of Kansas City. Literally hundreds of folks flooded the streets on an absolutely beautiful evening. Felt like it was a "this is your life" moment; past colleagues and friends I hadn't seen in years showed up, many just on their usual artwalk path and just happened upon my show. Sold a couple pieces. Lots of great discussions about the work, since I asked people what they thought about the work and introduced myself. Will be going back first friday of October; my MSSU art department students have planned to go to the galleries that night. I want to get some crowd shots then. This is it, this is the artist's life!

A Sense of Order

2010-08-27T07:12:00.001-07:00

Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
Kansas City, Missouri
Sept 3-Oct 30th 2010

Opening First Friday Sept 3rd 6-9pm

I make art because it is a tangible, immediate way to process my life and what interests me visually and intuitively. Author Joanne Harris in the book Chocolat describes "a way of mapping out the random patterns of our trajectory". This is what my art does for me, it creates a sense of order to a nonsensical existence.
A range of color and value and texture reflects my changing moods.
Materials mixed, accessible and affordable, mirror my modus operandi.
Pattern calms me. It is a familiar meditation to center my soul, focus my mind, and relax my body.
Images of iconic, universal, striking, labyrinthine women: that’s who I am.
Small, intimate drawings within large, graphic installations. That’s me, too.
These are elements and subjects that I continue to explore even as I travel, see more art, meet more artists, and develop my web of experiences and relationships.
All the work is ultimately self-exploration, self-portrait.
I could pretend that I make art for causes, for other people, to further the field. But it’s for me. If you know me, you know I’m not much of an actor.
I believe life is luscious and to be explored through every pore, in a very visceral way, no regrets. And so art.

Ireland

2010-08-24T14:37:00.001-07:00

Hold me now, oh hold me now
Till this hour has gone around
And I gone, on the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's land.

It's a bitter pill I swallow here
To be rent from one so dear.
We fought for justice and not for gain
But the magistrate sent me away.

Now kings will rule and the poor will toil
And tear their hands as they tear the soil
But a day will come in this dawning age
When an honest man sees an honest wage. -U2

Amsterdam

2010-08-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam was a great surprise to me. I had always thought of Venice as the city of canals; it had never entered my mind that I should find similar conditions in a Dutch town.
James Weldon Johnson

In Amsterdam the water is the mistress and the land the vassal. Throughout the city there are as many canals and drawbridges as bracelets on a Gypsy's bronzed arms.
Felix Marti-Ibanez

Belgium

2010-08-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Ghent Festival promises "pop music, folkrock, rock 'n' roll, hiphop, jazz, R'n'B and lots more on all the squares in the city centre." There's theatre, comedy, sightseeing, exhibitions, boat trips on the river Lys. And there's always that fine food (and beer!) that Belgians are famous for...

Paris

2010-08-24T13:52:00.001-07:00

As an artist, a man has no home in Europe save in Paris. -Friedrich Nietzsche

To err is human. To loaf is Parisian. -Victor Hugo

I love Paris in the summer, when it sizzles. -Cole Porter

Symbolic Installations at MFAA 2010

2010-07-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Course Description:
Variations on Your Symbolic Theme: Creating a Visual Identity
Students will make a hand-bound journal to document the creative exploration of a personal symbolic theme reflecting a student’s individual values and identity. Historical, contemporary, individual and communal signs and symbols will be explored and documented. Next, planning and the creation of 5-7 personal symbols will result in a site-specific installation of various two-dimensional works reflecting the personal symbolic theme. Mediums include drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, cut paper, and projection. Minimal experience with these materials required.

Missouri Fine Arts Academy Faculty Show

2010-07-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

June 2010, Missouri State's Student Exhibition Center

These pieces are about work. They are about women's work, about meditation and staying sane through hours of work, about sharing the load. The art is labor intensive, much like the lives of working women all around the world. Created on paper with weaving, collage, crayon, markers, oil pastel, acrylic paint, graphite, and electrical tape. They include traditional American quilt patterns, creating a local grid to hold the global woman, bursting with color and order.

Not so Still Life

2010-05-06T11:15:00.001-07:00

Art teachers often have to teach this idea of "still life", you know, oranges and lemons in bowls, piles of seemingly random junk cleverly arranged on wooden tables, flowery table cloths, or chipped-paint shelves.

One of my missions as an artist and teacher is to take old (OK, "traditional") ideas and try new mediums and processes in order to put my own spin on the idea. I was stuck one day in my studio, and first looked for a surface to play on. I found a piece of plexiglass. I had a sharpie in my hand, as I walked back to my table, I saw my shelf full of art supplies through the plexiglass. So I stopped in my tracks, propped the plexi on my hip, and traced my stuff as I saw it THROUGH the plexi directly ONTO the plexi with black sharpie. I next considered painting with acrylics, but wanted something more tactile and time-consuming. I turned to a big box of yarn and went crazy, first gluing down the contours with black yarn, then filling in with whatever colors I felt called to me.

I am excited by what is happening. The lines give these usually lifeless objects some intense energy. It is taking many hours to complete, but the process has been both a design challenge and a meditative exercise for me in this over-scheduled spring. And bonus, a happy accident! I noticed that the yarn was starting to peel off the plexiglass, intact because the glue was holding it all together. I am hoping that when it's finished, I'll be able to peel the whole piece off like a band-aid and tack it up on the wall.

Pieces of Portland II

2010-04-26T15:17:00.001-07:00

Inherent in the local is the concept of place--a portion of land/town/cityscape seen from the inside, the resonance of a specific location that is known and familiar. Most often place applies to our own "local"--entwined with personal memory, known or unknown histories, marks made in the land that provoke and evoke. Place is latitudinal and longitudinal within the map of a person's life. It is temporal and spatial, personal and political. A layered location replete with human histories and memories, place has width as well as depth. It is about connections, what surrounds it, what formed it, what happened there, what will happen there.
Lucy Lippard, The Lure of the Local

Pieces of Portland

2010-04-26T15:12:00.001-07:00

The intersections of nature, culture, history, and ideology form the ground on which we stand--our land, our place, the local. The lure of the local is the pull of place that operates on each of us, exposing our politics and our spiritual legacies. It is the geographical component of the psychological need to belong somewhere, one antidote to prevailing alienation. The lure of the local is that undertone to modern life that connects it to the past we know so little and the future we are aimlessly concocting.
Lucy Lippard, The Lure of the Local

New Acquisitions

2010-03-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Natalia Zubko

Jen Waters

Artists are naturally collectors of art. While we don't usually make the big bucks, it is important to have work of our friends, of artists we admire and are connected to for usually personal reasons more than professional ones. I went to grad school at Parsons in NYC with these two artists. I consider them close friends, and admire their work greatly. During a recent visit to NYC where they both live and work, I was able to get these pieces. I saw Natalia's a year ago in her studio, and started lusting after it then. Over the past year, she looked at my website and found a piece of mine she was interested in. So we swapped. Jen extended the offer of a piece after I helped her with some official paperwork, vouching for her as she applied for her greencard. To thank me, she gave me artwork. So I visited her studio, and poured through her work, and got to talk through her process, what she was thinking about. I narrowed it down to two pieces she was willing to give up, and this is the one I chose for many reasons that will remain private between her and me. They are fantastic artists and people. See more of their work at their websites:

http://nataliazubko.com/
http://jenwaters.net/

New Body of Work, Literally

2010-03-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

So this is a new piece. And it's essentially me, not just by my hand, but me. This is a big deal. I've dealt with the figure, with the female form, but more as the general idea, not me specifically. The piece is about journey, about a focused energy, about emanating that energy. I am experiencing a new season, some priorities are shifting, I have a new lens, and it's wonderful. I feel better, I feel loved, I feel sexy, I feel more in my body than ever. And that kind of power is intoxicating. As an artist, that is the kind of season to explore visually. How much you share with the world as an artist is another issue; sharing this image is risky and perhaps premature. But that's never stopped me before. I have no clue what's next, if this is a jumping-off place or a one-time deal. Time will tell.

The Soldiers Creed

2010-03-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Melinda is my student. She is a lovely spirit, an artist, a gentle communicator, and smart as a whip. And she's leaving to serve in Afghanistan today. Yesterday I went to her company's send off. 150 soldiers in the gymnasium. Packed house with their families, and flags, and speeches. The air in the room was simultaneously sad and proud. Veterans were asked to stand and be acknowledged, and about a quarter of the room rose to its feet. I was stunned. With all my worldly experience and education, I have not been this close personally to our country's involvement in the middle east. It's a huge conundrum; I sat on the gym floor yesterday on the verge of tears the whole time, because I'm mad that we are the world's police, I am fundamentally opposed to our presence there, I'm sad that young people like Melinda who have such a promising future are the ones that go, for whatever reasons. Melinda, be safe. I am proud of you. This was the creed she recited with her company:

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

My Favorite Class

2010-02-07T13:07:00.001-08:00

I really get into my Art Theory class. It's basically art appreciation for art majors, but I give them everything I've got. The above is the cover of a graphic design major's final project, his own art theory. I made the cover. How great is that? And he made me look fantastic!

My first assignment in that class is for the students to research me. You ask for feedback wherever you can get it in the artist's life! Each semester, there are a couple real gems that remind of why I teach:

Everything you do seems to evoke an intriguing contrast of emotions. There is something very familiar and comforting about it while also possessing bold and exotic qualities that make me uncomfortable enough to start asking questions. Questions about where I have come from and the way I affect the world around me. You compel me to become a more disciplined artist and not just a more "trained" artist. Thank you for sharing!

To see someone that is changing the world through art is so awesome. Your use of words integrated in with images is nice, but I know that for me it would be so hard to choose the perfect words for the pieces. To be honest, being able to see a teacher's work on a website is the best part about it all. Your work in the community is amazing, another way you're changing not just the world but your immediate world around you. Your new collage/ mosaic work is really cool, I love the colors you've used and the shape, not just a normal 8 x 10 or anything but odd sizes. And on a personal note away from art, I have a miniature dachshund as well, his name is Ralphie and I love him, dogs are the most loving creatures. Thank you for being such a breath of fresh air in the art department, your personality is inspiring.
When I read this I realize it sounds like I'm sucking up, and trust me, not my intention AT ALL. I think just because I had you as a teacher that was so inspirational in my own life and art world it's hard to keep some of those thoughts out of what I say when I see what you do.
Anyway, thank you for being you.

New Work at MSSU Spiva Gallery

2010-01-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

What is needed is the rearticulation of the 'sign' in which cultural identities may be inscribed, in other words, a work of creative reappropriation of cultural representations of all types.

Robert Nelson, Homi Bhabha

This work represents six months of playing with symbols and materials. It deals with a reconfiguration of image and organization, a turning of the soil on a set of ideas. I approached the space site-specifically, as an installation, first hanging the large pieces, then installing the black cut paper and electrical tape. Some of the symbols were created by high school students at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy. Much of the organization is based on traditional quilt patterns.

2009, Good RIDDANCE

2010-01-01T12:20:00.001-08:00

This is my dog, Gertie. Going for the jugular of 2009. I think she relished every second of thrashing it around. This is what I am doing as I'm taking stock of a dark year; ripping the f'ing stuffing out of a stupid length of days. Of course there were bright spots: my third nephew arrived, uh...OK, a bright spot. I remember a year ago, how hope-filled it was. New president for my country, new president for my university job. It quickly turned to votes of no-confidence, talk of death panels, and screaming hate-filled town halls. To sum up, here's how the last week of 2009 went: an art department colleague is busted for child porn in his office, my sister-in-law's dog Patsy Cline dies on Christmas morning, and I get diagnosed with lupus. I'm pissed. Anger is a great motivator. It's a new year. Gertie took a nap after she tore her toy apart. I just took a long walk and now I'm writing this. I refuse to take all of this laying down. A friend told me this morning that a 5 year old told her that afros are for protection from predators. Girlfriend, I am picking mine out right now. I'm double-tying my red cape and shining my pointy magical boots. Don't forget to look up in 2010. I'll be flying.

Current Work

2009-12-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

These are large pieces, probably will be hung like scrolls. Mixed media on white drawing paper. Hope to experiment soon with different surfaces, maybe linen, to appear more as a textile. Third pictured is in progress.

ArtLab at Spiva

2009-12-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Another great round of ArtLab! Seven area art teachers brought one or two of their students to make art together. We studied pieces from Spiva's permanent collection that had to do with "place", then we did some studies, postcards to mail to donors to say thanks, and some writing exercises about a sense of place. Then the teachers and students traced one another, drew an element from the permanent collection over their heart, and filled their silhouettes with many mediums before installing them on the art center walls. Pictured here are two of the youngest, a first grader and a second grader.

Birthday Rumpus

2009-11-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

Happy 38th Birthday to Aunt JoJo. What better way to celebrate than with the boys. Let the wild rumpus start! I'll eat them up I love them so...

Budding Artist

2009-11-03T16:31:00.001-08:00

This is Emma. She's 6.
Her artist statement for this piece she made: Beauty is color. Emma's grandma, Maggie, sent me this photo and thanked me for an art-filled evening with Emma this past July. Emma and Maggie are special ladies. It was an honor to make art with them in community. Here are photos of many of us that evening, including Emma, in the groove:

Oh No They Didn't

2009-10-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

You must check this out. Truth surely is stranger than fiction.
www.regretsy.com

Here is their disclaimer:
Don’t get us wrong. We like crafts.

We just don’t like these crafts.

Yes, we know these people put their hearts into it. We know it took hours and hours. We know how mean it is to laugh at their creations. And we regret being the only web site on the internet that makes fun of things.

But what can we do? We’re immature.

Besides, art is totally subjective. Who cares what we think? I barely care and I’m writing this.

Listen, if you like something you see here, don’t argue with us, go and buy it. Seriously. Click on any photo and you’ll be taken to the seller’s store. We’re only too glad to have made the introduction.

Otherwise, we’re just going to sit here and look at the amputee kitten paintings and vulva earrings and laugh so hard that we pee in our reusable Pokemon pads.

- The Regretsy team

Oh, Canada

2009-10-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

So, I am teaching a freshman orientation class this semester. Part of the class is supposed to cover our international mission, a themed semester, and this time it's Canada. Historically, Canada's First Peoples carved stunning totem poles that represented a tribe's values and belief system. The group project I assigned was to present Canada historically, and to actually make and document the making of a totem pole. It had to be three feet tall minimum, and they could use any materials they wanted. Well, totally awesome theater major, Hunter, went above and beyond. This kid needs to be on Project Runway. I am so proud of him. This is why I teach. The video is about three minutes, and documents the purchasing of materials and then the making of the totem. Note, the eagle represents America, the lion MSSU, and the other three figures are the students in the group, including Hunter himself. The totem pole currently resides in MSSU's administration building, where I was told three years ago I couldn't install art in, because "that's what the art department is for, right?" They seem to have no problem with fuzzy animals with googly eyes. Yay, Hunter!

ISM Self Portraits in Art Theory

2009-09-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

So one of my favorite assignments to give is a short powerpoint in Art Theory class covering one of the ISMs of art history, from Classicism through Cubism all the way to Performance and Installation. The last slide must be a self-portrait in the style of their ISM. These are a few of the more memorable ones:

Rebekah's self-portrait in pencil emulating Realism
Scott's self-portrait in gold bond powder (seriously) emulating Gothic art, tongue-in-cheek.
Chrystal's self-portrait photo-collage (that's really her body) emulating Feminist Art, and the Guerrilla Girls in particular.

Bravo!

Veggie Sculptures at the Farmers Market

2009-09-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Had a silly Saturday morning cutting up veggies and showing kids how to stick the pieces together with toothpicks. Parents got into it just as much as the kids; I told them to brush some olive oil on the sculptures and slap them on the grill. The event was Arts in the Park, coordinated superbly by Eileen at the Webb City Farmers Market. I was representing Spiva Center for the Arts. Okra is sticky. Bitter melon looks like a spiny cucumber. Little eggplants make great heads. Slice tiny radishes and you have eyeballs. Good, healthy fun.

New Work

2009-09-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Cloisters, 8"x8". Acrylic and collage on panel.
Feels good to do these tight small paintings. Started this series in grad school and keep going back to this process. As I start to do large, more physically demanding and colorful work, I sit down to the making of these. To me they are restful and meditative and puzzling and mysterious all at the same time.

Deep Thoughts from Deep Students

2009-08-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is :::::: and I am taking your online art class this Fall. I am a Junior, and an English major. I would qualify as a cool book nerd who is very eccentric and a little crazy, in a good way. I love art and kinda wish, after seeing who you are, that I would have taken your class on campus. But, hey, online classes tend to be even better in communication because you have no other choice but to openly communicate or it will not work. I really enjoyed your blog. I just love the idea of a blog because its the perfect forum for artists to be free and express themselves however they desire. Your blog is eclectic, creative, and very open and free. I enjoyed it. You seem like someone who belongs in a city that is bigger than Joplin. I don't know, like St.Louis or Chicago. Somewhere a bit bigger. I did not know we had non-stuffy and pretty funky art professors on campus. Or at least one on campus.

An Art Theory student: You remind me of myself, you said in class you won't ever talk over our heads, because your vocabulary is limited, your writing says otherwise. You know how after meeting anyone you've ever met there's always that short time period afterward, that time of contemplation, trying to decide whether or not they are someone you would want to see or talk to again? More directly; when you meet your teachers for the first time and most of them are just... whatever. Well, I like you, what I've read about you, your deep, caring, and just genuinely down to earth. The "common object" piece you wrote is especially interesting to me, you think about things, as many "artists" do, things that to an average human being, mean absolutely nothing. I really enjoy your outlook and open-mindedness towards life and things and people. I can't wait to learn more :)

August at the Leedy-Voulkos in KC

2009-08-11T11:56:00.001-07:00

A shot of my work at the Leedy-Voulkos. I haven't even seen it up yet! Holly, it looks great. You are so good at what you do. Can't wait to see it in person. Special thanks for artist Jenn Jarnot for going to the show and sending me the photos! It takes a village, ladies.

The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist

2009-08-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

From the Guerrilla Girls, The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist:

Working without the pressure of success.
Not having to be in shows with men.
Having an escape from the art world in your 4 free-lance jobs.
Knowing your career might pick up after you're eighty.
Being reassured that whatever kind of art you make it will be labeled feminine.
Not being stuck in a tenured teaching position.
Seeing your ideas live on in the work of others.
Having the opportunity to choose between career and motherhood.
Not having to choke on those big cigars or paint in Italian suits.
Having more time to work after your mate dumps you for someone younger.
Being included in revised versions of art history.
Not having to undergo the embarrassment of being called a genius.
Getting your picture in the art magazines wearing a gorilla suit.

The Studio in NYC 2005

2009-08-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

A Room of My Own

2009-08-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

I love my studio. It feels timeless and placeless. I need that right now. I make things and think about things there. I plan and prepare there. I am reminded of Virginia Woolf:

A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf, is a mighty proposition for women's independence in creative endeavors. While the innovation and courage found in the writing may be lost on today's readers, the profundity of her work is best seen through the cultural and historical lens of 1929. At that time, women were not allowed into particular universities and libraries--let alone given the opportunity to express themselves creatively.

"Literature is strewn with the wreckage of those who have minded beyond reason the opinion of others."

"No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself."

A Room of One's Own is a classic text of the feminist movement. It is an expanded treatment of issues that Woolf presented in two essays she read to audiences at women's colleges in 1928. While the book is focused on women and fiction, its ideas and discussions overlap with larger questions pertinent to women's history.

At the center of the book is its famous thesis, which is echoed in the book's title. In asserting that a woman needs a room of her own to write, Woolf addresses both a historical and a contemporary question regarding women's art and their social status. The historical question is why there have been few great women writers. The contemporary question is how the number of women writers can increase. Woolf's answer—this matter of a room of one's own—is known as a "materialist" answer. That is, Woolf says that there have been few great women in history because material circumstances limited women's lives and achievements. Because women were not educated and were not allowed to control wealth, they necessarily led lives that were less publicly significant than those of men. Until these material limitations are overcome, women will continue to achieve, publicly, less than men. Woolf's materialist thesis implicitly contests notions that women's inferior social status is a natural outcome of biological inferiority. While most people now accept the materialist position, in Woolf's time, such arguments still had to be put forward with conviction and force.

Foodie Revolution

2009-07-18T12:30:00.001-07:00

Three things have aligned for me in the past few weeks to change my life, my health, my time, my entire food paradigm. This is big. Maybe, even I eventually won't be as much so. But that's not my motivation. It's for my food to taste good, to support the local economy, and to rethink how I've been living for the past 38 years. To take time and consideration with the most vital routine of the day, eating. Here are the three things:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
www.animalvegetablemiracle.com
I've always been a fan of her fiction, but this book has taught me more in one reading than any cookbook or how-to book I've ever read. Next up is In Defense of Food, I have high hopes for that one as a companion read.

The Webb City Farmer's Market
I have never shopped from one in my life until now. Link to the blog is on my blog list. On Saturday mornings, they have a hot breakfast. Also, local live music. Not exactly hip, but authentic to the area for sure. The book above has great seasonal recipes to help me figure out how to cook this fresh produce.

A Food Processor
Seriously. Pesto, guacamole, tapenade, dressings. Where has this little machine been all of my life? This stuff in jars at the store is not fresh and much more expensive. I know I won't be happy the first time I slice my fingers washing the blade, but it's worth the risk.

What I've made just today, with mostly local produce, and jazz blaring and my dog looking up at me extremely confused:

Blackberry Peach Crisp
Basil Pesto
Carmelized Onions
Pizza with dough from scratch
Guacamole
Potato Cucumber salad, no mayo and loaded with fresh herbs and balsamic. Come on!

Haven't sampled it all yet, it's mostly marinating. But very shortly...yum! I know the eventual challenge will be having to work again. Uh, oh yeah, that professoring thing. But at some point I also want to learn how to make batches, freeze things. I'm on my way!

Banksy in Africa

2009-07-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

He's clever. He's anonymous. He's hugely popular. He's not even for sure a he. Now he travels.
Read more about it: http://www.juxtapoz.com/7649-Banksy-in-Africa

I am a Work in Progress

2009-06-29T15:03:00.001-07:00

What a productive and inspirational year at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy in Springfield. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it after my fourth year of being a visual arts instructor. These students are from all over the state of Missouri. These students are art stars. These students are brilliant. These students are leaders. It was a complete honor to teach and learn alongside of each one.

From Joplin to Brooklyn

2009-05-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Such an honor to show these fantastic women around NYC. They plunged in at every turn. The Met, the MoMA, the food, the sites, the subways, the throngs of people, the blistered feet. This was just outside the Brooklyn Museum, where we got to experience Judy Chicago's Dinner Party as a group of important women ourselves.

I dedicate these words of Audrey Flack to them: "Art is a calling. Artists are not discovered in school. Artists do not just paint for themselves, and they don't simply paint for an audience. They paint because they have to. There is something within the artist that has to be expressed. Every creation reveals something more about the universe and about the artist. Some artists surface earlier than others, but all are born to the calling. We share a common language and a common love our masters, and although we often take issue with one another, we are all family."

To Kat, a Young Artist

2009-05-25T18:09:00.001-07:00

Kat was recently one of my students. I just spent a week with her in NYC. The above is from her magnificent journal. She is an artist. The following is a letter from Elizabeth Murray, a great painter recently passed:

Dear Young Artist:

I became a painter because I went to a school that was in a great museum. Walking to class, I started to see the paintings, quietly waiting to be seen. They penetrated and I realized I wanted to make paintings as intense and moving as those on the wall. I had wanted to be a commercial artist. Instead, I started trying to paint. Here are some suggestions as you begin your career:

Stay in touch with your original motivation to become an artist--and be aware that it is always a process of becoming. You have to stay light on your feet. It is about change and transformation. You are the boss of that but you don't have total control. Good to give into that. Making art requires a lot of isolation, but I realized over time that I also wanted a whole life, that I could still do my work and have a partner and a family. So have a life. Art making fits in well.

Showing your work--eventually selling your work--is not evil, and it is a natural process. You are not selling your soul, you are earning a living, and you don't have to do anything your feel is wrong. If you make some money and get attention for what you have done, your friends may be envious. Forgive them--you'll have those feelings, too. Only human.

The art world seems to conjure up a lot of nonsense right now and seems to be only about friends, money, and fame. Try to stay focused and centered in what you want in your work, keeping in mind that your art is about describing your spirit and your life force makes the work better.

Good luck. You are already succeeding just by attempting.

Elizabeth Murray
New York

Guns, Roses

2009-05-13T15:32:00.001-07:00

This is an elementary education major's collage. It's part of her visual diary, an assignment I give mostly non-artists to document what is visually stimulating to them over the semester. How precious: butterflies, puppies, sunflowers, ducklings, bears, bunnies......GUNS??!! The cow is not jumping over the moon, it's jumping over the GUN STORE??!! Where I'm from this would call for an intervention or at least a photocopy to the staff psychologist. But this is typical of where I live. The second amendment is sacrosanct. Disturbingly, I saw more guns in the visual diaries this semester than even crosses.

Red and Yellow Black and White

2009-05-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

I just adore this. One of my sweet and brilliant art education majors, Jennifer C, made this in 2D design class. She likes kids. Wants to teach them art. I have so many associations with this. sunday school, felt noahs and animals two-by-two on the equally-itchy felt board. Vanilla wafers and apple juice. It reminds me of the vacation bible school song that is so out of style semantically: Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.