ARTNotes for May 14

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Calendar of events

May 18-July 27: “The Instructor Exhibit,” an exhibition of work by instructors in the School for Continuing and Professional Studies, will open with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. May 18 at KCAI’s North campus, 1801 N.W. Platte Road, Riverside, Mo. Instructors and artists with work in the exhibition include Mark Anderson, Doug Baker (’80 photography), Alice Evans Broughton (’96 painting), Brett Chenoweth, Dan Dakotas, Anne Garney, Doug Hamer, Leila Hybl (’09 fiber and art history), Stephanie Kantor, Krystal Kuhn (’11 printmaking), Christopher Lowrance, Nancy Martin (’91 painting), Kerry Meier, Polly McCann, Rachel Mindrup, Evin Moore, Victoria Crowder-Payne, Kelsey Pike (’11 art history), Desmound Poirier, Sharon Hunter-Putsch, Bryan C. Ratliff (’96 illustration), Clayton Skidmore (’09 painting), Holly Ann Schenk, Evan Tedlock (’10 animation), Gwen Thurn, Jane Vorhees, Chun Wang and Wayne A. Wilkes (’95 illustration). Regular gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact the School for Continuing and Professional Studies at 816-802-3333.

June 1-Sept. 29: The “2012 Kansas City Flatfile,” an exhibition featuring two-dimensional artwork by Kansas City-based artists will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. June 1 at the H&R Block Artspace at KCAI, 16 E. 43 St. The invitational biennial exhibition provides visitors with a unique and intimate art viewing experience, encouraging viewers to browse through individual artist portfolios stored within flatfile cabinets or select video works to screen in the “Videofile.” Regular gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.kcai.edu/artspace.

June 24: The sixth annual Art of the Car Concours® will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the KCAI campus, 4415 Warwick Blvd. The event will feature 200 vintage, classic and special interest vehicles, including cars, trucks, racing cars and motorcycles belonging to collectors from eight states. Proceeds from the Concours benefit the KCAI student scholarship fund. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.kcai.edu/concours.

KCAI video competition winners

Wellness Works salad bar potluck

Volunteers needed for Dragon Boat Festival

Miniatures Master class offered in partnership with Toy and Miniature Museum

“People often perceive the Toy and Miniature Museum as a children’s museum, when in fact it houses one of the most comprehensive fine-scale art collections in the world,” said Laura Taylor, the museum’s educator. “Through our partnership with KCAI we look forward to creating opportunities for artists to explore this art form, and we hope to continue to bring world-class artists to Kansas City to engage with the arts community.”

Students will be introduced to the methods of egg tempera painting as it was practiced in 15th century Italy by masters such as Giotto, Botticelli, Mantegna, Fra Angelico and Michelangelo’s teacher, Ghirlandaio, and will then use these techniques to create a miniature replica of an Italian Renaissance portrait.The Master class instructor, Lee-Ann Chellis Wessel, has been creating fine-scale miniature works of art in pottery and porcelain for more than 30 years. In 1989 Wessel achieved Fellow status in the International Guild of Miniature Artists. The class will also include a tour of the Toy and Miniature Museum as well as a tour of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where students will look specifically at Medieval and Renaissance paintings with attention to portraits and figures. 

“We were thrilled when the Toy and Miniature Museum contacted us to partner for the Master class,” said Tabitha Schmidt, director of Continuing and Professional Studies at KCAI. “It is a rare opportunity to be able to offer a class in something so unique with an artist who is so well-known in her field. The class is an excellent opportunity for artists to really stretch themselves.”

For more information, visit www.kcai.edu/artforeveryone.

Faculty updates

Hal Wert, professor of history, recently had an article, “The Killing Fields, Ethnic Cleansing, and Genocide in Europe,” published in InterAgency Journal, Special Edition: Prevention of Mass Atrocities. 

Alumni updates

Calls for artists

Northeast Arts KC invites artists to participate in a neighborhood beautification project from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19 and 20 at 7th and Indiana streets. Paint and brushes will be provided. Participants will paint 29 “House of Cards” posterboards, which will then be displayed in the windows of blighted buildings. Face cards and number cards will be available for painting. Food for participants is being provided by area groceries and vendors, including Apple Market and Eleos Coffee House. Volunteers also are needed to help with cleaning up the area, including picking up trash, mowing and removing graffiti. The event is a partnership between Northeast Arts KC and Kansas City’s Neighborhood Preservation division. The City of Kansas City, Mo., is supplying the boards and handling the installation. For more information or to sign up, send an email to NortheastArtsKC@aol.com.

Bluecanvas magazine is holding a contest to give artists an opportunity to be published in their magazine. The contest theme, “Environments,” encourages artists to interpret the ambience or atmosphere of a real-world environment. The first, second and third place winners will receive a $200 to $600 credit to Blue Rooster Art Supplies, an online art supply store. For more information about Blue Rooster, visit http://blueroosterartsupplies.com. Submissions are now being accepted online with a deadline of July 13. For more information, visit www.bluecanvas.com/contest.

Local KCAI-related exhibitions 

All Souls Gallery – “Faces,” opens with a reception from 1 to 3 p.m. June 3 at All Souls Gallery in the All Souls Unitarian UniversalistChurch, 4501 Walnut St. The exhibition features large-scale work by Stanley Brian Morgan (’81 industrial design) that incorporates found objects and materials such as wood, metal, rope, beads, and tiles. Works featured are religious as well as secular in nature. The exhibition will be on view through June 29. For more information, contact Rich Scherubel from the All Souls UU Church visual arts committee at 816-455-0812.

Blue Djinn Gallery – “The Other World,” a senior exhibition by Dayna Freeman (fiber), is on view through May 25 at Blue Djinn Gallery, 1400 Union Ave. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit http://bluedjinngallery.com or call 816-518-4649.

Blue Gallery – “Nude,” an invitational exhibition, is on view through June 19 at Blue Gallery, 118 Southwest Blvd. Participating artists include Amy Abshier Reyes (’97 illustration), Renée Cinderhouse (’01 sculpture and art history), Ellen Greene (’98 painting), Peregrine Honig (attended), Joseph Lorusso (’96 illustration) and Rachel Stuart Haas (’98 illustration). For more information, visit www.bluegalleryonline.com.

Cara and Cabezas Contemporary – “Our Dust,” a senior exhibition by fiber students Christina Lenert Reavis and Judah Wenger, is on view through June 1 at Cara and Cabezas Contemporary, 1714 Holmes St. The exhibition features sculptural work and multimedia installations portraying the artists’ study of human identity. A closing reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. June 1. For more information, visit http://caraandcabezas.com. Pictured: "Cast and Shed," Christina Lenert, 2011, video still. 

City Arts Project – “The Kinds of Stains that Matter,” a senior exhibition by Skye Livingston (fiber) and Katy McRoberts (fiber), is on view through May 25 at City Arts Project, 2015 Campbell St. The exhibition features sculptural and installation-based work. Regular gallery hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For more information, contact Livingston at skyeliving@yahoo.com or 214-802-1619. Pictured: (left to right) “Self-Sutured,” Skye Livingston, 2011, handmade paper and hair, 31 inches by 23 inches; “Small Sacred,” Katy McRoberts, 2011, pine, wallpaper and found materials.

“These Proxies Are for You and They Are True,” opens with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. June 1 also at City Arts Project. The exhibition features work by graduating seniors from the painting department at KCAI, Julian Chams, Chris Daharsh, Alli Litwicki and Mason Sexton and will be on view through June 30. Regular gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit http://cityartsproject.org. Pictured: “The Shade!” Alli Litwicki, 2012, acrylic on linen.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art – “Wilbur Niewald: The Studio Portrait” is showing at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Primarily known for his plein air landscapes, Niewald (B.F.A. ’49 and M.F.A. ’53 painting), professor emeritus of painting, also paints portraits in his studio. This exhibition features 14 portraits by Niewald dating from 1971 to 2011 and will remain on view through June 17. A podcast of KCAI President Jacqueline Chanda, Ph.D., talking with Niewald about the exhibition and Niewald’s long association with KCAI is featured on the Kemper’s website. To listen to the podcast, visit www.kemperart.org/podcast/artcastindex.asp.

The Late Show Gallery – “Bad Girls Club,” a senior exhibition by Sophia Roessler (printmaking) is on view through May 29 at The Late Show Gallery, 1600 Cherry St. Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday or by appointment. For more information, visit http://lateshowgallery.com. Pictured: “Her Love Grows Where Nobody Knows,” Sophie Roessler, 2012, pencil and pen on paper.

Overland Park Arboretum – An installation of sculptural work by sophomore sculpture students is on view through Oct. 1 at the Overland Park Arboretum, 8909 W. 179 St., Overland Park, Kan. Students were challenged to create ephemeral works of art that would complement the surroundings and change with nature during the months leading up to October. Materials incorporated into the works include hay, rocks, dyed cloth, wood and vinyl. The work can be seen along the Cottonwood Trail, West Trail and in the Prairie. Students with work on view include William Bradley, Benjamin Bradshaw, Charles Cintron, Oliver Clark, Kimberly Davidson, Rebekka Federle, Kirsten Holt, Elizabeth Howe, Lauren Lanza, Nicholas Missel, Maxwell Newman, Laura Valle, Erin Van Jura, Zachary Voss and Wyatt Wood. The arboretum is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday and admission is free. For more information, contact Julie Bilyea, recreation supervisor for the City of Overland Park, at 913-344-8656. Pictured: Framing walls for Issey Howe's installation come down. Howe encased a concrete sculpture in a cube of hay intended to attract animals from the park to pick apart the hay form over time and reveal the sculpture inside.

Paragraph Gallery and Project Space – “The Frontier” is on view through May 19 at Paragraph Gallery and Project Space, 21-23 E. 12th St. The exhibition is a 15-year anniversary project organized by Charlotte Street Foundation and consists of evolving, collaborative curator- and artist-driven projects. The project asks participants to consider the changing frontiers of Kansas City with a focus on the past, present and future of an artist-driven pioneering of the city. Erika Lynn Hanson (’06 fiber), technician and lecturer in the fiber department, is curating a portion of the project, “Frontier: To Face, Now Rare,” which focuses on the notion of the frontier as a space that is continually evolving and being redefined. Also included in the exhibition is work by Ricky Allman (attended); Jonah Criswell (’05 painting), assistant professor of painting; Emily Henson (’10 photography and art history); Matt Jacobs (’10 sculpture and art history); Amos Leager (’11 printmaking); Charlie Mylie (’09 interdisciplinary arts and art history); Drew Roth (attended); Michael Schonhoff, assistant curator at the H&R Block Artspace; Jaclyn Senne (’11 painting); and James Woodfill (’80 painting), special instructor in the painting department. “The Frontier” will be presented in two phases, from April 20 through May 19 and May 22 through July 7. For more information, visit http://thefrontierkc.wordpress.com.

Subterranean Gallery – “Smoke and Mirrors” is on view through May 31 at Subterranean Gallery, 4124 Warwick Blvd., Apt B. The exhibition by AmandaMartinez (’10 painting) features sculptural and installation work using non-traditional sculptural materials, such as pink insulation styrofoam, colored latex and enamel paints. Gallery hours are by appointment only. To schedule a visit or for more information, email subterraneangallery@gmail.com.