ARTNotes

Calendar of events

June 6: The seventh biennial Art and Design Auction will be held from 6 to 11:30 p.m. on the KCAI campus. For more information, visit www.kcai.edu/auction.

June 27: The third annual Art of the Car Concours will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the KCAI campus. For more information, visit www.kcai.edu/concours.

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KCAI recognizes outstanding photography alumni

Thomas Barrow of Albuquerque, N.M., who graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1963 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography, received the "Outstanding Nationally Recognized Alumnus or Alumna in Photography Award" from KCAI during the college's alumni reunion May 1-2 in Kansas City, Mo. Barrow is a professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico and co-authored "Photography, New Mexico!," which was released in September 2008. He is a former curator of exhibitions at the George Eastman House, where he was assistant director from 1971-1972. He has received two Photographers Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Also recognized with awards at the alumni event were Talbott L. Wilson ('81), of Talbott L. Wilson Photography in Kansas City, Mo., who received the "Outstanding Community Service Award," and Nicole Cawlfield ('97), a photographer whose work is exhibited at Kansas City's Blue Gallery, among other area venues, who was named the "Outstanding Photography Alumnus or Alumna in Kansas City."

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KCAI appoints chair of graphic design

Chris Chapin, a professor of communication arts and fine arts at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Calif., has been named chair of the graphic design department at the Kansas City Art Institute. He will begin his duties at KCAI in July. A member of the faculty at Otis for more than a decade, Chapin also served as Otis's chair of academic governance and as a member of the president's senior cabinet. He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A & M University in College Station and a Master of Design degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology-Institute of Design in Chicago. He has held various posts in the private sector, including freelance art director for Ogilvy & Mather, and since 1996 he has been a principal and creative director for the California-based Parallax Design Group.

Kathleen Collins, president of KCAI, said Chapin's interests and philosophy make him "the right person at the right time." "Chris Chapin is clearly dedicated not only to design education but also to progressive and effective leadership in the field," Collins said. "These interests dovetail perfectly with our strategic priorities, which include academic excellence, community engagement and world citizenship."

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In memoriam

Beth Paula Finn ('03 fiber and art history) passed away May 3 in her Kansas City home. Funeral services were held May 6 at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church. Finn taught elementary school in the Kansas City Public School district for several years. Upon being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, she retired from full-time teaching and enrolled as a full-time student at the Kansas City Art Institute. As an artist, she continued to work part time as an educator. Finn is survived by her husband, William A. Finn, and five children.

Jacquelin C. Coen, a member of KCAI's Vanderslice, Fireside and Sketchbox committees, died May 2 at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City. Funeral services took place May 6 at Mt. Moriah and Freeman Funeral Home. For more than 35 years she was a volunteer at St. Luke's Hospital and was a 40-year patron of the Lyric Opera. Coen is survived by three sons and two grandchildren.

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Alumni Updates: Holly Stewart

YouTube.com selected a video featuring Holly Stewart ('99 fiber) for a special video lineup on their Mother's Day home page on Sunday, May 10. The link directed viewers to Stewart's etsy.com video at www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/handmade-portraits-artstew-3491/. Entitled "Ode to Mom" the YouTube Mother's Day salute, offered on the Lifetime channel, said the featured videos reflect "moms who inspire, make us think and make us smile."

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Faculty updates: Karen McCoy and Ron Slowinski

Karen McCoy, associate professor of sculpture at KCAI, and Robert Carl have a collaborative work, "Sound/Site #2: Listening Trumpet with the Sound of its Environment" on view in "spctclr vws," an exhibition of contemporary art that opened May 15 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Encompassing work by more than 50 artists, the exhibition continues through June 7. For details, visit http://owenmundy.com/blog/2009/04/spctclr-vws-one-brooklyn-bridge-park-brooklyn-ny/.

New paintings by Ron Slowinski, who taught painting at KCAI for 39 years before his retirement in 2005, will be on view May 22 through June 20 at Gebert Contemporary in Santa Fe, N.M. An opening reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. May 22. For details, visit www.gebertcontemporary.com.

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Sculpture students receive 2009 McKeown Awards

Natelie Poserina, Tim Morales and Stephanie Sterling have received the sculpture department's 2009 McKeown Awards, Michael Wickerson, chair of the sculpture department, has announced. Poserina, a senior, received a $1,000 grant, which will enable her to research graduate programs that will allow her to pursue an M.F.A. degree in sculpture and a master's degree in art therapy. "Natalie exemplifies a professional and committed student/artist who is committed to their craft and to higher learning," Wickerson said. "Natalie will represent KCAI well during her future endeavors, and any institution would benefit from having her aboard." Morales, a sophomore, received a $580 grant, which will be used to purchase a miniature table saw and two accessories for his private studio in order to make intricate projects at KCAI, Wickerson said. Sterling, also a sophomore, received a $420 grant that will help her with costs to travel to Jamaica to research her ancestral roots. The awards are named for alumni Byron McKeown ('60 design) and Deanne Lawrence McKeown ('60 painting), who underwrite annual awards in both sculpture and ceramics.

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Art Supply Store wins Jolly Turtle Award

The Art Supply Store is the winner of student assembly's Jolly Turtle Award. The annual award goes to the non-academic department on campus that students have selected as the most helpful, friendly and service-oriented department. Student assembly presented the award to Ed Rodriguez, Cecelia Johnigan and Jennifer Boe at a luncheon ceremony May 12.

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Rose Brooks Center thanks volunteers, including many from KCAI

They painted a mural on the walls of the Rose Brooks Center's shelter for victims of domestic abuse. They taught children's art classes there on Mondays and Wednesdays. And on April 30, Theo Bunch, a junior double-majoring in sculpture and creative writing at KCAI, and more than a dozen other KCAI students accepted an award when the Rose Brooks Center held a volunteer recognition party at the headquarters of Bernstein-Rein Advertising just west of the Country Club Plaza. President Kathleen Collins of KCAI accepted the Cultural Arts and Beautification award on behalf of the Kansas City Art Institute, which was honored for supporting the work of the students. Chameleon Arts & Youth Development, headed by Hugh Merrill, professor of printmaking at KCAI, received the Community Partnership Award.

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KCAI students help create mural at Walt Disney’s KC studio

On May 3, two KCAI students, Brandon Waltman (junior, animation) and Josh Zink (sophomore, animation), helped paint a large mural over plywood covering the windows on Walt Disney's original animation studio, Laugh-O-Gram, located near 31st Street and Forest Avenue in Kansas City. Lon Davis, a 2000 KCAI graduate, is a board member for the Thank You Walt Disney organization, which has existed for about 10 years. Davis contacted Doug Hudson, chair of the animation department, and Steve Mayse, professor in the animation department, for help in getting student volunteers.

Thank You Walt Disney Inc., is currently in the process of restoring Walt Disney's original animation studios. Once completed the building will house an educational center for children, an animation museum and a small theater that will show vintage movies. The group will hold a spring fundraiser and auction on May 30 at the Screenland Theatre at the Crossroads, 1656 Washington. For more information, visit http://www.thankyouwaltdisney.org/.

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Design seniors work with Paseo Academy students on national project

Eight seniors in Tyler Galloway's graphic design studio class recently participated in a mentorship program with students from Pamela Sahl's Paseo Academy art class. The partnership, which was part of the national initiative Design Ignites Change, paired a KCAI senior with a student from Paseo, and they were tasked to create a billboard that promoted tolerance. The group met for eight weeks, and in the final class the pairs presented their billboards. The group will find out later this summer or fall if one or more of the billboard designs will be put up in Kansas City, and there is a possibility that one or more of the designs could appear with others from around the country in New York.

KCAI is one of the founding partner schools of Design Ignites Change, a collaboration between Adobe Youth Voices and Worldstudio, which promotes and encourages high school and college students to use design to create messages for, and solutions to, pressing social problems. A major component of the initiative is a mentoring program in which college and university students, educators and creative professionals work with underserved high school students to develop actual projects that will benefit their own communities while giving them a voice around important social issues.

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Senior exhibitions and performances

Now-May 30: An exhibition of work by Amanda James (senior, fiber) is on display at the Old Monarch Gallery, 3829 Main St. For more information, contact James at ajames@kcai.edu.

Now-May 30: "Solid Gold," an exhibition of work by Elisha Stetson (senior, fiber and art history) is on view at 6 W. 39th St. For more information, contact Stetson at estetson@kcai.edu.

Now-May 31: "Meditative Outtakes," an exhibition of work by Mark Conner (senior, fiber) and Ann Leachman (senior, fiber) is on view at Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 W. 47th St. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.unitytemple.com or call 816-561-4466.

Now-May 31: "Reclaimed," an exhibition of work by Nicole Baldwin (senior, fiber) and Melissa Hoffman (senior, fiber) is on display at 10 @ BNIM, located at Baltimore Avenue and 14th Street.

Now-May 31: An exhibition of work by Kristen Davis (senior, fiber and art history) is on view at The Cocoon Gallery, 1737 Walnut St. For more information, contact Davis at kdavis@kcai.edu.

Now-May 31: "Retrogressions and Transmigration Machines," an exhibition of work by Juliet Renault (senior, fiber) and George Renault ('81 painting), is on display at the Locust Street Gallery, 1605 Locust St.

Now-May 31: "Morality," an exhibition of work by Jessica Dassing (senior, fiber) is on display at Syringe, 923A 17th St. For more information, contact Dassing at jdassing@kcai.edu.

Now-June 5: "Amorphous Durations," an exhibition of work by Cathy Denning (senior, photography and art history), is on display at the Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities Gallery, 756 Armstrong Ave., Kansas City, Kan. To view the exhibition, contact KVAH executive director Carol Kariotis, Ph.D., at 913-371-0024 or kariotisc@kvarts.org.

Now-June 4: "Missed Connections," a solo show featuring work by Paul Shortt (senior, painting) is on view through June 4 at the Urban Culture Project Space, 21 E. 12th St. The exhibition takes its name from the online classifieds section of Craigslist where individuals attempt to reconnect with other people, typically strangers. Shortt recreates these personal ads in the locations they occurred and photographs them in situ. For more information, visit www.charlottestreet.org.

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Calls for artists and designers

The Red X Store is interested in hiring a student to paint a large outdoor mural about the history of Riverside, Mo. For more information, contact Wylie Simpson at 816-746-3618 or Redxguy@aol.com. Red X is located at 2401 W. Platte Road, Riverside, Mo., near the KCAI Northland Campus for Special Programs.

Students interested in participating as extras in a film being shot in Kansas City in June are invited to contact Mary Pruitt to learn more about the opportunity. Pruitt is with Never Too Late Productions, which is making an independent film, "Works in Progress," set at the Arts Incubator, 113 W. 18th St., in downtown Kansas City. Pruitt said she would welcome student artwork for a gallery installation for a scene that will recreate a First Friday experience. The filmmakers also are interested in obtaining examples of recycled art. The First Friday sequence will be filmed on June 13. To learn more, contact Pruitt at marymarypruitt@yahoo.com.

June 5: The Buchanan Center for the Arts (Monmouth, Ill.) is accepting submissions for "64ARTS: 2009 National Juried Art Exhibition." Work will be accepted in the categories of painting (oil and acrylic), works on paper (watercolor, pastel and drawing), sculpture, photography, ceramics and mixed media. Juror Preston Jackson, professor of sculpture and head of the figurative area at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will be the juror for the exhibition. The deadline to submit work is June 5. For more information, visit http://bcaarts.org/National_Juried_Show.html.

June 19: Valiant Technology in association with Per Scholas, The Architect's Newspaper, Metropolis Magazine, Soho Reprographics, Supermetric and Core 77 is sponsoring the "Design The 4th Bin" competition to design a logo and a collection bin for electronic waste recycling in New York. The winning logo is to be released as a public domain/creative commons design. The winning bin is intended as inspiration for an e-waste collection system in New York. It aims to help building owners, businesses and residences comply with the new laws going into effect in 2010 restricting the disposal of electronic waste. The winning logo design will receive a $1,500 cash prize, and the winning bin design will receive a $3,000 cash prize. The registration deadline is June 19, and the deadline to submit designs is July 19. For more information, visit www.4thbin.org.

Aug. 31: Aesthetica Magazine, a British arts and culture publication, is accepting submissions for their Annual Creative Works competition. Work may be submitted in the categories of artwork, poetry and fiction. The winner in each category will receive £500 each, and winners and finalists will be published in the Aesthetica Annual. The deadline to submit work is Aug. 31. For more information, visit www.aestheticamagazine.com/submission_guide.htm.

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Local KCAI-related exhibitions

Blue Bouquet -- "Off the Wheel," an exhibition of work by Kansas City artist Debbie Barrett-Jones ('07 fiber), will be on view from 6 to 10 p.m. June 5 and from 1 to 5 p.m. June 6 at the Blue Bouquet, 517 E. 18th St. Known for her color handwoven panels, which may contain as more than 45 colors in one piece, Barrett-Jones describes the exhibition as "a collection of interpretive studies of the color wheel." "Using the process of color mixing and percentage gradation dyeing, each woven panel reveals the beautiful communication that passes between one color thread intersecting another," she said, noting that her panels are comprised of "vibrating colors and elegant patterns, narratives in flux according to one's proximity to each piece." For more information about the artist and her work, visit www.debbiebarrettjones.com or www.BillySueTextiles.Etsy.com.

la Esquina -- Urban Culture Project and Azteca de Greater Kansas City present the second annual "ComUNIDAD/CommUNITY" exhibition at la Esquina, 1000 W. 25th St. The exhibition will open in conjunction with the third annual Westside Block Party from 6 to 10 p.m. June 5. The block party will feature live outdoor music and dance performances, low-rider cars and authentic Mexican cuisine and will take place on the block of West 25th Street north of Southwest Boulevard and in the parking of la Esquina. Curated by Jenny Mendez, chairperson of Azteca's Guild of Latino Fine Arts and director of the Mattie Rhodes Art Center, this group show explores the meaning and power of "comunidad/community" and "unidad/unity." KCAI artists featured in the show include Dan Dakotas, an instructor in the continuing education department, Luis Garcia ('04 graphic design), Alisha Gambino ('97 illustration), Heather Marton ('04 printmaking), Colleen Maynard ('07 painting and creative writing), Elaina Wendt Michalski, a special instructor in the ceramics department, and Emiliano Zapata (freshman). For more information, visit www.charlottestreet.org.

Kansas City Artists Coalition -- Three exhibitions are on display through June 12 in the galleries at the Kansas City Artists Coalition, 201 Wyandotte St. "Miguel Rivera: Works on Paper" is on view in the Mallin Gallery; "Michael Schonhoff: Berliner Zeitung" is on view in the Jaqueline B. Charno Gallery; and "Teri Frame: Relics" is on view in the Underground Gallery. Rivera is associate professor and chair of the printmaking department at KCAI. Schonhoff is assistant curator and community outreach exhibition manager at the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute. Teri Frame ('06, ceramics and art history) is a lecturer in the KCAI School of Liberal Arts. For more information, visit www.kansascityartistscoalition.org.

KCAI Crossroads Gallery -- "Inside-Outside," an exhibition of work by Amanda Bowles (junior, painting) and Whitney Wood (junior, painting) will be on view at the KCAI Crossroads Gallery from 6 to 9 p.m. June 5, 12 and 19. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. June 5. The gallery is located at 1908 Main St. The artists, who together go by the name Whitanda Bold, describe the exhibition as "a micro versus macro exploration of form that utilizes two differing process oriented approaches that engage in a discussion of the body, as a social metaphor."

Late Show Gallery -- "Schema," an exhibition of work by Kim Eichler-Messmer, special instructor in the fiber department, is on view through May 31 at the Late Show Gallery, 1600 Cherry St.

Leedy-Voulkos Art Center -- "Subaqueous Notations," a solo exhibition of new abstract paintings by Shirley Luke Schnell, will be on display through June 27. Schnell was on the KCAI faculty for more than 40 years before she retired from teaching last spring. "Upon Arriving," a two-person exhibition of paintings and ceramic sculpture, showcases work by Schnell and Jim Leedy, who also retired from teaching last spring after more than 40 years on the KCAI faculty.

Paragraph Gallery -- "Happy Tree Friends (Part II)" is on view through June 4 at Urban Culture Project's Paragraph Gallery, 23 E. 12th St. The exhibition, which is curated by Kate Hackman, associate director of the Charlotte Street Foundation, focuses on exhibition-specific, installation-based works. Kurt Flecksing ('08 sculpture and art history), Ke-Sook Lee ('82 painting) and B.J. Vogt ('03 sculpture) are featured in the show. "DiaLog," Flecksing's series of public programs with local arborists, concludes with a May 23 presentation by Angela Schreffler. Schreffler is the program manager of the Heartland Tree Alliance.

Review Studios -- "Blind Files," a solo exhibition by Andrea Flamini, a former faculty member at KCAI, is on view through June 12 in the Review Studios Exhibition Space, 1708 Campbell St. The exhibition will feature new work from 2009, as well as black and white photographs and a multi-channel video installation based on the writings of 1987 Nobel Prize-winning U.S. poet laureate, Joseph Brodsky. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and by appointment.

Urban Culture Project Space -- Urban Culture Project presents "Beauty Marks," an exhibition of recent work by Teri Frame ('06 ceramics and art history), a lecturer in the KCAI School of Liberal Arts. The exhibition is on display through June 4 at the Urban Culture Project Space, 21 E. 12th St. For more information, visit www.charlottestreet.org.

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Kansas City Art Institute
4415 Warwick Blvd.
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