Exhibition

Lawrence Arts Center Exhibition Program Sponsors

• Emprise Bank
• Donating Artists, Lawrence Art Auction

Lawrence Art Auction Sponsors

• Morgan Stanley
• Intrust Bank

The Lawrence Arts Center provides the community with 13 - 16 exhibitions each year in its two galleries. Approximately half of these are developed by Lawrence community groups. Other exhibitions feature work by professional artists in all media. Individual artists are encouraged to apply for exhibition time in the galleries (see Exhibitor's Guidelines.) Exhibitions are supported by grants, donations, sales and the proceeds of the Lawrence Art Auction, the major spring fundraising event of the Lawrence Arts Center. [Link]

The Exhibition Program hosts the Committee on Imagination & Place, a group of scholars, artists, writers, environmentalists and educators with an interest in ideas of place. The Committee produces conferences, symposia, lectures, readings and, through the I&P Press, publications. [Link]

The Lawrence Arts Center Gallery Shop offers fine arts and crafts by local artists. The Shop is located just off the lobby of the Arts Center and is open during the week and often during special evening and weekend events. [Link]

The Gallery Program Director is Rick Mitchell [Link]

Rick Mitchell

Artist/photographer Rick Mitchell joined the Center's staff in December 1993 as Gallery and Special Projects Director. He develops, curates, and installs exhibitions and creates educational materials and public information for programs in the Center's visual arts galleries. In addition to planning and curating exhibitions by regional and national artists he has organized many community-based exhibitions. He was the first editor and continues to contribute as a writer to the Center's magazine The Arts in Action. He is a founder and coordinator of the Center’s Committee on Imagination & Place, a group that organizes conferences, exhibitions, seminars, and develops publications related to humans’ relationship to place. He is also co-chair of the Center’s Exhibition Committee and Marketing Committee.

Before returning to his hometown of Lawrence, Mitchell was for 18 years professor of photography at Rutgers University where he received the Presidential Merit Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was a founding member of the board of directors and then Executive Director of the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture. He was the progenitor of a major historic photographic collection of 20,000 glass plates depicting the early application of science to agriculture, which is now a major part of the collection of the museum. Since returning to Kansas, Mitchell has taught photography at the University of Kansas and the history of photography at Baker University where in 1996 he was awarded the Brad Willis Award as outstanding faculty member in Liberal Arts in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. He is a regular visiting lecturer in the KU Art Department and has lectured in the School of Architecture and School of Education. Rick has a BFA in painting from the University of Kansas and a MFA from Rutgers University. The City of Lawrence recognized his achievements in the arts by awarding him the Lawrence Arts Commission's 2003 Phoenix Award.

Click Here to visit Rick's blog

Exhibition Calendar

Metalsmithing in the Sister Cities: Lawrence and Eutin

August 1 – 30

Metalsmithing in the Sister Cities: Lawrence and Eutin is a partnership of the Lawrence Arts Center and the University of Kansas departments of Design and Art. Sponsored, in part, by Emprise Bank and the donating artists to the annual Lawrence Art Auction.

This exhibition brings together the work of German metalsmiths working in the region around Eutin and American metalsmiths working in and around Lawrence. The exhibition also includes selected works of KU faculty and former students who traveled and exhibited in Eutin at the Ostholstein Museum. Marlies Behm, Lin Stanionis, and Carol Ann Carter are co-curators.

Marlies Behm is the program director for the Overbeckgesselshaft, a small contemporary gallery/museum in Luebeck, Germany, and special exhibits organizer for the Ostholstein Museum in Eutin. She lives and works as a practicing metalsmith in Luebeck.

Lin Stanionis is a metalsmith and Associate Professor of Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing in the Design Department at the University of Kansas.

Carol Ann Carter is a multimedia artist and Professor in Expanded Media in the Art Department at the University of Kansas.

Participating German Artists

German artists will be represented by digital examples of their works as current customs regulations made it prohibitive to send the actual works.

• Marlies Behm
• Antje Freheit
• Beate Loonards
• Gerda Moll
• Wilfried Moll
• Hannes Kuhn
• Ulla Herz
• Martin Otte
• Caroline Rugge
• Anja Schonmeyer
• Andrea Wohler

Participating Kansas Artists

• Marjorie Schick
• Frances Kite
• Ron Hinton
• Jon Havener
• Lynn Cool
• Gina Westergard
• Courtney Starrett
• Jaime Brehm
• Robert Longyear
• Carol Ann Carter
• Matti Mattsson
• Taweesak Molsawat
• Lin Stanionis
• Grace Carmody
• Shellie Bender
• Olli Valanne

Annie Helmericks Louder

August 1 – September 19

Originally from Tucson, Arizona Annie Helmericks Louder now lives and works in Missouri. She holds a BFA in painting from the University of Arizona and an MFA in painting and fiber from the University of Missouri.

"As an artist, I establish understanding by visually tracing and recording where I have been. Love of land forms my inner landscape; it is my geography of hope.

I am an autobiographical storyteller; my art visually records where I have been and guides me to where I want to go.

My "stories" focus on the singular poignancy of life's everyday personal experiences. My mother, nature writer and explorer Constance Helmericks, showed me that looking into landscapes-mountains and canyons, rivers and streams-could be my way of life. Working extensively on location continues to be an essential practice; it fills me up.

I have always been a maker of things-finding with my hands the spirit of home and my place in the world. I make art daily- like a musician practicing notes- often making just little things. Technically, I am inspired by a variety of media and materials-poetry, painting, drawing, cloth, weaving and knitting. I slip between methods and choose and combine techniques that best clarify and communicate what it is I want to say. In my studio I circle around ideas and materials-scratching and sorting and moving images and ideas until a work feels finished.

Different from my earlier landscape based works I have recently embarked on several figurative series. My earlier deliberate exclusion of human forms was meant as an artistic statement: "it isn't all about us." But in spite of myself, people have crept in-sometimes with just a shadow or a hand or a foot. But now no denying-here they are. Although my personal narratives seem very straightforward to me, I do not think it is relevant to detail specific tales. As my "stories" focus on the poignancy of life's everyday experiences, it is my hope that they can exist as structures that contain room enough to inject other personal readings."

Power, Place, and People: African American and Indigenous Stories

September 9 - 19

Funded by the Ford Foundation and the Kansas Humanities Council, the Power, Place and People: Aftrican American and Indigenous Stories exhibition visually illustrates eight oral history interviews with African American, Indigenous, and mixed people discussing their concepts of their own identity, while placing their stories within the larger context of historical, social and cultural themes. The exhibition includes photographs, documents and artwork illustrating each participant’s oral history.

The oral history interviews and the exhibition were organized by members of the University of Kansas Shifting Borders exhibit committee (in connection with the Shifting Borders conference sponsored by the Hall Center for the Humanities and Haskell Indian Nations University) and students in classes in the University of Kansas Indigenous Nations Studies Graduate Program.

Panelists for the Thursday September 11th event:

Daniel Wildcat, Ph.D., is a Euchee member of the Muscogee Nation, and teaches in the American Indian Studies Program at Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, KS.

Mike Tosee is a member of the Comanche Nation and has taught in the American Indian Studies program at Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, KS, for 16 years. Over the last nine summers Prof. Tosee conducted 250 video recorded oral history tribal elder interviews from 35 different tribes. With these interviews he has produced five documentaries relating to Vietnam, World War II, the influence of Florida Seminole women on tribal development, and American Indian sports figures.

James N. Leiker, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of History at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS. He has published numerous books and articles on race, ethnicity, and U.S. social history in the American West.

Maryemma Graham, Ph.D., is Professor of English at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. She is founder/director of the Project on the History of Black Writers, and director of the Langston Hughes National Poetry Project. Dr. Graham is president of the Toni Morrison Society and the author/editor of six books, including the forthcoming, The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker.

P.E.A.R.L.

(Performing to Empower Awareness and Re-Invent Lives)

Participants in the P.E.A.R.L. Project will perform their monologues at the Lawrence Arts Center at 7 pm. Participants include Janeice Griffin, Marsha Asher, Coshanda Reese, Linda Dale, Anne Hollister and Shirley Bennett. They will present monologues based on their life experiences integrating past, present and future. This program is recommended for those 13 years of age and older.

Some days I ride my bike.
  Some days I walk.
Some days I ride the bus.
  Some days I run.
Some days I crawl.
  Those days I ask for help.
    ~Anne Hollister

The P.E.A.R.L. Project is a new collaborative arts program for current and former female inmates of Topeka Correctional Facility. Designed by artists So Yeon Park and Carol Bradbury, a series of workshops give the participants a high quality participatory arts experience, and offer practices to build cognitive thinking skills utilizing the arts.

By performing exercises and developing monologues the women navigate, express, document and share the realities that have defined their lives. This process enables them to see themselves through the eyes of others and learn how to empower themselves in accepting environments.

Recent research on women in prison has found that most are there for non-violent offenses. They suffer from multiple personal and social problems. Most of them lived in poverty before entering prison. Many have experienced serious physical and/or sexual abuse, and they often have physical and mental health problems.

A panel discussion will follow the live performances. Panelists will include Terry Hund (NPR Volunteer Developer, Topeka Parole Office) and Keven Pellant, Deputy Secretary, Kansas Department of Corrections. ex-offenders and ex-offender mentors.

P.E.A.R.L. is a pilot project funded, in part, by the Schowalter Foundation through Arts in Prison, Inc .Other organizations are collaborating including the Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF), the Kansas Policy Council, and the Topeka Parole Office. The P.E.A.R.L. Project supports many of the objectives of the Kansas DOC Reentry Program.

So Yeon Park is an interdisciplinary performance artist from Seoul, Korea, and currently Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Kansas.

Carol Bradbury is an interdisciplinary painter, graphic designer and business woman. She has extensive experience with Jungian Analysis and has received numerous awards, most recently the 2008 Kansas Arts Commission Emerging Artist Award.

Munnys That Bring Happiness

September 30 – October 11

"MUNNYS THAT BRING HAPPINESS" is a collective art exhibit showcasing collectible figures (the MUNNY toy) customized by local artists.?? What is a Munny? It is a seven-inch, blank white, vinyl toy-figure with an over-sized head and a mean set of accessories, including a spatula, a sword, or even some dookie.

Lawrencians will have the chance to ask the question: what do you get when you strain several artists' abilities through a single sieve, giving them all the same teddy-bear-looking toy to shape and embellish in any way they see fit? Unified by the Munny figure, the exhibition brings together artists of varying mediums and challenges them to create a design for their unique 3D "canvas."

The MUNNY holds a key place in the pop-culture-inspired, customizable, collectible designer-toy movement. In addition to being sold at neighborhood comic book stores and skate shops in major cities across the globe, these toys are also featured in the permanent collection of the MoMA in NYC and have been sold at Christie's auction house. Artists who have participated in this newfound toy craze include Frank Kozik, Gary Baseman, Shepard Fairy (Obey Giant), Jil Sander, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, DJ QBert, and Gorillaz. Come see what happens when Kansas artists get their hands on them. Brought to you by Kansas natives, Gabriel Dorsey and JOUVELT. Sponsored by Kidrobot, MUNNY, MAD Toy Design, Lawrence Arts Center, White Chocolate, Elite Comics, Artstew Magazine, and DJ Anastacios of Dodidium Transfer Recordings.

Imagination & Place Exhibition:
Photographs by Tim Forcade

October 17 – November 25

Tim Forcade has over 40 years experience as an artist, painter, photographer and designer with much of that time devoted to the study and application of art and technology. Since the 1960's he has combined his fine arts education with directed research in electronics and computer graphics resulting in numerous exhibitions, published articles, images, books and interactive works.

By the late 1960's Tim applied aesthetics to electronic circuit design resulting in numerous kinetic artworks, photographs, videos, performances and exhibits. His Light Machine series consisted of programmable semiconductor chaos devices designed to transform live and recorded sound into colored light compositions and video. He later used the same devices to guide his music composition.

Since the 60's Tim has also worked as a professional photographer shooting a range of subjects-essentially anything his clients could throw at him-from ice cream & designer fashions to product photography, photo illustration, aerials and architectural subjects. Tim's experience in commercial media began as an offset lithographic plate maker and has expanded to design, production and art direction for an international client base. He has created numerous magazine ads, brochures, catalogs, and posters.

Tim's work in computer graphics began when keyboards were optional, and cutting-edge computer graphics were frequently created using arrays of alphanumeric characters. In 1977 he founded Forcade Associates, a photography, design and production company. By the mid 1980's he had integrated computer graphics into Forcade Associates’ practice as well as into his own experimental artworks. Since then he has designed and produced computer graphic imagery and animation for print, CD-ROM interactive, broadcast and DVD.

Tim participated in the emergence and evolution of 2D and 3D computer graphics as an artist, beta tester, author, and software development team member. This has enabled him to work with computer media and to affect the media itself by interacting directly with CG programmers and developers. For example, he helped develop the user interface and program functions for a human motion animation program used to create realistic character animation for feature films.

He has been a contributing editor to various computer graphics publications including Computer Graphics World and Computer Artist as well as a frequent speaker at user's group meetings and conventions. He has taught both students and professionals in seminars and courses at Baker University, the University of Kansas, the University of Washington and Alberta College of Art. His books demonstrating animation and visual effect techniques have been distributed worldwide.

You can view more of Tim's work at www.forcadeimages.com.

Bottles: Ceramics Curated by Ben Ahlvers

The bottle has been a cherished form by potters for many years. The bottle as an icon is recognizable by people of almost any age. It is an object that has the ability to conjure thoughts of nostalgia, celebration, comfort and conflict among others. The potential for interpretation is unlimited. Clay is accessible to people of all ages and has the ability to mimic other materials.

Artists invited to participate in this exhibit utilize a variety of construction techniques and firing methods ranging from traditional wheel thrown, wood fired pots to slip-cast mixed media forms. The exhibition entitled, Bottles, will represent nearly 50 potters from around the country showcasing to the Lawrence community the unique interpretation each artist has to the bottle form.

How to Apply for an Exhibition
at the Lawrence Arts Center

Send a letter to the Gallery Director describing the exhibition you envision. Include a current resume for each artist plus examples of ten works representing the work to be shown. Examples may be sent as 35mm slides, photo-copies or digital files on CD or via e-mail. If you have a professional website, include the address.

Proposals are reviewed monthly by the Exhibition Program Committee and the Exhibition Program Director. Reviews and responses are usually completed in 30 days. Generally, exhibitions are schedule 18 - 24 months in advance.

The Lawrence Arts Center works with community arts groups and the public schools as well as individual artists. Proposals from both established and new "grass roots" arts groups are encouraged.

Delivery/Pick up of work

It is the responsibility of the artist/exhibitor to deliver and pick-up work for display unless other arrangements are made in advance with the gallery director. If work is to be shipped, reusable cartons or crates should be used and return-shipping fees should be pre-paid or provided to the Center in the form of a check made out to Lawrence Arts Center.

Installation

Lawrence Arts Center staff members, in consultation with the artist/exhibitor, will normally install exhibitions. In the case of group shows that are sponsored by organizations, those organizations may take responsibility for the installation and de-installation of exhibitions.

Wall Labels

The Lawrence Arts Center can, and normally will, produce exhibition wall labels for individual works of art. Copy for labels should be provided to the Arts Center no later than two weeks prior to the opening of the exhibition.

Sales

Works of art may be offered for sale in the Centers galleries. If works are to be offered for sale, prices should be included with information on each piece and a preference specified for either a price list to be available in the gallery or for prices to be individually printed on wall labels. The Center will charge a 35% commission on all sales of art up to $500 in value, 25% over $500. Artists will receive payment for sold work in the form of a Lawrence Arts Center check issued at the end of the exhibition.

Public information and marketing

The Lawrence Arts Center will produce media information regarding all exhibitions in its galleries. Artists should provide information about themselves in the form of a current resume, slides or digital files of artwork, and any other suitable document that would be of use in preparing public information.

The Arts Center publishes The Arts in Action, an arts magazine, three times each year and will prepare articles and calendars that inform the public of upcoming exhibitions.

The Arts Center will meet the cost of mailing exhibition announcement cards to its members and to names and addresses provided by the artist/exhibitor. In some cases the Arts Center will design and have printed at Arts Center expense announcement cards for exhibitions. In other circumstances, artists/exhibitors will have responsibility for their own cards. In the latter case, the Arts Center gallery director must approve card designs before they are printed. All postal regulations related to non-profit bulk mailing must be honored.

Receptions

The Lawrence Arts Center will normally hold a public reception for artists or arts groups having exhibitions in the Center’s galleries. Dates for receptions will be set in consultation with the artists/exhibitors. Exhibiting artists are expected to attend the receptions unless circumstances prevent it.

In the case of arts groups that have regularly scheduled exhibitions in the Arts Center galleries, responsibility for reception invitations, refreshments, and entertainment will be with the arts organization itself rather than the Arts Center.

Gallery Talk/Lectures

The Arts Center encourages exhibiting artists to provide a gallery talk/lecture to the public at some time during the exhibition. Arrangements for such talks will be made individually with the gallery director.

Workshops

The Lawrence Arts Center routinely offers classes and workshops to the public. Exhibiting artists and arts groups are encouraged to consider offering a class or workshop in connection with their exhibition. Coordination and planning for such classes and workshops will be done through the LAC education program director in cooperation with the gallery director.

Insurance

The Lawrence Arts Center does not carry insurance on individual works of art that are voluntarily displayed in its gallery. While the Arts Center takes every reasonable precaution to keep a safe and secure exhibition environment, it cannot be responsible for damage or theft of items exhibited in its galleries. Artists/exhibitors assume all risk for items on display. Artists who wish to insure their work should make arrangements directly with their own insurance agents. The Arts Center gallery director will be happy to supply artists/exhibitors or insurance agents with information related to the building and the exhibition.

Contacts: Rick Mitchell, Gallery Director - lacgallery@sunflower.com 940 New Hampshire St. Lawrence, KS 66044 (785) 843-2787

Gallery Shop

The Lawrence Arts Center Gallery Shop features original work from over 90 local artists. We offer a wide variety of mediums, such as jewelry, ceramics, paintings, photography, textiles, books, cards, prints and more.

The shop is open from noon until 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday, as well as for special events and is staffed by volunteers who donate their time to support the arts. To learn more about the artists we are featuring, please visit the Gallery Shop Artists page.[Link]

If you are interested in offering your work for sale in the shop or volunteering , please contact Rick Mitchell at (785) 843-2787 or email to: lacgallery@sunflower.com.