Recent Stories
Speak, Memory
Jennifer Holt's ghosts of everydays past
The wheat hangs heavy, white and ghostly, upside down. When it's fired, it will be hollow, standing upright as a brittle indicator of what was inside. Wheat, of course, is Kansas. Or the memory of Kansas. Artist Jennifer Holt is leaving town soon.
Pop! Art
Artist Brian Stuparyk and his 3-D playground
Some folks say Brian Stuparyk grabs life by the horns. He'll approach any stranger and introduce himself. Before you know it, said stranger is elbow-deep in a conversation spanning three countries, historical trends in art production, and the symbolic ennui of, say, a smashed-up cigarette butt. For instance.
Art Gallery and How!
New Wonder Fair space opens for business, magic
Eric Dobbins is under the gun. "Renovation is such a slow process. I won't be completely satisfied until there's some art on the walls," said Dobbins. "Getting some people down there will be a big step."
Art World Player
A buyer's guide for the down and out
If art according to your walls is some water-damaged drywall and your roommate's Hendrix poster from freshman year, fret not: you can be an Art World Player by summer. OK, so maybe "Player" is a bit strong, but Collector: now that we can do, easy. There's a learning curve, but it's a fun one. And trust me: it's more about the hunt than the money.
Islands in the Midwest
Clare Doveton's map of the (inner) world
Paint tubes on the floor, canvases stacked against the wall. Themes emerge, with the occasional odd surprise poking through (abstractions, thick paint, scratch marks, then a rabbit shooting out of a sewer pipe?).Pan out: an old couch, a work table, computer. Then a stage, with mics. Some chairs.
Dollars and Sense
Annual Arts Center auction should benefit collectors <em>and</em> artists
Are you prepared to make a gift? It's a malleable question. Say it through clenched teeth, and it's a threat. Add some pep, and you sound like a perky telemarketer. One thing about this opener to the artists' page of the Lawrence Arts Center's 28th Annual Art Auction is clear: Artists, check your ego at the door.
Poets & Songwriters
Duo collaborates and creates in the spaces between
Let's be clear from the get-go: There's a difference between songwriting and poetry. Poetry leans on the words themselves to convey mood. Good lyrics, however, weave into the music to make a whole. The music provides cues to the emotion and intent of the writer. In a nutshell.
Keepsakes & Reminders
Natalie Anne Dye's modern tintypes
Sunday night, the newly painted walls of the Bourgeois Pig opened to the smallest of art exhibits: tiny, locket-sized photographs by Natalie Anne Dye. The images, framed in small, recycled tins, are of clouds, trees, utility lines, architectural details, snow-what Dye calls "accumulated fragments of dream moments, ambiguous casual magic, and hushed narratives."
Daily Compositions
Liz Gardner's New Year's resolution
Liz Gardner's Ground Rules, c. 2007:1. There are no mistakes in art.2. It is just one day. There are hundreds more to come.3. If you have an idea, run with it. Don't worry about how it will come across.4. Do not invest a lot of money in materials. First and foremost use what you see around you. 5. Don't stop at 3, 6, or even 8 months. Finish out the year!
Earth, Wind, & Fire
Clare Doveton's past is new again
It's the perfect season for this Clare Doveton show. The fields, harvested to the soil, are down to their elemental basis. Likewise, Doveton is exploring, through her painting, the idea of a personal fallow period.
