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FINAL FRIDAY, February 22nd , 2013 5 until 9 pm unless otherwise noted Final Fridays are made possible by support from The Lawrence Arts Center, Downtown Lawrence Inc., The City Of Lawrence and CornerBank

LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER (940 New Hampshire) www.lawrenceartscenter.org

Lawrence Arts Center's visual arts exhibit "VIM," is a first-time collaboration between painters Kent Michael Smith, Lisa Lala and Archie Scott Gobber, and ceramist Ben Ahlvers. The exhibit opens Jan. 18 and runs through March 2. The “Vim” full color, 32 page book release takes place this Final Friday. The four artists will sign and make brief remarks on the exhibit beginning at 7pm.

Debut Exhibition in the Antecedent Gallery

The Antecedent Gallery inaugural show will feature Wayne Propst. The show will be to some degree retrospective in that it will incorporate items collected over many years. The art that has issued from this wide ranging collection will be assembled as a spring board for social, political, and cultural commentary. An example....Kennedy half dollars and 6.5 m/m mannlicher-carcano shell casings melded into a grim document. The collection "documents" will be vigorously annotated to encourage future gallery presenters to explain the nature of their collections.

Sensational press reviews and exorbitant prices commonly associated with the world of contemporary art may cause the original role of art to be overlooked. Humans once painted on the walls of caves to simply document basic aspects of their lives. In order to understand art today, one must know something about the context of contemporary theory and practice which can be highly challenging to the casual art viewer.

This project is curated by Wayne Propst and Roger Shimomura.

Carla Aspenberg. New Works Using simple handmade stamps and other mixed media elements, these new works explore energy, movement and light. The pieces feature symbols of eyes, bees and radiating lines, and also look at themes of outer space. Much of the work incorporates accessible print methods that evoke ethereal compositions. The works have been influenced by colony collapse disorder, divine geometry and physical properties of light. They have also been influenced by the Italian art movement called Arte Povera (poor art), in which common, everyday materials are used to create works of fine art. Aspenberg was 2011-12 printmaking artist-in-residence at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Prints from the Amalgamated Printers Association An exhibition of prints from the Amalgamated Printers Association will be on display in the Hallmark Exhibition space on the lower level. This sampling of prints is part of the APA monthly print exchange, and displays works produced by letterpress artists who are members of the association.

Necessary Sacrifices A concert reading featuring Peter Bretz as Abraham Lincoln and Hawthorn James as Frederick Douglas

7:30 pm. $10

Necessary Sacrifices explores the two documented encounters between Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. As Lincoln searches for a way to end slavery in the summer of 1863-64, Douglas's rhetoric and conviction challenges the president to envision a post-emancipation world.

LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY www.lawrencepubliclibrary.com

Visit the Lawrence Public Library in its new temporary location at 7th and New Hampshire!

NEW LIFE IN CHRIST CHURCH (619 Vermont St.)

"The Amazing Grace Club" at New Life IN Christ Church, 619 Vermont St. will be featuring art by local artists February 22 from 5 to 9 p.m. Featured artist for the evening is Mr. Pat Mayo, longtime Lawrence resident-artist.

Prior to moving to Lawrence over 40 years ago, Pat Mayo started painting with oils when in junior high. He likes to work with acrylics, water colors, colored pencil, oils, and scratchboard.

He has done artwork by commission, including portraits, landscapes, and has even painted motorcycles alongside their owners. He previously worked for 19 years as a paramedic here in town and hosted a local program called "Paramedic Pat." He has been a nurse for the last 14 years and involved in a variety of community organizations and events.

Other artists will be featured at "The Amazing Grace Club," including some children's work which will be available for purchase with all proceeds going to provide clean water for families in Africa.

SIGNS OF LIFE (722 Massachusetts St.) www.signsoflifegallery.com

Signs of Life Gallery is located at 722 Massachusetts St. in the heart of historic Lawrence, Kansas. We feature work by dozens of artists to suit a variety of tastes. Many are local, but we also represent artists of national and even international reputation. Our beautiful gallery overlooks picturesque downtown Lawrence and we are convinced you will find it a satisfying place to experience art and cultivate your own creativity. Come in and let us help you find artwork that is a perfect fit for your life and space.

THE LAWRENCE ART PARTY (718 New Hampshire St.)

Lawrence Art Party

We're going to have a very special Lawrence Art Party, with an awesome classical pianist, Ariana Krasniqi, wonderful pizza from Papa Kenos Pizzeria, refreshments from the Free State Brewery, and a fundraising art raffle for the Lawrence Art Guild and Lawrence Community Workshop.

Artists exhibiting: Jenny Allen and LeAnne Doljac, Michael Bohoskey, Wes Casey, John Clayton, Sandra Griffin, Koepsel Raegan, Sarah Kunen, Bill Kutilek, Bob Lynn, Andrea Moskow, Kassidee Quaranta, Wyatt Rogers, Shala Stevenson, and Thomas Pecore Weso  

DYNAMITE SALOON (721 Massachusetts)

Vicki Vormehr will be showing "Original Oil paintings of dog portraits on Canvas"

Vicki has done watercolor paintings her whole life. After taking oil painting classes at the Kansas City Art Institute 4 years ago, she developed a love for this new medium. Now Vicki paints mainly in oil paints on canvas. A variety of dog breeds will be on display Friday evening.

BLUE FLAME GALLERY (745 New Hampshire, Suite 5)

"STUFF OF STARS" Watercolors & Illustrations by Sean Robin Minton

Music by La Guerre

Friday February 22nd @ 6pm

TELLER'S RESTAURANT UPSTAIRS (746 Massachusetts St.) www.tellerslawrence.com

“Practitioners”

Jordan Geiger & Taylor Holenbeck

ESSENTIAL GOODS (15 E. 7th St.)

Final Fridays at Essential Goods

Join us for Final Fridays at Essential Goods from 6 pm to 9 pm in lovely Downtown Lawrence! Check out a variety of work by some of our favorite local artisans while treating your ears to music by DJ On.It... See you next Friday!

Essential Goods is located on 7th Street in The Palladian Building, next to Astrokitty Comics and The Blue Dot Salon

BLUE DOT SALON (15 E. 7th St.)

Erika kjorle Geery. interpretive tree Painting Frank Shopen. Bronze, clay Sculpture Gil Bavel. Digital photography Michele Berendsen. Fusion world gourmet David Seibel. Birds in focus

Friday February 22nd. 6-830

PACHAMAMAS (800 New Hampshire St.) www.pachamamas.com

Kansas Light and Land Photographs by Michael Strickland

(open all night on Final Friday)

Born in Liberal, Kansas, Michael is a born and raised Kansan. He grew up in the farmlands of western Kansan, appreciating the subtle beauties no one else seemed to see. Michael grew up a musician and a scientist, always striving for perfection. This led him to pursue his passions and attend Interlochen Summer Arts Camp during the summer of 2008 where he met lifelong friends and grew to truly love the arts. Interlochen accepted him into the Arts Academy, a boarding school, where he attended his final year of high school. It was here that Michael fine-tuned his artistic vision and work ethic under some of the most phenomenal arts instructors in the world. As a jazz saxophonist, Michael was drawn to New York City, where he was accepted into one of the nation’s foremost jazz conservatories to further pursue jazz. During his time in New York, Michael decided to take his life in another direction and return home to Kansas and study Aerospace Engineering.

It was not long after moving back to Kansas, when a friend convinced him to buy a digital SLR. He began experimenting with different types of photography, eventually setting his sights on the nature that was so dear to him. During the late winter of 2012, Michael had the opportunity to travel to the American Southwest and experience the American landscape at its finest. It was here that his passion for photography grew exponentially. Michael’s vision has since honed into capturing the landscapes of America. His passion to capture the light and beauty of the United States comes from his heritage in the heartland and his memory of western Kansas light as a child.

Michael’s aim is to always capture photographs that raise emotional connections with their viewers. Each photograph is a story waiting to be told.

COPT/FEIDEN GALLERY (800 Massachusetts St.)

5:00 PM until 9:00 PM—as part of Lawrence's Final Fridays. Refreshments provided.

WONDER FAIR (803 Massachusetts St.) www.wonderfair.com

Cheese and Rice Sonic Rush Andy Hadle

Opening reception 6:00-10:00pm, Final Friday, Feburary 22nd: Cheese and Rice Sonic Rush is a new body of work from Lawrence-based artist Andy Hadle. This exhibition visualizes an erratic inner discourse on the topic of mass consumption, amplified by comic abstraction. The multimedia show investigates the absurd yet tenuous codependency of commodities and human survival. Inspired by Humour Noir and Bizarro Fiction, Cheese and Rice Sonic Rush ironically embraces consumer culture banality, inviting the viewer to empathize with sell-outs and hypermarkets. The work presents a comedy whose familiar characters are cast from the shelves of convenience stores and the ad columns alongside Internet browser windows. Using personified pop-images and humorous absurdity, Hadle offers commentary about our society of mass consumption and its connection to human behavior. His message is broadcast through a variety of art media: colorfully collaged works on paper; installation sculptures depicting spaces for strange consumer rituals; and a collection of videos mocking the capricious behavior of Internet distractions. As the title Cheese and Rice Sonic Rush suggests, this show is a frenzied expletive distorted by today’s consumer culture, which… …Pop Quiz! How much Dorito seasoning would be required to cover the entire lower forty-eight states? Answers should be submitted as a photograph to #GodStillDoesMiracles The Wonder Fair is open new expanded hours, Monday through Friday 12-6, Saturday 10-7, and Sunday 11-5, with completely random extended hours when we happen to be there. Please visit www.wonderfair.com frequently for news, information, and to skew our Google analytics data. Wonder Fair is located at 803 1/2 Massachusetts (above the Casbah), Lawrence, KS, 66044.

FOXTROT (823 Massachusetts St.)

LOVE GARDEN SOUNDS (822 Massachusetts St.)

www.lovegardensounds.com

DOWNTOWN UPSTAIRS (824 1/2 Massachusetts St.)

PHOENIX GALLERY (825 Massachusetts St.) www.phoenixgalleryks.com

Demonstrating artist: Britta McKee

Final Friday this month at Phoenix Gallery will feature Britta McKee of Tobias Designs. Natalie will be bringing spring themed tasty sweets, we will have hot jasmine and honey tea, and there will be live acoustic music by Stanley Unruh.

Britta McKee graduated from the University of Kansas with a BFA in metalsmithing and jewelry. She strives to create jewelry pieces for all ages that are clean, organic, and inspired by natural elements. Britta loves to be outside hitting the trails and searching for junk that can be turned into beauty and tries to infuse that into her work. She incorporates textures and vibrant colors into jewelry that is comfortable and unique. Britta lives in Topeka and has her work at the Phoenix Gallery. Come by the gallery to meet Britta and see the new pieces that she has created for this art walk.

Stanley Unruh is a Mechanical Engineer and part time professor at the University of Kansas. Many of his songs are obscure covers that most people have never heard. He has written a couple and also plays a few more well-known covers, such as Beatles and Neil Young. Stanley has no band, it is just him and his Martin D35 guitar.

LOST ART SPACE (825 Massachusetts St.) www.lostartspace.com

Still Life

Life is still life is still life is still life; any way look at it you lose. The random placement of certain objects deciding your fate-the idea seems absurd, completely counter-intuitive to free will, and yet they seem to take on such significance in the right context. How can a glass of water, a feather, a box of matches and a couple of pieces of fruit take on such foreboding soulfulness? Like nourishment for the afterlife, mundane accoutrements are transformed into artifacts of ritual- oracles describing hidden sources of power. We exist among landscapes of these objects_ they outnumber us and on some level control us, telepathically, to objectify them and join them in admiration of inanimate beauty. The illusion somehow surpasses reality, like a charismatic leader, or a radioactive fog that allows us to forget, if only for a little while, that the shape of the future is still unseen, and the ways of the past are lost.

THE BOURGEOIS PIG (6 E. 9th St.)

Works by John Stephen Howard

“Contemporary and friend of local artists, Stan Herd and Clare Doveton, Howard is what I would call a 'painter's painter.' His works exhibit great technical skill while depicting narratives of spiritual and self-reflective inquiries in dream-like scenes. Some of Howard's work is reminiscent of some neo-expressionists, such as Clemente, but with more tenderness and hope.” -Molly Murphy, Bourgeois Pig art coordinator

THE FIX SALON (845 New Hampshire St.)

DO'S DELUXE (416 E. 9th St.)

LAWRENCE PERCOLATOR (in the alley behind Lawrence Arts Center on 9th St.) *look for the green awnings www.lawrence-percolator.blogspot.com

Final Friday, February 22, 5-9 pm Erika Nelson and her Sideshow Extravaganza This month's Final Friday at the Percolator will feature a retrospective of Nelson's years on the road with the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things.

Saturday, February 23, 7 pm "Hucksters, Barkers, and Sideshows" See! and Hear! how the hucksters, barkers, and sideshow workers of Kansas plied their craft. This speech by Erika Nelson is brought to you in partnership with the Kansas Humanities Council.

Erika Nelson is a visionary artist, educator and one of America’s foremost experts and speakers on the World’s Largest Things. She is a national researcher and speaker on Grassroots Art environments, Roadside Attractions and Architecture, and the World’s Largest Things. Nelson is also the founder and curator of a unique and innovative traveling roadside attraction and museum called “The World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things.” She resides next to the Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas. http://www.worldslargestthings.com/

Hope to see you there!

FIVE BAR / INGREDIENT (947 Massachusetts St.)

Five Bar (just to the north of Ingredient) on Final Friday for live music all night

THE GRANADA (1020 Massachusetts St.) www.thegranada.com

AIMEE'S CAFE' & COFFEE SHOP (1025 Massachusetts St.) www.aimeescoffeehouse.com

The Final Friday show at Aimee’s Coffee House on February 22nd, is comprised of the collective works by several members of the South Mass Art Guild. There are 21 pieces on display, including oils, water colors, mixed media, pen & ink, pencil sketches, and photography. Works by Kim Augusto, Alejandro Augusto, Natasha Shultz, Perry Shepard, Shala Drake, Cary Strong, Lesa Weller, Shana Good, Satori Good, and Dennis Constance are included. Most pieces are for sale, or copies are available for purchase.

February is the SMAG’s anniversary month, so the show is also our 4th annual “Droppers’ Ball”, and will feature free fake Twinkies, and free ice water on the appetizer table. Drop by 1025 Mass anytime during the Final Friday hours to sample the gourmet delights and visit with the artists. We look forward to seeing you!

WATKINS COMMUNITY MUSEUM (1047 Massachusetts St.) www.watkinsmuseum.org

6–8 p.m., Free Artist Nicole Lopez will display her work.

1109 GALLERY (1109 Massachusetts St.) www.lawrenceartguild.org

Join the Lawrence Art Guild and 1109 Gallery for "The Human Condition" a wonderful exhibit and sale with over 30 area artists with Featured Artist, Hobart Jackson in the large gallery. We will have a Final Friday reception February 22, 2013 held at 1109 Gallery, 1109 Massachusetts, Lawrence, KS from 5pm-9pm. Refreshments provided by Lawrence Art Guild members. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday 11am-5pm. The Gallery features a full line of unique gifts for Valentine's Day.

The Lawrence Art Guild is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity created to promote art awareness in Lawrence and surrounding areas. We support the creative growth of its members and area artists. The Art Guild is a volunteer organization and all funds received from gallery sales and shows are given back to the arts community.

FINAL FRIDAY EVENTS IN THE WAREHOUSE ARTS DISTRICT

313 STUDIOS (313 E. 8th)

THE INVISIBLE HAND GALLERY (846 Pennsylvania St.) www.invisiblehandgallery.com

The Friends of the hand. A group show celebrating the Invisible Hand Gallery's third birthday!

New works by: Adam Lott Jeff Mckee BiKlops Design Molly Murphy Adam Smith Andrew Burkitt Clint Rickets Patrick Giroux Kenneth Kupfer Wayne Propst

SeedCo STUDIOS (826 Pennsylvania St.) www.lostartspace.com

TUNNELVISION

We had been digging for over a year and it still felt like we were just scratching the surface. The hole was barely visible above ground, but once you descended the ramp the space stretched out like a parking lot-seemingly impossible-but in this day and age, with everything being done by accident, it happened to exist. Noise loves a cave. You could whisper in certain places and it would travel to the opposite end of the room, bending like a growing vine. People still come to sing songs to see if any of them would trigger a secret door in the wall, revealing a chamber of opulent splendor and gold, for surely one has to exist. It's just a matter of finding the right tones, or notes. Nobody remembers when we decided to begin the tunnel. Some of us were digging another hole a couple thousand feet away ( or so). We decided that rather than travel over land, with the risk of wolves and giant scorpions, we would find a way to connect them underground. One night we just went for it . After the first couple hundred feet we started running into other tunnels that intersected ours-150 year-old barrel sluices, a contraband smuggling tunnel from the seventies that, for all we knew, went all the way down to the border, a brick lined passage that housed some kind of giant drive shaft equipped with gears and levers still well-oiled and working almost silently. Every now and then our shovels scrape against the walls of someone's basement, faintly emanating sounds from the rec room tv or subtle syncopations of swing and bebop from some lost and forgotten subterranean jazz collections. Still we dig on, even as the ground grows rockier and more unstable, and random shifting makes it seem as if the ceiling is about to fall. We keep searching for the way out, still seeking the light…

SeedCo Studios and Whatever Forever Tapes present a showcase of sights and sounds underground after-hours this Final Friday, February 22, from 9-midnight at the SeedCo Studios warehouse 825 Pennsylvania St. Along with open studios by resident artists the show will feature the sonic stylings of C.S. Luxem and Dean Monkey and the Dropouts. Shovels will be provided for digging… Check out seedcostudios.com for more info on this and other upcoming events.

MARLA'S QUILTS (720 E. 9th St. #2)

Marla Jackson Quilter Textile Historian Opens Studio and Gallery in New Lawrence Arts District Get ready to take a journey into the creative mind of nationally renowned Lawrence artist Marla Jackson.  Her artistic medium is not paint, acrylic, or pen and ink; not glass, stone or plaster but the vibrant and soul touching colors and textures of cloth.  With one of her art creations already accepted at the Smithsonian, and many others featured in books, displayed at the Spencer Museum at the University of Kansas and in private collections, quilter textile historian and creative artistic story teller Marla Jackson is a new anchor in the new Warehouse Arts District in East Lawrence at 720 # 2 East 9th Street. www.marlaquilts.com

Not your typical on-the-prairie quilter, Ms. Jackson brings her African American heritage and historical creative poignancy to her quilts.  Her primary goal with her work is to echo the untold stories of heroes that history has overlooked, forgotten, or hidden. But it is not until you know the raw emotion of Ms. Jackson's personal story, that you see the joy and pain of her own life intertwined with her African American culture playing out in the brilliant color and texture in her “story” quilts.

Many of her quilts will be on display, along with her amazing dolls some of which are created with rare African cloths from Ghana and Mali. Her gallery will soon become a teaching laboratory where she will begin to teach the art of creative story quilting, doll making, fabric design and printing, handbags and accessory creations. For more information and to sign up for Ms. Jackson’s future creative classes email marlaquilts@sbcglobal.net or call 785-371-6682 

FINAL FRIDAYS IN NORTH LAWRENCE (AFTER-PARTY ART SHOW)

GASLIGHT GARDENS (317 N. 2nd)

FRANK'S NORTH STAR TAVERN (508 Locust) FF after-party 8 pm until 2 am

Erika Nelson at The Percolator by Molly Murphy