Lawrence.com

FINAL FRIDAY, March 29th, 2013 5 until 9 pm unless otherwise noted www.finalfridayslawrence.wordpress.com

Final Fridays are made possible by support from the Lawrence Arts Center, Downtown Lawrence Inc., and The City Of Lawrence

LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER (940 New Hampshire) www.lawrenceartscenter.org Lawrence Arts Center Final Friday events are sponsored by CornerBank

The Lawrence Arts Center Benefit Art Auction Exhibition

The Lawrence Arts Center Benefit Art Auction Exhibition has over 150 original works of art that have been generously donated by artists. A variety of mediums, styles and prices are represented. The exhibition is on display in three of the arts center’s gallery spaces.

The annual Lawrence Arts Center Benefit Art Auction will be held April 13, 2013. Established by artists in 1981 as a way to fund a not-for-profit gallery, the auction makes it possible for us to fund our exhibitions program now occupying five spaces in the Arts Center and enriched by Art Talks, films, and more.

Approximately 150 pieces generously donated by artists will be on exhibit in our galleries for 4 weeks leading up to our April 13, 2013 event. Visitors to the Exhibition can begin bidding March 15. All bids must start at 50% of retail value. Patrons may purchase pieces before the Auction for buy-out bids of 200% of retail value. In 2012, auction sales averaged over 100% of retail prices.

The Lawrence Art Auction is one of the largest fundraisers of its kind in our area and is supported by many individuals and businesses. 2013 major sponsors include Stevens and Brand, Callahan Creek, Allen Press, Printing Solutions and Evan Williams Catering. Over 500 people attend on auction night, and hundreds more view the exhibition. The goal of the auction is to have the financial support to provide dynamic and engaging exhibitions throughout the year.

The 2013 Lawrence Art Auction will take a new approach this year by featuring four artists. Kent Michael Smith, Lisa Lala, Archie Scott Gobber, and Ben Ahlvers are four artists who exhibit nationally and have bright careers as artists ahead of them. We hope you will join us in our support of the Arts Center exhibitions program.

Amalgamated Printers Association Print Exchange

An exhibition of prints from the Amalgamated Printers Association will be on display in the lower lobby. 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. Special thanks to Neil Salkind and Tim O’Brien.

On Final Friday March 29, the Lawrence Tango Dancers will be dancing in the lobby of the Lawrence Arts Center. The format will be as a social dance (or 'milonga'), so will be more casual than a tango 'performance'. The public is welcome to come and dance with us, and while there will not be an organized lesson for beginners, if anyone is interested in learning Argentine tango, we will be happy to get them started on an individual basis. More info: http://lawrencetango.org/

Join the Lawrence Arts Center on Final Friday, March 29th at 7 pm for the .78 HARLEM SHAKE Where: main lobby at the Lawrence Arts Center Who: you and your peeps Attire: get your funk on and show off your arty self

Antecedent Gallery (2nd Floor between the metals studio and ceramics studio) Wayne Propst performance: Chopstick Murders

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.)

In keeping with this month's Final Friday being on Good Friday, March 29, The Amazing Grace Club at 619 Vermont St. will present a Praise and Worship Concert by the New Life In Christ band and singers at 7 p.m. Free refreshments will be served and work from local artists will be displayed. There is no admission charge.

LUCKY PAWS BAKERY & UNIQUE BARKtique (4 E. 7th St.)

My name is Jenny Severo and I am Artist from Northern California. Painting is my passion, and I’m so excited to be sharing some of my pet portraits with Lucky Paws Bakery.

My main source of inspiration comes from comic books. I love bold, colorful illustrations and that style comes through in my art.

Critter creations like the image shown here is my specialty. I feel that our four-legged friends are love in the purest form, and that we as humans could learn so much from them. My doggy/alien theme is a play on our pets being so out-of-this-world amazing, perhaps they were sent from some distant planet to be our companions, to teach us, and to bring us joy. :)

In addition to the ready-made portraits I will have available for sale at Lucky Paws, I also love creating custom portraits. A heartfelt thank you to Raven for welcoming me and my art to Lawrence!

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.

KRISTIN MORLAND'S 737 CONNECTICUT STUDIO

737 Connecticut Street March: Featuring new work from resident artist Kristin Morland Kristin's latest work is a mix of sequins, drawing, and painting. Kristin and her husband Timothy will be opening their home studio for the March Final Fridays. Lawrence artist Kristin Morland studied both painting and weaving at the University of Kansas, jumping back and forth between two mediums that couldn’t on their own completely satisfy her creatively. It wasn’t until Morland started her first post-graduate job at the Saint Louis Art Museum that she discovered an art form that suited her: Drapo. A Haitian textile technique that involves hand sewing sequins onto fabric to form shimmering, collage-like imagery, Drapo provided elements that spoke to both sides of Morland’s brain. For the past 14 years, Morland's primary medium utilizes hand sewn sequins.

THE LAWRENCE ART PARTY (718 New Hampshire St.)

We'll start the evening with an interactive walkthrough of our plans for the Lawrence Community Workshop, and ask for your ideas for our program and facility. We expect to begin operations on April 1 in a wonderful big building! To participate in this, please arrive at 5.

Five KU student artists, led by Damia Smith, will perform live, and engage with four stainless steel, wool, leather, and silicone sculptural pieces.

Classical pianist Ariana Krasniqi will play works by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, Shostakovich, and other composers. Ariana is an amazing pianist, you do not want to miss the opportunity to hear her live.

22 amazing local and regional painters, sculptors, photographers, and mixed media artists will display their wonderful art!

David Allen’s KU Design Thesis class will display their very creative works in progress, and solicit your ideas and suggestions.

The Lawrence Art Guild will have a special exhibit, featuring award winning artist and KU professor Hobart Jackson.

We'll have awesome refreshments from the Free State Brewery, and hot tasty pizza from Papa Kenos Pizzeria. Refreshment and pizza donations will help fund this event, the Lawrence Art Guild, and the Lawrence Community Workshop, so please come hungry!

This month’s Lawrence Art Party artists are Julie Blichmann, Michael Bohoskey, Wes Casey, John Clayton, Dave DeHetre, Sandra Griffin, Raegan Koepsel, Sarah Kunen, Bill Kutilek, Brad Levy, Angie Logan, Robbin Loomas, Bob Lynn, Kevin Mimms, Andrea Moskow, Jilli Nel, Boloebi Charles Okah, Kassidee Quaranta, Wyatt Rogers, Sondy Sloan, Jennifer Unekis, and Thomas Pecore Weso.

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

Party Capers by Becky Harpstrite

Party Capers has already been enjoyed by all types of people and is guaranteed to be several evenings of hilarious fun. You're welcome.

Becky Harpstrite studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Colorado before majoring in Art History at The University of Kansas. She is currently the creative director for Hilary’s Eat Well.

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

SECRET SOCIETY, curated by the Secret Order of the Black Diamond

The shadowy Secret Order of the Black Diamond emerges from obscurity this Final Friday to celebrate the Wonder Fair Gallery's fifth anniversary, and our reputation as one of Lawrence's best-kept secrets. Instead of a gallery of objects to be passively viewed, however, the Black Diamonds will curate a series of experiences—adventures on which you will embark throughout the Lawrence community. Your month-long journey begins with a special one night only event, March 29th, when the Black Diamonds will offer clues and instruction in how you should seek their 6 mysteries. For indeed, there is art to be seen and art to be obtained from our Secret Society—but it will not be found within the walls of Wonder Fair... Unable to attend the opening, or eager to find out more? Visit our Black Diamond Kickstarter page (link: http://kck.st/WGcYVd) to watch a short orientation video, and to find out how you can help support this project; Wonder Fair's most ambitious and inclusive public art happening to date. With a secret handshake and our sincerest thanks for five great years in Lawrence, Wonder Fair and the SOBD

LOVE GARDEN SOUNDS (822 Massachusetts St.)

www.lovegardensounds.com

Art and Music

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

Our demonstrating artists this month will be Britta McKee of Tobias Designs and Kelly Aaron. 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.

Kelly Aaron became interested in mosaics about seven years ago after meeting another artist who created art from broken dishes. After taking a class from this artist, Kelly realized mosaic was the medium for her—this is medium with no rules and endless possibilities. This, coupled with Kelly's love of antiques, resulted in the creation of truly one-of-a-kind pieces incorporating broken dishes, buttons, beads, vintage jewelry, old tins, figurines, and anything else she could get her hands on. As her work has evolved, Kelly has explored 3D mosaic work and pushes the limits of 2D work by cutting out her own shapes. She enjoys collaborating with clients to create custom pieces of art for their homes or as gifts for friends and loved ones. Kelly's tongue-in-cheek style adds another unique element to her work, rarely serious and always fun. Kelly resides in Prairie Village with her husband, writer Jason Aaron, and her sons, Brendan and Dashiell.

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.)

Waves in Black: Oil Paintings by Tristan Telander

6 until 9 pm From the artist:

The ocean is at least 764 miles from Lawrence, Kansas. This enormous body of water rhythmically pulsates our planet as a cavernous mixture of beauty and horror that very few dare to explore past the coral reefs. The ocean is essential to all life on earth, influencing our weather and our climate. Many see the ocean front as a holiday spot. A place to sunbath next to aquamarine tones oscillating in infinite detail and repetition. The waves within waves may be hypnotizing to the visitor and unobtrusively provide a meditative environment thus enabling the feeling of complete relaxation. Even if you have not been to the ocean yourself, you have seen the pictures. Yes, the one where a couple is holding hands across a white sandy beach staring off into bright blue water. This image is why vacationers spend so much of their time at the seaside. But imagine a world where industrialization has polluted our oceans to the extent that it is void of all its glorious blue color. A world where the oceans are now black with oil. Would we visit the oceans then? Waves in Black is a meditation as well as lamentation on our human impact on the ocean. Waves in Black I was created the day of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Frustrated by the oily water images from the Macondo Blowout, I siphoned feelings of urgency and doom into this body of work. Swimming in the sea is one my favorite activities because it brings me perspective by dwarfing and consuming my body into its tides. Perhaps, these images will provide a bit of escape and meditation for you too.

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

Jane and Barbara Brackman. (sisters) Works on paper. 6-8 pm at Do's Deluxe.

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

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 South Mass Art Guild is proud to sponsor works by students from Liberty Memorial Central Middle School. Hors d’ oeuvres will be served from 5 to 9 pm

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

The Watkins Community Museum will exhibit a selection of works by local photographer Abe Eitzen. The exhibit will open with a reception from 6-8 PM on Friday, March 29 during the monthly Final Friday.

Eitzen, a resident of Lawrence, focuses on scenes in rural Kansas. The show at the Watkins will feature images of barns and antique cars and tractors. Eitzen’s nomadic treks across Kansas take him to corners of the state otherwise overlooked by highway travelers.

For more information on Final Fridays at the Watkins Museum, visit the Watkins website at www.watkinsmuseum.org, or call 785-841-4109.

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 March 29, 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

Andy Byers: Servants

Final Friday opening/film debut march 29th 5-9pm *Artist talk at the LAC Monday march 25th 7pm

Andy Byers, a sculptor and production designer who has worked with film iconoclasts such as Isabella Rossellini, Guy Madden, John Cameron Mitchell and James Franco, presents “Servants,” a multi-part art experience in collaboration with Lawrence rock band Hospital Ships.

Beginning with a fundraising performance by the band on March 22, the week will continue with a lecture by Byers on March 25 at the Lawrence Arts Center and a screening of the “Servants” music video directed by Byers followed by an exhibition of production elements on March 29 at the Invisible Hand Gallery.

“Servants” encompasses both the short film and its unique sculptural props, costumes and set elements. Drawing on inspiration from artists like Mike Kelley and Andy Warhol, along with Viking lore and collected images of Native American, African and South American rituals and attire, Byers’ pieces will be featured in the gallery space for viewers to examine after they see them come to life in the film.

The materials are humble — “the cheaper the better,” Byers says. “Basically if you can cut it with an X-acto knife and glue it together with a glue gun, I love it.” This frugality extends to everything Byers touches — except for paper, the versatile medium shaped and fastened into the exaggerated, dreamlike creations that spring from Byers’ mind. “Paper must be flawless when it comes to me,” he says. “It’s my equivalent to fine oil paints and horsehair brushes, I guess.”

What paper does allow is sudden inspiration to be folded, bent, torn and trimmed into existence and then joined with the movement and energy of live music and physical performance. “I wouldn’t do any of this if there wasn’t room for spontaneity,” Byers claims. “No matter what [is] happening, whatever the situation, it’s about the moment and being present in that moment.”

Spontaneity belies a thoughtful production, planned and crafted with the full capabilities available in Lawrence. “I made it as big as I possibly could,” Byers says. “We used every light that was hung on the grid. I wanted it to feel like a Hollywood game show.”

An instant of artistic unity is what Byers seeks with each creative act “I create everything I make just for that moment — everyone crowded around the camera monitor, looking and inspecting, making sure everything felt right; dancers moving elegantly; lights beautifully illuminating the set. Nothing brings me greater pleasure. It’s there I call myself an artist. Gathering people together to make something really beautiful happen.”

The remarkable balance that Byers, the participants and the band strike is of something simultaneous familiar and frightening — the uncanny married to comfort. Still, Byers promises that, though the end result may be surreal and discomforting, a core of joy will be easy to access. “If it’s scary,” he says, “there’s something in it that will lift you out of that dark place.”

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

6:00-11:00pm

:::Open Studios / After Hours:::

Resident Artists: Daniel Coonfield Paul Flinders Jesse Gray Erok Johanssen Alicia Kelly Kate Larson Brandon Mateer Jeromy Morris Molly Murphy Jeremy Rockwell Angela Wright

Foxy By Proxy Red Light Photography Whatever Forever Tapes Music by: 1,000,000 Light Years- Solo Electronic Music Project of Patrick Hangauer. Disseminating Rainbow Crystals of Sonic Light. Come celebrate the newly released EP "Your Spaceship Awaits You, My Love"

Located within the Warehouse Arts District at 826 Pennsylvania in a monolithic brick warehouse, this space is ideal for making, showing and engaging in all aspects of contemporary fine art. With studios on the lower level and event space in the main hall, the potential for creating and collaborating on projects at all scales is practically limitless. SeedCo is envisioned as a creative factory/lalaboratory with each of the resident artists bringing their singular artistic identity and prowess to expand and delve deeper into conception and production. At the heart of this project is a conscious intent to transform post-industrial space into a fluent medium all its own, specifically designed to transcend temporal and spatial values and condense them to create a heightened sensory experience. A multi-disciplinary approach emphasizing cooperation, collaboration, and community involvement and encompassing elements from fine art, sculpture, graphic design and production, fashion, construction, digital media, and street art, the scope of this endeavor is far-reaching, but the flavor is distinctly home-grown. With its placement in the center of historic redevelopment, directly behind the monumental Poehler building, SeedCo Studios has the chance to act as a catalyst for creative growth, not only in Lawrence proper, but radiating outward into the surrounding regional area and beyond.

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 SHOWS)

GASLIGHT GARDENS (317 N. 2nd)

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