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Are you proud of your KCAI experience and would you like to participate in the college’s 125th anniversary celebration? With special events, a special alumni fundraising initiative, a call for “Share Your Memories” submissions and 2010 exhibition information, there are opportunities for all alumni to take part.
Alumni, mark your calendars to participate in two very special events that will take place during this milestone anniversary year.
Nick Cave (’82 fiber), “Soundsuit.”
Feb. 20, 2010: Prepare to be amazed as celebrated fiber artist Nick Cave (’82 fiber), also an Alvin Ailey-trained dancer, creates an unforgettable performance that will feature local dancers (see below for information on an open call). Cave, a faculty member in the graduate fashion program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is renowned for his Soundsuits –– colorful, extravagant sculptures that can be worn by dancers as vehicles for sound and movement.
Oct. 8-9, 2010: This very special weekend will feature special programming and the 125th anniversary symposium which will be centered on critical and emerging topics in art and design. The Jan. issue of Alumni News will have more details. Stay tuned!
Watch your mailbox for information on a special fundraising challenge for all KCAI alumni. The opportunity was created by a number of alumni “challengers,” lead gift-givers whose donated funds will enable all subsequent gifts to be matched dollar-for-dollar. For example, if you contribute $25 to the challenge, a total of $50 would be donated to directly benefit scholarship students and enable us to continue to attract top-caliber faculty members and develop curricula to best prepare students for the workplace. If you’d like to make your Club 125 gift online, please visit www.kcai.edu/about-kcai/donate and click “Donate online.” Thank you in advance for your consideration!
Fashion department students. Image circa 1950.
Many alumni have already responded to the alumni office’s call for “Share Your Memories” submissions. If you haven’t contributed yet, visit the following URL and complete the online form: www.kcai.edu/alumni/myKCAImemory.
All submissions will be published in Alumni News, the e-newsletter or on the alumni blog. We reserve the right to edit for grammar and length.
Can you sum up your college career in three little words?
An example of a “Share Your Memories” question is “Give us three words you would use to describe your time at the Art Institute.”
Some alumni responded briefly:
Rita Blitt (’55 painting): Inspiring, thrilling, fortunate.
Hugh DeWitte (’84 design): Studio 3 a.m.
Jeffrey Crowe (’93 ceramics): Thinking, dreaming, creating.
Greg Knoll (’94 design): HOT SEXY TIME. (Just kidding!)
Shana Packman (’99 photography): Fun, frivolous, fast.
While others gave more detailed answers:
Paul Pawlaczyk (’72 painting):
Exciting: I'd never before, even at the Art Institute of Boston, experienced the feeling of being in an art community before KCAI ... or since. Rewarding: My instructors treated me like my ideas were worthwhile, like I had value as an artist. Inspiring: Being with so many others of like mind gave me strength then to continue in the arts and that continues till this day, 37 years later. Whew! Did I just write 37 years?!
Laura Keller (’78 painting):
Best life time: I wanted to attend the Art Institute since I was a child. I discovered the school while taking some classes at the Nelson when I was five or six years old and dreamed about going to art school as my major life goal. And it happened and was the best thing that happened to me, and was the best place.
Your exhibition will be listed in a 2010 alumni exhibition pull-out page in the January 2010 issue of Alumni News and on the KCAI alumni Web page. Let us know by filling out the online form at www.kcai.edu/share-your-news.
The Jannes Library asks for your help in identifying exhibition catalogs and books that feature the work of KCAI alumni. Library staff are renewing and redoubling efforts to acquire these printed materials for the library’s collections. If your work appears in an exhibition catalog or in a book, or if you know of KCAI alumni featured in print, please share the information with M. J. Poehler, library director, at 816-802-3393 or mpoehler@kcai.edu. Items will be purchased by the library (if they are still in print) as the budget allows. Donations to the library of catalogs and books are gratefully accepted as well. Contact Poehler if you have questions about making donations. Also, if you are included in an exhibition catalog in the future, we hope you will remember KCAI’s Jannes Library by sending us a copy of the catalog or informing us of the opportunity to purchase it. Please send catalogs to KCAI Jannes Library, ATTN: Alumni Catalog, 4415 Warwick Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111.
Chris Turner, who was in the news in October for holding off Afghan militants in an attack on a house in Kabul, studied filmmaking at KCAI in the early 1970s. Turner’s father, Lionel Turner, who lives in Leawood, Kan., said his son studied at KCAI for one or two years before leaving home in his 20s and heading overseas. “He’s always been an adventurer,” Turner said. The son also attended Wichita State University, where he studied art, and the University of Kansas before enrolling at KCAI. For more information about Turner’s heroic actions overseas, visit www.kmbc.com/news/21455062/detail.html.
Cary Esser (’78 ceramics) gives a presentation on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.
Cary Esser (’78 ceramics): In October the KCAI ceramics department was featured on “Craft in America.” The two-hour show aired nationally, and the second hour of the program included a 10-minute segment about the strength of the KCAI ceramics program. It featured interviews with Cary Esser (’78 ceramics), chair of the department; Professor George Timock; and several KCAI students and alumni. Their segment, “Process,” is included in Season 2, Episode 5. For more details and to purchase a DVD of the program, visit www.pbs.org/craftinamerica/process.html.
Esser specializes in architectural applications of ceramics, such as tiles, wall reliefs and installations informed by the traditions and motifs of architectural ornament. Her work is currently featured in the nationally traveling exhibition “Craft in America” with venues including the Mengei International Museum in San Diego, the Houston Center for Contemporary Art and the Cranbrook Art Museum. Her work also is illustrated in the book “Craft in America,” published in 2007 by Clarkson Potter.
Work by Esser, along with work by KCAI students, faculty members and alumni, is included in an exhibition entitled “Object Lessons: Recent Works from KCAI,” on view through Nov. 21 at the Craft in America Study Center Gallery in Los Angeles. Esser gave a presentation as part of the exhibition opening.
Stretch (’87 sculpture).
Stretch (’87 sculpture): Stretch, a Kansas City, Mo.-based artist and business owner, maintains a strong presence in Kansas City while also garnering national attention with various sculpture exhibitions, public art commissions and television projects. He credits his assistant, Holly Hayden (’03 design), for helping to keep his operations running smoothly.
Recently appointed to Kansas City’s Tax Increment Financing Commission by Mayor Mark Funkhouser, Stretch is locally known as a savvy businessman. He runs Grinders restaurant and its next-door deli counterpart, Grinders West and ZONE gallery. Most recently, Stretch developed a monthly art auction called Art Bidz. Also, in association with Pipeline Productions, Stretch has converted the lot behind Grinders into a live music venue known as The Crossroads KC @ Grinders, which promotes artists, musicians and benefits for nonprofit organizations. A recipient of the 2006 Urban Hero Award for his revitalization efforts in downtown Kansas City, Mo., Stretch considers community involvement part of his responsibility as an artist.
Stretch has been commissioned to do public art for airports, college campuses and city sculpture parks around the world. He recently was elected to the board of directors of the International Sculpture Center, which publishes Sculpture magazine. His piece “Hybrid Spur” is currently on view in an exhibit entitled “Structures” at 80 N.E. 29th St. in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami.
Stretch’s career also includes several television projects. He has participated in Discovery Channel’s Monster House and ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and he was featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and most recently Guy’s Big Bite. In November and December, Stretch will be unveiling his 25-gallon monster margarita machine while on tour with the Food Network’s Guy Fieri. The road show stops in Kansas City at the Midland Theatre on Dec. 7. Visit www.guyfieri.com for details.
For more information on Stretch, visit www.stretchsculpture.com or follow him on Twitter, www.twitter.com/STRETCHartist.
Hal Wert, “Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints.”
Hal Wert, professor in the School of Liberal Arts, recently published “Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints,” and the book is available for purchase at www.obamaposterbook.com. The following is a review from Library Journal:
- “Wert (Kansas City Art Inst.) has here collected an impressive selection of posters from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. The images are particularly notable because they are not official campaign posters but a form of outsider art, the work of a wide range of artists all of whom were inspired to work independently to promote the candidacy of Obama. Beginning with Ray Noland in Chicago (who provides a foreword), the book goes on to present the work of anonymous artists as well as that of well-known figures like Robert Indiana. We see Obama rendered as Lincoln, Superman, a pothead, a basketball hero, a boxer, a wrestler and an Everyman depicted humorously, with dignity, with nobility and as the neighbor down the street. It is hard to think of a graphic style that isn’t represented. A succinct epilog with a historical view of graphics from past political campaigns helps put the phenomenon in perspective.
- space
- “VERDICT: More than a novelty, this enjoyable chronicle of a unique moment in America’s national history will remain a useful document for generations. For anyone interested in graphic arts, poster art and political history.”
A new memoir by Patricia Catto, associate professor in the School of Liberal Arts, has been published by Jade Ibis Productions and is available in Kindle Reader and Fine Art Limited Editions. The book, entitled “Aunt Pig of Puglia,” is described as “a stunning valentine to storytelling” (Catherine Browder, author of “Secret Lives”) and “a wonderfully exquisite, moving memoir of the Italian-American experience” (Joey Nicoletti, author of “Cannoli Gangster”). For more information, visit www.jadedibisproductions.com.
If you would like to submit an update for the e-newsletter, fill out the on-line form at www.kcai.edu/share-your-news by Feb. 15, June 15 or Oct. 15. The publication comes out three times a year in March, July and November.
Update your e-mail and mailing addresses with the alumni relations office to receive information about exciting alumni events and to receive the new KCAI alumni e-newsletter.
Please note: We are as concerned about your privacy as you are. The alumni relations office will only use your contact information to inform you about alumni events and opportunities and to send you KCAI alumni publications — we will not share your personal information without your permission. To update our information, visit www.kcai.edu/alumni/update-your-information.
Please help us get the word out about this new publication. Forward the e-newsletter to a fellow alumnus or alumna, and please encourage him or her to update contact information on our Web site at www.kcai.edu/alumni/update-your-information.
Would you like more traffic to your individual Web sites? E-mail your Web site links to the alumni relations office at alumni@kcai.edu. They will appear on the alumni relations Web page at www.kcai.edu/alumni. The following alumni have been added:
Bob Camblin (’55 painting) www.camblin.com
Louise Moss (’63 design) www.tmoss.com
Terry Diel (’67 painting) www.carouselhorsesbyterry.com
Vicki Bethel (’69 attended) www.vickibethel.com
Gerald Eisterhold (’73 design) www.eisterhold.com
Jennifer Molton (’75 attended) www.210design.com
Deborah Kamy Hull (’75 painting) www.deborahkamyhull.com
Charles Birnbaum (’76 ceramics) www.charlesbirnbaum.com
Jan Huling (’76 design) www.janhuling.com
Peggy Nichols (’76 painting and printmaking) www.absolutearts.com/peggynichols/
Kenneth W. Shanika (’76 painting) www.ShanikaFineArts.com,
www.PikesPeakPleinAirPainters.com
Christine Hartman (’77 painting) www.painting.hartmanstudios.net
Mark Estes (’79 photography) www.estesphoto.com
Rebecca Koop (’79 ceramics) www.backdoorpottery.com
Jeff (James) Burk (’79 photography) www.jeffburk-photo.com
Lynn Rosenthal (’80 photography) www.inliquid.com
Scott Freeman (’82 painting) and Mollie Freeman (’89 painting) www.freemanartgallery.com
TaVee Magner (’82 painting and printmaking) www.tavee.us/TaVee/TaVee.html
Mark Roper (’83 painting) www.mproperart.com
Edgar L. Davis (’84 painting and printmaking) www.edgarldavis.com
Steve Keetle (’84 design) www.keetledesign.com
Debra Di Blasi (’85 painting) www.debradiblasi.com, www.jadedibisproductions.com
Stretch (’87 sculpture) www.stretchsculpture.com
Christine Whittaker (’87 sculpture) www.christinewhittaker.com
Shari Cornish (’88 fiber) www.sharicornish.com
Mark Knott (’88 ceramics) www.markknott.com
Robert Renfrow (’88 photo/video) www.renfrowart.com
Linda Lighton (’89 sculpture) www.lindalighton.com
Maryann Hammond (’89 fiber) www.surfacedesign.org, www.artistsregister.com/artists/mo259
Donn Buchfinck (’90 ceramics) www.donnbuchfinck.com
Deirdre Murphy (’91 painting) www.deirdremurphyart.com
Bernadette Torres (’91 ceramics) www.bernadettetorres.com
Treden Wagoner (’92 illustration) www.treden.com
Dana Fritz (’92 photo/video) www.unl.edu/fritz
Jeffrey Crowe (’93 ceramics) www.jcroweart.wordpress.com
Rebecca Miller (’93 photography) www.millerebecca.com
Jide Aje (’94 industrial design) www.jideaje.com
John Serrano (’94 ceramics) www.jfserrano.com
Kosmas Ballis (’95 ceramics) www.KosmasBallis.com
Ralph Provisero (’95 sculpture) www.provisero.com
Josh George (’97 illustration) www.joshgeorge.com
Alissa Apel (’98 design and illustration) www.sugarcookieart.blogspot.com
Courtney Keller (’98 printmaking) www.peaceboutique.com
Kristin Rafferty (’98 attended) www.kristinrafferty.com
Clifton Alexander (’99 design) www.yourreactor.com
Teresa Mandala (’99 design and illustration) www.BellaDesignsKC.com
Nobuhito Nishigawara (’99 ceramics) www.nobuhitonishigawara.com
Scott Hassell (’00 printmaking) www.scotthassell.com
Sean O’Connell (’01 sculpture) www.seanoconnellpottery.com/home.html
Jessica Wohl (’01 illustration) www.jessicawohl.com
Cody Langford (’02 design) www.itsfancy.com
Rachel Frank (’03 painting) www.rachelfrank.com
Katie Parker (’03 ceramics) www.katiesnewwork.blogspot.com
Mary Beth Yates (’03 fiber) www.marybethyates.com
Justin Gainan (’04 fiber) www.justingainan.com
Milton “Quint” Stevenson (’04 sculpture) www.tompkinsprojects.com
Ascot Smith (’05 photo/new media) www.ascotjsmith.com
Dan Bina (’06 painting) www.danbina.blogspot.com
Christine Dixon Schumaker (’06 illustration) www.christinedixon.com
Alex Elmestad (’07 interdisciplinary arts) www.alexelmestad.com
Brandon Barr (’09 interdisciplinary arts) www.brandonhbarr.com
Calder Kamin (’09 ceramics and art history) www.calderkamin.wordpress.com
Liz Largent (’09 ceramics) www.lizlargent.wordpress.com
Plans are under way for alumni gatherings in the following cities.
Chicago: 5:30–7 p.m. Feb. 11 at Studio/lab, 1 E. Wacker Dr., Ste. 3030
St. Louis: March (date to be determined)
Philadelphia: April (date to be determined)
New York: April 9 at Exit Art, 475 Tenth Ave. at the corner of 36th St. (time to be determined)
More details to follow.
KCAI’s event calendar is full of fun things to see and do this fall:
Jaimie Warren (’02 printmaking), “Untitled (Self Portrait, Dinosaur Mouth).”
“The 2009 Charlotte Street Foundation Visual Artists Awards,” an exhibition that features work by recipients of the 2009 Charlotte Street Foundation fellowships, will be on view through March 27. The gallery is located at 16 E. 43rd St. in Kansas City, Mo.
In celebration of the Kansas City Art Institute’s 125th anniversary, internationally acclaimed artist Nick Cave (’82 fiber) is creating a special performance for the anniversary gala utilizing his Soundsuits. Cave will host an open call to choose 20 to 30 dancers for the performance. The open call will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 4 in Epperson Auditorium on the KCAI campus. Ability to do gymnastics and/or stilt-walk is a plus. Selected performers must be available from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Feb. 13-19 and all day Feb. 20 for rehearsals. For more information, contact Elisabeth Farr at efarr@kcai.edu or 816-802-3483.
The end-of-semester exhibition and sale will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4 and continue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 5 and noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 6.
For five years the Art in the Loop Foundation has joined downtown’s revitalization efforts through cutting-edge public art projects. It engages KCAI-affiliated artists to inject creativity into Kansas City’s visual identity.
Earlier this year Art in the Loop announced the site for their next project –– a dark, underutilized, vacated alleyway in the Library district. A competitive selection process awarded a $75,000 art commission (and an artist residency at the Kansas City Design Center) to artist team Julia Cole, KCAI chair of interdisciplinary arts, and Leigh Rosser.
The team won the competition with an imaginative proposal that promises to transform a leftover scrap of urban fabric into a vibrant, creative experience. Installation is scheduled for spring 2010.
In February, Art in the Loop rotated their ARTwall (a billboard at the intersection of 13th and Grand Streets that displays super-sized contemporary art) with a thought-provoking photograph by New York-based artist Cortney Andrews (’05 photo/new media). The photograph, titled “Eros & Thanatos” after the Greek gods of love and death, relates to the artist’s interest in Sigmund Freud’s theory of pleasure and pain. Andrews’ image challenged downtown visitors to formulate their own interpretation of its dark imagery. This is the ARTwall’s fourth image installation. Art in the Loop will commission new work by Kansas City-based artist Ascot Smith (’05 photo/new media) for the next ARTwall.
The Art in the Loop Foundation is a partnership among the Kansas City Art Institute, the Downtown Council, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and the Municipal Art Commission. This innovative program grew from these organizations’ shared interests in the downtown area and cultural life of the city.
Can you identify the students in this picture, their major and the year the picture was taken? E-mail your answers to alumni@kcai.edu. The first person to correctly identify the students and the year will receive a prize.
Ellen Hardman (’85 ceramics) correctly identified all of the ceramics graduates in the class of 1985 photo that was included in the July e-newsletter.
As part of the ongoing retail development at Summit Fair in Lee’s Summit, Mo., RED Development will commission an artist or an artist team to create a permanent, outdoor art installation for a roundabout green space. Artists are invited to submit qualifications and digital images by 4 p.m. Nov. 30 to Cassie Lane, 1843 Village West Parkway, Suite C-127, Kansas City, Kan. For more information, contact Lane at CLane@legendsshopping.com or 913-788-3700.
Charlotte Street Foundation (CSF) supports and recognizes outstanding artists in the Kansas City area; presents, promotes, enhances and encourages the visual, performing and interdisciplinary arts; and fosters economic development in the urban core of Kansas City, Mo.
Charlotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project will host “Let’s Paint TV,” a live Internet television show starring Los Angeles-based artist and cult phenomenon John Kilduff, a.k.a. Mr. Let’s Paint TV, at Urban Culture Project’s Project Space, 21 E. 12th St. from 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 17 through 24.
UCP and Kilduff are currently seeking chefs, musicians, performers, visual artists, local celebrities, politicians, personal trainers and others with skills, talents and enthusiasm who would like to appear as guests on the show. In addition, Kilduff will paint portraits of and interact with members of the audience. Among Kilduff’s special endeavors planned for the show will be the preparation of a Thanksgiving holiday dinner. Donations of food, canvases and other supplies are welcome. Contact info@charlottestreet.org if interested in appearing on the show or donating materials.
“Mythmakers,” curated by Megan Mantia (’06 printmaking and art history), will open with a reception and live performances from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20 at Paragraph Gallery, 23 E. 12th St. The exhibition features KCAI alumni Drew Bolton (’06 new media), Cody Critcheloe (’03 printmaking), Kyle Devine (’09 printmaking), Ariel Hart (’07 animation), Lamano, comprised of Kyle Chapman and Jessie Laino, both of whom attended KCAI from 2004 to 2006, Dustin Maberry (junior, graphic design), Leone Anne Reeves ('03 ceramics and creative writing), Elisha Stetson (’09 fiber), Jaimie Warren (’02 printmaking) and Ariel Williams (’06 printmaking) and will continue on view through Jan. 2. According to Kate Hackman, associate director of the Charlotte Street Foundation, “Mythmakers embodies the youthful, make-your-own-fun, do-it-yourself-and-together spirit of Kansas City … The densely packed exhibition will showcase a cross-section of emerging artists who place themselves at the center of their work, constructing mythic personas and fantasy narratives that fuse autobiographical aspects with illusions of grandeur, typically with a sizeable dose of humor thrown in as well.” For more information, visit www.charlottestreet.org.
Open Studios will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20 at the following locations:
City Center Square, 1100 Main St., 5th floor
Bonfils, 125 E. 12th St.
Partnership Place, 906 Grand St., 13th floor
“Departure/Arrival” will be on view April 2 through May 22 at La Esquina, 1000 W. 25th St. The exhibit will be curated by Jonah Criswell (’05 painting), assistant director of admissions, and Maria Elena Buszek, Ph.D., assistant professor of art history at KCAI, and it will feature the following alumni:
Cortney Andrews (’05 photo/new media)
Anthony Baab (’04 painting)
Jonah Criswell (’05 painting)
Peter Demos (’04 painting)
Dennis Doty (’05 interdisciplinary arts)
Rachel Frank (’03 painting)
Lauren McEntire (’04 fiber)
Martin Murphy (’05 interdisciplinary arts)
Shawn Powell (’05 painting)
Leonne Reeves (’03 ceramics and creative writing)
Alexis Semtner (’06 painting)
Cay Weston Drachnik (’42 attended) won an award of merit in the California State Fair 2009 Art Exhibition in Sacramento, Calif. Drachnik’s painting, “Margaretti and Her Pet Iguana,” was one of only 13 watercolors accepted out of 1,342 art entries.
Robert Russell (’61 painting) exhibited work in a solo exhibition in September at the Jack Meier Gallery in Houston. The exhibition can be viewed online at www.jackmeiergallery.com/robert_russellmain.htm.
April Greiman (’70 design), “Does It Make Sense? Design Quarterly #133.”
“Does it Make Sense? Design Quarterly #133,” a print by April Greiman (’70 design), is included in the new seminal group exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Titled “elles@centrepompidou: Women Artists in the Collections of the Modern Art Museum,” this new presentation of the Centre Pompidou’s collections will consist entirely of work by women artists from the 20th century to the present day. Greiman’s piece can be found in the section of the exhibit entitled “Immaterials.” On Nov. 5, Greiman gave a lecture entitled “Think About What You Think About” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., as part of the Mary Atkins Lecture Series. www.madeinspace.la
David McCullough (’70 painting and printmaking) was the 2008-09 recipient of the Dallas Meadows Art Museum (Southern Methodist University) Moss-Chumley Award for Art Advocacy and Excellence in Painting. McCullough also showed work in solo exhibits at the Mesquite Art Center in Mesquite, Texas in 2006, The McKinney Avenue Contemporary in Dallas in 2007 and The Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in Kansas City, Mo. in 2006-2007. He also participated in a summer group exhibit at the HCG Gallery in Dallas in 2009. McCullough received his M.F.A. degree in the new art and technology (ATEC) program at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2006 and is in the process of completing his Ph.D. in the ATEC program. www.isthatjazz.com
Donald Swindler (’70 painting) will show new work in an exhibition on view Dec. 1 through 28 at North Charleston City Gallery in the North Charleston Convention Center in Charleston, S.C. Swindler also was selected to participate in a group exhibition that took place earlier this year at the Pickens County Museum of Art in Pickens, S.C.
In September, Richard Notkin (’71 ceramics) participated in his first online exhibition at AKAR Gallery in Iowa City, Iowa. The exhibition included Notkin’s tile designs in earthenware and terra cotta, as well as other pieces including his “Stacked Crates Teapot.” www.akardesign.com
Nancy Bishop (’72 photography) is a medieval art historian and an adjunct instructor at Seattle Pacific University. Bishop’s daughter, Emily Yoshida, graduated from the film program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Curt Ginther (’72 attended) announced that the Board of Commissioners of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts approved the purchase of his painting entitled “Blow It Out” from the exhibit entitled “Commitment to Excellence” which took place at the Linekona Art Center in Honolulu.The piece is currently on display at the Hawaii State Art Museum in Honolulu. www.state.hi.us/sfca/
In July, Gary Cooper (’74 design) was commissioned to sculpt a bronze historical plaque to honor the Maine Women Veterans for the Hall of Flags at the state capitol building in Augusta, Maine. This is the fourth bronze plaque commission Cooper has executed for the state of Maine since 2001.
Deborah Hull (’75 painting) exhibits work in a three-person show through Dec. 17 at Harvard Neighbors Gallery at Loeb House on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass. Hull’s section is “Landscapes” and consists of a selection of recent oil paintings and drawings of Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. www.deborahkamyhull.com
Jan Huling (’76 design) will show new mixed media work early next year (date to be determined) at the Lyons Wier Gallery, 175 Seventh Ave., New York. Huling’s work also will be featured in exhibitions at Rupert Raven Gallery, Newark, N.J.; Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco; and Pulse Miami. www.janhuling.com
Christina McPhee (’76 painting), “Dynamic Sink Pulse Oneoneoneone."
Christina McPhee (’76 painting) exhibits new work in “Tesserae of Venus” on view through Dec. 5 at the Silverman Gallery, 804 Sutter St., San Francisco. As both futuristic fantasy and documentary reality, “Tesserae of Venus” proposes a disturbing and radical observation of contemporary and future landscapes in the transition from petroleum to alternative energy production. At the same time, McPhee’s works observe the mechanics of abstraction in the age of computer technology. www.silverman-gallery.com/exhibition/view/1770
Kenneth W. Shanika (’76 painting) won the First Place Award as well as the People’s Choice Award in the landscape category for his painting “Fading Light on Horse Thief Creek” at the 60th Annual Wind River Valley Artists’ Guild National Art Show in Dubois, Wyo. Shanika also won the People’s Choice Award at the annual Pikes Peak Plein Air Painter’s Show in Colorado Springs, Colo., for his painting “Rocky Creek.”
In July, Leslie Sheryll (’76 photography) won first place at the “Viridian Artists Inc. 20th International Juried Show” at Viridian Artists Inc. in New York. The winning piece was an environmental installation entitled “Urban Monsoon” that used found bottles. Sheryll also participated in “Nature’s Whispers, Nature’s Shouts,” a group show competition at the Vermont Photo Workplace in Middlebury, Vt. www.viridianartists.com, www.vtphotoworkplace.com
Christine Hartman (’77 painting) exhibited new paintings in October in a solo show entitled “Recent Work” at the Bowery Gallery in New York. www.painting.hartmanstudios.net
Susan Milord (’77 design) has begun a nine month stay in Rome, Italy where she is writing and illustrating books for children.
Leslie M. Knop (’78 painting) is the executive director of the Office of Stewardship and Development at the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas (CFNEK) for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan., and she is involved in the formation of a new Catholic Fine Arts Council that recently was established by a resolution of the CFNEK. Married since 1994, Knop has a blended family of five adult children, one of whom teaches art in California. She is also a certified fund raising executive (CFRE) with an M.S. degree from the University of Kansas in journalism and integrated marketing communication.
Lynn Rosenthal (’80 photography) will show large-scale color inkjet prints in the solo exhibition “Elephant Ear Series” on view Jan.19 through Feb. 12. at St. Joseph’s University gallery, 5600 City Ave., Philadelphia. www.inliquid.com
Exhibition poster for “Skin & Bones.”
Craig Bruns (’81 sculpture) curated and designed the exhibition “Skin & Bones –– Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor” at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, where he is the curator. The exhibit, which was featured in The New York Times in May, is on view through Feb. 7. In conjunction with the exhibit, the museum hosted The Mighty Warship Olympia Tattoo Festival in October aboard the historic 1895 cruiser Olympia, where tattoo artists and their subjects could reflect and become part of the ship’s tattoo history.
Steve Keetle (’84 design) won a gold medal for Best Regional Non-Fiction at the 2009 Independent Publisher Regional Book Awards (IPPYs). There were more than 700 entries. “Stories, Food, Life,” which Keetle designed, is a collection of evocative food memoirs, recipes and photographs that paint a portrait of family and community, food traditions and celebrations from the Adirondack region of New York. www.keetledesign.com
Debra Di Blasi (’85 painting) launched her new publishing venture, Jaded Ibis Press, at the October 2009 &NOW Conference of Innovative Literature. Newest releases are a book by Patricia Catto, KCAI associate professor in the School of Liberal Arts, entitled “Aunt Pig of Puglia: A Family Memoir,” and a CD of sound collage by Davis Schneiderman and Don Meyer entitled “Memorials to Future Catastrophes.” Forthcoming is a reprint of David Hoenigman’s “Burn Your Belongings,” with artwork and experimental audio by acclaimed Japanese musician Yasutoshi Yoshida and other books illustrated by fine artists. Di Blasi can be reached at www.debradiblasi.com. www.jadedibisproductions.com
Robert Renfrow (’88 photo/video) was selected for the second consecutive time to participate in “Arizona Biennial” at the Tucson Museum of Art in Tucson, Ariz., an exhibition highlighting artists in the region and allowing them to gain broad exposure for their work. The exhibit showcased the subtle shifts in imagery, stylistic impulses and conceptual foundations to reveal how the artistic community of Arizona participates in the broad dialogue of contemporary art. Renfrow recently opened a new studio in Tucson and teaches multiple workshops and classes. www.renfrowart.com
Bernadette Esperanza Torres (’91 ceramics) was part of the exhibit “Artists Studios: KC” at the Burn Ceramics Studio in October. The event gave artists the opportunity to invite the public into their studios. Torres also was one of 120 prominent artists to participate in “Beyond Bounds Ruby 2009” at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, located on the campus of Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan. www.bernadettetorres.com
John Ferry (’92 illustration) shows a collection of his paintings through Dec. 3 in an exhibit entitled “Selected Works by John Ferry” for Kennesaw State University’s 2nd Biennial “Best of” show in the Fine Arts Gallery of the Joe Mack Wilson Building on KSU’s campus in Kennesaw, Ga. According to the curator, KSU Art Museum and Galleries Director Will Hipps, “Ferry’s works reveal the aesthetic beauty of the overlooked and forgotten urban environment and brilliantly portray the cycle of change in our cities.”
Work by Dana Fritz (’92 photo/video) will be included in “The Fourth Art on Paper,” an exhibition curated by Ryozo Morishita (’73 painting). It will be on view March 16 through 21 at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art in Toyota City, Japan. www.unl.edu/fritz
Melinda Gardner (’92 attended) was commissioned to photograph Julie Catt, author of “Normal: The True Story of a Complicated Family” for publisher Swann House, Australia.
Jeffrey Crowe (’93 ceramics) is part of the exhibition “Visions of the Flint Hills,” on view through Dec. 5 at The Buttonwood Art Space in Kansas City, Mo. Crowe also is preparing for a solo show that will open in October 2010 at Red Star Studios in Kansas City, Mo. www.jcroweart.wordpress.com
Rebecca Miller (’93 photography) was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor at Drury University in Springfield, Mo. She also is the gallery director at Drury University and would like to encourage any KCAI alumni interested in group or solo exhibitions to send proposals to her at the Department of Art and Art History, Drury University, 900 N. Benton Ave., Springfield, MO 65802. www.millerebecca.com
Jide Aje (’94 industrial design) is showing mixed media abstract paintings through Nov. 28 in an exhibit entitled “Abstract ephemera 1” at Café 1923, located at 2287 Holbrook St., Hamtramck, Mich. www.jideaje.com
Kosmas Ballis (’95 ceramics), “De-evolutionary Bouquet #1.”
A sculpture by Kosmas Ballis (’95 ceramics) is in the permanent museum collection of the new Ohr-O’Keefe Museum in Biloxi, Miss. The museum was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry and is an affiliate of The Smithsonian Museum. The piece will be on view through January in the exhibition “From the Vault: Selections from the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art Permanent Collection.” www.KosmasBallis.com
“Traiettorie Architettoniche,” an installation by Ralph Provisero (’95 sculpture), was included in the exhibition “Celluloid Drag: Some Spaces Between Film and Architecture.” Other 2009 shows featuring Provisero included “Aesthetics & Values” at Florida International University and “Miami: The Edge of a Nation” at Melissa Morgan Fine Art in Palm Desert, Calif. He also was featured in the Studio Drive-By documentary series produced by Wet Heat Project in Miami. The documentary can be found online at www.wetheat.tv/Provisero-DriveBy.html. In April he completed the permanent installation of his large-scale sculpture “Pietra Veloce” at the University of Miami campus.
Laura Snyder (’95 photo/video) shows new work in a solo exhibition through Jan. 11 at the Nichols School Gallery, 1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, N.Y. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Rachel Malcolm-Woods Ensor (’96 painting) exhibits work in a solo show entitled “Abstraction and Apex” through Nov. 30 at The Gallery Space at the law office of Joni Beth Bailey, 1008 Walnut St., Murphysboro, Ill.
Tim Hutchings (’96 video) exhibits new work in his solo show “Timothy Hutchings (sculpture/installation),” which is on display through Dec. 16 at the 800 Gallery on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.
www.timothyhutchings.com
Work by Josh George (’97 illustration) is included in “Eros a Fior di Pelle” at the Galleria Entroterra in Brescia, Italy. The exhibit is being presented by The Cultural Association for the Promotion of Contemporary Figurative Art under the patronage of the Province of Milan and the Lombardy Region and features works devoted to the theme of eroticism. The exhibition will run through Jan. 1. www.joshgeorge.com
Ethan Turpin (’97 sculpture) participated in the exhibition “The View from Here” at the Atkinson Gallery at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, Calif., in celebration of the school’s 100-year anniversary. Turpin showed a new stereographic wall piece as well as an outdoor installation involving the view from the museum. He also will receive a “2010 Visions from the New California Award” and will spend a month at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, Calif., utilizing their renowned printmaking facility. This residency program is administered by the Alliance of Artists Communities and is supported by The James Irvine Foundation. www.artistcommunities.org
Kristin Rafferty (’98 attended) was the editorial illustrator for the University of Minnesota’s “MN Daily,” which has a circulation of more than 30,000 readers. She also spent a year in the AmeriCorps/VISTA program and worked as a youth program coordinator through Metropolitan State University, the St. Paul Public Schools and the Minnesota Literacy Council. As a VISTA volunteer Rafferty taught video classes and other art workshops for teens and has continued to bring courses to inner-city children. www.kristinrafferty.com
Nobuhito Nishigawara (’99 ceramics) will contribute work to “ZOOM,” which is on view Nov. 21 through Dec. 19 at the Torrance Art Museum in Torrance, Calif. The exhibit features both emerging and established artists and seeks to reflect current trends, track developments in contemporary practices and explore associations between regional geographical areas. Most recent sculptures by Nishigawara also will be exhibited Dec. 3 through 6 through the Mark Moore Gallery at the Pulse Contemporary Art Fair in Miami, the leading U.S. art fair dedicated solely to contemporary art.
Also, Nishigawara was selected to show work in the OsCene 2010 Biennial, which takes place Feb. 20 through May 16 at the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, Calif.
www.lagunaartmuseum.org
www.torranceartmuseum.com/zoom1.php
www.nobuhitonishigawara.com
www.markmooregallery.com
www.pulse-art.com/miami/
Liz Smith (’99 painting) and Elliott Oliver (’99 painting) announce the birth of their first child, Miles Curtis Oliver, who was born July 28 in Los Angeles.
Scott Hassell (’00 printmaking) is showing work through Dec. 6 in a two-person show entitled “Scott Hassell and Oona Gardner at Chime & Co.” at Chime & Co., 512 N. Hoover St., Los Angeles. www.scotthassell.com
Larry McAnany (’01 painting) is currently showing work in the exhibition “Scratch,” on view through December at The Writers Place in Kansas City, Mo. The theme of the work McAnany shows in “Scratch” is derived from two literary sources –– “The Cantos” by Ezra Pound and “I Explain a Few Things” by Pablo Neruda. McAnany’s work has been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally at venues including The Late Show and Jan Weiner in Kansas City, Mo., Kaibundo Gallery in Osaka, Japan and Gallery Montecastello in Perugia, Italy. www.writersplace.org
In September, Rachel Frank (’03 painting) showed work in a solo exhibition entitled “Rachel Frank: Black Pool” at The Mariboe Gallery at Peddie School in Highstown, N.J. www.peddie.org/mariboegallery, www.rachelfrank.com
Katie Parker (’03 ceramics) is an assistant professor of ceramics in the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. www.katiesnewwork.blogspot.com
Work by Jonathan Dankenbring (’04 painting) has been selected for the upcoming show “The Body Departed” at Metropolitan Community College-Longview’s Cultural Center in Lee’s Summit, Mo. The exhibit is on view through Nov. 21.
Milton “Quint” Stevenson (’04 sculpture) is director of the Tompkins Projects, a new exhibition space he co-founded in Brooklyn, N.Y., that is dedicated to showing contemporary artwork from emerging and mid-career artists. “Abstraction Ain’t Dead” is the inaugural exhibition and is open to the public through Nov. 21. The exhibition showcases the work of five emerging artists working in linear minimalist abstraction. www.tompkinsprojects.com
Martin Murphy (’05 interdisciplinary arts), “Split Mirror Syndrome.”
Martin Murphy (’05 interdisciplinary arts) participated in the Venice Biennale 53rd International Art Exhibition, which remains on display through Nov. 22. Murphy presented “Split Mirror Syndrome,” an HD video with audio, as part of the biennale’s Détournement project.
In September, Louie Hinnen (’06 sculpture) received the $10,000 William and Dorothy Yeck Award for the 2009 Young Sculptors Competition. Hinnen’s piece “Ring” will become part of Miami University’s Best Young Sculptors of the 21st Century Collection on the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio. www.miami.muohio.edu/news/
In August, Erin McAllister (’06 fiber) was part of the “Axis 4th National Juried Exhibition” at the Axis Gallery in Sacramento, Calif. McAllister was the featured artist for the ArtsKC Partnership Awards Ceremony and also was featured in the online version of Juxtapose magazine this year. www.ekmcallistertextiles.com
Jennifer Blinko-Buford (’07 art history) is working with Nebraska Furniture Mart in its new partnership with Kansas City’s premier kitchen design firm, Portfolio Kitchen and Home. Specializing in luxury appliances, she is working with designers at Portfolio to help Nebraska Furniture Mart’s customers create a dream home. In addition, Blinko-Buford was married in September.
Alex Elmestad (’07 interdisciplinary arts) is one of eight students accepted to the University of Missouri-St. Louis Museum Studies program, where he is working to complete his M.F.A. degree in art history. Elmestad received a full scholarship and is working as a graduate research assistant in the college’s contemporary art museum. www.alexelmestad.com, www.umsl.edu
Monina Velarde (’09 graphic design) discusses her final
project at the Command X competition.
Monina Velarde (’09 graphic design) is the winner of the Command X competition at the 2009 AIGA Make/Think Conference in Memphis, Tenn. According to the conference’s Web site, “Command X: Season 2” is a graphic design reality show featuring seven designers who were given a series of design challenges to complete and present on within 24 hours. The final project of the competition was to make a statement about civil rights. Velarde’s civilrightsandme.org campaign, a social networking site that allows people to upload images and statements that define equal rights for them, then spread those messages virally, cemented her win. As the winner, Velarde received $1,000 in cash, Adobe CS4 Design Premium suite, an iPhone and a Monotype Library CD containing more than 1,000 fonts and valued at $3,499. (Image courtesy of Wheat Wurtzburger. www.fieldsandfieldsofwheat.com.)
Susan Marshall Labunski, 81, of Overland Park, Kan., died at her home on Oct. 15, 2009. She was an artist whose “Bat Boy” drawings were used as the logos of Johnson County 3&2 Baseball team. Labunski was born Jan. 28, 1928, in Kansas City, Mo., to the late John Curtis Marshall and the late Lucille LaCaff Marshall. Labunski received a full scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute, where she studied painting and later studied with Asterio Pascolini and Robert Kalthoff. She also was deeply involved in community organizations; in addition to her work for 3&2, she was involved in local school groups and youth sports, was a member of the Kansas City Young Matrons and was a past president of the Kansas City Athenaeum. She was known to be one of the few outspoken liberal Democrats living in Johnson County in the 1950s and 1960s; a Democratic delegation once tried to persuade her to run for public office, beginning with what appeared to them to be an easy run for the open mayor’s office in Prairie Village, Kan. Knowing that her family attorney and good friend Robert Bennett also was planning to run for the open seat, and having great respect for his political abilities, she declined, with more than a little amusement. She was married to the late Stanislaw Labunski until his death in 1990; her sister, Jacqueline McIntyre, also preceded her in death. She was fortunate enough to spend the last years of her life at home, being cared for by family members; all three of her daughters were at her bedside when she died. She is survived by her brother, Col. John C. Marshall (USAF – Ret.), of Tacoma, Wash.; her daughters, Ania Johnson, Laura Edgington and Carla Labunski, all of Overland Park, Kan.; her son, Jan Curt Labunski, of Diamond Bar, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Labunski will be buried with her husband at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery; interment will be private. The family hosted a celebration of her life, her artwork and her love of the color red, especially bright red lipstick, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Fireside Room of the Overland Park Christian Church at 7600 W. 75th St., Overland Park, Kan. Labunski always told her children, “Bring me my flowers while I’m alive, not after I’m dead when I can’t enjoy them.” Therefore, the family requests that anyone who wishes to honor her memory send flowers to their own beloved friends and families. Alternatively, memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL, 36104. Arrangements by: D.W. Newcomer’s Sons Overland Park Chapel, 913-648- 6224. Fond memories and condolences for the family may be left at www.dwnewcomers.com.
Wayne Amerine (’52 design), age 80, of San Antonio, died Aug. 3, 2009. He was born in Great Bend, Kan., in 1928. Amerine attended Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., in 1947 and the Kansas City Art Institute, where he graduated with honors and awards in 1952. After moving to Dallas, he worked as the art director for BBDO Advertising Agency and then as a full time artist. His work is located in public collections and museums, and he is listed in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Amerine was a Korean War Veteran serving in the U.S. Air Force. He was later commissioned by the U.S. Navy as a combat artist in Vietnam. He is survived by his sons, David Wayne Amerine and wife, Nela, Dean Allen Amerine and Dane George Amerine and wife Cheryl; grandchildren Dawn, Halle, Travis and Gretchen; great-grandson Nathan; and sister Nadine Christiansen. The family returned Amerine to his homestead in Kansas. The family invites contributions of thoughts and stories to www.porterloring.com.
Melissa Zink (attended) of Taos, N.M., died of cancer July 17, 2009. She was 77 years old. She is survived by her husband, Nelson Zink; her daughter, Mallery Downs and husband Robert; and one grandson, Christopher Downs. Zink was a multidisciplinary artist who was known for her fanciful and thought-provoking imagery. A major retrospective of her work was presented in 2006 at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos. The same year, New Mexico Magazine published a monograph entitled “Melissa Zink: The Language of Enchantment.” In 2000, Zink was chosen to represent New Mexico in “From the States,” an exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. In 2001, she received the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence and Achievement in the Arts. Examples of her work have been published in many books, periodicals and magazines, including ARTNews, Harper’s magazine, Sculpture Review and the Wall Street Journal. Her work is represented in many private, corporate and public collections. A memorial exhibit of her art, “Melissa Zink: Her Singular World,” opened in September 2009 at the Taos Art Museum and Fechin House.
