Moderated by Curator Susan Earle and Art History Professor and Department Chair David Cateforis, this is the third in a series of dialogues with artists featured in the exhibiton “The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists.” This session features David Brackett, Marcie Miller Gross, Lisa Grossman, Brian Hawkins, Philip Heying, Stephen Johnson, and Rick Mitchell.
The Power of Place considers profound understandings of place in the work 29 artists who received degrees from KU. Each artist compels the power of hand making in some form, and addresses the power of place, whether it be historical places; the spaces of a textile as place; sites or places of past or current distress, trauma, or violence; place as an abstract idea; or place as a visceral reality. The focus on place also explores the power of this place— the KU campus and community—in shaping students who make art.
This show featured an assemblage of small oil paintings on the main wall depicting the 173-mile long Kansas River, from Kansas City, MO., to Junction City, KS. Multiple large paintings of the river were on view throughout the gallery as well.
“In the Cottonwood Watershed,” was chosen as the winner of the 2018 Prairie Art Exhibition, and will be featured at the event’s auction on June 9, 2018. In addition, one hundred limited edition, signed and numbered prints will be available at the event, the online shop, or at the Symphony shop in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas.
In summer of 2017, Lisa was an artist-in-resident with the US Forest Service kayak rangers in Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, Tongass National Forest, Alaska. The Voices of the Wilderness Program is modeled after the National Park’s AIR programs but pairs artists with wilderness specialists in the National Park Service, US Forest Service, or US Fish & Wildlife Service, in almost a dozen locations around Alaska. Lisa spent six days kayak camping in Endicott Arm Fjord with Ranger Chrissy, on her rounds monitoring campsites, noise and visual intrusions, wildlife, as well as boarding tour boats for educational talks. She came back with a wealth of photos, videos, paintings, a glimpse of what it takes to manage a place for “Wilderness Character,” and a whole new appreciation for ice!
Grossman was an artist-in-residence in Bandelier National Monument the first two weeks of October. Stay posted for updates on my projects and presentations about this fabulous experience.
Grossman was selected from 90 applicants to be an artist-in-residence with the U. S. Forest Service in Tracy Arm/Ford’s Terror Wilderness, Tongass National Forest, Alaska, roughly 50 miles southeast of Juneau. She accompanied wilderness rangers on a kayak expedition up the Endicott fiord that included monitoring noise and air pollution, campsites, wildlife, removing invasive species, and boarding small cruise ships for educational talks. She painted on location and will continue painting around these stewardship goals for her donated project. She will be doing presentations in the community about her experience so stay posted for updates here and on her Facebook – artist page.
