Thursday, May 31, 2012

Body of Work Poetry Night and "The Chaperone"



We are excited for a poetry night on Tuesday, June 5 at the Arts Center.  The poetry is associated with the Body of Work Show, a figure show where nine artists interpret the human body.   The poetry for June 5 will have a theme or subject of the body.

Here are the list of poets that will be reading at the show:

Elizabeth Boyles, Mark Hennessey, Brendan Allen, Joshua Anderson, Bonnie Cherry, Creed Shepard, Frederick Gutknecht, Jason Ryberg and Callista Buchen

Here is the Facebook Invite to the poetry night: https://www.facebook.com/events/333190193418783/
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We also are excited for Lawrence author Laura Moriarty's new novel  The Chaperone, which is getting national attention.  Many sources are putting Moriarty's novel at the top of their summer top ten lists.

USA Today gives this synopsis of the book: In 1922, Louise Brooks, the Kansas teenager who will be transformed into a star of the silent screen, travels to New York for dance lessons accompanied by Cora Carlisle, a middle-aged chaperone who has hidden motives for taking the trip. 


Here is her interview with USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2012-05-23/laura-moriarty-interview-the-chaperone/55174574/1

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One more book note for today:


British artist Jenny Saville has a new book of paintings from her exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery called Continuum.
These pics come via a blog called "Days Fall Like Leaves." ( Check this blog out sometime)





Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Lawrence artist Jack Collins and the most expensive post-war women artists

In our blog, we are always on the look out for original art in Lawrence.  Here are the large scale oil paintings of Jack Collins.

Jack Collins

Jack Collins





  Also, check out the work of Eliza Bullock


Eliza Bullock


More of her work can be seen here: 

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High End Art Auctions and Women Artists
Who are the most expensive post-war women artists? At auction, these artists are Louise Bourgeois and Joan Mitchell. 

However, in the national trend at up scale art auctions for of post-war era and living artists, women artists are still under-represented and proceeds from sales are way behind male artists.  Proceeds from a sale earlier this month at Christie's had ten lots by eight women artists ( it's highest ever).  Yet proceeds on all the works by women artists in the Christie's sale was less than 5% of total sales, not even half the price achieved that night by a single picture of two naked women by Yves Klein. 

Things are changing slowly.  New York based photographer Cindy Sherman received one of the highest prices ever paid for a photograph for her 1981 Centerfold series. She also has a major exhibition at MOMA right now. 

Here are the most expensive post-war women artists: 

Louise Bourgeois, Spider, 1996

Joan Mitchell Untitled: 1960

Cindy Sherman:Untititled #96 1981 Most paid for a photograph

To read more about the prices obtained for each of these artists at auction, as well as other women aritsts go to: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2012/05/post-war-artists-auction







Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Theibaud's take on Morandi and Nathan Hoffman's Opening at Teller's

Wayne Thiebaud Two Cheese Cubes 2011

An exhibition of works by Wayne Thiebaud was held recently at the Museuo Morandi in Italy.  Along with Theibaud's paintings, works by Giorgio Morandi were also shown.  In an interview, Thiebaud says this of Morandi's work: There’s always that kind of “not quite” with Morandi and yet the feeling of totality is so nicely complete. It’s always a joy to look at his work. He also cautions us painters against the idea of over doing. It’s alright to have drama but not melodrama. So many good lessons.
Read the full interview from Art News Here:http://www.artnews.com/2011/11/08/object-lessons/

Morandi

Morandi


Photo of Morandi

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Tonight we'll be stopping by Nathan Hoffman's opening In Bloom, where he will show his small encaustic paintings at Teller's is at 746 Massachuesetts Street. The opening is from 6-8p.m.

Here is our pic we took of Nathan at the last Final Friday. 



 Work From Nathan's Thesis Show

Monday, May 28, 2012

Vintage Circus Costume Photos

In the news today:
Many artists have been searching for figure drawing sessions in Lawrence. The local burlesque troupe Foxy by Proxy is in the process of organizing drawing sessions in Lawrence where the performers will pose in costume.  The first session will be at the Arts Center in conjunction with the show Body of Work on June 14.   Later in the summer, costume designer LaVon Mystere will pose at Atomic Photography on July 7.   We'll keep readers posted as these plans develop. 

For today's pics, we are posting vintage circus photos that show costumes via the retronaut.  

 




Sunday, May 27, 2012

New Trend: Artist's Foundations

artists who have foundations include Joan Mitchell, Keith Haring, and William deKooning


Artist's Foundations

Funding is a constant worry for artists living in Kansas.  Not only is it a tough market, many resources no longer exist, such as the Kansas Arts Commission. However, a new source of funding for artists may come from the recent trend in grants from artist's foundations.  Although government and corporate support for the arts is decreasing, artist's foundations are increasing in number and revenue, and they are looking for ways to help artists as part of their mission statements.  Local artist Amber Hansen was awarded a Warhol Foundation grant for her project A Story of Chickens, and we see funding for exhibitions and donations of work to museums by these foundations.

Artists who have foundations include the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Pollack-Krasner Foundation, the Keith Haring Foundation and the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Some of the most generous foundations are from artists still living such as The Alex Katz Foundation and the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation.  Museums have become dependent on these foundations. For instance, a gift of 200 photographs by the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation helped create a photography gallery and program at the Guggenheim Museum.

In addition to funding artists and museum exhibitions, these foundations oversee individual artist's legacies by documenting and protecting work.  However, concerns of liability and cost have led many foundations such as the Warhol Foundation and the Pollack-Krasner Foundation ( the largest donor to individual artists) to make the decision not to fund costly authenticating of work, freeing funds that now may go toward helping working artists.

More on Foundations 
A report by the Aspen Institute in 2011 surprised people who cover art news when they found that there are over 300 artist- endowed foundations and assets are around $2.7 billion.  Although these assets are relatively small in the art world, these foundations focus on grant making for museums, arts related research and publications, arts education, scholarships, and programs for living artists. According to a study, most artists foundations tend to be small,  holding less than $5 million dollars in assets, and the assets are mostly in the form of works of art. The bigger foundations, such as the Warhol Foundation, awarded $14 million in cash grants to arts organizations last year.

The foundations are important to the arts because many fund artists directly.  After Hurricane Katrina, the Joan Mitchell Foundation gave cash awards to artists who were financially struggling after the disaster. The foundations also have an impact on the content of exhibitions in museums.  The Warhol foundation withdrew funds from one if its exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institute's National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. after it withdrew a work for reasons of content.  Citing "blatant censorship, " the Foundation has vowed not to fund any further exhibitions at Smithsonian museums.

Traditional foundations still give the most money to the arts.  For instance, in one year, the Ford Foundation awarded $54 million dollars.

In the decade between 1996-2005, artist-endowed foundations almost doubled in number and their combined assets more than tripled. Many living artists are setting up foundations that will be activated when they die, meaning that the trend will continue.


Info taken from the study from the Aspen Institute, pub Philanthropy News Digest Jan 2011 and 
The Artist as Philanthropist, Art News, Jan 2012
A Matter of Opinion, Art News, Feb 2012
Sleeping with the Giant of Philantrhopy The Art Newspaper, January 2011


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Pics for Art Tougeau 2012

Here are some pics from this year's Art Tougeau.
































May's Final Friday Pics

It was a pleasant evening and there was a nice turn out for May's Final Friday.   


Here are pics from May's Final Friday: 

At The Invisible Hand

Henry at the Invisible Hand

Jen (Atomic Photography) at The Arts Center

Jen at the Arts Center


At The Arts Center

Wayne at the Arts Center

Mermaid Car at the Arts Center


Jack at The Love Garden

Cats at The Love Garden

Nathan at The Invisible Hand



                                      
                                                                 Kirsten and Jeremy (Lost Art Space)


Last Final Friday at the Lost Art Space before they move: Weaving made with computer wire
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 And, don't forget the next event associated with the Body of Work show will be a poetry reading with themes and subjects of the body on June 5. 

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