The US Department of Arts and Culture

The Low-Down of The US Department of Arts and Culture

Submitted by Special Correspondent Lonesome Dove

The USDAC  (US DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE) has had a very engaged presence in Lawrence over the past year. Many folks became aware of the group through an event called the Imagining. This people powered event took place at Haskell Indian Nations University in June. Over 150 people gathered for the four-hour event. Upon arriving, participants took a big, bold step through the high-tech, cardboard, time portal arriving safely into the year 2034. Participants were asked to remember and recount all of the changes, big and small, that had happened since 2014. Standing firmly on the imagined ground of their own hopeful futures the time travelers shared and talked through the changes that we are soon to make.

Following suit, there was also an imagining held in November for the East Lawrence Neighborhood. 

This first ever neighborhood imagining came about in response to expressed questions and concerns surrounding the new 9^th street corridor project. Through the event participants were able to collectively set aside time to imagine the future of East 9^th street. What resulted was a highly informative grass-roots collective dialogue that generated enough diverse ideas for decades worth of neighborhood cultural planning.

In the very near future the USDAC will be facilitating a set of local Story Circles in preparation for the first ever Peoples State of the Union Address. The Lawrence USDAC field office will be facilitating two Story Circles, one at the Percolator, (Jan 24^th) and one at Lawrence Creates Makerspace (Jan. 25^th). In total there will be 168 story circles taking place throughout the US.  The ideas, hopes, concerns, remembrances etc. generated from these 168 Story Circles will inform the collective creation of a Peoples State of the Union.

For more info about the USDAC or the Peoples State of the Union visit:

PSOTU website - http://usdac.us/

People can rsvp at : usdac.lawrence@gmail.com

Drift and Drag: Reflections on Water

What is the essence of water? We found a thoughtful art exhibition relating to water with Drift and Drag: Reflections on Water that will open January 16 at The Mulvane Art Museum.  The extensive show combines art with a humanities perspective.

This exhibition is chopped full of events including an installation, film screenings, speakers, a dance performance, community engagement and a symposium.

Dave Loewenstein, Lawrence artists, is one of the participants. We spoke to Dave about a discussion of the Agitprop Art Movement he will give on February 4 at The Mulvane. "My talk will focus on the techniques and strategies artists have used to repond to social and political issues... Special emphasis will be on artists from Kansas who have used these techniques, such as John Steuart Curry, Grandma Layton, and Fred Phelps."

More information about the many events of Drift and Drag can be found here: http://www. Washburn.edu/about/community/mulvane-art-museum/exhibitions/upcoming/drift.html

Mulvane Art Museum
1700 SW College Avenue
Topeka, KS  

The Rise of Modernism at The Nelson

Egon Schiele

We took at field trip to Kansas City to view the Nelson-Atkins Museum's exhibition The Rise of Modernism.  This show contains two rooms packed full of some of our favorite artists and includes works of German expressionism, French cubism,  and Italian Futurism. It opened on December 17 and runs through July 19, 2015.

As we stroll through the galleries, we hear music of the era piped in.  Sprinkled with paintings are a tea service designed by Margaret Heymann-Lobenstein and woodcuts by Kathe Kollwitz.  We see a figurative work by Egon Schiele.

Kathe Kollwtiz

Many of the works are from the Nelson's present collection, with few surprises.  However, the Nelson's presentation offers unique resources such as a timeline of events.   Artists' statements reveal that War I had an immense impact upon their lives and art.

The Nelson-Atkins has a comprehensive interactive site and several programs scheduled in conjunction with The World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial.  Look here for future programs or browse for an interactive timeline of key war, fine art, and cultural events: http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/exhibitions/WWI.cfm

Modern compositions from the era can by found at Spotify

Map A Kansas City Journey of World War I: Passports
World War I occurred 100 years ago.  Twenty Kansas City organizations and public sites (including sites in Lawrence) are commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War I with a resource and guide. Participants may map a journey of the sites with a #WWIKC passport.  Among the places to visit are The Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, Watkins Museum on Massachusetts Street,  and The University of Kansas Memorial Union.
More information can be found here: https://theworldwar.org/passport

Mid-Century Architecture and Japanese Design

House designed by Rudolph Schindler

built 1922 in Los Angeles, California

A packed auditorium of slurping and smacking coffee drinkers were at The Lawrence Public Library today to hear author Patricia Graham’s talk about her new book Mid-Century Modern and Japanese Design. 

Graham’s book explores Japanese design and its influence on mid-century modern architecture constructed in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. 

As early as the 1920’s, architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright,  Rudolph Schindler, and Yoshimura Junzo embraced the traditional Japanese aesthetic found in Zen monasteries and retreats for the societal elite.  The mid-century modern architects in America, especially architects in California, were influenced by their predecessor's style and designed buildings that were sleek and modern with open spaces and built in features.  The architecture integrated outside landscaping within the overall design. 

A leading example of a traditional Japanese approach to architecture and interior spaces can be found at the 17th century Katsura Imperial Villa located near Kyoto, Japan.  Created as a summer retreat, these buildings have a sense of elegance and simplicity, lightness due to construction, natural wood, and built-in features.  Rooms were divided by sliding doors and were used for a variety of purposes.

Graham’s new book Mid-Century Modern and Japanese Design can be found at The Raven Bookstore

The 17th century Katsura Villa looks very modern

presently located in a suburb of Kyoto, Japan

Interior to one of the buildings at The Katsura Villa

Upcoming Arts Events

Many Lawrencians are excited for the slight weather warm-up this week.  Here are some arts related events coming up:

Second Sunday Sketching with Smitty
Sunday, January 11 12p.m. -3 p.m.
Percolator Gallery 
Celebrate your sketchbook! Bring a work-in-progress or start something new. Perhaps you leave it to chance and accept a Sketchbook Challenge? Second Sundays are a casual, drop-in, monthly opportunity for artists of all levels to gather, make art, and foster community.

Read more about this event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1406214796338412/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Pachamama's Artists: Farewell Show
Tuesday, January 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Pachamama's
This event is the opening to the final show at Pachamama's. 
Read more about this event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/752357511525869/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Nerd Nite Dyno-Mite
Wenesday, January 14 Starting at 8:00
Pachamamas
They're back! And this month Co-sponsored by the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum!  Doors open at 7:30p.m..
Presenters include: 
Greg Ornay: "Scenes from the Museum: From Fossils to Humping Grasshoppers"

David Burnham PhD.: "The Food of Dinosaurs—a survey of diets found preserved among the Dinosaria"

Jesse Grismer: "Sauron and Science: How Tolkien Lives on in Scientific Nomenclature"

More information about this Nerd Nite can be found here: http://lawrence.nerdnite.com/2015/01/05/nn34/

Gesture: Jacob Burmood's New Work

Jacob Burmood with his current sculpture work

Photo by Darin White

We are loving Jacob Burmood's new sculptures.  Last week, we spotted these large sculpture pieces at The Plenum Gallery where he held his exhibition Forms for First Friday in Kansas City.

Photo of the exhibition Forms

Scupture by Jacob Burmood

photo by Jessie Kelley

Although made from sturdy material, the works are gestural and whimsical.

Jacob Burmood

Bonded Aluminum

Jacob Burmood 

Bonded Aluminum

For years, Jacob was a fixture in the Lawrence sculpture community. He taught ceramics at KU and was integral in projects such as department sculpture pours.  He now teaches in Springfield, Missouri. More of his work can be seen at his website here: http://jacobburmood.com/home.html

Caffeine, Performance, and Creativity

Serena Williams asks a tournament judge if she can order an espresso. 

After losing her first set of tennis in Australia at the Hopman cup on Monday, Serena Williams thought a pick me up might help.  

"I just asked them to get me a shot of espresso. I asked them if it was legal, because I've never done it before. " 
"I needed to wake up - it's just the jetlag. It gets you all the time."

After the coffee, Williams won the next two sets to win the match. She later joked it was miracle coffee.

Can coffee help performance for artists and writers?  

Many coffee drinkers report they can not function without morning coffee. Caffeine is great as an energy booster, can decrease fatigue, and helps problem solving.  However, some scientists question if caffeine can inhibit creativity.  

A June 2013 New Yorker article explores the idea that caffeine may prevent the mind from wandering. This wandering mind is exploratory and where original ideas sometimes come from.  Caffeine helps concentration, but "a break in intense concentration may increase unconscious associative processing.  That in turn, allows us to perceive connections that we would otherwise miss."

Additionally, caffeine can not only effect sleep quality, but can hinder REM dreaming that has been linked to creativity. 

Read more about caffeine and creativity in The New Yorker article How Caffeine Can Cramp Creativity here: http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/how-caffeine-can-cramp-creativity