University Daily Kansan / Wednesday. August 29,1990
11
Live art boosts proposal
By Elicia Hill
Kansan staff writer
The artist sat down at his easel and took out a lump of clay. All eyes in the room turned to him as he proceeded to shape and mold the blob of earth in his fingers. With experience he worked in the bust of the man sitting next to him.
In an art class this would not be out of the ordinary. But this artist was sculpting in City Hall.
At the Lawrence City Commission meeting last night Xin Kun Wu, a visiting KU professor from China in 1989 and now a resident of Lawrence, demonstrated his artistic talents as well as the ability to coach and field coach Rob Tompkins' head
The resemblance was striking, except for the fact that Wu added hair to the shiny spot on Timmons' shoulder. The lambs laughed heartily at the addition.
This is not a part of the normal routine in the City Commission meetings; rather it was part of a proposal to the commissioners from two men, artists Mike Elwell and Ron Miller, who presented a plan last night to
convert the dilapidated Consolidated Barbed Wire Building, west of the Lawrence Riverfront Plaza, into a living arts center.
"We decided to show the public reaction when it happens in front of them." Elwell said. "Our plan is to place an indoor sculpture garden, complete with demonstrations by different artists as well as having live jazz and classical musicians performing. We are so close to Chicago that we would like to try and bring in authentic musicians, for example, Dizzy Gillespie. We want to make it a fun place for people to go."
The proposal hinges on whether the Chelsea Group, the New Jersey-based developers of the Riverfront Plaza, will agree to relinquish the lease to the city so it can lease the property again to Ewell and Miller
Ewell and Miller offered to put money into escrow until they could raise the $600,000 they estimated it would cost to restore the building.
"We want to have every penny in place before we begin the project," Elwell said. "We've invested a lot of time into this project, and we want to
work with the city and the historical society on restoring the property."
They have requested that the building, which was built in 1883, be considered a historical site.
Steve Jansen, Watkins Community Museum representative, told the commissioners that the idea would benefit Lawrence historically and would be a tourist attraction to the city.
"The idea that they have is to place sculpture, 6- to 8-foot tall, around and inside the building," Jansen said. "These guys are not outsiders wanting to make a back, but local people want to create a place for their friends and family."
"The mall is antiseptic, and this place not only has historical significance but it would be aesthetic as well. The city has the potential to make the riverview area a reason to put out a flier to tourists."
The commissioners agreed to draft a letter to Chelsea in support of the men's idea. If Chelsea says no, the plan will fail. If Chelsea agrees, the projected finish date would be 18 months after approval.
Student Senate
Is now accepting applications for Student Senate Committees
Applications are available in the
Student Senate Office - 410 Kansas Union
Deadline: Friday August 31st at 5 p.m.
Xin Kun Wu, Canton, China, sculpts a model of former KU track and field coach Bob Timmons.
On track
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