art
Harvest of Arts
A wide variety of art—from music and dance to puppet shows-will be displayed this week in downtown Lawrence as part of the area's first-ever all-arts festival.
By Kris Belden
Kansan staff writer
Some people told Ardys Ramberg, the coordinator of Harvest of Arts, that she could not pull it off.
They're not laughing now.
"They were laughing at me, and they thought my ideas were corny." Ramberg said.
Ramberg successfully organized Lawrence's first all arts festival, a week-long event in downtown Lawrence featuring all genres of art—from music dance and theatrical performances to poetry readings, cake decorating, painting exhibits and puppet shows. The event began yesterday and ends Saturday.
Ramberg, a former high school fine arts instructor, sings, paints and draws landscapes and portraits, sculpts, makes jewelry and plays the harmonica. She said she tried to promote a unification of all arts.
"We need to quit dividing the arts into categories and think of them as one thing," she said. "If we keep that awareness alive and coordinate events together, we can further ourselves."
Ramberg said downtown businesses were receptive to the event, and almost every storefront window is exhibiting artwork.
As president of the Lawrence Art Guild Association, she began to organize the festival more than a year ago by word-of-mouth. She talked to more than 200 interested artists and then coordinated space for the exhibits and events downtown with the help of guild member Kathryn Clark.
Ramberg said the hours she spent organizing the event were too many to mention. Clark had spent about 50 hours each week for the last two months coordinating the fine points of the event with downtown businesses and participating artists.
"It's been a tremendous experience," Clark said. "I know the struggle the artists have been through to get to exhibit their work. To see the joy when they get the chance to exhibit their work made me stick with it."
Clark will be exhibiting her pairings in the festival. Both Ramberg and Kathryn Clark expect Harvest of Arts to become an annual event.
"But, even if the event only happens once, I'd like to see it happen," Ramberg said.
Kevin Jennings, Lenexajunior, helped coordinate KU student involvement in Harvest of Arts through the University of Kansas Art Students League.
Jennings said he and the student group had been looking for forums to show their work.
"We have to wait until our senior year before we get any places to show provided for us," he said.
Jennings said the student league was receptive to exhibiting in the show.
Carrie Golden, Wilmette, Ill., junior, coordinated the student exhibits. She said about 20 students signed up to exhibit their paintings and sculptures in the windows of two downtown businesses, Woolworth's, 911 Massachusetts St., and Ernst & Son Hardware, 826 Massachusetts St.
The event was well-received by downtown business people as well.
Golden said all KU students were invited to exhibit.
Kathryn Clark's husband Tom handled publicity for Harvest of Arts.
"It's really amazing how well it did take off," he said. "It took a lot of people. Response has been terrific. The people downtown were very,very cooperative."
Daron J. Bennett/ KANSAN
Tom Clark attributed the event's success to community interest.
"Lawrence has more artists per capita than any other community," he said. "It's a very culturally-minded community."
In re-enactment of a tale of how light came to the world, two members of the Thunderbird Theatre at Haskell Indian Junior College perform their parts for the crowd gathered at Burcham Park at Second and Indiana streets. Last night's program, of which the Thunderbird Theatre was only part, was the official kickoff of Lawrence's Harvest of the Arts.
KU dance hits streets stage for Harvest of Arts
By Michelle Betts
Kansan features writer
performers from the KU department of dance will take their talents to the street, the shopping mall and the stage this weekend at Lawrence's first Harvest of Arts festival. Twenty dangers
Twenty dancers will participate in the Harvest of Arts parade Saturday morning. The parade, which
begins at 9:30 a.m., starts at Seventh and Massachusetts streets, and ends at South Park.
Each of the 20 dancers will take turns leading other dancers in movement sequences they have choreographed themselves.
The dancers in the parade are members of an improvisational dance class taught by Janet Hamburg, associate professor of dance.
"They made up their own parade gestures and will be changing leaders, so the dance will constantly be changing," Hamburg said.
end of the dance piece, dancers clearly are performing ballet, jazz and modern dance moves.
After the parade, the dancers will present their version of "Street Moves" from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the atrium and the promenade in the Riverfront Plaza.
"Street Moves" is a dance involving classical ballet, jazz and modern dance styles. The dance begins with everyday movements, such as walking or standing in line. Gradually, the movements resemble dance steps, and by the
"Street Moves" was originally created and performed in 1984 by a KU dance group called 4-5-6 Speed Up under the direction of Joan Stone. instructor in dance.
Stone said the original group performed the dance using only a modern dance ending.
"I think it reflects a change in dance," she said. "When modern舞 flourishes, it is a change."
"Now people are more conservative, more interested in classic dance. They want to get
Stone said "Street Moves" has not been performed since 1988. The dance was originally titled "Kansas Union at Noon," which was the location and time the dance was performed.
From the Riverfront Plaza, eight of the 20 dancers will perform the concert version of "Street Moves" at 2 p.m. in Liberty Hall. The dance is a prelude to the matinee舞 program at Liberty Hall for Harvest of Arts.
The dancers will begin in the hall's lobby with everyday movements, and the dance will
Jason John, a member of the University Dance Company, will perform a solo, "Bamboleo," at the matinee program. John choreographed the dance himself, and the name, Spanish for reeling or staggering, describes the dance.
Source: Lawrence Art Guild Association,
Downtown Lawrence, Inc., Lawrence Alliance
Sean M. Tevis / KANSAN
KANSAN
SEPTEMBER 29, 1992 PAGE 5
KU Canvans
People and places at the University of Kansas.
calendar
Exhibitions
Spencer Museum of Art
864.4710
Hours: Closed Monday; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-
Saturday; noon - 5 p.m. Sunday,
Seeking the Floating World: The Japanese Spirit and Turn of the Century French Art through Oct. 4.
Keith Haring Prints and William Burroughs Text through Oct. 11.
An Exhibit of American Indian Flutes through Oct. 25
An Exhibit of Navajo Textiles through Oct. 25.
KU Museum of Natural History 864-4540
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
saturday; Closed Sunday.
An exhibit of "Milestones: The University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, 1866-1992." Ends March 14, 1993
KU Museum of Anthropology 864-4245
Continued on Page 6.