WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2004
ARTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
27
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Gallery walk features local art
By John Scheirman
jscheirman@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Thirteen Lawrence art galleries have at least two things in common they are all in or within walking distance of downtown, and they will all participate in the Downtown Friday Gallery Walk on July 23.
The Downtown Friday Gallery Walk is an opportunity for art appreciators to view original works in various media by local and regional artists, meet some of the artists and enjoy live music and refreshments, all within a few blocks. The walk takes place four times a year. The event on July 23 is from 7 p.m.to 9 p.m.
"The Gallery Walks are wonderful events to work together with other galleries to promote our artists," said Joel Bales, director of "They are good for the community and good for the artists." said Joel Bales, director of ad astra eclectica galleria, upstairs at 205 W. Eighth St. Ad astra eclectica galleria will feature an ongoing exhibit, E PLURIBUS UNUM, by artists Ingrid Alexander, Jay Alexander and Maggie Jones.
At Signs of Life, 722 Massachusetts St. James Schaefer is also enthusiastic about the gallery walk.
"It's always been a great crowd," Schaefer said. "We get a lot of interesting people. I think it's something people can gear up for — look forward to meeting new artists."
Signs of Life will have a show of 40 prints by Joan Bohlig, and will also have an ongoing exhibit of gallery artists, a group of works selected by David Cateforis, associate professor of art history at the University of Kansas.
The Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., will have a show sponsored by members of the Lawrence Art Guild. The exhibition will include 80 works by 47 artists, including one collaboration piece by 30 artists. All of the displayed works will be by members of the organization. The guild allows all of its members who want to participate to do so.
"This is one of the biggest shows we've had," said Laurie Culling, coordinator for the Lawrence Art Guild's exhibit. "This is a lot of artwork to put in an exhibit."
The art media represented will include acrylics, oils watercolors, photography pastels, colored pencils, glass, crayons collages, textiles, sculptures, original monoprints and mixed media.
"The whole networking to be supportive of one another is a really wonderful aspect," Culling said. "There's so much variety."
Jim Connellly, owner of Silver Works and More, 715 Massachusetts St., said the gallery walks drew viewers from a wider area than just Lawrence.
"When you can put a good group of artists together, it gives people more of a reason to come to Lawrence," Connelly said. "People come over from Kansas City and other places."
Sheila Wilkins, director of Fields Gallery, 712 Massachusetts St., is coordinating July's Downtown Art Walk. She said the participating artists were all local and many of them were KU alumni.
"It really raises the profile of the local art community," Wilkins said. "We have a lot of artists trying to make a living here."
- Edited by Julie Jones
DOWNTOWN FRIDAY GALLERY WALK LOCATIONS
Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St.
Fields Gallery, 712 Massachusetts St.
Signs of Life, 722 Massachusetts St.
Silver Works & More, 715 Massachusetts St.
Southwest and More, 727 Massachusetts St.
Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.
Olive Gallery & Art Supply, 15 E. Eighth St.
ad astra eclectica galleria, 205 W. Eighth St. — upstairs
Back to the Garden, 619 North 2nd St.
Phoenix Gallery, 919 Massachusetts St.
The Red Dresser, 524 N. 2nd St.
Bob Brown Co./Art Zone, 727 Massachusetts St.
Dianne's Artisan Gallery, 801 Massachusetts St., Suite C
Source: Fields Gallery brochure
Local artist's screenprints on display for art walk
By John Scheirman
jscheirman@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The work of Lawrence artist Ken Grizzell will be featured at Fields Gallery, 712 Massachusetts St., in the Downtown Friday Gallery Walk. Grizzell said he lived and had his studio in Lawrence.
Grizzell said he began working in screenprinting in 1971 or 1972, and now works exclusively in that medium. Several of his screenprints will be on exhibit at Fields Gallery.
"When I tried doing screenprinting, I was attracted to its directness," Grizzell said. "It can be very hard-edged...in its directness and its versatility. It's the most versatile of the print media."
He said his current works were, "hand-
"I'm intrigued with color the transparencies of colors."
Ken Grizzell Local artist
pulled, directly by the artist, not by machine." Screenprinting "creates multiple original works," Grizzell said.
According to Grizzell, screenprinting became an art form during the Depression, becoming more recognizable when major artists began to employ the medium in the late 1950s and the 1960s. He said that one well-known artist who worked in screenprinting was Andy Warhol.
"I'm intrigued with color, the trans-
parencies of colors," Grizzell said. "I've attempted to simplify the image, and not overkill the viewer with too much information — striving for simplicity of form and color." He said he has worked with traditional sheets of printing paper, which are rectangular, but the works on display now at Fields Gallery were square.
Some of Grizzell's older works will be on display at Fields Gallery for the Gallery Walk, as well as some from the past five years. Grizzell said he has participated in previous gallery walks in Lawrence, and that he enjoyed the chance to meet and talk with local artists. "For the public, it can be a good educational opportunity," he said. "It's very positive for the community."
- Edited by Julie Jones
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Ken Grizzell will be the featured artist at Fields Gallery, 712 Massachusetts St., during Lawrence's downtown gallery walk on July 23. He completed his screen print "Mid Red," which is pictured, within the past six months.