Arts In Action

News

Art in the Open

Artists in all media are invited to work in our lobby. Please contact Pat Russell at the Arts Center for more information: patrussell@lawrenceartscenter.org.

earthwork to premiere at Arts Center

Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 11
This award-winning film tells the story of Kansas crop artist, Stan Herd, who in 1994 traveled from Lawrence to New York City and risked everything to create a massive environmental artwork on land owned by Donald Trump. In dealing with the difficulties of bringing his unique, rural art form to an urban canvas, Stan unexpectedly encountered the true meaning of his art and its ultimate, lasting rewards. The film, by KU alum writer/director Chris Ordal, has won a staggering number of awards at film festivals across the country. The Arts Center is proud to bring it home for its local premiere. Buy tickets at the Arts Center or online at lawrenceartscenter.org.For additional information, see earthworkmovie.com and facebook.com/earthwork.

• Friday, September 10, 8pm—public screening, tickets $10.50.
• Saturday, September 11—film intensive classes for youth and adults.
• Saturday, September 11, 8pm—special event screening; Q&A with members of the cast, producers, and writer/director; reception with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and special music by artists featured in the film; tickets $50.

Lawrence Arts Center celebrates 35 years

Anniversary Benefit Party: Saturday, October 2, 7:30pm
Join us for an evening of music, food, and dancing. Tickets $75 ($60 in advance). Special thanks to Stevens & Brand, Douglas County Bank, Hallmark Cards, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, sponsors of our 35th anniversary celebration. Many thanks, too, to our committee members: Deanell Tacha, Matt All, Vickie Otten, Ellen Chindamo, Dan Sabatini, Heather Hoy, Colette Gaches, Eliza Bullock, Ron Hinton, Diane Guthrie, Joan Golden, Marilyn Dobski, Lisa Simons, Sheryl Jacobs, and Marki Bieri.

October is Clay Month at the Arts Center

See Exhibitions for details about the International Cone Box Show, the Figurative Show, and the Cup Show, as well as how to enroll in the Arts Center’s Ceramics Symposium featuring six artists from around the country.

Welcome to our new artists-in-residence

In ceramics: Akiko Jackson is from Kahuku, Hawai’i. After receiving a master of arts degree from California State University-Northridge, she moved to Richmond, Va., where she received her master of fine arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Previous to her most recent exhibition at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Akiko has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, most notably in the American Museum of Ceramic Art, Los Angeles, Calif.; Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, Calif.; 1708 Gallery, Richmond, Va.; the 4th World Ceramic Biennale Korea, Republic of Korea; and the Australian International Ceramics Triennale, Sydney Australia. See www.akikojackson.com. In print making: Nicolette Ross is from Florida; her bachelor of fine arts degree in printmaking is from the University of Central Florida. She earned her MFA from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art at Washington University in St. Louis. Nicolette taught bookbinding, printmaking, and the artist book at Washington University. See www.nicoletteross.com.

Happy 25th brirthday, Arts-based Preschool... Let’s celebrate!

Save the date for our Birthday/Anniversary/Reunion/Open House: April 16, 2011

Annual Family Concert

Paul Mesner Puppets return to the Arts Center: January 29, 2011
Make plans now to join us at our annual Family Concert to see the Paul Mesner Puppets’ adaptation of PUSS IN BOOTS. Two shows: 10am and 1pm. Watch for more details. Many thanks to Black Hills Energy, who is sponsoring the event.

PERFORMANCES & MORE

December 10, 11, 17, 18—7pm | December 12, 19—2pm
THE SNOW QUEEN
The Arts Center’s Dance and Theater Programs combine to bring back this unique ballet/drama based on the classic winter tale by Hans Christian Andersen. All new for 2010, a cast of more than 100 children and adults of all levels of experience will have the opportunity to be dancers, actors, and stage hands. This magical fairy tale is a holiday tradition. The 11-piece orchestra will play Jeff Dearinger’s arrangements of Ric Averill’s original music. Deb Bettinger’s artistic choreography and Averill’s script and stage direction create a magical, haunting and occasionally dangerous world as young Gerda travels to the Great North to rescue her childhood friend, Kai, who has been abducted by the Snow Queen. Bettinger and Averill plan the release of a storybook version of the play complete with some of Averill and Dearinger’s original music. Theater and dance auditions September 19, with callbacks on September 20 and 21. There is a $90 participation fee for being part of this professional and educational experience. Tickets: $17 adults, $12 seniors and students

Dance

940 Dance Company’s fall schedule

The 940 Dance Company has planned an energetic season. The Lawrence Arts Center’s resident professional, contemporary dance company, led by Artistic Director Susan Rieger, has four stellar dancers returning: Bobbi Foudree, Jennifer Flynn, Eric Tedder, and Ashley Trullinger. Two apprentices will be joining 940 this season: Justin Hundley, a recent BFA dance graduate of Missouri State University, and Michaela Sherman of Omaha, Neb., who holds a BFA in dance from Stephens College. 940 will be touring its new youth performance this fall. THE TWO FACES OF THE WIND explores the beneficial and destructive capabilities of the wind, in a visually exciting performance and accompanying workshops for K-8th grade audiences. There will be a local performance for Lawrence 5th graders this fall.

October 8 and 9—9:40pm
940 at 9:40 Preview Concert
New this fall! The company reconvenes in September, so this is an early peek at choreographic seeds that will likely develop further throughout the year.

November 5, 6, 7
Regional Choreography Festival
940 is proud to host the Regional Choreography Festival, a weekend event bringing together choreographers and dancers from across the Midwest. Performances are open to the public at affordable ticket prices. Watch for updates at lawrenceartscenter.org or call us at 785-843-2787.

Other dance performances

August 29—2:30pm
English Tea Dance Benefit
(for Dance Shoe Fund Scholarship)

October 14—7pm
Dads and Daughters Ballroom Performance
Girls age 8+ and their dads who are learning classic ballroom dances this fall perform on the stage for family and friends at the end of the session. See course information.

Dance program news

Auditions August 21
Dancers are invited to join us for Dance Information Day on Saturday, August 21, 10am-1pm, and to audition.

• 10-11:30am | Auditions for the new Advanced Ballet Performance Company
• 1-2pm | Auditions for the Advanced Jazz Performance Ensemble

Master classes and workshops
Plans are in the works for this year’s master classes and workshops. Potential guest faculty members may include Sean Duus from Kansas City Ballet and Willie Lenoir from the University of Kansas, as well as an artist from the Kansas City Hip Hop Academy. We’re also looking to add a hoop dancing workshop this year! Watch lawrenceartscenter.org for information, or call us at 785-843-2787.

Theater and New Media

Auditions September 1

Audition for theater, new media, music, and musical theater performance groups! Join us on Wednesday, September 1 in the theater, beginning at 5pm. Audition time slots are set by age group, preschoolers through adults. Fall productions and production-based classes will be cast from these auditions. Every effort will be made to cast and work with all who audition. See page 15. (More auditions for roles in THE SNOW QUEEN will take place on Sunday, September 19.)

Busker Fest!

Downtown Lawrence comes alive the weekend of August 20-22 with street performers — jugglers, fire eaters, dancers, magicians, acrobats, and more. And that’s only the beginning. You, too, can learn the wiles of busker art! Busker Workshops at the Arts Center are just $5 each and limited in size, so sign up early.

• 10-10:45am | Mime and Clown with Beth Byrd
• 10:15-11am | Juggling with Brian Wendling
• 10:45-11:30am | Belly Dancing with Amber Proctor
• 11-11:45am | Puppeteering with Bob Aiken

Sign up by emailing the Lawrence Arts Center with Busker Workshop in the subject line. Include your contact information, name, and age of the participant. We will reply with a confirmation and more information.

Family and Youth Theater

August 28—7pm
SPRING AWAKENING
Don’t miss our final Summer Youth Theater event — a staged reading of the original play by Frank Wedekind, translated by Jonathan Franzen.

October 4—2pm
THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA
First Saturday Players, our talented 6th grade+ acting troupe directed by Jennifer Glenn, presents this delightful story for young children and their families. $5 suggested donation at the door

October 29—7pm
October 30, 31—2pm
CATS AND BATS
Join veteran actors Ric Averill, Jerry Mitchell, Susanna Pitzer, Jennifer Glenn, and more as Lucy the Cat has yet another adventure with Ranger the Mutt, Fang the Ferret and Belfry the Bat. Great Halloween entertainment and sing-a-longs. Wear your costume on October 31! Tickets: $10 adults, $7.50 seniors and students (group rates available)

October 31—4:15pm
Halloween Concert and Costume Contest
Fun for the whole family, just before trick-or-treating! Ric Averill, Trish Averill, Jennifer Glenn, Steve Mason, and friends present this annual favorite — classic Halloween songs, a few spontaneous stories, and of course our Costume Contest with prizes for everyone (thanks to Fun and Games for providing pirzes yet again!). Tickets: $5

November 7, 8—7:30pm
EAT: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FOOD
City Youth Theater is a partnership of GaDuGi SafeCenter, Lawrence Arts Center, and others to focus community attention on young adults and their thoughts and feelings about pressing social issues. This play dramatizes the dangerous and baffling world of eating disorders among girls and boys. Candidly exploring causes and warning signs, it takes a hard look at society and media influences and tells individual stories of young people struggling with this epidemic and too often tragic problem. Auditions September 1. Tickets: $8 adults, $5 seniors and students

December 4—2pm
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Jennifer’s delightful original script is the second in our First Saturday Players series for very young children. Great holiday entertainment for the entire family. $5 suggested donation at the door

March 31-April 8
THE MUSIC MAN
Meredith Wilson’s classic family Broadway musical about an early 1900s “flim-flam” travelling salesman was the first play in which director Ric Averill ever performed. Nostalgia and sentimentality will make this romantic musical comedy a delightful spring must-see for the entire family. Featuring a cast of community and professional actors of all ages. Auditions September 1 (additional auditions January 23, with callbacks on January 24-25).

Other Winter/Spring productions will include THREES (The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, and The Three Sillies) by First Saturday Players; the annual Cabaret Showcase and Film Festival by City Youth Theater; and THE ADVENTURES OF NYFRM THE SPRITE.

18+ Theater for Adult Audiences

Story Slam: The Audience as Performer (an 18+ event)
Life is a series of stories. Some are crazy, some are tragic, but in the end, most are funny. Bring your true-life stories to our monthly Story Slam, where the rules are simple. Come prepared to tell a story based on the theme of the evening, sign up between 7 and 7:30pm, and if your name is one of 10 pulled from the hat, tell your five- to eight-minute story. At the end of the evening, audience members cast their votes for favorite story, and we’ll have a Best Of event in the spring. Come and participate, or just sit back with a cocktail and be entertained. Hosted by David Hollond; original cocktails by Kendra Marable. (This is an 18 and older event.) Themes this fall are “freaks” (August 13), “school” (September 10), “X” (October 8), and “food/drink” (November 12).

New Play Festival (an 18+ event)
The Arts Center is pleased to present the New Play Festival featuring three new works September 16-18. A $30 pass gets you into all three productions. Individual tickets are $15 adults, $12.50 for seniors and students. (This is an 18 and older event.)

September 16, 17—7:30pm
Mainstage Theater
THE PALUDAN SISTERS: IT’S ALL RELATIVE
Written and performed by Kari and Kirsten Paludan
These two homegrown divas and Arts Center alums return to their roots with the Midwest debut of this multimedia musical memoir. Hilarious and heartbreaking, it showcases the sisters’ diverse musical styles and gives you a sneak peek into what it’s like to grow up singing together. Kari and Kirsten invite you to peruse their family scrapbook and listen to a wide array of music — from classical, jazz, and lullabies, to current songs (written by Kirsten) and ’70s disco hits. Join them as they come full circle to share their family stories and sing the music that shaped their lives. Don’t miss the homecoming!

September 17, 18—7:30pm
Black Box Theater
AMERICAN BEAR
A new play about home by Larry Mitchell, in cooperation with the Sustainable Theatre Project
In this Midwestern realistic drama, Eddie, the prodigal younger son, returns home after the death of his parents with his fiancee Lonnie. Jules, the older brother, has never left the house and has never seen or heard of Lonnie. What follows tests the limits of love, family, and home. Sustainable Theatre Project is a non-profit collaborative ensemble with a mission to create entertaining, affordable, and socially relevant theatre for the cities of Austin, Texas, and Lawrence, while maintaining the highest possible standards of sustainability as budget and all practical means allow. See sustainabletheatreproject.org.

September 18—7:30pm
Mainstage Theater
PROP 8 ON TRIAL
This multimedia performance, written and directed by Lisa Cordes, and produced by Fishtank Performance Studio, examines the 2010 trial challenging the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage. Using 12 actors to portray more than 40 attorneys, plaintiffs, and expert witnesses, the performance telescopes the trial’s key arguments with key video evidence submitted by the plaintiffs, as well as professional and amateur media coverage of the trial. Two days into the trial the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling blocking the broadcast of a video feed of the trial. In response, news and activist organizations began live-blogging the proceedings. Those blogs, as well as actual trial transcripts, twitter feeds, and newspaper reports are the framework of the performance. Inspired by the Living Newspaper plays of the Federal Theater Project during the 1930s, the original source material and live blogging provides a “ripped from the headlines” immediacy to the project. This production was developed with support from a 2010 Rocket Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts, implemented by the Charlotte Street Foundation and the Spencer Museum of Art; and an ArtsKC Inspiration award. It was produced in cooperation with Fishtank Productions in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District.

And more theater for 18+
October 22, 23—7:30pm
JACK AND JILL: A ROMANCE
Winner of the Theatre Critics Association award for best new play, this work by Jane Martin is a story about falling in love and all the joy and heartache that follows. It is a modern, undeniably entertaining, all-but-fairy-tale romance. Presented by the Sustainable Theatre Project.Tickets: $15 adults, $10 seniors and students (This is an 18 and older event.)

February 4-12
DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE
McArthur Genius Fellowship winner Sarah Ruhl’s quirky comedy comes to life, directed by Ric Averill. While at a cafe, a man dies — but his cell phone will not stop ringing. The woman at the next table, Jean, picks it up and finds herself stuck in the middle of the dead man’s troubles. She meets his widow, his mother, and his mistress — and ends up falling in love with the dead man’s brother. Cast will be a combination of local and regional professional actors. Auditions September 1 (additional auditions January 9). (This is an 18 and older event.)

Theater program news

Introducing the New Media/Digital Cinema Program
We’re pleased to welcome Mario Angell, director of New Media and Digital Cinema. Our New Media Program includes study and practice in digital cinema, digital photography, and digital arts. Watch for new classes to in screenwriting, video production, Photoshop, and other aspects of making movies and videos. Take a look at our class listings.

Fall Film Intensive
On Saturday, September 11, we’re offering two Film Intensive classes — Filmmakers Round Table (for adults) and Acting for the Camera (for 3rd-8th graders), in conjunction with the premiere of earthwork. See class listings.

Narrative Film Production
We now offer a series of classes in professional production, culminating in the making of an eight- to 10-minute short film. Writer/producer/director Joel Feignbaum, a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Kansas, is serving as creative director. An award-winning screenwriter, Joel has worked in the television/motion picture industry for 30 years. Over the course of his career, he has worked with a long list of talented actors including George Clooney, Jessica Alba, Keri Russell, Bo Derek, Heather Locklear, Ann-Margret, Joel Grey, Mickey Rooney, Ed Asner, and others. He has directed music videos for Christina Aguilera, Brian Setzer, the Goo Goo Dolls, Ziggy Marley, and The Flaming Lips. Currently he is in development of an indie feature thriller, Bedlam, to be filmed in the Midwest. See class listings.

Film Festival
We’re already looking ahead to May 7, 2011, the date of our next Film Festival. Entries are due by April 1, 2011. Grand prize is $500, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Lawrence Arts Center music
December 4—7:30pm
Lawrence Arts Center VOICES to Bring a Little Glee to River City Our 10th-12th grade by-audition-only choir will give a holiday concert filled with jazz and pop arrangements with choreography and a backup band.

Professional track classes
In addition to offering community classes for all, the Arts Center offers professional track classes for those who want to move forward in their careers. Performance-oriented theater classes include First Saturday Players, City Youth Theatre, and our 3rd-5th grade production of THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE on the last day of the class. Our new pop-rock glee club show choir, LAC VOICES, offers additional training and experience for voice students. And our expanded Digital Cinema production class is for thoseinterested in film production careers.

Averill wins awards for plays…and plays
Congratulations to Ric Averill, Theater and Film Program director, who won three playwriting competitions this year, including the American Alliance for Theatre in Education Unpublished Play Award for TURNS, first developed here at the Arts Center. A musician as well as a playwright, Ric also played some pianos in New York this summer as part of a traveling global art project, “Play Me, I’m Yours.” The streets of New York were host to 60 pianos found or donated throughout the city and painted by the artists and volunteers. The installation, by the British artist Luke Jerram, has been touring the world since 2008.

EXHIBITIONS

REPRESENTING AND SERVING OUR COMMUNITY’S ARTISTS
The Lawrence Arts Center provides the community with 15-18 exhibitions each year in its two galleries. Individual artists are encouraged to apply to display their work in the Arts Center (see www.lawrenceartscenter.org/exhibition). Exhibitions are supported by grants, donations, sales, and primarily by the proceeds of the Lawrence Benefit Art Auction, the major spring fundraising event of the Lawrence Arts Center (see www.lawrenceartauction.org). In recent years, the Center has shown in its galleries more than 1,000 diverse local and regional artists in all media, ranging from local preschool children to internationally known artists from such places as Tibet, Korea, China, Canada, Germany, and Indonesia. The mission of the exhibition program is to represent and serve the community’s artists in every form and expression. Such richness reflects the community that the Arts Center serves. Thank you to our Exhibitions Program sponsor, Emprise Bank.

August 13–September 4
Six Decades of Enameling: A retrospective by Herb Friedson
Herb Friedson is a pioneer in the enameling arts, and this retrospective exhibition will include new pieces as well as some of his earliest works. His work has been shown in more than 120 regional, national, and international exhibitions including those at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York; Cleveland Museum of Art, Aaron Faber Gallery, New York; Long Beach Museum of Art; Nelson Gallery/Atkins Museum; and Biennale Internationale in Limoge, France.

August 27–September 26
Stan Herd and Simon Cordova
Stan Herd will exhibit photos and materials connected with the creation of the piece, “Countryside.” Simon Cordova will show photographs of the making of the film earthwork.

September 10–October 9
Fear of War, Courage to Hope...While Dancing: Works by Rita Blitt
Reception: September 25, 5-7pm
“I am happy that I had the courage in 1975 to begin dancing on paper, first with one hand, then in 1977 with both hands simultaneously, and the guts to always follow my inspirations.”—Rita Blitt

September 24–October 24
Artists as Contemporary Cowboys: New paintings by Jouvelt
Reception: September 24, 5pm
Jouvelt revisits traditional paint on canvas portraits, illustrating seven Lawrence artists (Eric Dobbins, Stan Herd, David Loewenstein, Molly Murphy, Wayne Propst, Roger Shimomura, and Yuri Zupancic), styled as modern-day cowboy legends living among us.

October 15–November 27
Body Awareness: National Ceramics Invitational
Reception: October 15, 7-9pm
“Body Awareness” is a contemporary ceramic figurative exhibit curated by Ben Ahlvers. Featuring the work of eight artists from throughout North America, it will provide the opportunity experience cutting-edge ceramics created in a variety of methods.

October 15–November 27
The 2010 International Cone Box Show
Reception: October 15, 7-9pm
The 2010 International Orton Cone Box Show is a staple exhibition in the field of ceramics. The concept for this exhibition was started by William Bracker in the early 1970s. The original idea was to encourage and promote creativity and excellence in the ceramic community. The Standard Orton Cone Box was chosen as the size limitation for the show. All entries had to fit into the interior space of a cone box. This exhibit includes 150 ceramic works from around the world.

October 15–November 27
Cups: A national invitational ceramic show
Reception: October 15, 7-9pm
Utilitarian potters from across the nation have been invited to participate in an exhibit featuring the cup form. The show promises a wide range of styles, forms, surfaces, and creative approaches to this everyday object.

December 3–23
Lawrence Photo Alliance Members Show
Reception: December 3, 7-9pm
This exhibition will showcase photography by current members of the Lawrence Photo Alliance.

A month of clay

October at the Lawrence Arts Center will feature a variety events and exhibitions featuring Ceramic Art. This fall will mark third year of collaboration between the Lawrence Arts Center’s Ceramics Program and the University of Kansas Ceramics Program. Students from both institutions will work together to load and fire the university’s anagama wood-fired kiln. This unique process utilizes wood as a fuel source to reach temperatures higher than 2300 degrees over the course of several days. The kiln will hold hundreds of handmade ceramic artworks. Following the firing with KU, the Exhibitions Program will open three exhibitions featuring contemporary ceramic art opening October 15. The 2010 International Orton Cone Box Show is a staple exhibition in the field of ceramics. The jurors (Malcom Davis, Peter Callas, and Inge Balch) have selected approximately 150 exceptional pieces out of more than 285 entries from across the globe. “Body Awareness” is a contemporary ceramic figurative exhibit curated by Ben Ahlvers. This exhibit will feature the work of eight North American artists, providing viewers the opportunity experience cutting-edge ceramics created in a variety of methods. Our Front Gallery Space will feature a ceramic cup show. Functional potters from around the country have been invited to participate by submitting five cups to the Lawrence Arts Center for this exhibit. And our month of clay will close out with the second Lawrence Arts Center Ceramics Symposium. On October 22 and 23, six artists will converge in Lawrence to demonstrate and present their art to participants from around the region. These artists offer a diverse range of creative process and concepts but are all connected by clay. This intimate environment provides for great dialogue between the artists and participants. In 2007 the Lawrence Arts Center’s Ceramics Symposium was featured in Art & Perception magazine. It’s programming like this, along with the terrific teachers and students at the Arts Center, that make the Ceramics Program here a national destination. To sign up to attend the symposium workshops, see class listings.

Meet the faculty for the 2010 Lawrence Arts Center Ceramics Symposium: October 22-23

• Tom Bartel is known for his “disturbing yet humorous” fragmented figures that take cues from a “shotgun blast” of influences, ranging from antiquity to popular culture. Tom utilizes coil building with terracotta clay and also works with slips and glazes to produce rich, worn surfaces. His work has been featured in several publications. Tom is an assistant professor at Ohio University.
• Matt Long has been a potter for more than 20 years. A professor and head of the ceramics program at the University of Mississippi, he exhibits nationally and keeps a very active workshop schedule. He says, “My passion for clay lies within functional pottery. I believe that pots have a nature of their own — a soul, a breath of reality, that is inherently guided by their maker. In a world that is fast paced and oriented around convenience in life rather than quality of life, handmade functional pots can slow things down, allowing the user to enjoy the important aspects of human interaction and self-introspection.”
• David Hiltner’s pottery references rural landscapes, silos, rolling hills, and furrowed fields. The patterns, textures, and colors translated into the vessel are memories, moments, and thoughts frozen by fire. These vessels are created to celebrate the land that inspires and sustains. David is executive director of Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Mont., which has quickly become a destination and resource for ceramic artists around the world.
• Julia Galloway is a utilitarian potter, professor and chair of the School of Art at the University of Montana-Missoula. Julia was raised in Boston and received her M.F.A. at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and B.F.A. at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Her work can be found in numerous museum and private collections around the country. She has an extensive history of presentations and exhibitions.
• Linda Christianson is a well-known and respected Minnesota studio potter and instructor. She received her B.A. in studio art from Hamine University in St. Paul where she also participated in their graduate apprentice program. She pursued further practical experience through a ceramic studio workshop program at the Banff Centre School for Fine Arts. Her work has been widely exhibited across the country and around the world. Linda has also taught in many centers for ceramic arts and her reputation as an educator puts her much in demand for her workshops in functional pottery, surface decoration, and wood-firing techniques.
• Mark Burns has been creating art and educating students for more than 25 years and continues as the head of the ceramics program and professor at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. His sculptures are in Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, N.Y.; Philadelphia Museum of Art; and Shigaraki Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Japan; among many others. Mark is a dynamic speaker with rich background in art and travel. His ceramic sculptures are composed of handmade and slipcast ceramics. The imagery he uses is narrative, nostalgic and rooted in 1950s popular culture.

Lawrence Arts Center Benefit Art Auction About 2010: The Lawrence Arts Center would like to thank all of the generous artists, sponsors, and attendees who made the 2010 Lawrence Arts Center Benefit Art Auction a success. A very special thank you to Peoples Optical and the Eye Doctors for their generous sponsorship and also to our 2010 Featured Artist, Carol Ann Carter.

• Ben Ahlvers
• Norman Akers
• Lynda Andrus
• Susan Ashline
• Ric Averill
• Colette Bangert
• Jason Barr
• Tom Bartel
• Randall Bennett
• Geoff Benzing
• Deborah Bettinger
• Shawn Bitters
• Nancy Bjorge
• Ellie Blair
• Rita Blitt
• William Bowerman
• Judy Brawley
• Vernon Brejcha
• Larry Brow
• John Gary Brown
• Alan Brummell
• Grace Carmody
• Carol Ann Carter
• Paul and Deb Chaussee
• Ellen Chindamo
• Daniel Coburn
• Bill Collins
• Jim Connelly
• Jessica Conner
• Louis Copt
• Vaughn Cowden
• Laurie Culling
• Christa Dalien
• Ann Dean
• Dee Ann DeRoin
• Eric Dobbins
• Clare Doveton
• David Dunfield
• Natalie Anne Dye
• Constance Ehrlich
• Dilesh Fernando
• John Ferry
• Alison Filley
• Barry Fitzgerald
• Jane Flanders
• Tim Forcade
• Joelle Ford
• Howard Freedman
• Herb Friedson
• Linda Frost
• Andrea Fuhrman
• D. W. Gates
• Jan Gaumnitz
• John Gaunt
• Bob Gent
• Daniel Georgie
• Steve Graber
• Susan Grace
• Colleen Gregoire
• Sarah Gross
• Lisa Grossman
• Diane Guthrie
• Tudy Youngberg Haller
• Brooks Hanson
• Dana Hassett
• Dianna Henry
• Stan Herd
• Dick Herpich
• Paul Herpich
• Ann Frame Hertzog and Steven Hertzog
• David Hiltner
• Gary Hinman
• Ron Hinton
• Diane Horning
• Brian Horsch
• Paul Hotvedt
• Stephanie Howarter
• Hobart Jackson
• Shakura Jackson
• Ted Johnson
• Stephen Johnson
• Lora Jost
• Gwen Kerth
• Erik Kessinger
• Hak Yun Kim
• Matt Kirby
• Frances Kite
• Margo Kren
• Michael Krueger
• Amy Lenharth
• Dori Lewman
• Dave Loewenstein
• Robbin Loomas
• Denise Low-Weso
• Tom MacDonald
• Aaron Marable
• Bailey Marable
• Justin Marable
• Kendra Marable
• Emily Markoulatos
• Laurie Marlowe
• Nancy Marshall
• Helen Martin
• Marshall Maude
• Michael McCaffrey
• Linda McKay
• Lynn Metzger
• Gerry Miller
• Rick Mitchell
• Darren Moore
• Kristin Morland
• Molly Murphy
• Yoonmi Nam
• Jon Eric Narum
• Matt Needham
• Thomas North
• Marty Olson
• Will Orvedal
• Jack Ozegovic
• George Paley
• Joan Parker
• Suzanne Perry
• Sally Piller
• Amy Plymat
• Ardys Ramberg
• Laura Ramberg
• Ken Ratzlaff
• Madison Rhea
• Cheryl Roth
• Janet Satz
• Brad Schwieger
• Doug Sheafor
• Roger Shimomura
• Celia Smith
• Deb Stavin
• Rick Stein
• Rachael Sudlow
• Leah Tacha
• Glenda Taylor
• Kay Trieb
• David Van Hee
• Marciana Vequist
• Tim vonHolten
• Shanna Wagner
• Irene Ward
• Chuck Wehner
• Margaret Weisbrod-Morris
• Tom Weso
• Karen Wiley
• Donika Wiley
• Blake Wilkinson
• Chris Wolf-Edmonds
• Matt Woodard
• Gary Woodward
• Russell Wrankle
• Josie Wrath
• Carolyn Young
• Robert Zerwekh
• Hong Zhang

About 2011: The 31st annual Art Auction is scheduled for April 9, 2011. Roger Shimomura will be our Featured Artist. Viewers will have the opportunity to bid on approximately 150 works of original art beginning March 11, 2011. This benefit auction serves as the primary fundraiser for the Lawrence Arts Center’s Exhibition Program.

Introducing Our Featured Artist for the 31st Annual Benefit Art Auction, Roger Shimomura
Save the date: April 9, 2011

Roger Shimomura’s paintings, prints, and theatre pieces address sociopolitical issues of Asian America. Shimomura received his B.A. from the University of Washington-Seattle, and his M.F.A. from Syracuse University. He has had more than 125 solo exhibitions of paintings and prints, as well as presented his experimental theater pieces at such venues as the Franklin Furnace, New York City; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minn.; and The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. During his 25-year teaching career in the University of Kansas School of Fine Arts, Simomura won many teaching awards. Shimomura is in the permanent collections of more than 80 museums nationwide. His personal papers and letters are being collected by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He is represented by The Flomenhaft Gallery, New York City; Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle; and Jan Weiner Gallery, Kansas City.