Author Archives: klogan3

Edgar Heap of Birds sculpture in Kansas Focus Gallery

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It is very exciting to have Edgar Heap of Birds’ work on view now in the Kansas Focus Gallery – what could be a more appropriate location for this work than a gallery that is itself named for the land that we’re situated in.

The works in Kansas Focus Gallery do not always relate specifically to the Kansas landscape or anything thematically associated with Kansas, rather the artist have an association with Kansas in some way (they were born, raised, went to school or lived in Kansas at some point).

In this case however, the exhibition currently on view in that space is drawing our attention to our relationship with the landscape itself, with the environment and peoples who have existed in this place and continue to do so. Learn more about Edgar Heap of Birds’ Native Host sign series:

 

Edgar Heap of Birds | (eheapofbirds.com)

Gabriel Mills: Aunechei

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Gabriel Mill’s exhibition at the Nerman Museum features large scale abstract works in the Oppenheimer New Media gallery, though they do not feature new media but one of the oldest media – oil paint. Read about Gabriel’s thoughts on how his work relates to the long history of painting in an interview:

SPOTLIGHT: GABRIEL MILLS | PLATFORM (platformart.com)

And more about his process here:

Gabriel Mills: TIDSOPTIMIST | Micki Meng (friendsindeed.art)

The museum is so excited not only to be hosting this exhibition but also to have a work by Mills in the permanent collection. We were able to pull Gabriel aside to discuss this work specifically, Thira. Listen here:

We also have bookmarks now available with an image of Thira to give to visitors!

 

vanessa german sculpture now on view at the Nerman Museum

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We are so excited to now have a work by the amazing artist vanessa german on view in the museum’s second floor galleries. The work, titled ET AL, or The Child Plaintiffs as Power-figures: Courage and Play, Love and Hope, Grace and Compassion, Will and Might, Serenity and Music, Light and Joy, Warrior and Intellect, Creativity and
Vision, is from an exhibition that reflects on the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Topeka court case.

That exhibition, CRAVING LIGHT: The Museum of Love and Reckoning, was commissioned by ArtsConnect and considers the legacies of that 1954 Supreme Court case declaring segregation in schools unconstitutional. Additional selections from this exhibition are on view at the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University, the
Brown v. Board National Historical Park Site, and the Great Overland Station, all in Topeka, through 2024.

Learn more about vanessa’s work:

For vanessa german, ‘Citizen Artist,’ Creativity Is a Matter of Survival – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

We are still working on getting the label on the wall (the installation was just completed late yesterday!), here is a PDF of that:

vanessa german wall label (PDF)

Plant Diagram for Actions for the Earth

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Some folks have been asking about what plants are in the planting bed in the gallery for the Actions for the Earth exhibition. I made a diagram of what we planted, which lists both common and latin names (my handwriting is small, but you should be able to zoom in).

They are all plants that are native to the prairie. Following the exhibition closing we have permission to keep them in the JCCC greenhouse until early spring, at which time we’ll plant them on campus, completing the sustainability loop of this particular artwork!

mandala seedling map (PDF)

A printed copy of this diagram is also available at the desk, for visitors who may have questions.

Emilio Villalba’s creative trajectory

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If you attended Emilio’s talk at the museum last week, you may recall that he indicated that the series on view at the Nerman Museum right now is very different from earlier bodies of work that he has made. Check out some images of his earlier series in these articles and interviews and learn more about his creative process and trajectory getting to Everything is Something:

moderneden.com interview with Emilio

artsy.net Interview with Emilio about earlier series of work

dolbychadwickgallery.com Emilio’s current gallery

Actions for the Earth resources

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Thanks to docent-in-training Deepthi for sending along a link to curator Sharmila Wood and artist Katie West discussing the museum’s current exhibition Actions for the Earth:

Curator Sharmila Wood Interviews Artist Katie West The Artist’s Digest

There is also a video of Sharmila talking on the museum’s digital guide, scan the QR code here to access.

And if you would like to read all the labels for this exhibition, here is a PDF of those:

Labels for Actions for the Earth from ICI (PDF)

Actions for the Earth resources

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We are so excited about our upcoming exhibition, Actions for the Earth opening tonight, Aug 9th!

Installation image and program schedule (PDF)

This is the first in a series of posts about resources and references for this exhibition.

The artists Ackroyd and Harvey have a small photograph in the exhibition titled “Beuys’ Acorns, 2007”. Find out more about the artist Joseph Beuys and his project “7,000 Oaks – City Forestation Instead of City Administration” in this article:

Joseph Beuys: Healing a Wounded World – Artland Magazine

This quote is on the label for the work: “We must continue along the road of interrelating socioecologically all the forces present in our society until we perform an action which extends to the fields of culture, economy and democratic rights.” – Joseph Beuys

Additionally they have a link to the Culture Declares Emergency
movement (co-founded by Ackroyd and Harvey):

www.culturedeclares.org 

Developing Inclusive Tours – resources from other institutions

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There are a lot of great resources from fellow arts institutions on developing and implementing inclusive tour practices. Here are just a few that have been recommended to us:

Inclusive Language Guide (PDF)

Tour Toolkit (artsmia.github.io) extensive guide to developing inclusive tours from the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Creating Inclusive Tours: Five Strategies for Engaging English Learning Visitors in Museums – American Alliance of Museums (aam-us.org)

Art Vision tour program continues to serve JCCC healthcare students

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Katherine leading JCCC nursing student tour

We had a blast leading tours for JCCC Nursing students yesterday evening, continuing our tour programming specifically designed for healthcare professionals to help them hone their observational skill through looking at art.

We’ve hosted many Art Vision tours and programs over the years, if you haven’t had a chance to attend or lead a tour, here is some additional information you can check out:

Art Vision symposium guest speaker M. Jordan Love: watch video

University of South Florida, Contemporary Art Museum: watch video

Yale Center for British Art and dermatology: watch video

Artist Bridget Stewart: Observation Mindfulness PDF