Kansas City Artists Coalition转发了
The 29th Annual Undergrad Student Juried Exhibition closed this past Saturday.?Exhibitions like these provide the perfect opportunity to survey artwork from a group of artists and look for connections between concepts, themes, and overlaps of interest in subject, medium, and style.?For instance, the figure dominated this showing of artwork from students across the region.?Whereas in previous years, abstraction was the dominant form of expression. Ideas and questions surrounding zeitgeist, common interest, and influence are anchored in "schools of thought".?These thoughts led to a curiosity about the broader arts community here in the KC region.?What are the larger "schools of thought" that impact and identify artists in our region??From style to experience, are there defining elements that could be attributed to our current time and place? It could be that we, the artists of our current time and place, have invested too heavily in a concept of individualism that we've lost sight of the collective.?Or... perhaps that prescription is the work and responsibility of the art historian - a dying breed of academic and intellectual. The artist collective is supported through community and engagement via self-initiated studio visits, critiques, exhibitions, and discussion.?From there, we may understand and advocate for our shared experience and overlaps in concepts, style, and what-have-you. Thanks for reading! Courtney Wasson, Executive Director "The year 1975 and Kansas City artists gathered in the studio of Philomene Bennett and Lou Marak, the meeting’s agenda was “How the Artist Can Benefit From Centralization.” Overwhelmingly the group felt a self-initiated organization was the only alternative to isolation, elitism, apathy, and ignorance. From that, the Kansas City Artist Coalition was formed."