Review

A review of Defining the Abstract, A show for those who experience life in other dimensions!

Crystal Nederman "Abstract in Black and White," photograph, 20" x 16". Image: courtesy of the artist

Buttonwood Art Space
Kansas City, Missouri
June 4 — July 31, 2010

The words “abstract art” many times bring to mind the puffed-up, muscled-up machismo style of the Abstract Expressionist movement. This unique and highly influential American art form, and its theorists have gone in and out of favor with audiences, artists, students, and critics since the 1940s. The movement reached its apex in the 1950s and had started to fade by the 1970s.

Indefinite or absent imagery, conceptual and theoretical input, reach a tipping point in an equally abstruse place somewhere in the transition from Abstract Expressionism on their way to something else, and this group exhibition at Buttonwood Art Space focuses on various modes of abstract art — on different ideas about what abstract art is. It is a great example of how various artists' interpretations of the term differ and includes photography, drawing, painting, and sculpture.

Jane Flanders, "Stehopteryguis Quadriscissus," oil and acrylic, 30" x 36". Image: courtesy of the artist

By academic definition, abstract is indefinable, so attempting to define abstract art in an exhibition of the non-concrete is of course, impossible. What is possible is a fun exploration of contemporary abstract work, presented through a variety of style and media. The artists chosen explore a number of ideas and concepts, ranging from non-representational to photographic representation.

Carolyn Dvorak "Fallen Beauty", photograph, 11" x 14" photo: Carolyn Dvorak

Some of the nearly 100 pieces presented are very traditional, as referenced by the Abstract Expressionist style, while others are more interpretive or symbolic. Still others have little to do with abstract art in any traditional sense; instead, they approach the subject from a pragmatic, in-your-face attitude borne from mere mark-making, as opposed to theoretical approximation.

The Buttonwood Art Space in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, is a commercial gallery housed in the former Union Hill Arts Building, shared with the Buttonwood Financial Group wealth management company, at 3013 Main Street. The Art Space was founded by Jon and Wendy McGraw (Jon is president of Buttonwood Financial Group), who purchased and renovated the building in 2005 with a desire to tap into the history of the old Union Hill Arts Building and to continue the work of Martha Clay McDermott, former proprietor of Union Hills Arts.

Jon’s interest in fine art was piqued by involvement with local arts non-profit organizations. His affiliation with Town Art Show for Parkinson Foundation was the original thread that would eventually weave its way to become an exhibition space.

The reception on June 4 for Defining the Abstract was well attended (and included tasty catered morsels from La Bodega), proof that non-Crossroads galleries can draw crowds on a First Friday.

As in many corporate galleries, the work shown here is in part determined by its location in the gallery. This placement creates an environment with an intimate traffic flow, where viewers have to walk directly in front of the work to see it — and many of the pieces in the exhibition are quite interesting and enjoyable to view. The environment of Buttonwood helps viewers to visualize how a piece might actually look in a home space. This is a valuable display tool as well as contributing to a traffic friendly environment.

Heart and Soul, by Christi Roberts Bony, is a rich red color field littered with color forms and interpretive lines, making an obvious semi-abstracted female form. Using an updated approach to traditional figurative art with an earthy, visceral feel is a striking composition.

Christi Roberts Bony, "Heart & Soul," oil and acrylic, 28" x 22". Photo: Adelia Ganson

Susana Bruhn’s Kansas Wheat, gives the viewer a look at a traditional color-field canvas. The artistic influences for this piece could be anyone from Abstract Expressionist-era high priests Mark Rothko or Barnett Newman, to Kansas native Larry Schwarm. Schwarm’s landscape photographs of the Flint Hills on fire have generated a stampede of critical acclaim and awards too numerous to count.

Susana Bruhn, "Kansas Wheat," oil/acrylics, 10" x 20". Image: courtesy of the artist

Karen’s Albert’s Pacific Sunset, has a very similar feel, as this style has sparked many followers. Interestingly, both Albert and Bruhn use place as part of their pieces, placing themselves into the category of landscapes.

Karen Albert, "Pacific Sunset," oil and acrylic, 24" x 24". Image: courtesy of the artist

The formal qualities of the exhibition fit well within the space and help to focus the viewer’s attention on specific pieces, through placement. Artist Micros's Glass Sonata and On the Move bring to mind traditional abstractions, clearly referencing Arshile Gorky, Wasily Kandinsky, or others interested in the relationship between line and color, and exploring non-representation and a sense of improvisation to elicit response.

Micros ,"Glass Sonata," oil on paper, 22" x 15". Image: courtesy of the artist

Carolyn Dvorak’s Water Lily and Calcium and Iron give us a look at another idea of abstraction. Dvorak utilizes the medium of photography to create minimalistic compositions. It is fun to squint at the ones presented in this exhibition, to soften the view so that only the form is apparent, so one is not able to determine its origin as an object.

Carolyn Dvorak "Water Lily," photograph, 14" x 11." Image: courtesy of the artist

Carolyn Dvorak, "Calcium and Iron," photograph, 14" x 11". Image: courtesy of the artist

Abstract in Black and White and Abstraction in Color by Crystal Nederman are also photographs, but they approach the idea of abstraction completely differently than Dvorak. The actual subject of the photo is semi-ambiguous, but the strong, almost exaggerated use of line in the pieces sharpen up any desire for softening around the edges.

Crystal Nederman, "Abstraction in Color," photograph, 20" x 16". Image: courtesy of the artist

Rose Burgweger’s Brush Creek uses reflection and light variation to create a photographic abstraction. This is a beautiful piece with an innate simplicity, mixed with a complexity of patterns that makes it very eye-catching and visually appealing.

Rose Burgweger, "Brush Creek," photograph, 21" x 14." Image: courtesy of the artist

Kaern Rees's Crazy Fun is a small piece consisting of a green field upon which a red form rests, relaxing with other various colors included in the composition. The use of complementary colors help to highlight the beauty and simplicity of this form, which has a relaxed and smooth feel.

Kaern Rees, "Crazy Fun," 9" x 8". Image: courtesy of the artist

Robin Van Hoozer is an artist based in St. Joseph, Missouri. One of her pieces was chosen to hang in the office of Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill in 2009, and another was chosen to appear on the television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Van Hoozer’s canvas, When I Wish, is a geometrically shaped wall piece, with bright, shiny, and super-colorful surface marking. It is a stark contrast to other works near it, which are all in traditional frames. The choice of color and shape make the piece appear to pop from the wall, out at the viewer.

Robin Van Hoozer, "When I Wish," mixed media, 25" x 28". Image: courtesy of the artist

Jon McGraw commented that their gallery began by showing only one artist’s work at a time but moved to group shows to accommodate the growing number of artists interested in exhibiting there. The purpose of the McGraws' gallery is to benefit the artists who participate; some are formally trained, and some are self-taught. As a wealth manager, Jon McGraw welcomes creative arts and input at the end of the day, because, in his words, “You can only use one side of your brain for so long.”

The space is open to the public during Buttonwood Financial Group’s regular hours, and, according to McGraw, sees its largest crowds on First Friday openings but regularly receives enthusiastic potential buyers and other art seekers during the workweek.

Nancy Basinski, "Flower Garden," 24" x 18", which received the "Best in Show" vote of visitors in Buttonwood's Patron's Choice Awards. Image: courtesy of the artist

Nancy Basinski, "City Reflections", 20" x 16", which received First Place from viewers. Image: courtesy of the artist

The building at 3013 Main is rich in local, as well as art, history, dating back to 1907 when St. Mary’s Hospital was built and served two generations of soldiers returning from the World Wars. Due to the baby boom and subsequent demand, for a time, even baby mattresses were manufactured at the location.

McGraw still retains the original 1824 “Abstract of Title” for the site, documentation that shows who owned the land and the building, and there are many examples of colorful stories from past lives of 3013 Main.

“In 2007 a gentleman was driving east on I-70 and stopped in Kansas City to see if he could find 3013 Main Street," McGraw says. "When he arrived he was excited to see the building still standing tall. He relayed a story about his great-grandfather who lived in Kansas City in the late 1800s. As it turned out, his great-grandfather was the recipient of two of the first new-fangled gasoline powered automobiles from Europe. The cars were shipped to USA from Europe in shipping crates full of parts. According to the story, the crates were delivered to 3013 Main, the parts were assembled at 3013 Main, and two of the first gasoline-powered cars in Kansas City rolled out the front of the building onto Main Street.”

This non-traditional commercial gallery is one family’s contribution to expanding the arts in Kansas City and creating strength in the local community. McGraw stresses that he wants any credit given to the space to go to the creative spirits who fabricate the works in the gallery. While he enjoys the work and has a collection himself, he is adamant and passionate that the art space at Buttonwood work for the greater good of the artists who exhibit there.

Jon and Wendy are  continuing the rich community and art history that is an innate part of their location. They are committed to an inclusive policy for artists who exhibit at the space, as well as providing accessible art for potential buyers.

Buttonwood Art Space installation, June 11, 2010 photo:Adelia Ganson

Note:
The Patron's Choice Award winners selected by the audience are as follows:
Best in Show — Nancy Basinski, Flower Garden;
First Place — Nancy Basinski, City Reflections;
Second Place — LuWayne Younghams, Life Like, A DOME OF MANY COLORED GLASS;
Third Place — Christi Roberts Bony, Heart and Soul

-re-

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