Profiles 
GOING FERAL(1)
August 30, 2010 —
Lawrence, Kansas, based artist Molly Murphy may be best known for her portraits of sickly, sullen female faces, but her recent work pares down color to what graphite can provide and depicts simply a feature that represents the commonality of all humans as well as individual and collective memory: hair. Her growing expression of concern for environmental degradation in the world fits well with the mission of BNIM architects, whose 10@BNIM street-front gallery is hosting her work through September 17.
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CONCENTRATING ON FACES
Artist David Gant discusses his process and impetus for creating an all-portrait exhibition that’s largely focused on Crossroads Arts District personalities. The dozens of paintings are on display at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center through August 28 and present an interesting who’s-who of our community as well as show the young painter’s growing range of styles and techniques.
j.m.rees: UNIVERSAL MAN
The journey that j.m.rees has made along his life has been fueled by an expansive passion to learn about architecture, philosophy, literature, linguistics, carpentry, writing, art — and the myriad ways in which these disciplines converge to tell universal narratives. Janell Meador outlines his steps and accomplishments and shares a video studio tour with the artist, too.
CREATING ART FOR THE MASSES
Kansas City’s Matt Dehaemers has become a well-recognized and award-winning public artist in the past 10 years. Dehaemers discusses his upcoming project for 31st Street and Troost Avenue, his past artwork, and the process of becoming involved in public art.
ONE TUBE’S PSYCHOLOGY OF THE UNIVERSE
Focused and dedicated, Steve Brisendine is not only the sole contributor to the more than 500 days’ worth of writing about the work of local contemporary artists but a painter who uses the visual medium to center the self and in a small way, find an affinity with the other visual creatives whom he profiles and admires.
MUSIC-THEMED GALLERY FEATURES DEVO SINGER
Mark Mothersbaugh steps out of the music scene to promote his exhibition, “We Must Repeat!,” on display at the 1819 Central Gallery. The gallery itself, in the Crossroads District, also consists of a music store and recording studio.
THE SCIENCE AND ART OF CONNECTION
Ian Shelly’s latest exhibition, “It’s Elementary My Dear Watson,” features artwork made of terra cotta, porcelain, rope, sand, and other materials. “I make by playing,” he says. “Afterward I sit down and think about what I made and why.”
TRAVELING LIGHT
Mollie Kathleen Blackburn uses craft materials to produce small fine art pieces. Blackburn, who plans on graduating from the University of Kansas in May, created “The Honeymoon Years,” which combines three jewelry pieces and is inspired by her marriage.
‘DREAM BIG, AMERICAN DREAMS…’
Archie Scott Gobber of Kansas City, Mo., has created “DREAM,” an installation featured in Missouri Bank. Art through Architecture (AtA) awarded the organizations involved with the highest level Art Achievement. It is the second time the bank-and-architecture team has received this recognition, and the latest public artwork for Gobber.
A GALLERY GROWS IN BROOKLYN
Gallery owner Walker Waugh left Topeka, Kansas, for Brooklyn’s flourishing art scene and opened WORK Gallery in 2006. Waugh talks about his hometown, life in Brooklyn, and the upcoming “I Heart Art” event, April 17.
LISA IGLESIAS DISCUSSES LATEST EXHIBITION
“Ain’t no grave gonna hold me down,” Lisa Iglesias’s solo exhibition at the UCM Gallery of Art & Design at the University of Central Missouri is on display through April 10 and is an exploration of her “fascination with repetition, futility, and time.”
AN INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE
Kim Jongku, of Seoul, South Korea, became the latest international artist-in-residence at the University of Kansas’ Spencer Museum of Art, which is making an effort to increase partnerships with artists. His installation will be on view at the museum through June 25, 2010.
WINGS FROM FAITH
Amanda Marie Monson’s drawings expose her gift to shape and spawn fabulous beasts from the taxonomy of her own imagination with fine precision.
A DESIRE TO FLY
Paul Flinders creates emotive works that connect with the viewer on a visceral rather than on a logical level. Standing before them, a viewer might have the sensation of warmth emanating from muted colors and soft light. The works might elicit some distant memory of joy, pain, or love, despite their unreality, which is sometimes cartoonish or evokes the extraterrestrial or primordial. Even some of his direct social critiques make an emotional connection through scenes that are sometimes bizarre or otherworldly, sometimes romantic or absurd.
MODERN-DAY ROOM OF WONDERS
At Wonder Fair: Art Gallery & How!, you can retrieve art from a repurposed vending machine and discuss the beauty of artist books while sipping a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and purchasing a handmade screen-printed T-shirt. An opening at Wonder Fair, located on popular Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, Kansas, has it all. The positive energy and unpretentious space, coupled with its varied and unique art offerings, promise a truly unique experience.