Tag: Kansas City art scene

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NO. 6 FEMIN • IS – LINDA LIGHTON

In episode No. 6 of the Femin • Is series, I sat down with local ceramicist and bona fide flowerchild Linda Lighton. Sex, drugs, rock n’ roll and ceramics, baby. This is how it’s done.

Featured photo by Tom Styrkowicz

To be the renowned artist that Linda Lighton is today, she had to rebel, and then rebel some more. So for this interview, we took a deep dive into the early years and some early work. We also took a look back at the history of the art scene in Kansas City. Below are a few pieces that we discussed in the interview. Enjoy.

The First Lady

 

Daddy’s Hungry

 

Diva Laura
clay, glaze, China paint, lustres
22″ x 9″ x 11″
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Collection
2002

 

The Czarina Damnwell clay, glaze, China paint, lustre 14.5″ x 8″ x 4″ Belger Arts Center Collection 2000

 

Love & War: The Ammunition clay, glaze, China paint, lustre 12″ x 17″ x 13″ 2012

Still hungry? Then watch this gem of a process film of Linda Lighton by Don Maxwell
and stay tuned for an upcoming bonus clip from my interview with Linda.

Lastly, here is Linda’s portrait, admittedly the metallic gold was difficult to photograph!

This episode of KC Art Pie is made possible through an Inspiration Grant fromartskc-logo-1000x450 (2) (1)

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NO. 5 FEMIN • IS – RIGHTFULLY SEWN

In episode No. 5 of the Femin • Is series, I sat down with founder and president of Rightfully Sewn, Jennifer Lapka Pfeifer, to talk about fashion, feminism, and creative entrepreneurship.

Featured photo by Samantha Levi Photography

We talked about the organization Lapka Pfeifer started that blends non profit social work, job-creating entrepreneurship, local history and fashion design. Yes, Rightfully Sewn really does all that. We talked through the puzzle pieces and with such an interesting and intersecting mix, I also wanted to dive into the inspiration and process behind starting such an endeavor.

The two biggest parts of Rightfully Sewn is a seamtress training program for at-risk women and and supported residencies for local fashion designers. While the training program is being initiated this summer, the residency program is thoroughly underway and since this a project celebrating creative women, it seems fitting to share more about these designers here in the show notes:

Several resident designers were at a recent event hosted by Ami Beck (center) in her new studio in The Livestock Exchange Building in the West Bottoms.
The Kerri Bag from Dolyn Bags. Photo by Andrea Larson


Ami Beck, Dolyn Bags
www.dolynbags.com
Facebook: Dolyn Bags, LLC
Twitter: @DOLYNBAGS
Instagram: @dolynbags

 

Heidi Herrman’s KC Icon Collection – Model: Hannah Hadnot / Photographer: Steve Gibson / Accessories: Amina Marie Millinery / Hair: Keishaun Redmond / Makeup: Ruth White

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heidi Herrman
www.heidiherrman.com
Facebook: Heidi Herrman Design
Twitter: @heidiherrman
Instagram: @hherrman

Whitney Manney Collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whitney Manney
www.whitneymanney.com
Facebook: Whitney Manney WM
Twitter: @heywhithey
Instagram: @whitneymanney

Whitney Manney at Drugstore Studios in Midtown Kansas City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katie Lee Bridal offers complete customization for bridal wear. Photo by Bee Posh Portraits

Kate Nickols, Katie Lee Bridal
www.katieleebridal.com
Facebook: Katie Lee Bridal
Twitter: @KatieLeeBridal
Instagram: @katieleebridal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Nelson. Every garment is lovingly made at Sarah’s studio in the Stockyards District of Kansas City, Missouri. Photo by Samantha Levi Photography

 

 

 

Sarah Nelsen
www.sarah-nelsen.com
Facebook: WearSarahNelsen
Twitter: @SarahNelsen
Instagram: @sarahnelsen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, here is Jennifer’s portrait, inspired by the ever-iconic polka dot pattern!

 

Jennifer Lapka Pheifer / Ink on paper / 12 x 9″ / Text: “Fortune favors the bold.” – Latin proverb

 

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N0. 4 FEMIN • IS – ELISABETH KIRSCH

In episode No. 4 of the Femin • Is series, I sat down with writer and curator Elisabeth Kirsch to talk about feminism and the Kansas City art scene of the 1970s.

We talked about the challenges and limitations placed on women artists and how her early encounters with the feminist art movement influenced her career. I also wanted to hear about the Women Artists ‘77 exhibit, one of, if not the first, all-women regional shows at a time when women artists struggled to be included in galleries and museums. Kirsch was the gallery assistant for the exhibition and had a behind-the-scenes perspective on the process with juror and feminist art movement icon Miriam Schapiro.

We also talked about a few of the artists she’s reviewed over the years and she revealed what may be one of my favorite bucket list items: to be a Guerrilla Girl for a day.

Kirsch’s Review of Linda Lighton:
Dangerous Beauty, Review magazine, August 2006 

Spiked Eggplant, 2005, by Linda Lighton

 

She also discussed an artist who showed at the Douglas Drake Gallery.
You can see a wide range of collages by Vivian Torrence here.

As solid evidence that Elisabeth Kirsch is still hard at work, here is the latest review by Kirsch, of artist Hyeyoung Shin and her recent exhibition, “Unapologetic,” at Studios Inc.

Finally, during our interview, I asked Kirsch about the impact of the Women Artists 77 Exhibition in the following years. Looking at the longer term, I think it is a safe bet to say that one of those lasting impacts was to influence a young student who would go on to contribute volumes of thought and energy to the Kansas City arts scene.

Lastly, here is Elisabeth’s portrait!

Femin Is_Elisabeth Kirsch / Ink on panel / 24 x 18″ / Text: Awakening Loving-Kindness by Pema Chödrön

This episode of KC Art Pie is made possible through an Inspiration Grant from

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N0. 2: FEMIN • IS – JANET KUEMMERLEIN

Episode No. 2 of the KC Art Pie podcast features visual artist Janet Kuemmerlein discussing her textile murals, the women of jazz, and how naiveté is not always a bad thing.

For this episode, I sat down with Janet Kuemmerlein in her large home studio to talk about her work and career which has spanned over 50 years. We talked about the bravery or naivete it takes to be an artist and the early days of her career in the 60s. While her textile practice is often a solitary affair, she has also painted portraits of other artists, most significantly a number of Kansas City women jazz vocalists, and she shares her experience of working with and learning from women coming from a different artistic medium.

Kuemmerlein is a pioneer in the contemporary fiber art movement. She was born in Detroit, Michigan. Janet studied painting at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, and sculpture and metalsmithing at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Her work has been placed in institutions such the Smithsonian Museum of Fine Artm  the Chicago Institute of Art, the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Art and Design,  among many others. Her work has been in exhibited around the word in England, France, Germany and Switzerland.

http://www.janetkuemmerlein.com

Janet Kuemmerlein in her art-filled home and studio
Odyssey, textile installation, 5 x 30′, manila rope, wool, nylon,
silk, cotton, & dacron, 1976, Richmond, CA
Arctic Echoes, textile installation, 50′, Anchorage, AK
The Wild Women of Kansas City, The American Jazz Museum

Portrait of Deborah Brown by Janet Kuemmerlein,
The American Jazz Museum
Calla Lily, 10 x 10″, acrylic on canvas
Tempest by Janet Kuemmerlein, textile vessel
Portrait of a Garden
Janet Kuemmerlein in the yarn room of her home studio

 

Lastly, here is Janet’s portrait!

creative abstract portrait of the artist
Ink on canvas │Text: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
│ 36 x 36″” │ 2017

 

This episode of KC Art Pie is made possible through an Inspiration Grant from

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Introducing KC Art Pie

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The breadth of the Kansas City art scene is practically culinary. It is a rich stew, with both satisfyingly palatable and surprising bursts of contrasting flavor. For the art aficionado, it is delicious. Whatever flavor you prefer, Kansas City has a rich arts scene, and like a great meal, it deserves to be shared.

With this in mind, KC Art Pie will launch in March of 2017 as an artist-run podcast featuring the artist of our local creative culture. Season one of the podcast will focus on a specific multimedia project, Femin • Is,  allowing KC Art Pie to develop with a clear focus and then branch out to other projects and topics in the future. So, we will start with a recipe, but eventually, we will be mixing up all sorts of creations with the ingredients on hand (which, incidentally, is how I cook most of the time).

There are many great resources for arts-related content in Kansas City. The KC Art Pie podcast is simply an addition to the menu. Kansas City has a growing reputation, both nationally and, dare I say, internationally, as a developing hub for the arts. As an artist living here for over a decade, the growth has been clear, but the only way to continue to build our reputation is to keep the conversation growing and introduce more people to this Midwestern art smorgasbord. If all I can offer are a few whispers and appetizers, so be it.

Bon Appétit,
Rachelle Gardner-Roe

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Femin•Is  and KC Art Pie is made possible through the ArtsKC Regional Arts Council.

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