A Case for Funding the Arts, part 1
In May of this year, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies released a brief “Why Should Government Support the Arts?”  Across the board, in school systems, in local, state and federal government, when times get tough, the arts get whacked. So why bother?
It is difficult to argue against health and human services, against infrastructural issues, and basic human needs during these times. But what is true, and what gets run over, is that it is the arts that put a bit more …

Sitting is now a celebration of creativity at the Mulvane ArtLab.
Stools painted with versions of famous works of art are the newest fare now on display by young participants in the Summer Razzle Dazzle classes at the Mulvane Art Museum.
Children ages 10 to 13 each chose their favorite artist and created paintings and drawings based on the style used by that artist. In addition to learning about art from different eras of painting, such as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, the students were instructed on how …

Stephanie Munoz-O’Neil and Stella Robbins have paired up to make the August show at The Collective doubly special.
Part ethereal with a wisp of the spiritual, these new works which at first glance may seem to be from different planets, are big on sky and atmosphere.  Even the figurative works are not without their backdrop of everyday skies from Kansas to Far-Off Places, known only in the heart.
The Collective
3121 SW Huntoon Ave
234.4254

As a general rule, when countries are interested in showing their appreciation for each other, they send art. Art, whether visual or performing, is the ultimate symbol of a culture, of a moment in history, a memorial of a specific event.
Last fall, Gary Blitsch of Southwind Gallery and Kwan Wu, a renowned sculptor from Overland Park had a conversation that created a course of events. While not on the same scale as something like the Statue of Liberty, it has the potential of giving our city several notches up on …

A shudder was felt throughout the arts community last week as the Kansas legislature passed the 2011 budget.  In a recent message from the Kansas Arts Commission, I learned the following:
“Unfortunately, the legislature’s budget dramatically decreased funding for the arts. The Kansas Arts Commission’s total budget is estimated to be approximately $1.6 million for Fiscal Year 2011, which is down from $2.2 million in Fiscal Year 2010 (and down from the initial governor’s budget of $2.5 million in Fiscal Year 2009). Slightly more than half of our budget will now …