ARTS CENTER® JANUARY - MARCH, 2016

EVERY SEMESTER: COLLECTING KCAI CERAMICS 1995-2015 January 8 - March 19, 2016 Belger Arts Center 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MissouriOpening Reception: January 8, 6-9pm

“Every Semester” celebrates two decades of the Kansas City Art Institute ceramics department as told by 14 regional collectors who acquired student works, often from the popular end-of-semester exhibitions. The selections demonstrate a wide range of artistic investigations and media that have long been a hallmark of the KCAI curriculum. Works by tenured and tenure track faculty are also on view.

THE GARDEN PARTY February 5 - May 21, 2016Belger Arts Center 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MissouriOpening Reception: March 17, 6-9 pm

“Garden Party” explores the fine line between the need to preserve and the need to re-imagine, re-configure, and re-contextualize the world around us. Tapping into the rich visual and symbolic history of the garden as muse, the selected artists question artificiality, preciousness, and romantic notions of the sublime.

DESIRE: LIGHTON INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS EXCHANGE PROGRAM February 5 - May 21, 2016 Belger Arts Center 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MissouriOpening Reception: March 17, 6-9 pm

For the last 15 years, the Lighton International Artists Exhange program has fostered the sharing of ideas around the world. For this exhibition, 37 artists from 27 countries were asked the simple question, “what do you desire?” The answers, some shrouded by cultural restraints, reflect some of the most important political and social issues of the day.

Sasha Alexandra, Untitled, 2013, red earthenware, wire, luster, and underglaze, 7” x 10” x 10”, Philipp T. Eirich & Melanie Sherman Collection, photo by EG Schempf

Zehra Cobanli, Child Alyan and Others (detail), 2015, earthenware, underglaze, slip casting, tile, 24” x 47” x 3”, courtesy of the artist

Casey Whittier, In Case I Need You Again (detail), 2015, stoneware, earthenware, glaze, 48” x 28” x 36”, courtesy of the artist

Beth Cavener, Unrequited (detail), 2015, resin-infused refractory material, paint, steel base, 15” x 45” x 16”, courtesy of the artist

OBJECTIFY March 4 - May 21, 2016Belger Crane Yard Studios 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri Opening Reception: March 18, 6-9 pm

In “Objectify,” five artists utilize animal forms to mirror human psychology or serve as metaphors for social, political, or environmental issues. Beth Cavener suggests that primitive animal instincts “lurk in our depths, waiting to slide past a conscious moment.”

By rekindling feelings of interconnection and wonderment, the artists challenge viewers to re-consider the idea of nature as something outside of themselves.

Jenny Kindler, Camouflage XXIV (Last Ditch Dense for Possibly Extinct Yellow-eared Parrot, in Yves Klein Blue), vintage porcelain bird, styrofoam, paperclay, glue, acrylic, 2014, 10” x 3” x 2”, courtesy of the artist

ROLE MODELS March 4 - May 21, 2016 Belger Arts Center 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri Opening Reception: March 18, 6-9 pm

Celebrating the art of mentoring, the Morean Arts Center and Florida CraftArt invited 17 artists to select one person who mentored them and one person they have mentored themselves. The resulting exhibition, “Role Models,” demonstrates the power and importance of influence, inspiration, and trusted advice.

THE KANSAS CITY CONNECTION March 4 - May 21, 2016 Belger Crane Yard Studios 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri Opening Reception: March 18, 6-9 pm

From 1968 to 2001, Kansas City Art Institute professor Victor Babu inspired students through his unique views of art and philosophy and his sheer technical virtuosity. “The Kansas City Connection” pays homage to Babu by featuring work by three former students: Chris Gustin, John Balistreri, and Matt Long.

DECALOMANIACS March 4 - May 21, 2016Belger Crane Yard Studios 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri Opening Reception: March 18, 6-9 pm

Decorating with decals was once a highly technical process, invented and perfected by the ceramics industry. In the late 19th century, decals became a widely popular commodity, easily accessible to professionals and hobbyists alike. “Decalomaniacs” celebrates this tradition and explores how 14 artists incorporate “ready-mades” and custom imagery in their work through a variety of processes and applications.

Mariko Patersont, Eye of the Tiger, 2015, clay, glaze, lusters, decals, 13” x 13” x 1.75”, courtesy of the artist

Chris Gustin, Vessel #1413, 2014, stoneware, 25” x 16” x 18”, courtesy of the artist

Patti Warashina, Whisper, 2011, low-fire clay, underglaze, glaze, mixed media, 16.5” x 30” x 13”, photo by Rob Vinnedge

ARCHIE BRAY FOUNDATION: RESIDENT AND VISITING ARTISTS March 16 - 19, 2016 Belger Crane Yard Studios 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri Opening Reception: March 18, 6-9 pm

The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts was the first artist residency program for the ceramic arts in the United States. Since 1951, the Bray has hosted thousands of emerging and established artists from around the world.

HOME BASE: RED STAR STUDIOS MEMBER EXHIBITION March 16 - 19, 2016 Belger Crane Yard Studios 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri Opening Reception: March 18, 6-9 pm

Red Star Studios has created an enhanced studio experience for emerging and professional ceramics artists for the last 18 years. Beyond providing access to equipment and a place to work, Red Star supports each artist’s creative process by encouraging experimentation and the sharing of experience and ideas. The resulting work is as rich and vibrant as the studio members themselves. Helen Moore, Teapot, 2015, stoneware, glaze,

5” x 6” x 4”, courtesy of Red Star Studios

Lauren Gallaspy, Upside, 2015, porcelain, colored porcelain, glaze, china paint, 8” x 5” x 3”, courtesy of the artist

ALUMNI GATHERING: RED STAR STUDIOS PAST AND CURRENT ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE March 16 - 19, 2016 Belger Crane Yard Studios 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri Opening Reception: March 18, 6-9 pm

Since 1998, Red Star’s Artists-in-Residence program has allowed artists to explore their practice in a new setting with new people and new materials. In turn, each artist has enriched the program by adding their own unique experiences, techniques, and aesthetics. “Alumni Gathering” is a reunion of national and international artists who have influenced - and been influenced by - the Red Star Studios experience.

Jessica Brandl, Struggle and Strive, 2015, terracotta, slip, engobe, sgraffito, glaze, 12” x 11” x 13”, courtesy of Red Star Studios

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