by J. Sherrod Taylor Painter Ada Koch, a former member of the Prairie Village Arts Council (PVAC), is currently displaying her work in two dramatic settings. These two shows offer thought provoking work presented in a manner to beautify our community. Ada(www.adakoch.com) is well-known in our Kansas City arts community as an artist, organizer, and teacher. She has served on several metro boards promoting local arts activities — including a four-year stint on our own PVAC. She has displayed her work in many arts shows including the renown Florence Bienniale art show in Florence, Italy; and her works hang in private collections in France, Germany, and Switzerland. Locally, her paintings may be found at the National World War I Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum, the Stowers Institute, and the Overland Park City Hall. Completed under the auspices of the Art in the Loop Foundation (www.artintheloop.com), “Hope & Gratitude” finds Koch decorating a Ride KC Streetcar with a painted wrap of red poppies to remember, celebrate, and honor our nation’s veterans. This prominent display of her work is made in combination with renown local poet Glenn North's moving poetry. Glenn North is the Director of the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, and is the first poet laureate of the 18th and Vine Historic District. These two artists combine to inspire hope and peace for the future of our country. In addition to their feature work for downtown, Koch and North also teamed up for an art show entitled “Hope Forward” currently featured at the Bunker Center for the Arts (https://www.bunkercenter.com/). In this show Koch displays “disruptive art” featuring poignant paintings promoting anti-gun violence themes. The show is presented in support of Mothers in Charge, founded by Rosilyn Temple, whose son died as a result of gun violence. This group of concerned citizens supports and comforts other similarly situated persons in our community. Fifty percent of the proceeds from Koch’s art sales this month will go to Mothers in Charge. This collaboration by Ada Koch and Glenn North is a beautiful example of how artists may join together to provide creative, encompassing space of peace and harmony even in the downtown business district for street car riders and passers-by. We hope you enjoy the display, I know we PVAC member are proud of our alumnus.
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by Nancy Kalikow Maxwell Whenever school starts again, six-year old Sully Nine will be driven to school by a Prairie Village Police D.A.R.E. officer. He can pick out anything worth $50.00 at the Learning Tree toy store, and treat himself and his family to $20.00 worth of ice cream at the Summer Salt ice cream parlor. Sully earned all these rewards by winning the Sidewalk Art Contest sponsored by the City of Prairie Village. The son of Amy and Chet Nine, six-year old Sully is a rising first grader at Belinder Elementary. His winning entry, an American flag, received more “likes” on Facebook than the other eight artwork photos that were submitted by entrants ranging in age from 3 to 51. According to his mother, Amy, Sully likes to draw animals but for this contest chose to design something “patriotic and USA-related.” After looking up pictures of flags that he could replicate, he employed the “tape and chalk” method 9-year old Siena Taylor described in the Prairie Village Arts Council blog, outlining the image with masking tape first and then coloring it in. Sully tried to depict all fifty stars in his banner, but couldn’t squeeze them all in. But that obviously didn’t keep him from winning the contest. Sully is excited to have won the contest and says he is “kind of interested in being an artist” when he grows up, but would rather be a veterinarian. Who knows? Maybe he’ll end up drawing pictures of animals for a living. |
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July 2024
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