If you want to see an array of engaging, attractive artwork during this coming year, you need look no further than the City of Prairie Village. The Prairie Village Arts Council has just announced their ambitious line-up of art shows for next year that include everything from impressionistic landscapes to woven wall-hangings to stunning portraits. For the first time this year many exhibits will be available simultaneously at two locations: the R.G. Endres Gallery at the Prairie Village City Hall and the Meadowbrook Park Clubhouse Gallery at 9100 Nall Ave. The Endres location will continue to serve as the site for opening receptions for the shows, but these evening events have been changed to Wednesdays instead of Fridays. (See below for all show and reception dates and locations.)

The Arts Council will continue to sponsor its two popular juried competitions, the Art of Photography contest held in May and State of the Arts in September. And several new artists will be featured this year, including Susan Richards, who produces weavings with repurposed materials and Shannon Brouk, known for her stunning colorful portraits. Artist Shannon Trevethan, who has served as a juror for the State of the Arts competition, will be displaying her own artwork.

Four of the shows coming this year were originally scheduled for 2020, but were postponed due to the pandemic. These re-scheduled artists include Gloria Gale, Donna Yeager, Debra Payne, and Donna Paul, many of whom produce portraits and impressionistic landscapes with pastels and oils.  

​Along with sponsoring these art exhibits, the Prairie Village Arts Council will also be holding another Prairie Village Art Walk sometime during the summer. This popular event allows residents to visit selected sculptures throughout the city where the sculptors have provided recorded artist statements available on the Otocast phone app.  

The Arts Council will also be sponsoring or participating in the Shooting Stars Gala that recognizes Johnson County high school art students, the Prairie Village Art Show held in June, Villagefest in July, and Jazzfest in September.  And to think that all of this will be available in or around the City of Prairie Village.

Donna Yeager Solo Exhibit
​Artist Reception Wed., Mar. 8, 7:00-8:00pm, R.G. Endres Gallery 
Exhibit: Mar. 4 to May 6, R.G. Endres Gallery
    ​Mar. 4 to Jul. 8, Meadowbrook Clubhouse

​The writer Annie Dillard has argued that the things we should pay the most attention to, whether in art or everyday life, are not the things that we make an effort to seize but rather the things that seize us: those sights and sounds that produce the doubletake, the second glance, the softly murmured, "well that's interesting". 

It's a lovely sentiment to keep in mind as one explores an art museum or gallery, as I did last week at the Saint Louis Art Museum. I had gone during a free afternoon to see an old favorite, Picasso's Mandolin and Vase of Flowers, but found my attention arrested instead by a Giacometti sculpture just around the corner: Hands Holding the Void (Invisible Object). I don't normally go for the Swiss sculptor's emaciated works, and I can't even quite explain why this one so caught my eye, but there I was, rooted in place and head cocked, feeling something like total reevaluation of my prior opinions about Giacometti. The Picasso, though still beautiful, seemed somehow dim in comparison. 

If you find yourself with a similarly free afternoon now through January 6, the Prairie Village Arts Council heartily encourages you to stop by the R.G. Endres Gallery at City Hall to see the current art on display by Jack Stemm, Anne Nye, and Grant Charpentier. The latter is a glass artist from Emporia and the former two are photographers, but all three seem to be masters of provoking the doubletake that causes you to see an old thing -- a familiar building, a wooden ship, an entomological form -- in a new light. The works of all three are excellent examples of Eliot's dictum that the "goal of all our exploring" will be to "arrive where we started/And know the place for the first time." 

Stemm has a particular eye for majestic outdoor shots, as in Yosemite Tunnel View:

​​All told, the three artists whose work is showing through January 6 excel in a unifying way: by making us sit up a bit straighter, wondering how you had missed what they are making so very clear right now. It's a tough balancing act for an artist, placing the mundane in an entirely new context and framework, and all three handle it skillfully. Please visit this excellent collection soon!

​Which do you like best? The portrait of the woman with braids or the redhead thinking? The colorful depiction of a stack of plates or the woman holding a keyboard? Do you prefer the painting of soothing blue flowers or the haunting gas station scene with a kiddie car? 

Hard choices, indeed, to select a personal favorite out of the 60-plus pieces on display at the Prairie Village Arts Council's State of the Arts 2022 exhibit. 

The arts enthusiasts have spoken though, and the “People’s Choice Award” was awarded to Non Trattati (Blessed be the Fruit) by Katie Wampler for garnering the most votes during the opening week of the show.

​Ms. Trevethan awarded two Merit Awards in the show: Carol Kiefer Johnson's For the Birds and John Keeling's The Gaze.

"Carol Johnson’s bold use of color, exuberant pattern and expressive style lends a unique twist to both her original painting and her recreations of iconic images. A self-taught artist, Carol's style has been honed over the years. She infuses her figurative art with a passion for the subject, as well as lightheartedness and humor." ~artist statement

John Keeling likes to "capture the essence of [his] subject. [He] seeks out both lost and found edges, intentionally balancing controlled definition to help you see with blurred edges to let you enter. In this way, [he] invites the viewer to join [him]." ~artist statement 

​The State of the Arts 2022 Honorable Mentions are (in no particular order):

• In Common, by Lori Stanziola
• Spring Growth-full, by Jackie Kiernan-Hale
• Raw, by Slater Sousley
• Portrait of a Young Artist (in a Place That Wasn't Real), by Cassaundra Sanderson
• The Unforgiveable Nature of Time, by Jessica Matier

From juror, Shannon Trevethan:

"It was a pleasure and an honor to judge this years Prairie Village State of the Arts. I was delighted to be presented with so many thought provoking, well-executed pieces. As director of an art center and an artist myself, I’ve spent many years analyzing my own work and examining the work of others. This was, however, my first time in the position of judge.

"I approached the selection process with the mindset that the State of the Arts is a reflective statement on the state of the world. I felt this in almost every piece submitted, whether it related to culture, humanity, or the spaces we inhabit. The work selected for this show gave me insight into the artists’ perception and experiences. Some of the work was deeply moving, other pieces were chosen for their beauty, ingenuity, or for their proficient demonstration of artistic process."

​All of the artists included in the show produced their works in the last two years.  Many of the artists were in attendance at the Artists Reception held at 6:00pm on Friday, September 9 in the R.G. Endres Gallery at the Prairie Village City Hall, (7700 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS).

Running from now until October 28th, State of the Arts is one of the two juried arts exhibitions currently mounted by the Prairie Village Arts Council. Abstract works, portraits, landscapes, and still life works are on display, along with mosaics, woodcuts and fabric works. The subjects range from lakes to limes, flowers to Fiesta ware. Be sure to go check it out in person!

And remember: All pieces of artwork are for sale! See Barb Fisher at the City Clerk's office about purchase.