Winners at the Strong Showing of the Annual State of the Arts Opening
- Bob Bahr
- Sep 22, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 30, 2025
A surprising amount of variety distinguished the 2025 State of the Arts show, which is organized by the Prairie Village Arts Council. A seven-foot fiber sculpture by Tanis Meyers hangs beside a five-foot abstract acrylic painting by Connie Creek on one wall of Prairie Village's City Hall. A popular watercolor of a trout, "Over the Rainbow" by John Keeling, hung nearby, while the striking shadow-box framing of Susan Patricia Smith's "Orbit Bloom" highlights another wall. Attendees at the opening of the show, which runs through November 7, found a diverse display of art made by artists from Prairie Village and surrounding areas.
Several prizes were awarded, with six given by juror Kwanza Humphrey and a People's Choice award given through open ballot voting. Best of Choice went to Connie Creek's large abstract "Relative to What." Merit awards were given to two pieces: Tanis Meyers' "Brand New Geode" and Wade Johnston's "Shot Down in Flames." John Keeling's "Over the Rainbow," Brad Sneed's "Roses Are Red," and John Seever's "Northwest Fantasies" earned Honorable Mention. The People's Choice award went to Susan Patricia Smith's "Orbit Bloom."
"There was so much really good work in this show, so it was a real challenge to narrow it down to what was chosen," says Humphrey, who picked the artists for the exhibition and then chose the prize recipients. "Art is a subjective medium, so just because one juror doesn't select it doesn't mean it's not worthy of being shown. Again, there are only so many slots, and I try to be as objective as I can, which is where those principles come in. Is it a creative idea or something that I've not seen before? How well did you deliver on the initial idea in crafting the final work? How were the materials used to achieve the final image? All of those things, in addition to being moved by the work, factored into the decision to include the piece in the exhibition."
"I've been in the art field for about 30 years now," continues Humphrey. "I create more representational work, but all genres inspire me. When selecting this show, I considered the submission as a whole and chose pieces that inspired me. It's always a challenge when choosing work in such an open category, but those three principles are generally what I look for. I'm so thankful to be a part of this process, and congratulations to all those selected."
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