The second six-month rotation of the Springfield Art Museum’s Art In Our City exhibition will go on display March 24 and features nine artists from five neighborhoods located in City Council Zone 2.
The featured artists are:
- Vivian Boswell, Rountree
- Nancy Dornan, Rountree
- Nadine Ellman, Kingsbury Forest
- Liz Ford-Coates, Bingham
- Catherine Long, Delaware
- Josh Mitchell, Rountree
- Rae Ann Rockwell, Bingham
- Kimberly Salsman, Rountree
- Evan Wright, Oak Grove.
Zone 2 is located in the northeast quadrant of the city and is represented by Councilman Dr. Tom Prater.
Selections were made by Springfield Art Museum Director Nick Nelson, from an open call for artists in the summer of 2017. The artists’ works range from painting, to low-relief mixed media sculpture, to textiles. Their work will show through Oct. 14, when the exhibit will rotate to feature seven new artists from four neighborhoods located in City Council Zone 3, the southwest quadrant of the city. Zone 3 is represented by Councilman Mike Schilling.
The museum has long collected works by local artists including Julie Blackmon, Bill Armstrong, Bill Wright, Jacob Burmood, Robert E. Smith, Beverly Hopkins, Dwaine Crigger, Rodney Frew, Sarah Perkins, Roberta Stoneman Baker, Louis Freund, Elsie Bates Freund, among others.
Representative works by these artists are frequently on view in the museum’s semi-permanent rotating exhibition of the museum’s permanent collection, Creating An American Identity, placed within the larger context of the contemporary American art world.
“Art In Our City is unique in that it places the emphasis solely on living local artists who are currently working,” says Joshua Best, development and marketing coordinator. “The exhibit’s location in Avant Art places it at the forefront of the museum, making these works some of the first that patrons encounter upon entering the museum.”
About the exhibition
Art In Our City is a special exhibition that highlights local artists and the character of Springfield’s unique neighborhoods. Art In Our City debuted in October 2017, featuring artwork from eight artists living in five neighborhoods located in Zone 1. More than 14,000 patrons have visited the museum since this new exhibition opened.
In addition to its great neighborhoods, Springfield is home to a vibrant artistic community, Nelson said, which inspired him to dedicate the museum’s new flex space to local artists for the next two years.
“The Art In Our City exhibition highlights and celebrates the creativity of the Springfield community, focusing on artists living and working in the neighborhoods that make up our city. This exhibition not only concentrates on the artists on display, but the neighborhoods they live in and what it means to live and work creatively here,” he added.
For information on how to submit your work for this exhibit, please visit sgfmuseum.org.
About the pieces
“The Footbridge” by Vivian Boswell
“This landscape tells the story of a place of refuge and prospect. The lush forest offers an animal spots to hide or rest in safety, and opportunities to find a meal. Perhaps this fox has just spotted an unaware crawdad at the edge of the shallows,” Boswell said.
“My work doesn’t depend on what I think of as inspiration, but in this case I kept thinking about a TEDtalk that stuck in my mind. I heard it on NPR two or three years ago. The talk was about beauty in various forms and why we are so attracted to certain kinds of landscapes.
“I show my work all around the country, but live and work almost as a secret to Springfield residents. So, this is a happy opportunity for me to share with my home town.”
“Shatter #2” by Evan Wright
“My piece is called “Shatter #2” and it is an acrylic and spray-paint mixed-media piece on canvas.
“I was inspired to make this painting after getting a mural commissioned in a business downtown. It got me wanting to create more fine art and create my own style and aesthetic from my graffiti background. It’s funny that this painting was chosen, as it isn’t exactly my favorite piece and was only the second one I created after starting to paint in this style. I’ve evolved quite a bit from when I started this piece.
It means a lot to me to have a painting up in the art museum, as this would only be the third place I’ve had my work hanging up in public. So, it’s boosting my confidence as an artist by legitimizing what I’m doing. I haven’t actually sold a single piece, so hopefully by having it hanging up in the museum, that might change,” Wright said.
“Monarch on Sunflower” by Liz Ford-Coates
“What inspired ‘Monarch on Sunflower’ was a convergence of several ideas. I’m endlessly inspired by the flora and fauna of the natural world. From this reverence, I think about larger environmental stewardship issues and what I can do as an individual. As a multimedia artist I find myself drawn to new ideas and techniques, and lately have been experimenting with contemporary art quilting,” Ford-Coates said.
“Historically, hand sewing and traditional quilting was a necessity and utility; often re-using fabric and textiles due to material scarcity. The end result is most often a work of beauty that becomes an heirloom. In that spirit, I chose to utilize as many recycled textiles in this piece as I could manage. The issue that we face today isn’t textile scarcity, it’s textile pollution. With that in mind, recycling old textiles into new art would, in a small way, address environmental issues at large and especially within the modern textiles industry. It challenged me as an artist to be resourceful and inventive, perhaps in ways much earlier generations of quilters could recognize in this contemporary form.
“After planting milkweed, I now have monarchs that visit my garden every season. I find their beauty captivating and their plight especially compelling. Choosing an endangered species as the subject matter for work in reclaimed textile materials seemed like an intuitive and purposeful exercise. I hope people that come to visit Springfield Art Museum to see this work will appreciate the story and construction of this piece. I wanted to share something beautiful and thought-provoking with our community. Having this opportunity is part of my effort to encourage environmental awareness, an appreciation and advocacy for wildlife, their habitats and ultimately the ecosystems in which we are all connected.”
“Harold” by Kim Salsman
“The name of the piece is Harold, and it is mixed media on Masonite. I got the idea for it from watching the hordes of trick-or-treaters going through the neighborhood every Halloween. Having my art displayed at the museum is kinda like getting to be in the all-school art show even though I’m an adult,” Salsman said.
“Professor Louie” by Nadine Ellman
“My piece, ‘Professor Louie’ is a portrait of my standard poodle. This work is watercolor on paper. I captured his personality in the layers of colors which added an element of whimsy. I have been painting using watercolor for approximately for four years. I enjoy the freedom it allows in color and flow,” Ellman said.
“Falling Out??” by Nancy Dornan
“‘Falling Out??’ is acrylic on 300# watercolor paper. Constant interrelated energy was my inspiration. Our neighborhood, symbolized by the frame, is filled with walkers, bikers, students, professors, young families and retired people. The relationships that are forged within the neighborhood have a constant ebb and flow of different interests and insights, each adding their own perspective. The question is whether the people, represented by the orbs within the frame, are moving in or moving out. Whichever your perspective is, there is always motion.
“It is an tremendous honor to be included in the Art in Our City. I began painting eight years ago and am constantly amazed at the wealth of talented visual artists in Springfield. To be included in this exhibit, as a new artist, is indeed significant. I thank the Springfield Art Museum for recognizing the talents of local artists and of their neighborhoods,” Dornan said.
“Rhythm and Hues” by Josh Mitchell
“‘Rhythm and Hues’ is a 38×38-inch pigment photograph on canvas. Six foot by six foot scraps of photo test prints, were woven on wire. The surface undulates or waves. It is backlit and front lit … welcome to a world of weaving extravaganza and a very dedicated team. Josh’s wild idea delights all ages that view this serious, yet whimsical abstract color weaving.
“Making a pro-high resolution art copy of R&H was necessary to document and to make beautiful, limited editions to share the visual music. Each pigment edition is done by Mitchell’s extreme custom printing experience,” according to information provided by the Josh Mitchell Gallery.
Mitchell’s gallery is located at 1427 E. Cherry St. in the Rountree neighborhood.
About Avant Art
In April 2017, the museum shop, which was run by volunteers from the Southwest Missouri Museum Associates, the museum’s longest-serving support group, officially closed its doors. Soon after, the museum announced its intention to transform the former shop space into a new flexible social gallery that combines exhibitions, retail and limited beverage and snack service.
Avant Art was chosen as the name for the new space – the French word “avant” meaning “before.”
“Exploring this space is literally the thing you do before you enter the museum’s galleries, due to Avant Art’s prominent location near the museum’s renovated lobby that now includes the stunning ‘Autumn and Persian Feather,’ chandelier by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly,” Nelson says.