Let's talk SMAC!
I was involved in an out-of-town art show in the middle of July. Since I normally don't participate in art shows, I had an outside perspective looking in. What I discovered is that art shows create community among the artists involved. Of course, there is the normal exchanging of business cards and ohhs and awws over everyone's work, but I think it goes deeper. The experienced art show artists gave me loads of advice and venues to check out. And when I was huffing and puffing, they were the first to rush over with bottled water. The newbie artists all stopped by my booth at one time or another to glean some wisdom from us old folk that they could use on their art journey, but mainly just to receive a bit of encouragement.
I left for home with a to-do list for sending information about proposals to SMAC to some, links to other organizations to others, and to make plans to get together with still others. This is the essence of community. We strive to be this open and community oriented at SMAC too. Since the creative process is a lonely venture, we need each other. Each of us has a piece of knowledge, a helpful connection, or a word of encouragement that could help a fellow artist along their way. SMAC provides many opportunities to gather and connect. But the true reward is not what you get out of the classes, workshops and events, but in what you give with a simple tip, a friendly smile or a word of encouragement to the people you meet there. Doing so will create even stronger bonds that tie our SMAC art community together. Let's start by welcoming our newest members.
Here are the new members who joined this past month. Join me in welcoming Kerry Jackson, Jane Moldovan, Jennifer Nelson, Lori and Chris Ontiveros, Scott and Akiko Pratt and renewing member Michaela Kershaw. Welcome, welcome, welcome! We are so glad you joined. Remember, we also want to celebrate your recent artistic achievements. Send in your recent exhibits, awards, new grants or new gallery representation to CELEBRATE. If you have a photo to go along with the details, please send it along too. But it's not necessary. With that in mind, I'd like to mention that members Dana Neuenschwander and Lura Faye Cotton is currently exhibiting their collaborative show Echoes of the Ozarks at Lucid TLC Arts Studio and Gallery in Nixa this month. If you missed the show at SMAC last spring, you still have a chance to see it there. Trevor McDonald also has a solo exhibit at the Obelisk Home Gallery in Springfield in August, titled You Are What You Eat: The Search for a Corporate Sponsor. The opening reception for his art will be August 12, 1-5 p.m. Woohoo! Look at our members soar!!!
Thank you all for being a part of SMAC. We can't do this without you! So now it's time to grab a cup of coffee, sit back and let's talk SMAC!
--Lynnette Horn
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At a Glance...
"Missing the Mark"
Olof Pierson Solo Exhibit
August 4-26
Opening Reception for Exhibit
August 4, 6-9 p.m.
Night with an Artist
Guest Artist: Olof Pierson
August 4, 8-8:30 p.m.
Next Gen Creators: Pinch Pot Workshop
August 12 & 19, 10-12:30 p.m.
Figure Drawing
August 18, 7-9 p.m.
Cosplay Figure Drawing
August 22, 7-9 p.m.
2024 Exhibition Proposals
Deadline: August 31
Texture and Collage Workshop
with Mieke Aton in Springfield
September 5, 10-4 p.m.
Early bird pricing thru: August 15
Mosaic Planter Workshop
with Julie Zetina
September 14 & 21, 6-9 p.m.
Registration Deadline: September 12
SMAC Members Artist Alley
September 16, 10-6 p.m.
Fall Pumpkin Glazing Workshop
with Julie Zetina
September 21, 6-9 p.m.
Registration Deadline: September 19
Follow Southern Missouri Arts Connection
Facebook Page for Class or Event Additions
Scroll Down for Details
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Quietus of Potential proved Thought Provoking
SMAC's June Exhibit Quietus of Potential proved to be a well-thought-out show. Amy Joy Hill, in her first solo exhibit, gave us beautiful visuals to tantalize our eyes, while uncovering the universal grief from the "would of, could of, should of's" in life. The paintings represented the paths not chosen or opportunities not taken for no fault of our own. I found myself looking back on past decisions and wondering how it would have been different if I chose differently. But Amy Joy's art didn't just bring up all the angst of lost opportunities but a place of healing too. I heard others commenting on this as well. There was a certain grace that flowed from her pieces. Even the walls she painted, led us through the paintings to point out the paths we didn't travel, a place to acknowledge the opportunities missed, grieve and then heal. By the end it felt like a big hug. I hope you made the choice to see this fabulous exhibit while it was here. We could all use such a hug.
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SMAC to host the Solo Exhibit Missing the Mark
In its upcoming art exhibit, SMAC will be featuring the art of Olof Pierson for his solo exhibit Missing the Mark. The exhibit will run from August 4-26 in the SMAC Art Center gallery. The opening reception will be held in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk on Friday, August 4, from 6-9 p.m. Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Attendees may view the exhibit, tour the private studios and enjoy complimentary refreshments. Pierson will talk about his work and answer questions at 8 p.m. The Vintage Paris Coffee kiosk will also be on site.
Missing the Mark is a series of paintings and sculptures made from wood, stone and steel. “The pieces I created are rooted in the lifelong internal dialogue regarding the ever-unbalanced scale of who we want to be and who we actually are,” Olof said. His large-scale painted pieces are abstract expressionism as it relates to his theme. And his sculptural pieces are highly symbolic. This is an exciting exhibit meant to stir the soul.
Each month during their exhibits, SMAC highlights one of the many local non-profit organizations that serves the area. This month SMAC is drawing attention to the Christian Action Ministries (CAM), which opened its first food pantry in 1985 at 2400 State Highway 165. It has since opened a second food pantry in Forsyth and a mobile outreach to Bradleyville, Cedarcreek, Protem, Rockaway Beach, Merriam Woods, Hollister and Branson. Last year, CAM assisted more than 40,000 residents of Taney County and distributed more than two million pounds of food.
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Olof Pierson is drawn to Architectural Art
I caught up to Olof Pierson hard at work last week, getting ready for his solo exhibit Missing the Mark. I always find it fascinating to learn what makes our artists tick. Olof has spent his life in many different places. Born in Los Angeles, he has lived in Central America, Minnesota and Kansas before settling in Missouri in 2004. "Although I was a kid, my time in Nicaragua influences my art today," he said. Though I imagine every location he has lived has affected his work in some way.
"I always drew as a kid," Olof explained "But I never got any encouragement at home." He was destined to study pre-med when he started high school, but then teenage angst and an artsy girlfriend opened his eyes to the possibilities of a creative life. The girlfriend may not have lasted, but his passion for art remained. He turned his back on pre-med and pursued art, graduating from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Right out of college he got a job as a studio assistant with Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in Kansas City where he worked closely with Jim Leedy, constructing, preparing and assembling small and large-scale two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork, along with a plethora of studio duties. "I really learned the business of art with Leedy," Olof said and jokingly added, "Jim even gave me an honorary master's in fine art certificate when I left."
Since then, he has always found a way to blend construction and art. His "day job" is as a building contractor. And that construction background has drawn him to historical architectural elements. In clay. he creates works that seem familiar with a modern twist. They are telling of our society and also where we came from. "After all, in archeology a whole society is pieced together through broken shards of pottery," Olof explained. So, what can modern pottery tell us about ourselves or our society today?
I don't think Olof prides himself in knowing the answer to that question, but sometimes just knowing the right question to ask is enough. "I'm very interested in psychology," he said. His sculptures may resemble historical artifacts, yet they allude deep-seated internal questions we face individually and as a society. His past works have addressed themes of memory, loss, sexuality and dysfunction, as he has observed it.
Olof is a multi-dimensional artist. No one trick pony here. He works in glass, clay, metal, concrete and paint. For this exhibit he is also working in wood for the very first time. So, I asked him where his creative passion would take him next. " I'm really interested in creating large-scale, outdoor, monumental pieces that integrate the environment with art and architecture," he said. That's something I can't wait to see.
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Next Gen Creators: Pinch Pots Workshop
Our adult pottery classes are so popular, SMAC is offering your student a chance to get into the fun too. This is a two-session workshop meeting on August 12 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the SMAC Art Center. This workshop is geared towards youth, ages 7-15.
On the first session, your student will use air dry clay to create 2-3 pots. As time and materials permit, your student may make other items as well. The pots will dry at SMAC for a week. And then your student will return for the second session to decorate them. The fee for this workshop is $50, but thanks to a generous grant from the City of Hollister Parks and Recreation Department, Hollister students may attend the workshop at half price.
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The deadline is quickly approaching. All the submission details and tips for a successful application are at PROPOSALS. Don't wait until the last minute. Start working on it now.
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Meike Aton to teach Texture and Collage Workshop
Meike Anton will be teaching a day long Texture and Collage Workshop at her studio in Springfield. Meike Aton Art Studio & Gallery is located at 1200 E Woodhurst Dr K-300 Springfield, MO. The workshop will be on Tuesday, September 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tuition for this workshop is $95 for early bird fee of $95 will be good until August 15. Afterwards the tuition will be $110. So, get your checks in early for this amazing mixed media workshop.
Meike encourages you to bring snippets of fabric, lace paper, ribbons or string--any of the little pretties that touch our hearts in any way. You know we all save them. So why not bring some of them to incorporate into your art. Meike will show you how to do that and more creating texture and special effects in your acrylic paintings.
For this class you will need to bring the following: Five canvases of various sizes (12"x12," 20"x20," and 18"x24"), snippets of paper, string, lace, magazines, etc., gel medium, palette knives for spreading, acrylic paints, primary colors and white, apron or paint clothes, excitement, anticipation and eagerness. This will be a fun workshop for certain.
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Join a Fun Night of Drawing Cosplayers
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The next Cosplay Figure Drawing event will be August 22, 7-9 p.m. It is always the fourth Tuesday of the month, unless notified of a cancelation. If improving your drawing skills is on your to-do list, this event is for you. Each session, a model comes dressed in a different cosplay costume. Poses are timed, starting off with short periods in the beginning to get you warmed up, then, poses gradually get longer so that you have time to focus on details. Of course, you don't need to be a gamer or a comic fan or cosplayer yourself to enjoy Cosplay Figure Drawing. It's a perfect way to learn to draw clothed figures in a plethora of poses. This past month Heisenberg from Resident Evil * came to model for the sketchers. I wonder which character will show up this month.
Practicing drawing with a live model also creates muscle memory so that your skills improve and helps your mind translate three dimensional objects into two dimensional representations. This can't be learned by practicing from photos. This family-friendly drawing event is perfect for all ages, though we ask that children be supervised by an adult. It's also a safe zone, where you can explore drawing without feeling intimidated by more experienced artists. Everyone who wants to learn how to draw has to start somewhere, even if it is stick figures. What better way than in a safe, encouraging environment. I hope you'll join us. A $10 donation to help cover the cost of the model is encouraged but not required.
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Spaces Available for Fall Members Only Artist Alleys
During festival days this Fall, SMAC will host a Members Artist Alley exclusively for SMAC member artists. Enjoy the air conditioning as you sell your art. The artist alley will coincide with SOTOfest and the Fall and Grape Festival, respectively, on September 16 and October 14. Only eight spaces will be available for each event, at $20/day. A six-foot table will be provided for each of the spaces. These spaces will be going quickly, so act fast to secure your spot. To register for a space or glean more information go to ALLEY.
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July Memories...
Jennifer Smythe (left) meets and greets at the exhibition opening reception.
Jenny Judlin (left) takes a break from the heat of the art walk to catch up with her friend Mary Arneson. An iced coffee from the Vintage Paris kiosk helps too.
Kim Cooper (left) also finds a moment to chat with Mary Arneson at the opening reception.
From left to right: Kim Cooper, Jennifer Smythe and Tenille Blair-Neff. Always a good time to be had at the exhibit receptions.
The usual crowd enjoy sketching together at Cosplay Figure Drawing.
George Meyers modeled as Heisenberg from Resident Evil 8 at Cosplay Figure Drawing.
We had a great turnout for Joy Sandwich. This was a great opportunity to create, laugh and bond as a community.
That looks like a mountain of joy. Thanks to all who participated in Joy Sandwich.
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Do You Know Your SMAC Board?
All the board members can be reached by leaving an email message to our general mailbox, info@smac-art.org.
Tenille Blair-Neff: President, Programing Chair
Christine Riutzel: Vice President, Art Center Coordinator, Public Art Chair
Lynnette Horn: Secretary, Communications Chair
Anthony Hunter: Treasurer, Cosplay Facilitator
Lacey Finchum: Board Member At-Large, Teacher
Jennifer Smythe: Board Member At-Large, Social Media Coordinator, Teacher
Mary Evelyn Tucker: Board Member At-Large, Gallery Chair
Julie Zetina: Board Member At-Large, Teacher
Andrea Rosser-Pate: Board Advisor, Policy Chair
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