“To witness is to have knowledge of an event or change from personal observation or experience.

I have been drawing, painting, collaging, designing, and stitching since I was a child. Elaborate sandcastles were the first source of inspiration. This retrospective is an overview of works created in the past half-century. My art journey has been characterized by experimentation with process and materials, and the search for a compelling communicative visual language. I have often felt as if I were witnessing my hands create something from nothing, then compelled to breathe as much life as possible into whatever shows up.”

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COVID-19 Safety Procedures:

With the recent COVID guidelines put in place for KCMO by Mayor Quinton Lucas, we are asking for all attendees to please signup for a 30-minute session to ensure capacity limits are not exceeded. Jason Pollen will be in attendance for every session to answer your questions and give tours throughout the day. You may sign up for two back-to-back sessions for a full hour but please limit your stay to 1 hour total.

We are making sure to follow all the safety measures during this pandemic that have been issued by Kansas City, Missouri such as: social distancing, proper hand hygiene and frequently disinfecting high traffic areas and surfaces.

We will be wearing masks at all times and we ask that you do as well. Disposable masks available along with hand sanitizer upon entry/exit.

Please do not come to the gallery if you are exhibiting symptoms, such as fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, a new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

Let’s all do our part so we can enjoy the art!

If you have any questions, please emailing us at info@leedy-voulkos.com

“This is and always will be where my heart is. It is what I care about.” – William Christenberry

Over the course of many decades contemporary art icon William Christenberry made annual pilgrimages to Hale County, Alabama, documenting the landscape, its architecture and its transformation. Tracing Time offers an examination of Christenberry’s relationship to Hale County, where he spent his summers as a child, its influence on his conceptual approach and artistic vision, and the psychology of place and memory.

The exhibition includes photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures from the Belger Collection, some never before seen in Kansas City. The evolution of Christenberry’s experimental, creative process is also presented in displays of source material pages from his sketchbooks, photographs that served as foundations for drawings and structures, and rare early constructions from the early 1960s. The artist’s father, a woodworker and a strong early influence on the artist, would create models of buildings that were important to him out of simple, sometimes unrefined materials. One of these buildings is included in the exhibition.

Christenberry’s deep affection for Hale County, his curiosity about the effects of mankind and nature on the landscape, reveal a poignant perspective on the passage of time and chronicle the life cycle of place. Although profoundly personal and geographically specific, the themes of William Christenberry’s work are universal and remain relevant.

Belger Arts is committed to maintaining a safe place for our visitors, studio members and staff. To ensure this, we require that six feet social distancing be maintained and that visitors wear a mask, as our space is limited. Disposable masks and hand sanitizer are available. For contact tracing purposes we also ask that you sign in when you arrive.

For First Fridays, advance registration is not required but highly recommended.

Stupid Cupid: Eros Unbound

Group Exhibition

February 5, 7pm

The Belger Crane Yard Studios Gallery presents Bryan Czibesz + Shawn Spangler: Object Index, opening Friday, February 5, 6 pm – 9 pm at 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64108. The exhibition will remain on view through April 3, 2021.

Object Index is a collaborative exhibition that investigates how culture and technology are implicitly tied through the production of ceramic objects. Using hand-forming processes and digital reproduction technologies, Bryan Czibesz and Shawn Spangler recreate historical forms in a contemporary context.

Drawing inspiration from historical objects, Czibesz and Spangler use clay extrusion 3D printers (designed specifically for this body of work) and the potter’s wheel. Czibesz has done most of the digital and 3D printing work, examining the disconnect between hand and material via computerized construction methods. Spangler has done most of the wheel throwing, bringing a focus to the maker’s direct touch. Both have a hand in the creation of each work.

The work in Object Index highlights the junction of digital and hand-thrown processes. It also emphasizes the alliance that exists between computers and humanity, in an increasingly familiar concept that highlights digital dependencies.

For a high-resolution image, click here. Artist bios and additional images are available on our website.

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SAFETY MEASURES:

Belger Arts is committed to maintaining a safe place for our visitors, studio members, and staff. To ensure this, we require that six feet social distancing be maintained and that visitors wear a mask. Disposable masks and hand sanitizer are available. For contact tracing purposes we also ask that you sign in when you arrive.

While advanced registration is not required for the February 5th exhibition opening, capacity is limited for everyone’s safety. We recommend registering in advance on the Object Index exhibition page of our website.

For more information on upcoming exhibitions, classes, and workshops, or to schedule a group tour, please visit BelgerArts.org or call 816 – 474-7316.

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About Belger Arts:

Since 2000, the Belger Arts Center has encouraged viewers to explore, question, and deepen their understanding of art and of the world around them. Drawing upon the extensive John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation collection, as well as a rich variety of local, national, and international artists, the Belger Arts Center, has staged over 70 large-scale exhibitions that represent some of the best in contemporary art.

In 2013, Belger Arts expanded the Foundation’s commitment to the creative process by opening Belger Crane Yard Studios, an arts complex dedicated to providing studio and exhibition space for artists. A range of programming in ceramics education, in addition to the Red Star Residency program and Crane Yard Clay ceramics supply store, has made Belger a center for contemporary art.