Artists include Kelly Porter, Joe Ramiro Garcia, Brooke Golightly, Jaime Chase and Karen Matheis.

NOW WHAT?

A Reflection of Endurance and Empowerment.

Art speaks truth to power as it documents the essence of our existence. From the transformative era of the Harlem Renaissance to the resolute movements of the Black Arts, our enduring presence is showcased, reminding the world of our unwavering spirit. Despite the obstacles we face, our voices and literary works persist, echoing through history despite attempts to silence and banish them.

Featuring:

J. LeRoy Beasley, Michelle Beasley, Charles Bibbs, Stasi Bobo-Ligon, NedRa Bonds, Wolfe Brack, Janine Carter, Ramona Davis, Ed Dwight, Anita Easterwood, Diallo Javonne French, Toni Gates, Cathy Ann Johnson – Conforto, Clarissa Knighten, Leonard Le’Doux, Jr., George Mayfield, Dean Mitchell, Maria Morgan, Arnold Nelson, Kim Newton, Joseph A. Newton, Joseph T. Newton, Glenn A. North, Michael Patton, Jason Piggie, Sandra Scott-Revelle., David Stevens, Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin, Michael Toombs, Remy Wharry, Jason Wilcox

Belger Crane Yard Gallery presents Milestones: Belger Arts’ Tenth Annual Resident Artist Exhibition opening Friday, June 2, 2023, at 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64108. The public is invited to view the work and meet the artists from 6 to 8 pm. The exhibition includes work by Cindy Leung, Sun Young Park, Gina Pisto, Adams Puryear, Meredith Smith, and Nicole Woodard.

This year Belger Arts celebrates a significant milestone: the tenth year of its Artists in Residence program. The program originated at Red Star Studios, a long-time Kansas City ceramics gallery and studio. After its closing the program found a permanent home in May 2013 when Belger Crane Yard Studios opened. Belger Crane Yard Studios continues to host national and international artists through the program, providing ceramic artists the opportunity to expand their body of work or create a special project that may be outside of the scope of their routine studio practice.

The group exhibition, with its range of styles, themes, and techniques, also marks a milestone for the six artists, as it is the culmination of their time in the residency program. Through porcelain, a ceramic material originating from the East and popularized by the West, Cindy Leung facilitates conversations around topics such as consumerism, colonization, and cultural hybridity. Sun Young Park combines clay and non-clay materials to create large, abstract sculptures that reflect how she processes and translates her reality and explores the duality of the material and the conceptual. Adams Puryear documents pop and internet culture, combining traditional techniques and contemporary imagery inspired by the internet’s “anti- filter.” Curio as a site within the domestic, plays a major role in Gina Pisto’s work that explores the ritual of collecting and preservation as an act of desire. Meredith Smith uses clay, figurative sketching, poetry, and various other aspects of her work to relay an array of experiences across the human condition. Nicole Woodard’s work currently focuses on exploring the vulnerability and trauma of the body from the perspective of a woman.

Entering Xanropa

Entering Xanropa is an exhibition featuring artwork that centers around a science-fantasy narrative I am developing called Xanropa- which is the name of the planet the story takes place on. My story is about how humanity leaves Earth in order to make a utopian paradise among the cosmos but they end up recreating the same troubles that caused them to abandon Earth. Inevitably, the humans leave Xanropa and our main character named XAN‑1 (a mechanism that was created by humans to help construct and maintain the planet) must assess what has been left behind by the humans. The artworks are reflections of my belief that we need to acknowledge the beauty around us just as much as we need to acknowledge the chaos around us. It is easier to give up on humanity but in the inner workings of humankind, there is profound beauty and care that we are capable of expressing.

Artist Biography

Tristan Lindo (1994 – ) was born and raised in Garden City, Kansas. Lindo has his BFA in Studio Art from Fort Hays State University (2018), and his MFA from the University of Kansas (2022). He currently works and resides in Lawrence, Kansas.

In My Room

In My Room is a collection of moments, memories, patterns, and changes I experienced while living and working out of my bedroom. This body of work began after graduating from grad school, and I found myself in between studio spaces. I started noticing how special the items in my room were/are to me and how they describe who I am and where I came from. Patterns and trinkets passed down from family members surround my room. These treasured items provide comfort, humor, and memories with loved ones living far away or no longer with us. They are always in the background of my life, never changing but witnessing how life continues.

Artist Bio

Hannah Lindo was born and raised in Garden City, Kansas, where she received her Associate’s degree in Visual Arts. In 2017, she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Fort Hays State University. In 2022, Lindo completed her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Kansas. Lindo will continue her artistic and teaching career at the University of Central Missouri as an Adjunct instructor in Painting and Drawing/Artist in Residence in the Fall of 2023.