“This current series of portraits are rooted in Ho-Chunk identity. I am extending the boundaries of photography by incorporating bead-work directly onto the photograph. The use of Ho-Chunk floral and geometric designs is a metaphor for the spirits of our ancestors who are constantly looking over us.” — Tom Jones 

“The artworks for Horse Songs were created to honor, remember, and respect the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne people and their horses.

“In 1874, the US Military leader Ranald S. Mackenzie ordered the 4th U.S. Cavalry troops to slaughter an estimated 1400 horses and mules in Tule Canyon belonging to the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne people who had set up camp in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas. This act of genocide contributed to the forced removal of the Comanche people to the present-day Wichita Mountain area of Lawton, Oklahoma, which is my home.

“Horse Songs consists of sculptural horse masks and works on paper. I screen-print and paint on a variety of materials such as Naugahyde, felt and paper. The images I use are abstract representations of what’s above, on and below the land. While painting, drawing and printing, I am thinking about how we contribute to society and the challenges we face currently and in our future. I consider the importance of place, being grounded with oneself and our quest to discover more about who we are as a people. I’m looking at the stars as the future, present and the past. ” – John Hitchcock

“My fine art practice is informed by a concern for the environment, displacement, exile and the return home. I seek the unbroken relationship between modern culture and ancient lands where tradition and story are used to find meaning from dislocation and separation. I work with vulnerable landscapes and waterways which support birds, plants and animals. The migratory bird imagery in this series of artworks is drawn from zoological specimens including the Anhinga, Barred Owl and Trumpeter Swan which are accompanied by various botanical specimens, moths and snakes.” — Emily Arthur

ART OPENING RECEPTION w/ LIVE MUSIC — Open Studio/Gallery – FIRST FRIDAY – April 5th — Landscape Paintings by Anne Garney – 5PM– 8PM — 1920 Wyandotte St., Unit 5, KCMO 64108 (entrance — NW corner of the building) LIVE MUSIC @7PM ‑Special Guest Elliot Phillips
Hope you can stop by! www.annegarneypaintings.com

DIVERSITY ARTISTS’ SERIES

April First Friday Open Gallery – Lexitas KC

1608 Locust Street, Kansas City, MO

5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Join us tomorrow, Friday, April 5^th as we celebrate diversity in our community through art. We are featuring over a DOZEN TALENTED LOCAL ARTISTS in our gallery. This is a show you do not want to miss. Each artist will provide art representative of their uniqueness and capturing the spirit of our diversity.

Drinks and appetizers will be provided. Bring a friend, co-worker, and family member. One of the featured artists reminded me of this quote, worth sharing:

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”. ~Pablo Picasso