Melissa McCracken was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1990. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from William Jewell College in 2013, but ultimately pursued a career in the arts post-graduation. As a synesthete, she utilizes her unique ability to see colors in the sounds she hears. Many of her paintings incorporate vibrant colors and lively textures to depict the movement of music. Implementing the effects of both palette knives and brushwork, McCracken seeks to convey the swirl of colors embedded deep in her mind’s eye. Layered blossoms of color and streaks of white create cosmic-like scenes, evoking new perceptions of melody and rhythm in her audience. Through her work, McCracken strives to unmask the elusive areas of the world we encounter, allowing a refreshing experience of the familiar.

I believe that we too often view the world through a singular and narrow lens, only allowing our habitual and empirical experiences to inform our perspective. Through my work, I hope to widen that lens, even if it is at the smallest degree.

By incorporating elements of synesthesia, I create a visualization of music. My hope is to transcend traditional interpretations of experience and to reimagine the familiar. Intended to feel elusive, I invite the viewer to envision the potential of each piece in their own regard, thereby making the final product one of collective consciousness. — McCracken

Exhibit Events:

First Friday Opening Reception: Friday, March 3, 5:30 – 9pm

Art + Faith Workshop: Saturday, March 18, 1 – 4pm (registration required)

Artist Talk + Closing Reception: Saturday, April 23, 2 – 4pm

Exhibit Open Hours:

Saturdays 2 – 4pm: 3/11, 3/25, 3/30, 4/1, 4/22, 4/29
Thursdays 6 – 8pm: 3/23, 4/20, 4/27

About the exhibit:

In Healing Sanctuary, Kammy Downs blends drawing, natural dye, fiber, and needlecraft to create beautiful installations. 

She uses her work to explore the connections between God and nature and the particular ways that the mysterious life cycle of plants reveals aspects of the hidden spiritual world. She creates and uses many natural dyes herself, and through this process she considers the role of plants as a God-given remedy for the healing of our bodies. 

As one member of a multigenerational line of artists and seamstresses in her family, Kammy’s work also uses many familiar domestic materials and practices that have been passed down between women in families and communities throughout history.

About the artist:

Raised in rural South-Central Kansas, Kammy Downs enjoyed a supportive childhood that allowed exploration of creative pursuits and nature. Downs attended Emporia State University where she was inspired to teach art. Her love of the art-making process has deepened through the experience of teaching for 35+ years in a variety of institutions from Montessori to public schools in California, Kansas, and Missouri. She has had the privilege of creating several murals with students and has written public art grants, two of which included work with internationally known Kansas artists, Stan Herd and Shin-hee Chin.

Recent highlights of her work include participation in the 2020 Salina Biennial Exhibition, a Social Practice project called ‘Seeds4HOPE,’ which brings attention to resources for creating resilience in the midst of depression. Downs completed her Master of Fine Arts program at Fort Hays State University in 2022. 

Downs and her husband, Gary, live in Kansas City and have five grown daughters and four grandchildren.

Gimme Ten, celebrates ten years of The Hand Magazine. The show features a dozen artists from the United States and Mexico. Their work spans a range of subject matter, topics, techniques, and visual styles. 

Raul Pineda Arce will be showing work in the United States for the first time. His expertly crafted mezzotint prints address violence and loss through beautifully rendered, haunting narratives. Haley Younce creates delicate intaglio prints on tissue paper that are, “inspired by the investigation of coping mechanisms throughout [her] mental health journey.” Jeanne Arenz, Andy Holiday and Lijun Chao, Locus Chen, and Patty deGrandpre use printmaking techniques to create abstract works that bubble and twist with color and energy. Steven Mastroianni’s large scale cyanotype prints combine drawing and cameraless photographic process to create “dream-inspired micro/macrocosms”. Stephanie Kolpy, Maureen Mulhern-White, and Matel Rokke use various combinations of print and photography in their works, all of which combine animal imagery with vibrant color, architectural forms, and hallucinatory landscapes. William Hays’ multi-colored relief prints are inspired by his memories and impressions of landscapes. Catherine Kramer is the youngest artist in the show. Kramer is an MFA student at the University of Miami. Her stunning intaglio prints are inspired by botanical illustration and her visits to botanical gardens.

Bio

Founded in April 2013, The Hand Magazine is based in Prairie Village, Kansas, USA. It is owned, published and co-edited by Adam Finkelston. James Meara is lead designer and co-editor. Together, Finkelston and Meara curate each quarterly issue from submitted images from around the world. The Hand Magazine is dedicated to the support and exhibition of hand-made artworks using mechanical or reproduction-based processes. The goal is to present the most innovative and unique contemporary photography, printmaking, and collage artwork in the world. “The Hand” is about connecting artists, serving as a resource for artists and enthusiasts, and building bridges across creative communities. Let’s join hands. More information is available on the magazine website: http://www.thehandmagazine.space…

ʻŌLELO NOʻEAU #230

ʻAʻole noi ʻike ke kanaka i na nani o kona wahi i hānau ʻia ai.

A person doesn’t see all the beauties of his birthplace.

You don’t realize how beautiful your home is until you go away.

-Mary Kawena Pukui, Ōlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings

Though it can be interpreted in various ways, “kuʻu ēwe, kuʻu piko” can be translated to mean “my umbilical, my navel” in Hawaiian. I use these words to refer to my connection to my Native Hawaiian ancestry and to emphasize that this connection is still intact.

It is to acknowledge the ancestral ties that I have recognized have been strained, or in some instances, completely lost within my family. 

Thus, this body of work showcases my ongoing journey to reacquaint myself with my multicultural background and utilizes aspects of the land, the various cultures, and the histories present within Hawai’i to foster a stronger connection and understanding to my home and how my relationship to it will change. 

Artist Bio

Tiana Nanayo Kuuleialoha Honda was born and raised on the island of Hawaiʻi in the small town of Hilo. Though her cultural background consists of several mixed ethnicities, she primarily identifies as Native Hawaiian (from her mother) and Japanese (from her father). Tiana received her B.A. in Art with a minor in Japanese Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in 2019 and will receive her MFA in Visual Art from the University of Kansas in 2023.