ARTISTS MAKE SPACE TO HONOR LOSS & IMAGINE HEALING

Featuring words & images from Jeran Avery, Jenna Brack, Gregory Kolsto, Sandee Finley, Dylan Mortimer, Kelli Sallman, David Oakes, and Fredric Sims.

No human being experiences life without enduring grief and loss. Because grieving is universal, there is a particular kind of power to these shared experiences, shaping communities in profound ways. Loss can unite, bending us outward as we tend to one another’s wounds with care. It can also divide, turning us inward as we struggle to survive.

For all of human history, the arts have been an integral part of the rituals that aid us in metabolizing grief into something that has the power to nourish communities. In his beautiful book on grief, The Wild Edge of Sorrow, psychoanalyst Francis Weller explains grieving as a fundamentally creative process; “We are remade in times of grief, broken apart and reassembled.” Artists physically break apart and reassemble their materials into new creations, and when they turn toward subjects of personal or communal loss, the work of their hands can create spaces of authentic mourning, hope, and transformation.

In the midst of our grief, it is natural to wonder where God is and what his purposes are. Many might feel closer to God as they are broken apart and remade through loss. It is telling that the first two beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount address spiritual poverty and mourning:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted…”

This proclamation that such people are blessed in the kingdom of God is an incredibly powerful promise that harmonizes beautifully with many other passages of promise and hope from the Scriptures. The exhibit title, Those who dream in the midst of sorrow, is inspired by Psalm 126. In times of grief, we must use creativity as we hope for healing – this is how we imagine a world that doesn’t yet exist. This transformation of tears into a nourishing harvest helps us believe the promise and hope in Jesus is not just a dream.

This exhibit opens during the longing of Advent, the retelling of the anticipation of God’s promised Deliverer. His one and only son Jesus came to earth in a human body and experienced the fullness of grief and loss. The exhibit will close during Lent when we groan together in anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection.

In Those who dream in the midst of sorrow, I have curated work from four visual artists and four poets to create a space to experience grief and glory together. These artists grapple with themes of illness, anxiety and depression, spiritual crisis and trauma, broken relationships, loneliness, deferred dreams, loss, and disappointment. Though these themes are heavy, the work of these artists shines with the glory of transformation, resilience, miracles, joy, and hope. Their acts of creation in the midst of loss remind us that we serve a God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist (Romans 4:17). It is this truth that allows us to dream in the midst of our sorrows.

-KELLY KRUSE, CURATOR

Exhibit Available For Viewing:

SATURDAYS 2:00 – 4:00 PM

• JANUARY 7
• JANUARY 14
• JANUARY 21
• JANUARY 28
• FEBRUARY 11
• FEBRUARY 18
• FEBRUARY 25

THURSDAYS 6:00 – 8:00 PM

• JANUARY 19
• FEBRUARY 9, & 23

We have all discovered a lot about ourselves over the past few years. Between personal growth and finding strengths we didn’t know we had, all of us have discovered something new. Whether that is a new skill, a new passion or just a reminder of what is important in life, we all have made major discoveries!

“With a new day comes new strength.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“The Art of Discovery” will be a great chance for artists to show their vibrancy through art! Subject matter may include artwork with bright colors, images showing strength, uplifting images, and is open to your interpretation! Artists are encouraged to submit anything you feel fits the theme, whatever that means to you! The theme ties directly to the mission of Rose Brooks Center.

The mission of Rose Brooks Center is to break the cycle of domestic violence so that individuals and families can live free of abuse. Each year, Rose Brooks Center reaches over 14,000 individuals and pets. While hundreds of individuals find safety in emergency shelter, thousands more are served outside of shelter each year.

Artworks include: paintings, photography, 3D pieces, fiber works, jewelry, and much more! 50% of sold artwork sales will go directly to artists, with the remaining 50% benefiting Rose Brooks Center.

Studios INC presents “Mind the Gap”, a solo exhibition by Kathy Liao. The exhibition is a culmination of her 5‑year residency at Studios INC.

Through her work, Liao engages in rituals to keep memories alive. As a Taiwanese American artist, she looks for patterns and repetitions woven through the immigrant family experience in her mixed media work. As families separate and migrate, she recognizes the invariable loss and the struggle to justify and
reconcile the distance (gap) in between.

In our collective psyche and especially through the recent pandemic, we rely more on virtual means to stay in touch with distant loved ones, the wall of the digital screen blinds us to those close by and makes us lose touch with reality. This translates into Liao’s work as she touches, wipes, rubs, peels, and caresses her surfaces — giving the figures skin and weight. With each piece she is constantly re-establishing her relationship to family, being conscientious of her distance from them physically and emotionally. Her recent paintings, sculptural works, and wall drawing installations document the fluid state between experience, memory, and place. Like well-worn film negatives, she revisits images, snapshots, and memories through iterations, until they begin to morph, overlap, and degrade. The result may be an invitation to enter into an overwhelming yet familiar space, or only a flat wall with traces of history left visible.

For more information about the artist, please visit http://www.kathyliao.com/

Exhibition hours: Wednesday through Friday from 10 – 4 pm and Saturday from 12 – 4 pm

a resounding…let it be

This latest group of works from the Ross couple is their newest group of observations after one of their many trips to Nisamehe Island and the Resound Fields. The inhabitants on the island are dealing with new waves of temptations and stress in sharp contrast to the beautiful surroundings. On this trip, Scribe focuses on the hearts and minds of some unique characters. Alisa’s works are lush snapshots of the beautiful landscapes and what hides in the foliage. This recent trip shows complex emotions in contrast to the soft forgotten world around them.

Recognize the stress and trauma through all of the temptations. So be it.

Rediscover the wonders created around you. Laugh again. You would think this was a resounding choice.

Fields of Mercy.

_____________

Bio

Donald “scribe” and Alisa Ross have been making art together for 30 years.

Alisa graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute and is a Fiber Artist. Her work ranges from character development for various companies to contemporary art drawing influences from nature and urban surroundings.

Scribe is most known for his iconic murals in Kansas City and internationally for the past 30 years. He has shown work around the world, designed toys and is an author of three books. He is also known for being the resident artist for Children’s Mercy Hospital for eighteen years where he focused on making art that uplifted both the visitors and employees.

The two of them often collaborate on works based on some of the writings of Scribe where the character and environmental influences are traded back and forth to create the island of Nisamehe mounted to the back of a sea turtle.