Art in the Park Update

From Art in the Park 2017

Art in the Park 2020 Cancelled. Art in the (virtual) Park will continue on!

Hi all,

Given the rapidly changing public health situation, and likely long-term response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to cancel Art in the Park for 2020. The Columbia Art League and our incredible volunteers have been bringing Art in the Park to life for over 60 years, so this was not an easy decision. But we care deeply about our artists, volunteers, vendors, and the community we serve through this festival, and we want to make sure everyone involved can fully and safely participate and enjoy themselves.

In place of our physical gathering, we will be hosting as many artists as possible virtually via our website and social media as we move towards the summer, so be sure to keep an eye out for that! And mark your calendars - Art in the Park will return on June 5 and 6 of 2021!

Art in the Park is our signature event and the largest fundraiser for CAL. In its absence, if you are able, please consider donating to the Columbia Art League. We are still here working hard to keep the CAL in the community and to make sure that we can host an even better Art in the Park in 2021.

Thank you all so much!

Stay safe and take care,

The whole CAL crew and our fantastic Art in the Park Supercore Team!

Update from Us to You

Our gallery is currently closed during the county wide shelter-at-home order.

These City Garden School kiddos were heavily influenced by the work in our Taste group gallery exhibit and artist, Wayne Thiebaud. They are legit, professional artists.

Early April Update from CAL

Hi all,

It's safe to say that we miss you all very much!

While CAL is temporarily closed, our intrepid staff are still working behind the scenes to bring CAL to you! We are working on several ways to keep up our creative community spirit high fiving each other from a far (with washed hands, of course).

Karen has been working with instructors to convert their classes to an online teaching format, and our homeschool & middle school classes are still meeting and working on projects including Mad Lib illustrations and other fun stuff. Look for more announcements about classes, tutorials, and more coming from our Education program soon!

For our artists, we will host gallery shows virtually until we can all be back in the physical gallery again. We want to make sure we can feature your work and also be a resource for you while you're (hopefully) getting more time to make artwork. What about a weekly Zoom meeting for artists to show each other what they're working on? And/or a critique group to meet up every month? We'd love to hear what else you'd like from us to support you at this time.

For our appreciators, we want to keep your eyes filled with artwork and make connections between you and our artists. We are working on putting our Members' Gift Gallery artworks online to purchase. The virtual gallery space will be a great way to see what our local artists are working on. What else would you like to see from us? In depth Q&A's with our artists? More social media posts with funny things to do while you're stuck at home? Let us know!

I have to say this has been a hard time but also a springboard for creative thought and problem solving... which is an artist's bread and butter, after all. I hope that you will continue to support the Columbia Art League in our efforts to keep CAL in CoMo.

With warm wishes and washed hands,

Kelsey and the whole CAL team

Artist, Ernest Hilderbrand

We can’t wait to see you all in person soon!

Phoneme: A Collaboration

Matt Ballou & Joel T. Dugan’s collaborative paintings

The South Gallery is a newly reconfigured space that will feature a different artists each month. Our first show features Matt Ballou & Joel T. Dugan’s collaborative work.

PHONEME: A COLLABORATION

Since 2013 artists and educators Joel T. Dugan and Matt Ballou have conducted a collaborative effort, largely via the shipment of artworks back and forth between each other. The works develop with little critique or overarching direction, allowing for an instinctive, intuitive interaction between these two very different – yet kindred – image makers.

Over the years this partnership has resulted in a number of exhibitions including IN CAHOOTS at es ef eff gallery in Brooklyn, NY, Ballougan at Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS, and Portal at Imago Gallery and Cultural Center in Columbia, MO.

This current iteration of their co-creative efforts is titled Phoneme. A phoneme is any of the basic abstract units of sound that underpin a verbal language. In the context of this visual work, we imagine that archetypal shapes, evocatively textured surfaces, and the dynamic between linear digressions and chromatic masses could result in an almost synesthetic resonance. Might these heavily-worked abstract forms suggest sounds or parts of a word? Are they the gestation of an alternative alphabet?

We are excited to offer a space where one or two artists can work out an idea, show a cohesive body of work, or tell us a story using their creative vision. We will have an application open in the spring for people interested in having their own show in the South Gallery for 2021.

Looking out of the South Gallery windows onto 9th St.

Taste

This was my first visit to a show at the Columbia Art League and the “Taste” exhibit simply made me feel good! Food has always been an important part of community in my life. It has taught me so much about creativity, patience, care, enjoyment and especially culture.

Through food, we connect with each other and I loved seeing how the artists interpreted so many different types of cuisine.

There is always something new to learn about food and how it brings people together. Being immersed in paintings, drawings and sculptures of food allowed me to reflect on the beauty of food and all of the work that goes into what we eat. I am excited for the full experience at the Let Them Eat Art event to see the pieces again and have the opportunity to eat delicious, local dishes!

-CAL intern and design student at Stephens College

Fall Round Up 2019

We had a busy winter! Here are a few of our favorite moments…

Boone County Art Show

at Central Bank, Columbia in October

Angels & Art

Pop up art show at KOPN in November

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Sparkling Arts

Winter Member's Show in November & December

Sparkling Arts, 2019

Town Hall Report 2019

Members’ Show Summer 2019

Two town hall meetings took place at CAL on Tuesday, August 20th and Saturday, August 22nd.

Each session had about 10-12 people. 

The main topic was: How can CAL improve?

*Means we’ve already started addressing these areas

Key Areas:

Gallery

*Juror’s process/guidelines/public statement to read

Critique sheets from the juror for all works

Allow artists to make work NFS

*More friendly faces

*Give kind feedback

*More shows

Member Benefits

Business & marketing plans for artists

Professional development

**Social Media how to & also use in promotion of our artists

Artist members supporting new artists

Rejection workshop

Fun things like trips to other galleries/museums

Group critique

Increase artist interaction: potlucks, art club, open studio

Non Artist Member Benefits

Why should non-artists become members?

What events / benefits do non artists have at CAL

Do you have to be a member to participate in things at CAL? (No!)

Marketing

*MORE - just do more

Bring back postcards

Stick to newsletters & social media

Talk to us MORE

Talk about sponsorship more

Table tents in restaurants

Ads in other arts organizations publications

Education

How to classes for artists: framing, matting, 

Teach the teachers how to teach

Increase outreach for Scholarships to Youth Classes

Sponsorship for youth classes

Expand classroom, have more classes

Utilize the family friendly events in town: Sunday farmer’s market, Saturday famer’s market (the Pavillion). 

Showcase the artwork made by the students in their classes at CAL

Outreach

Increase Community Exhibition reach to include lower income locations

More free or sponsored activities to lower income community members

Increase awareness about CAL outside of CoMo

Collaborate with the District

*Make connections with Colleges & University - get more students in our space

*Make connections with sporting events/attendees 

Community Exhibition Program

Increase number of locations

Find more places to showcase 3D artworks

Put plaques in all the places we have a CEP relationship

Increase awareness by promoting that we have a CE program and also showcase the artists on social media

Increase CEP reach to include lower income locations: housing authority, Armory building, ARC, etc.

Have a standard of presentation that is followed through with or okayed by CAL staff

Gift Shop

Update policies

Have a system to keep product fresh

Standards on how things are displayed & with information about the artists

Work with people on pricing, packaging, display etc.

Signage (like on the front of the windows)

Market the fact that we have a gift shop

Volunteers

How do we get more

How to treat & train them

Collect testimonials

Appeal to a younger audience

The Columbia Art League is celebrating 60 years this year, and while it’s a wonderful institution in the community, CAL needs to be able to learn and grow with the community it serves. So we thank each of you who has reached out to us and let us know what you think we can do to improve. Here’s to 60 more years of providing arts to the Columbia community!

If you’d like to give feedback to us about CAL, click the button below or come by the gallery and ask to speak with Kelsey. Thank you!

The Child Within Gallery Show

The Child Within reception was so fun! Our Locust Street Elementary students brought a new level of energy to the night and it was great seeing artists of all ages chat and interact.

Juror’s Statement

Children’s art is fearless, bold and bright.  Often as adults, we wish we could return to this methodology of art making, but we struggle to put our fears, perfectionism, and self-judgment aside.  In allowing adult artists to collaborate with a Locust Street Elementary School student, the work represented in “The Child Within” was created with a child’s spirit in mind.

Before reviewing the work for “The Child Within,” I wrote several criteria before selecting the work to include in the show.  Since the goal of the show is to promote collaboration among a Locust Street artist and an adult artist, I looked specifically for works which were an interpretive response to the Locust Street artist’s work, rather than a direct copy.  Additionally, since a second goal of “The Child Within” was to showcase excellent craftsmanship and skill, I also avoided work that was attempting to mimic the naïve style of a child.  

The works selected for “The Child Within” represent a wide range of interpretations based upon their collaborator’s original art.  Some works include a specific visual reference to the work of the Locust Street artist’s work, and some, a subtle hint. All of the works, however, honor the spirit and intent in which the original work was created. 

Award recipients include:

James Reece, 1st place winner

James Reece

Bora Bora Bird’s Eye View

The juror said:  This is a beautiful example of a collaboration between child and adult artist.  The artist who created this meticulously crafted quilt was able to expand upon the vision of the original artist with gorgeous color and imagination.

Michelle Marcum, 2nd place winner

Michelle Marcum

My Imaginary Friend

The juror had this to say: At first glance, this piece is very similar to the artwork on which it was based.  It appears that the artist who created this painting carefully imitated the texture of the paint found in the original work.  However, when examined closely, the true collaboration is revealed: the painter created two subtle eyes and a set of teeth in order to invent a new found creature.

Gennie Pfannenstiel, 3rd place winner

Gennie Pfannenstiel

The Vista

The juror said about this work: This is a celebration of the work on which it was based. The rich color and variety of materials creates a lush and riotous collaboration with the original work.

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The show is colorful and fun and will be up through the end of October, be sure to come by and see it for yourself!

Rainey Bailey King

By: Liv Jackson

Rainey Bailey King’s artistic process is abstract and fluid, and it allows for an exciting array of very different pieces to come to fruition. An excellent representation of such creations is his piece entitled “Fake News”.

King submitted this piece to Columbia Art League’s exhibit “Truth”, which challenged artists to experiment with their definition of the word and examine how truth perpetuates throughout everyday life.

“When I saw the little back story for the “Truth?” exhibit I thought it would be a really good one to submit, so I kind of wrapped it up and got it framed up and everything,” says King.

This was only his second time bringing a piece to Columbia Art League. He explains that he brought another piece in in 2017, but that his artistic style differs so much from one work to another, one may not know the two were made by the same person at first glance.

The background of “Fake News” was created with spray paint. King makes his backgrounds separately and will set them aside until he discovers what belongs on top. The creation of the base of the canvas is often emotionally driven.

View fullsize

Background of
“Fake News”

What he chooses to layer atop the passionate backgrounds may vary totally in content matter. For this in particular, he printed out a photo of Donald Trump’s open mouth giving a speech, cut it out, and applied it to the corner. From that sprouts a speech bubble, filled not with words, but with a golden spot.

King had noticed an uptick in the usage of the term “fake news” by politicians and the media, but the gravity really resonated with him when he saw it tattooed across his friend’s knuckles. These observations led to the creation of the visually intriguing piece.

The piece has controversial undertones, but leaves interpretation up to the viewer.

“You can’t just look at it and really know the direct opinion,” he says. “It’s very questionable, and I like that.”

Another stylistic decision was very intentionally made by the artist concerning the framing. The colorful piece hangs inside a very ornamented, gilded gold frame. King says this was a decision he made to evoke a sense of the era of High Renaissance.

“[This was the] highest point where, politically, there was a lot of control, [relating to] church and state stuff,” says King.

This tone of the “border of control that is politics” shines through both the framing and the content of the painting. It also plays with the interesting theme of “Truth?”, asking the viewer to posit their own opinions of the current climate surrounding free speech in the United States.