Artist on Display: Hope Martin

Martin creating “One for Sadness,” which is currently showing as part of our Monochrome exhibition. Want to watch a time lapse of Martin’s process? Click this link—https://youtu.be/vSEWziuY8zonow

Martin creating “One for Sadness,” which is currently showing as part of our Monochrome exhibition. Want to watch a time lapse of Martin’s process? Click this link—https://youtu.be/vSEWziuY8zonow

CAL aims to help artists succeed, whether that's offering skill building classes, the opportunity to exhibit work in our gallery, or sell work in our Gift Gallery. Our Artist on Display series invites you to get to know our artists a little bit better! 

ABOUT THE PROCESS

Hope’s process involves three stages: play, pursuit, and performance. She claims these stages create the foundation of “a process that can reliably take me from inspiration to art.”

HM: That process I mention has settled into 3 defined parts: Play (loose sketching in my sketchbook), Pursuit (taking a sketch I liked and developing it further in black/white, then in color) & Perform (taking the things I learned along the way and applying them to a bigger piece).

HM: Having these steps/stages gives me time and space to think about what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. It gives me time to find inspiration along the way.

HM: Not every sketchbook sketch goes on to the next stage. Not every Pursuit piece becomes the final. Even in the Performance stage I learn and modify things.

HM: Rather than being caught up in the final piece, my focus has become the process itself. I enjoy that with such intensity that the final product has become an added benefit.

FINDING INSPIRATION

HM: I’ve done a few landscapes but I want to see what’s crawling up that tree or hiding under that bush or flying over that mountain.

HM: I want to paint life up close! To entice people to really look at the incredible details I see in animals and plants when I get REALLY close. Even “pests” like starlings have a beauty to them and I find that some people have never taken the time to really notice. 

HM: “One for Sadness”... Started with the idea of focusing on ravens this year. Sort of pursuing a theme or series. I love most birds and have always admired ravens so why not? But other than the subject, I had no direction to begin with.

EXPLORING NEW THEMES

HM: At some point along the way, I stumbled across this magpie nursery rhyme and the idea for the series was born: Counting Corvids. (I have a thing for alliteration) I’m working on “Two for Mirth” now. I think I’m nearly done with it. Sometimes it is hard to tell. It focuses more on the energetic texture of happiness where “One for Sadness” focuses on the stark details of intense sadness.

HM: The third in this series is still a nebulous idea dealing with death and the number three. I hope to start sketching it out soon.

JOINING THE COMMUNITY

HM: Through CAL’s CEP, I’ve met people that I would not have otherwise: 

·  a retired bus-driver who bought my horse painting for his daughter who loves horses

·  a nurse who bought my tabby cat painting that uncannily resembled her recently deceased and beloved pet

·  a professor who bought my tree frog painting that reminded her of pleasant memories of times spent on the deck where these critters were often found.

· And students who have become friends.

HM: Through CAL, I’ve found connection to the community I live in. 

If you are an artist interested in getting involved with CEP OR if you are a business who would like to have our CEP artists fill your business with art, contact us here: CEP@columbiaartleague.org

 

Mother Material by Madeleine LeMieux

On view in the South Gallery throughout August

Artist Statement

Mother Material consists of multi-media art objects and images that explore the poetic intersubjectivity of the mother-child relationship while pushing against notions of essentialist motherhood and embracing nostalgia as a feminist tool for meaning-making.

To create this work I use cell phone photographs of my life and a myriad of alteration processes including sewing, painting, and printmaking and the incorporation of found objects. The resulting image objects suggest comfort, protection, and domestic space in contemporary culture while reaching for reconciliation between the lived and constructed experiences of motherhood.

Purchase Art

Artist Bio

Madeleine Marie LeMieux is an artist and arts administrator in Columbia, MO.  She received her BFA with an emphasis in Art History, Theory and Criticism from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007 and her MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University in 2011. She has been exhibiting her artwork and using art as a tool for community organizing nationally since 2004.

Highlights of her career include: serving on NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs’ Non-Performing Arts Selection Panel of experts in 2012 and 2013, developing Groundswell’s Youth Media Council, a program which teaches teens communication tools and empowers them to create youth driven marketing content, and helping to establish Brooklyn’s first art-jewelry maker space, Brooklyn Metal Works. In 2014, LeMieux founded Resident Arts, a professional development organization for artists in Mid-Missouri. In 2016, LeMieux was honored as one of the Columbia Business Times’ 20 Under 40 successful business people. She is currently attending the University of Missouri to receive her MFA.

Paintings by Wendy Yelton

New paintings from Wendy Yelton at Central Bank of Boone County on E. Broadway.

Artist Statement

My first personal experiences in creating two dimensional art were in fiber.  That attraction to textures and the natural qualities of wool, linen, cotton, etc. has stayed with me. My paintings are heavily influenced by the quality of light and color that surrounds our home.  We live in a heavily wooded area and every view outside consists of dappled, shifting sunlight and shade along with vivid natural colors, depending on the season.  My work intends to capture that shifting movement of light and echo the intense colors and natural textures.

As I blend and layer colors, I play with their biases and the rules of 3 dimensional perspective, working to create “surprises” in the layers.  Dark areas end up light and light areas end up dark.  I start with a loose idea, but eventually allow the spontaneous layers of color and texture to take over.  

Monochrome

On view in the Betty & Art Robins Group Gallery

July 28th - September 10th, 2020

Monochrome is defined as the exploration of one color, working through variations in shade, tone, and tint of a single hue. As you explore, consider the history and symbolism of colors. Across all cultures, words for colors appear in stages; blue usually arrives last to a language. Red often symbolizes power, warning, passion. Green has long been associated with verdant growth and environment. Artists who work with monochrome include Ellsworth Kelly, Yves Klein, Josef Albers, and Frank Stella.

View all artwork

About the juror and some remarks about the show

As you walk through the gallery you see the subtle color in each artwork as it begins to relate to its neighboring companions. Appearing to change slightly – what once looked to be cobalt suddenly seems deeper when next a deep blue which in turn has shifted towards deep purple when paired with the cobalt. These constant shifts give even more life to an already colorful and energetic gallery show. 

Congratulations to our award winners:

1st – Cynthia Richards for Lapsed Memory; 2nd – Julie Bonifay for Sage; 3rd – Jacob Lopez for Calamari. Two Honorable Mentions were awarded to Ray Almeida for Necktie Parting and Angela Shaffer for Tapped Out, respectively.

Hannah Reeves is an MFA fiber artist, Director of Sager Braudis Gallery in Columbia, Missouri, and previous Gallery Director and Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Missouri. In jurying Monochrome, Reeves sought diversity of media and approach, with an emphasis on craftsmanship. An added layer to the curation of the exhibit was the consideration of how the hue of each mostly-monochromatic piece fell into the spectrum of the overall exhibit. Reeves joked, "If you thought I wasn't going to arrange every entry in this room in spectral order, you thought wrong." She ROY-G-BIV-ed the gallery as she made selections that shaped the ultimate exhibit. 

Emerging Artists Mentorship Show

On view in the South Gallery through July 2020

In January, 2020, a group of young artists, aged 11-17, were selected to participate in our Emerging Artist Mentorship Program. Each artist was paired with a professional artist mentor according to their own artistic interests and goals. The pairs then set to work, outlining their plans for a collaborative project.

When the Coronavirus pandemic took the nation and the world by storm, many people's lives and plans were thrown off course. Our artist community was no exception, but the work you see here is an inspiring example of the commitment these young artists and their tutors have to the creative process. They continued to correspond and create together by any means necessary, because even in times of crisis, artists create to survive and thrive. This work is a reflection of their resilience and drive.

Thank you to all of our Mentors and Mentees!

Members' Summer Show

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As the time for the Members’ Summer Show drew near, we decided to open the gallery and have a physical show. We will not hold a virtual gallery show in the same way that we did for the shows that were NOT in person, but we will make a concerted effort to post all of the artwork between the website and social media posts if you are not up to visiting the gallery.

Please note: we are requiring that people observe social distancing recommendations and that you wear a mask while in the gallery.

If you see an artwork that you can’t live without, let us know! We also have a Take Art Home program where you pay 1/3 of the price up front and pay the rest over 6 months to make owning the art you love a little bit easier. Contact Kelsey here for more details!

Juror’s Statement

In a world that is contending with social distancing, turmoil, injustice, and reckoning, art making and art spaces like the Columbia Art League are proving to be increasingly essential. It’s important to create, to process and make sense of the world, to share our manifestations, and to entangle that with the conceptions of others. This exhibition truly demonstrates that and shows what the CAL has always been invested in: education, creation, and community.

I appreciate art that inspires and resonates and confronts; art that is beautiful and ugly and skilled and reckless. I am drawn to art that invites me to sit and contemplate. My award selections for this show demonstrate my appreciation for work in multiple media areas, work I am in awe of, and work that I feel compelled to sit with for a little while longer.

Craftsmanship and meaning are two main areas that I look to when considering and evaluating works of art. It is important to me as an artist, as an educator, and as a curator that work demonstrates intent and knowledge of materials and techniques. It is also imperative that work has meaning and invites the viewer to finish its story or carry on its questions and solutions out into the world. I ask where the work may fit in with current culture and how it may be informing and connecting us. The works that have placed in this exhibition were especially compelling to me in this regard.

1st place: Linda Hays’ “Valley Rise” is all at once strategic and warm, isolating and nostalgic. I found it especially prevalent given the past few months spent in quarantine. The stacked structures house us and keep us safe as we gain a newfound closeness with those who share our space and as the world outside has slowed to an abrupt halt.

2nd place: Renee Monroe’s work has great significance, especially given our current moment in history. While most of us have been socially distancing, we also recognize the importance of coming together for justice and equality. This image shows the power of community, the danger of silence, and the importance of showing up.

3rd place: The craftsmanship of Rich Koeppner’s piece is astonishing. Every component was conscientiously and meticulously cared for. This work demonstrates the embrace of still moments, which we all have had to learn to recalibrate ourselves to as of late.

I applaud all the artists in this show. Thank you for extending the invitation to sit with your work and for sharing it with the community.

-Bethanie Irons, Assistant Professor, William Woods University

You can read more about Bethanie on her website.

Jean Howard at Central Bank of Boone County

Art Quilts

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Artist Statement

I started sewing and hand-quilting as part of a family tradition of quilt-making. I enjoy sewing and working with color to create something of beauty. However, I found that I craved a way to make something beautiful that was more interesting to me than sewing together the same triangles and rectangles that everyone used in traditional quilt-making. I transitioned to using colorful fabrics in original and unusual designs to construct something unique, beautiful, and compelling to me.

I love the exquisite colors, curves, and shapes found in nature, and use these in many of my quilts. I enjoy using accents of unusual colors to invite the viewer to pay attention.

I find I have always been driven to use my talent and creativity for production. I have a sense that I am on earth to accomplish something that I have not yet achieved.  

Renee Brochu-Monroe at Central Bank of Boone County

em*BOLD*en

By Renee Brochu-Monroe

Renee Brochu's incredible India Ink drawings currently hang in the Central Bank of Boone County. They are enormous and pack a powerful combination of strength from the subjects and delicate details from Brochu's brush. We encourage you to stay home and stay safe and imagine being in front of these 3'x4' artworks. 

Statement:

Eight women offer an unapologetic demonstration of identity and sexuality. Their body language and gestures contradict the passive reclining female pose through their active occupation of space. The collaboration between artist and sitter invites the viewer into a powerful dialogue, limned in black and red ink.

Biography:

Columbia Missouri resident Renee Brochu-Monroe describes herself as a multi-disciplinary artist. She has been nationally exhibited and continues her endeavors in painting, photography, and drawing to immerse herself in the creative process. Her work follows patterns of still moments, examining how illumination can change the aesthetic force of a subject with the attention to line, color, and form. In 2018 she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in education from Columbia College. By day, she is the Assistant Director at Windsor Street Montessori School. By night, she pursues her professional artist endeavors outside of the classroom and in her home studio. 

Art in the Park Update

From Art in the Park 2017

From Art in the Park 2017

Visit Art in the (online) Park

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!

Donate to CAL

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.

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

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

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?

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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.

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

Taste

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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.

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

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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

Town Hall Report 2019

Members’ Show Summer 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!

Give us Feedback

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

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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.

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”.

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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.

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.

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