FRIDAY JULY 30

• Do You Need A Friend To Go With?
Wonder Fair: Art Gallery, Shoppe & Studio
(803 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 30, 7-10pm (Ongoing until August 22nd)
From the organizers: Christopher Bostwick is a graduate of the printmaking department at the Kansas City Art Institute. It was here that he developed his skills as a printmaker but also reaffirmed his penchant for drawing directly on paper. Do You Need A Friend To Go With? features colored pencil and gouache drawings – some as large as 60” x 48”. These drawings take the form of a set or stage, the theatrics of which are always implied, the actors never shown. Bostwick sets the scenes, rife with absurd details culled from a culture of excess and Google image searches. He revels in humorous juxtapositions and complicitous pairings. His drawings become abandoned scenes full of misleading clues to the most banal of mysteries – the everyday.

• Dem Young Arts
Dot Dot Dot Artspace (1910 Haskell Avenue in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 30, 7-10pm
We don’t know much about this show but there will be Live Musick Hip Hop (not sure what that means?!) and will feature local artists Matt Avila, Sam Foster, Kyle Longabach, Jordan Moshiri, Josh Snoddy, Alexandra Sova, and Ryan Storck.

THURSDAY AUGUST 5

• Last Splash Bash
Lawrence Public Library (707 Vermont Street in Lawrence, KS)
Thursday, August 5, 6:30pm
This is not an art event, but we love the LPL and everything they do. This bash will include games like Dunk a Librarian, a live performance by the wonderfully fun and lovely duo Truckstop Honeymoon, plus food and more.

FRIDAY AUGUST 6

• Jeromy Morris: Masked Portraits
The Invisible Hand Gallery (801 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, August 6, 7-10pm
From the organizers: A series of masked, mixed media portrait paintings, with a hint of nostalgia, inspired by an early photographic process. www.jeromymorris.com

• Jeanette Powers: Self-Portrait as the Mad Hatter
Plenum Space (504 E 18th Street in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, August 6, 6-10pm
From the organizers: Jeanette Powers is a graduate physics student at the University of Kansas and a self-taught painter. Her expressionist paintings are imaginative and intense and have been collected for the last ten years throughout North America. She enjoys representing chaotic motion and fluid dynamics in her paint application, without losing the focus of the mind. Portraiture is the mainstay of her work thanks to her belief in the importance of friends and family. www.arttract.com/jeanettepowers.htm

• re:vision quest
The Slap & Tickle Gallery (504 E 18th Street in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, August 6, 6-9pm (Also open Saturday, August 7, 1-4pm)
This show features new paintings by Gryphon van der Hole. This quote directly from the artist’s statement for this show, “gay culture. queer aesthetic. kinky indulgences.”, is all we need to hear to peak our interest. We are not sure if the name Gryphon van der Hole and his photo on Myspace does the same or scares us away. www.myspace.com/gryphons_hole

• Molly Murphy: Spatial Constructions
BNIM Architects (106 W 14th Street in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, August 6, 5-7pm
From the organizers: Spatial Constrictions is an installation of paintings, drawings, text and human hair to be housed in the display windows of BNIM Architects. The show of multiple paneled works will span around the the block of 14th and Baltimore in the urban core of Kansas City, Missouri. www.mollymurphyartwork.com

FRIDAY JULY 9

Sonic Youth – Sleeping Nights Awake (Documentary) Michael Albright

• SONIC ORPHANS: Lost Music Films 1965-87
Wonder Fair: Art Gallery, Shoppe & Studio
(803 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 9, 7-12pm
From the organizers: SONIC ORPHANS is a compilation reel of lost and found clips projected on 16mm, mostly silent, of some rare celluloid gems that have been seen by almost no one and have never seen the light of youtube. Most of this footage is truly orphaned film— abandoned, lost, found, and now presented raw without editing. The videos feature The Beatles, Avengers, Huns, Boy Problems, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, and Johnny Cash. The presentation includes a discussion of “orphan films” as they are called by archivists, a one-night photo exhibit & live local music by Kansas City’s LAZY. $5 at the door.

SATURDAY JULY 10

Wild West Film Festival 2010 Promo Video

• Wild West Film Festival
Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, July 10, 7pm
From the organizers: The Wild West Film Fest is a 48-hour marathon film fest that anyone with a video camera can enter. We hope to raise money and awareness for a good cause while getting people excited about local film making. We provide a secret theme and you have 48 hours to create a working short film – no longer than 5 minutes. You provide us with the short films and we provide you with a great venue, judges and prizes for the winners! Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit local organizations such as Habitat For Humanity, Halo Foundation, and Children’s Mercy Hospital. The judges were blown away by the quality of films this year. Along with the typical gang of local judges, we also enjoyed the company of local comic book writer Jai Nitz. He has written several comics for D.C. and Marvel. He is currently working on Hollywood movie comic tie-ins, such as the upcoming Green Hornet. There will be a costume contest during the festival, the most heroic hero or vile villain will receive a cash prize and a DVD of the films. Tickets are only $7 for general public and $5 for students.
www.wildwestfilmfest.com

posted by: Scott Stewart

“Fallen, panel C” oil on canvas

Artist statement for solo show Mangle at Jonathan Levine Gallery:

In Mangle,  Dave Cooper presents a new series of graphite drawings on polypropylene paper and oil paintings on canvas, featuring his subject matter of choice—fleshy females. Cooper’s unique aesthetic is informed by his obsession with creating billowy, gelatinous landscapes and stylized women with un-idealized physical appearances. The shapes of these nude or scantily clad figures are often exaggeratedly lumpy, with large heads, bulging eyes, shiny red cheeks and toothy grins. They interact with one another in ways that appear disturbingly violent, suggestively sensual, or both, implying bizarre narratives of perverse scenarios and intense human drama.

Through the challenging, disturbing quality of his imagery, Cooper continues to explore themes of libido, hedonism, body image, fantasy, and ambiguity with refined skill and technique. His process consists of building thin layers of sheer color and fine glaze to create smooth texture and translucent opulence to the round contours of his full-figured subjects and their surrounding environments. By applying details traditionally regarded as undesirable physical characteristics such as veiny skin, ruddy complexion and cellulite to every plump, dimpled fold of flab, Cooper’s paintings expose the artist’s admiration and fascination with the natural curves of the feminine form in zaftig proportions, beyond conventional health or beauty standards.

Mangle runs until July 24, 2010.

“Wrestling” oil on canvas

“Eye/Boob Suck” oil on canvas

Artist Bio:

Dave Cooper was born in 1967 in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia, Canada. He is currently based in Ottawa, with his wife and two children. Cooper is a self-taught artist, inspired by artistic mentors in his youth. He enjoyed a successful career in the American underground comic scene of the late 1990’s as the author/illustrator of award-winning graphic novels and as a designer, producer, and creator in the field of animation. In 2003, the artist decided to focus his energies on oil painting and refining his fine art. In the years since, his artwork has been exhibited at galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. He has released two books featuring his oil paintings and a third is on the way, with introductions written by Hollywood celebrity collectors including comedic actor David Cross, as well as filmmakers David Cronenberg and Oscar-nominated writer/director of Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro.

See more of Cooper’s work here

posted by: Harold Johns III

FRIDAY JULY 2

• Xx Chromosome
The Blue Gallery (118 Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, June 2, 6pm
A wide variety of styles focused on the subject of womanhood. Artwork created by this all female group featuring Shannon Gaines Bowman, Jennifer Walker, Jane Almirall, Jes Owings, Kelley Seda, Melinda Wallace and Sandi Devenny.

Speak Salon Studio

• Maria Calderon Andean Highlands: Before the thread hits the loom
Speak Salon Studio (327 1/2 Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, July 2, 6-10pm
Maria Calderon is a painter, fashion photographer, and yoga instructor. She is showing new burlap pieces painted with acrylic. Also Early Jewelry and two vintage clothing dealers.
www.mariacalderon.com

• Immovable Axioms
2631 Gallery (2631 Holmes in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, July 2, 5-10pm
Limited edition prints, zines, drinks and music at this group show. Featuring paintings from a small mix of illustrators and graphic designers up for the month of July. Luke Rocha, Adrian Halpern, Shane Ogren, Mark Galloway and Hector Casanova.

SATURDAY JULY 3
• Gentle Cycle; With Like Colors
Be Moved Studio (2 E 7th Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, July 3, 7-9:30pm
Soft colors and pleasant compositions are abundant in art by Kelly Clark, Kristin Morland, and Mari Lacure. Spoken word performances by Aaron Storck, Anne Bruce & Jenny
Hoyt, Leralee Whittle & Paul Sprawl starting at 8:30.

Molly Murphy

• Molly Murphy Greater Kansas
The Invisible Hand Gallery (801 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, July 3, 7-10pm
Murphy explores Kansas landscapes, a subject matter that fits her style of blushing colors and chunky strokes.

• Lu Vaccaro Past & Present, Pots & Paintings
The Lawrence Percolator (940 New Hampshire in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, July 3, 7-10pm
Look for the green awning in the alley behind the Lawrence Arts Center to find this gallery. Colorful paintings and pottery from long time local artist Lu Vaccaro. This show runs through July 18.

TUESDAY JULY 6

Alicia Kelly and Andrew Jilka

• Stupid Heavy
The Bourgeois Pig (6 East 9th Street in Lawrence, KS)
Tuesday, July 6, 7-9pm
New works on paper by artists Alicia Kelly and Andrew Jilka. Show runs through July.

posted by: Scott Stewart

Thanks to the Pasadena Library, Mike Stilkey incorporated 5,000 books into his latest installation Reminiscent at the new Hurley Space Gallery.

posted by: Harold Johns III

FRIDAY JUNE 25

• Hott Sheets
Wonder Fair: Art Gallery, Shoppe & Studio
(803 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, June 25, 7-10pm
From the organizers: Hott Sheets does not claim any real scientific rigor but a healthy dose of curiosity and absurdity. It is a tongue-in-cheek critique, partially directed toward ourselves and our inability to understand the complexities of the Art Market, and partially directed at the Art Market for being so confounding. Hott Sheets believes in the invaluable importance original artwork plays in our lives while simultaneously having fun with the difficult but necessary task of setting a value.
See the full Rathaus article for this show

• John Stamos Personal/Professional Works Closing Reception
The Invisible Hand Gallery (801 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, June 25, 7-9pm
Your last chance to check out this show. Stamos shows off his stunning, funny, wacky and engrossing work from his professional illustration portfolio along with his personal work at the recently new Invisible Hand Gallery.

SATURDAY JUNE 26
• Astrokitty Comics & More 5th Anniversary Party
The Jackpot Saloon & Music Hall (943 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, June 26, 8pm-2am
From the organizers: It’s our fifth anniversary come June! Celebrate with us at the Jackpot! We’ll have video-games (ala Super Nerd Night) set about the bar for anyone to play, we’ll have a Drink & Draw contest (supplies provided by Astrokitty), plus all sorts of card/board games going on throughout the night as accompanied by Astrokitty’s favorite movies and some of Astrokitty’s favorite background tunes! What’s that? Not enough? Hm. How about baiowolf? Weird Wounds? Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk? Now THAT’S a party! Doors open at 8pm and music begins at 10ish! What’s more, we’ll have Astrokitty stickers, t-shirts, dice, and buttons on sale at this event! This will be your chance to proudly wear your love for Astrokitty on your person or during your gaming! DO. NOT. MISSSSSS! Plus, of course, Joel/Joe/Erin will all be on hand celebrating alongside ya’ll!
Astrokitty Comics & More
See the full Rathaus article for the show

SUNDAY JUNE 27

• Fourth Annual Art of the Car Concours
Kansas City Art Institute (4415 Warwick Boulevard in Kansas City, MO)
Sunday, June 27, 10am-4pm
From the organizers: This year’s event will feature President Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 Pierce-Arrow Limousine. The car, which has been restored to full working order, is owned by the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton, VA. The Art of the Car Concours, a benefit for student scholarships at the Kansas City Art Institute, is the largest vintage car show in Kansas City and features a wide variety of vintage, classic and special interest vehicles belonging to Kansas City area and national collectors. Vintage motorcycles, bicycles, race cars and fire trucks also will be included in the show.
Art of the Car Concours

posted by: Scott Stewart

Exhibition Info:

The concept of this show was born out  of the heat of the summer and inspired by current events in the  international art market. Local temperatures soared from 60′s to 90′s, a painting by Picasso became the  most expensive work of art ever sold at auction, fetching 106.2 million and, five paintings were stolen out of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris – the total value of the heist falling somewhere between 126 – 500 million. These staggering numbers made us stop and wonder, with our heat fevered minds, how is the value of original artwork created?

For this exhibition Wonder Fair established a method for pricing new artworks objectively. Local, regional, and nationally exhibiting artists were invited to submit new works on official WF  stamped paper. The monetary value of each piece will be determined by a  complex flowchart of Wonder Fair’s own creation. All submitted works  will be stringently processed through the chart’s categories which  include medium, color palette, and subject matter. Specifics include ironic animal imagery, crystalline formations, energy fields, and floating heads.

The opening reception for Hott Sheets is this Friday June 25, 2010 from 7-10pm at Wonder Fair (803 1/2 Massachusetts in Lawrence, KS). Hot Sheets will stay on display through July 24, 2010.

posted by: Brent Carter

Joel Pfannenstiel started his first college job at the now defunct Mass Street Comics while studying Graphic Design at the University of Kansas. As a life-long comic fan he couldn’t have asked for more, but the owners soon decided to make a change and when the shop closed up, Joel decided to take a risk. With his years of experience and last paycheck Joel opened Astrokitty Comics & More in 2005.

With support from the Mass Street Comics regulars and public interest in a new shop, Astrokitty took off and has continued to grow and improve. By keeping the focus on the customer, Joel created a local favorite in Astrokitty. The storefront at 15 E 7th Street in Lawrence, KS is stocked with a large variety of comics, graphic novels, toys, zines, shirts, and games. As comics have now expanded into a grown-up art form, Astrokitty carries advanced styles with complex story lines not available at the grocery store newsstand, while also continuing to stock the bubble gum fun and super hero styles comic fans grew up on.

Competing against chain stores can be tough, but Joel keeps the shop going with his passion and the relationships he has established with other Lawrence downtown originals like Liberty Hall Video and the Jackpot Saloon. Joel enjoys exposing new people to the comic and gaming culture and on a semi-regular basis holds events at the Jackpot Saloon. Drink & Draw Nights allow comic fans, local artists, or any passersby to participate in drawing competitions while enjoying a beer. And during Super Nerd Nights video games are setup for play throughout the bar while a choice fantasy film screens in the backdrop.

Both Drink and Draw and Super Nerd Nights will be combined for Astrokitty’s 5th Anniversary Party at the Jackpot Saloon this Saturday, June 26. The night will include video games, drawing contests, card and board games, movies, plus musical performances by BaioWolf, Weird Wounds, and Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk. Plenty of cool stuff for sale including buttons, stickers, custom 6-sided dice, and brand spankin’ new t-shirts. Doors open at 8pm with a $5 cover.

by: Scott Stewart

FRIDAY JUNE 18
• 2010 Kansas City Flatfile
H&R Block Artspace (16 E 43rd Street in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, June 18, 6-8pm
Over 180 artists are represented both on walls and in flatfiles. This show runs through September 25 and includes many younger artists and Kansas City Art Institute graduates.

SATURDAY JUNE 19

• What Floats Your Boat
A fundraiser for Van Go‘s youth employment programs
Clinton Lake Marina (1329 East 800 Road in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, June 19, 6-11pm
From the organizers: Come party for a good cause! Live art auction, BBQ from McGonigle’s, 23rd Street Brewery beer, and live dance music from $ellout! Children’s playhouse built and painted by Van Go artists, mosiac mailboxes, painted market umbrellas all part of auction. Grab some friends and reserve a table of 8 for $400. Individual tickets are $60 each. Van Go is an arts-based youth employment program in Lawrence, KS.

• It Came From the 3rd Dimension
Dot Dot Dot Artspace (1910 Haskell Avenue in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, June 19, 6-10pm
Check out sculptures from several members of the Fresh Produce Art Collective. This show is curated by Jordan Briceland and will include musical performances by Owl People and Fresh Produce member Yuri Zupancic.

posted by: Scott Stewart

FRIDAY JUNE 4
• First Fridays in the Kansas City Crossroads Arts District
18th Street between Baltimore and Broadway to the West / Grand and Holmes to the East (map)
Check out www.kccrossroads.org for a listing of many upcoming shows and read about a few below.

by Ryan Mosley

• Ryan Mosley Painting Séance
Grand Arts (1818 Grand Boulevard in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, June 4, 6pm
London painter Ryan Mosley shows off his loose and colorful work that was produced in the Grand Arts studios.

Zach Eubank at work in his studio

• Zac Eubank Labors of Geniusness
Slap-n-Tickle Gallery (504 W 18th Street in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, June 4, 6-11pm
Large paintings of funky lovely ladies.

• Color Magazine’s One Way or Another
Escapist (405 Southwest Blvd Suite 100 in Kansas City, MO)
Friday, June 4, 6-11pm
See the full Rathaus article for this show

SATURDAY JUNE 5
• Art in the Yard
Breezedale Neighborhood (51 Winona Avenue in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, June 5, 9-5pm
2D art, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, robots, and more on display.
From the organizers: A small group of artists are banding together to revive the Art in the Yard event that was a hit a couple years back after Art in the Park was canceled. Well, this year the Park festival went off without a hitch, but this group of artists would like to invite the community to celebrate the arts in the Yard once more and also hang out and enjoy a wonderful neighborhood.

• Rock Camp Concert
Eagles Lodge Ballroom (1803 W 6th Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, June 5, 6-10pm
From the organizers: Rock Camp gives teenagers their first experience playing with a band. This is their recital, a Rock Concert! 5 student bands followed by “The Magentalmen” (formally sharkhat). Free Show! Eagles will be open for food and drink!

by John Stamos

• John Stamos Personal/Professional Works
The Invisible Hand Gallery (801 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, June 5, 7-10pm
Stamos shows off his stunning, funny, wacky, and engrossing work from his professional illustration portfolio along with his personal work at the recently new Invisible Hand Gallery.

SUNDAY JUNE 6
• Mark S. Luce Endurance + Memory
The Bourgeois Pig (6 East 9th Street in Lawrence, KS)
Sunday, June 6 at 7pm
From the organizers: Luce, who grew up in Central Kansas, has traveled the state during the last 18 months photographing small towns and abandoned buildings. At the outset of the project, the operating concept was rural decay. But in actively searching the state for things that had fallen apart, “I realized the resilience of the structures that were being photographed,” he said. While the pictures answer the question of what happens when people leave, the fiction provides a complementary context to consider rural life in Kansas.

TUESDAY JUNE 8
• Skateboard Art
Lawrence Public Library (707 Vermont Street in Lawrence, KS)
Tuesday, June 8, 1:30pm
From the organizers: Meet a skateboard artist and design your own deck. (Sign up at White Chocolate or the Teen Zone.) Open to 7-12 graders, free, snacks provided.

posted by: Scott Stewart