“Rope”, 2008 34.5 x 40 inches, acrylic and spray paint on paper

“The Playfulness of Some”, 2003 19.5 x 22 inches, acrylic and gouache on paper

“The University of Kansas – Printmaking Area is pleased to present visiting artist Lamar Peterson. Lamar will be in residence the week of Feb. 22 – 26. While he is visiting he will give a public lecture, critique student work and collaborate with students and faculty to create an original limited edition lithograph.

“Lamar Peterson is an international recognized artist. He has had recent solo exhibitions at Richard Heller Gallery, LA, Fredericks & Freiser, NY and Dietch Projects, NY.

“Please join us for this lecture Feb. 24th (Wed.) @ 2:30, Art & Design Bldg. Room 421.” (via: KU Professor Micheal Krueger)

“Nearly Naked”, 2008  26 x 20 inches, acrylic on paper mounted on found Man Ray poster

“Posing the Daisies”, 2003 23 x 22.5 inches, acrylic and gouache

posted by: Brent Carter

Exhibition Info: (by Alaska Noyes)
Asteroid Head Art Club is at it again. Their upcoming show at the Lawrence Arts Center (940 New Hampshire Lawrence, KS), Welcome To Asteroid Head Land… Dude, is a tacit invitation to escape everydayness, at least momentarily.

The group has been doling out such invites since they formed in the spring of ‘09. Clad in matching uniforms they have set aside the lone artist in the studio art production model for something a little more tribal, a little more exuberant. Collaboration is at the heart of their work, often a multitasking of painting, sculpture, printmaking, and performance.

This is an outlet with a healthy dose of optimism and no dearth of absurdity. There is potential energy when Asteroid Head gets together, energy greater than the sum of its parts. It is in the interactions, the exchanges, the sharing of information, dreams, anecdotes, theories, and whims. It is in having things to do, not because you have to, but because you want to and you can. Nothing is too silly, too weird, or too ambitious to talk about, laugh about, consider, attempt. Asteroid Head Art Club, for its ragtag members, has become a site for experimentation, trials, tribulations, and camaraderie.

Asteroid Head Land is a physical embodiment of this group spirit. It is an unpredictable installation full of collaborative energy, absurdity, and papier-mâché. Welcome to Asteroid Head Land… Dude.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 12th, 7-9pm

Exhibition Dates: February 12 – March 13, 2010

posted by: Brent Carter

artwork by Aakash Nihalani

In January 2010, Carmichael Gallery (1257 N La Brea Ave in West Hollywood, CA) presents On & Off (Often On), the first West Coast solo exhibition of Aakash Nihalani. In addition to a characteristically arresting site-specific installation comprised of  brightly colored tape, Nihalani introduces a new artistic direction by using metal and plastic to create sculptural objects.

There will be an opening reception for On & Off (Often On) Thursday, January 21 with Nihalani in attendance.

“Spokes” by Mark Jenkins

In January 2010, Carmichael Gallery also presents Meaning Is Overrated, a solo exhibition of new hyper realistic conceptual works and site-specific installation pieces by Mark Jenkins that reconsider the aesthetic and practical qualities of the human body. Works range from those in which the human is recast as a specialized object, such as “Spokes” which features a tape cast sculpture of a girl fashioned to function as a bicylce, to those in which human posture is contorted to resemble that of another animal. Each piece is “an exploration of evolution within the realm of the absurd,” says Jenkins.

The opening reception for Meaning Is Overrated is also Thursday, January 21 with Jenkins in attendance. Both exhibitions are on display through February 18, 2010.

See more work by Nihalani here
See more work by Jenkins here

posted by: Brent Carter

Holiday consumerism got you down? Go see What Would Jesus Buy? this Wednesday, December 9 at 7pm. The showing of this docu-comedy takes place at Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts in Lawrence, KS) and is brought to you by Films for Action.

Studio Synopsis:
“What Would Jesus Buy? follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!

“From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer’s jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.

“Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a journey into the heart of America – from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land … Disneyland.

“Will we be led like Sheeple to the Christmas slaughter, or will we find a new way to give a gift this Christmas? What Would Jesus Buy? may just be the divine intervention we’ve all been searching for.

“The Shopocalypse is upon us … Who will be $aved?”

posted by: Tricia Rock

The raw as an open sore, psycho-soul duo known as King Khan & BBQ Show were scheduled to play Lawrence, KS tonight, November 13 at the Jackpot Saloon (943 Massachusetts) with cute country-punkers Those Darlins and local favorites The Spook Lights. This was your chance to catch one of the most outrageous live music experiences in the known world, and on Friday the 13th no less. But alas King Khan and BBQ Show portion of the show is canceled because according to the band’s booking agent Sam Hunt of the Windish Agency, King Khan and BBQ are “stuck in Christin County, Kentucky for time being” after being arrested en route to a St. Louis gig they never made. No word on what the band is being charged with as of yet. Believe us Lawrence, we’re every bit as bummed you.

But it’s not all bad news, because Jessi Darlins of the Those Darlins says “we’re still planning on playin’ the craziest fuckin’ show in hopes of lifting any KKBBQ fans spirits and keepin’ this badass tour on the move. We are so proud to be playing with this band and just want to keep the tour rollin.’” Also, Jessi’s fiance John McCauley of Deer Tick is going to fill in till King Khan & BBQ Show can get this sorted out. Tickets for the KKBBQ-less version of the show are $7 and starts at 10pm, 18+

If you already bought a ticket, Up To Eleven will be giving out refunds at the “point of purchase.”

Look for Deer Tick’s new EP More Fuel For The Fire December 1 exclusively through iTunes
Listen to and download some Deer Tick mp3’s here

posted by: Harold Johns III