Weekly roundup of the best art shows and art related events in and around the Lawrence/Kansas City area. August 27 will be the very first Final Fridays in Downtown Lawrence, look for a more detailed post about all of the art events associated with Final Fridays next week.

FRIDAY AUGUST 20

Voler Aerial Artists

• Lawrence Busker Festival
Downtown Lawrence (Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, August 20, 12-9pm (Ongoing until August 22nd)
Street performers will invade downtown Lawrence to delight young and old throughout the weekend. Performances include fire dancing, juggling, sword swallowing, magic, aerial dance, fire eating, music, acrobatics, hula hoop dance, belly dance, living statues, puppets, chalk art, face painting, and balloon art. www.lawrencebuskerfest.com

“Who Created Yo Ass?” Brass, Aluminum, and Rhinestones by Dylan Mortimer

• Peace Be With Yo Asses
KU Art and Design Gallery (1467 Jayhawk Boulevard in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, August 20, All Day (Ongoing through September 10)
From the organizers: A collection of Dylan Mortimer’s work from the last 3 years. Dylan’s work explores how private faith functions in the public sphere. It investigates the role of private faith outside of the self. www.dylanmortimer.com

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FRIDAY AUGUST 27

• Final Fridays in Downtown Lawrence, Kansas
Downtown Lawrence (Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, August 27, 5-8pm

From the organizers:
Lawrence’s first Final Fridays, a monthly celebration of the arts. Final Fridays will be presented by the Downtown Lawrence Arts District.

The gallery walk will include 15 commercial galleries as well as a number of local merchants who will take part in Final Fridays by hosting live music or displaying art. A few empty retail spaces will become “flash galleries” filled with temporary exhibits by local artists.

Art event locations and participants include:
Peoples Optical (Marilyn Horsch, paintings)
Love Garden Sounds (Hannah T. Johnson, art quilts)
WheatFields Bakery and Café
Teller’s Restaurant and Bar
Pachamamas Restaurant
Mirth Cafe
Global Cafe
The Eldridge Hotel
Aimee’s Café
715 Restaurant
Van Go Mobile Arts
Through A Glass Productions
Signs of Life Gallery (Rodney Troth, Elizabeth Rowley and Deb Schroer, landscapes)
Phoenix Gallery
Lawrence Public Library
Lawrence Percolator
Lawrence Arts Center (Stan Herd and Simon Cardova, photography)
Framewoods Gallery
Diane’s Artisan Gallery (Makenna Bartel, jewlery)
Wonder Fair Art Gallery and How! (Matthew Hoffman, text-based object installation)
739 Massachusetts Street – Flash Space, formerly Maurices (Group show presented by B.A.L.M)

Much more information about Final Fridays in Downtown Lawrence to come!

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

Exhibition Statement:

Okay Mountain presents a show of staff member’s individual works and a group of collaborative 7″x7″ drawings made by members of staff and friends.

Formed in 2006 and based in Austin, Okay Mountain is a collective consisting of 9 artists who live and work in Austin, Boston, Chicago, and Oakland. All exhibit as solo artists as well. Originating as an artist-run alternative gallery space, Okay Mountain evolved into an artist collective when its founding members began creating art together outside of the gallery environs. What began as collaborative drawing sessions during weekly staff meetings has since developed into a wide range of collaborative projects across a variety of media, including drawing, video, sound, performance, prints, zines, murals, and large-scale sculptural installations. Their shared artworks reveal the unique perspective provided by a group dynamic, give emphasis to drawing and the artist’s hand, and are always leavened by a sense of humor, whimsy, and larger-than-life Texan spirit. Playing on the conventions and absurdities of contemporary consumer culture and drawing upon pop graphics and styling, their works are scrappy, colorful, and maximal-just like the artists themselves.

Wonder Fair Art Gallery (new location)
803 1/2 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044

Opening Reception Saturday May 8, 6-10pm
On display through June 6, 2010

posted by: Brent Carter

Let Me Have More Than You Want To Give And I Will Give You Back More Than You Want To Take is an exhibition of recent work at Wonder Fair (803 Massachusetts in Lawrence, KS) by Lawrence-based artist Kelly John Clark.

This exhibition will feature a series of large scale colored pencil drawings produced by the artist in his home during the last 9 months. The drawings, which consist of soft colors, intricate patterning, and meditative line work, encompass Clark’s ongoing animosity towards aging, companionship, and modernization. The gallery reception for Let Me Have More… will be held Saturday, February 13th from 6-9pm, and will feature limited edition merchandise produced by the artist as well as live music by Blakey Bear beginning at 8pm.

posted by: Brent Carter

Happy Holidays from The Rathaus! Please enjoy the Holidaze megamix from A.D.D. creator and Rathaus friend Jason Barr. This holiday version of the A.D.D. podcast includes some all time favorite Christmas tunes and good old family hi jinx. Good luck guys with the upcoming addition to your family.

Stream Holidaze here
Download Holidaze here

posted by: Brent Carter and Tricia Rock

Check out our video from the opening of I Think We Are Making Progress at Wonder Fair Art Gallery (803 Massachusetts in Lawrence, KS). The show, which features 25+ local artists and affordable pieces, runs through December  6.

posted by: Tricia Rock