The Daily Union - January 27, 2008 ~ Gail Parsons

I have finally taken my own advice and picked up a paintbrush and started throwing paint on canvas. In some cases, literally throwing it; similar to Jackson Pollock’s style.
I’m intrigued by Pollock’s work and have always liked abstract art, which falls into the broad category of Modern Art. Modern art has a tendency to invoke comments such as “I don’t get it,” or “my 5-year-old could do that.”
For many artists, that is the compliment they hope to hear. Sometimes the art is about emotion; sometimes it is simply about color, motion, shape or design. It doesn’t have to be illustrative, it doesn’t have to be realism to be fine art; and you don’t have to understand it to appreciate it.
In the JCAC classes we had five-year-olds exploring concepts of abstract art, and I’ve been tremendously impressed with the base knowledge and subconscious and natural skills that some of the young elementary school children exhibit. By creating art without conscious thought about making straight lines, or shading, or creating realistic details, instead simply doing what feels right without consciously knowing why they’re putting certain colors in certain places, they end up with incredible works of art that many adult artists wish they could mimic. As we “learn” how to paint, we often forget how to create, how to let our spirit free.
I think one of the most misunderstood aspects of modern art is that it is simple – easier to create than portraits or landscapes. An abstract artist might never be able to paint a mountain scene that puts you in the wilderness or a still life that makes your mouth water for the apple or orange on the table. On the other hand an artist who specializes in realism may never be able to evoke the emotion connected with a quality abstract piece. Similarly a writer who excels in news writing would have difficulty writing a quality children’s early reader.
For the next several weeks I’m going to explore modern art as it has evolved over decades and how technology will affect the next generation of artists.
First, let’s look at a simple definition of modern art. Modern art is a genre that encompasses many subcategories to include cubism, expressionism, abstract, impressionism, symbolism and pop art. In the coming weeks we’ll look at these different art genres and try to understand what makes those disjointed looking figures and those paint splattered canvases a quality piece of work, worthy of being called fine art.
Emerging Artist classes off to a good start
Studio Coordinator Emily Vieyra-Preston started a six-week emerging artist course last week. In the first week the students began working with three-dimensional concepts. This theme will continue as they learn about different artists and have hands on experiences working with the concepts of the famous artists. There are still spaces available and parents are invited to bring their children to The Studio at 107 W. Seventh Street on Tuesday for Kindergarten through second grade students and Wednesday for third through fifth grade students and check out the class.
'From the Top' seeks young musicians
Kansas Public Radio’s Sunday morning radio program 'From the Top', will be at the Lied Center in Lawrence on Tuesday, July 15. The program is looking for talented pre-college age soloists and ensembles who would like to perform and be interviewed on the air. You are eligible if you are pre-college age and you play or sing classical repertoire.
For questions or to submit an application, go to http://www.kansaspublicradio.org/specials.php?pageType=fromthetop
Arts Day at the Capitol
Hosted by Kansas Citizens for the Arts, Arts Day at the Capitol is an annual event for arts lovers and supporters to advocate for the arts.
This year’s event will take place on March 7, 2008, where arts supporters will gather on the state capitol’s second floor rotunda to hear from state legislators. Arts advocates will also meet with their representatives’ to talk about the value of the arts in their communities.
For more information, contact: Kansas Citizens for the Arts, P.O. Box 733, Salina, Kansas 67402; 785/825-2700; or kansasarts@aol.com

Poetry Out Loud
The Kansas Arts Commission is pleased to be a partner with the National Endowment for the Arts on Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. Poetry Out Loud awards more than $100,000 in prizes to students and schools at the state and national levels. High school teachers are invited to encourage their students to participate. The 2008 Kansas Final will be held March 7 in Topeka at the Brown v. Board Historic Site in Topeka. For more information, go to http://arts.state.ks.us/poetry_outloud/teachers.shtml or contact Israel Wasserstein at isreal.wasserstein@washburn.edu or call the Kansas Arts Commission at 785/296-3335.