Art Review

I moved back to Wichita and started making my art here in 1991. I was very lucky to find and surround myself with many artists who were searching and fighting to make a mark with their work like I was. We pushed ourselves and fought to get our names out there in every possible way. The energy was rock and roll, the art scene became electric and new collectors began to buy. This energy phoneme became the '90's art explosion which helped propel Wichita in to the art city it is today.

According to Johns Hopkins researchers, in a study entitled "Neuroeducation: Learning, Art & the Brain"  students with arts education excel at a greater rate in all studies and stand a far better chance of graduating and going on to college.

Connie and John Ernatt's sculpture and painting exhibition titled: "New Works" is an epic, colossal triumph of the first order that deserves our attendance, full attention, and appreciation. 

I do not wish to be another of the hangers-on over the sad news of David Bowie's death. Like many others, his music has meant the world to me. I even tried to emulate him during his Thin White Duke period, only to realize that I couldn't afford the wardrobe and wasn't hip enough to carry it off, anyway.

There has been a quiet, brilliant force taking place at the hands of Wichita painter, digital artist, and graphic designer Dustin Parker. Since April 2007, Parker has been publishing an online blog known as Proteus Mag, and the results have been extraordinary.

A new exhibit by artist Ann Resnick titled "Local and State" is on view now at The Steckline Gallery at Newman University, and features what I believe is her strongest work to date.

A new exhibition at the Wichita Art Museum called Dialogue: Drawings from the 20th Century is a must-see for several reasons.

Well friends, this is my last segment as KMUW’s arts commentator. Over the past 5 years, it’s been my immense pleasure to take in an incredible array of art exhibitions and meet some of the finest artists I’ve ever known.

When I stepped into this role, I had some very serious questions to ponder. What type of critic was I going to be? What were my ethics? On a scale from Bob Ross to Gordon Ramsey, how mean was I going to be? I like to think I charted a course somewhere in the middle, but I always strived to be informative while also delivering an opinion.

Think of a mechanical pencil and the cylinder of graphite peeking out of end—just a half-millimeter thick. Now, imagine a long, white sheet of paper, unfurled in front of you. Where do you make the first mark? It’s daunting to think about drawing this way, but this is what artist Robyn O’Neil is known for.

The Ulrich Museum on the WSU campus is featuring several important dialogues on race, history, poverty and suffering this winter.