Join us to celebrate the legacy of Cotter Mitchell as he retires after 40+ years at KU!

WHEN: SAT, FEB 15, 2025
WHERE: Cider Gallery at 810 Pennsylvania, Lawrence
TIME: 7-10PM

Special Opportunity for prizes: Creative Jell-o Mold Competition! (edible or not)

**We are collecting photos of Cotter and his projects over the years! Please email them to pics4cotter@gmail.com**

ATTIRE: Overalls-friendly

There will also be light refreshments and a cash bar.

See Facebook event here!

Portrait of Cotter Mitchell by Michael McCaffrey, Oil on Canvas. 2023.

Peter Thompson, Around the House, Entry Wall #11, 2015.

Peter Thompson died on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital with his daughters Sarah and Rachel at his side. He and his wife Judith, college sweethearts, were longtime residents of Lawrence, where Peter was an accomplished artist and educator. He taught for 40 years in the Art Department at the University of Kansas, eventually serving as Dean of the School of Fine Arts from 1986 until retiring in 1999. He was instrumental in the fundraising, planning and construction of three monumental buildings on the University of Kansas campus - the Art and Design Building (now called Chalmers Hall), the Lied Center for the Performing Arts, and the adjacent Bales Organ Recital Hall. Peter designed the exquisite stained glass windows in the Recital Hall, as well as the ornamental woodwork on the organ pipe shades, applying the Golden Section that informed so much of his work.

Peter was born on July 12, 1939, and grew up in New Haven, Conn. He went to James Hillhouse High School (Class of 1957) and then attended Middlebury College in Vermont for two years where he met the love of his life, Judith Johnson. Once an injury sidelined him from playing ice hockey his sophomore year, he decided to pursue his passion for art and transferred to Rhode Island School of Design. He was not foolish enough to let the girl get away though. They tied the knot shortly after her graduation from Middlebury on July 1, 1961, in her hometown of New Britain, Conn. Peter then earned his MFA at Yale University in 1965.

Next, Peter and Judith landed in what turned out to be their forever home, Lawrence, Kan., and Peter began his 40-year career as a professor and administrator at The University of Kansas. As Professor of Art, he taught Painting and Figure Drawing from 1965 to 2005, and many colleagues and students alike became lifelong friends. In addition, he served as Chair of the Department of Painting and Sculpture from 1968 to 1975, Associate Dean of Fine Arts from 1975 to 1980, and Dean of Fine Arts from 1986 to 1999. He also had a thriving career as a fine artist, and his works have been acquired by, most notably, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letter, the Spencer Museum of Art, and numerous private collectors.

In 1999 Peter stepped down from his role as dean to focus his energy on caring for Judith, whose health was declining from Multiple Sclerosis, until her death in 2014. He began exploring more with his cameras at home, and digital photography became his new favorite medium. In 2011, Peter published Or Just After, a beautiful book of his photographs accompanied by excerpts from a favorite poem, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens. He also had exhibitions of his new photographs at the Lawrence Arts Center (2004) and the Cider Gallery (2015).

Peter was smart and engaging. He was wildly funny. He loved horses, classic cars and sport bikes. If you asked anyone to describe him in one word, the likely response would be "cool." He was So Cool. He was not only a devoted dad but a beloved Granddaddy to his four granddaughters - Greta Fulkerson, Audrey Fulkerson, Amy Meiring and Emily Donovan. Peter rarely left the house once the Covid pandemic hit because of the significant risk due to his acute chronic lung disease. He spent his time drinking instant coffee - aka "crystals" - listening to classical music (favorite pianists Vladimir Horowitz and Glenn Gould, and prodigy violinist Chloe Chua), and playing Go on his iPad. He found particular joy in playing Wordle and being first to post his results in the family group chat (he would eagerly wait until midnight to tackle that day’s puzzle before going to bed). He was a master of the bathroom mirror selfie, often on display in his Facebook profile pics. Since he was no longer able to meet his besties out for their regular lunches, he enjoyed having friends over for a cup of "crystals" and conversation. In the past five years Rachel was able to intermittently live with him, and Sarah flew out regularly from Boston. He made a lasting impression on anyone who was lucky to know him and will be deeply missed.

In addition to Sarah Fulkerson (Lyle) of Wellesley, Mass., and Rachel Thompson of Lawrence, Peter is also survived by his sister, Linda Hanmer, and was preceded in death by his parents, Curtis and Margaret "Peggy" Stevens Thompson, his brother Leigh Thompson, and his wife Judith Johnson Thompson.

An informal gathering to share stories about Peter and celebrate his life will take place on Sunday, February 16, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Lawrence Arts Center’s "Studio A" located inside the 10th & Mass Studios, 1000 Massachusetts St, Suite D (entrance on 10th St).

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to the Spencer Museum of Art (through KU Endowment). Donate here!

See more of Peter's work at his website.

The Department of Visual Art Scholarship Show is soon approaching! Applications due FEB 14, 2025.

Eligibility:
-- Visual Art Major
-- Self-nominated
-- 3.0 overall GPA*
-- Full-time student for 2025-26**

*Exceptions are sometimes made to the GPA requirement. Applicants can provide a written appeal and rationale on the online form.
**If fewer than 12 credit hours are needed to meet graduation requirements, less than full-time enrollment is possible with department approval.
More info: https://art.ku.edu/visual-art-scholarship-application
Or at link in bio!

Please email visualartadmin@ku.edu if you have any questions! 

Join Professor Maria Velasco and Renée Frias from Study Abroad for one of two info sessions regarding the upcoming Summer in Spain & Morocco trip. Learn about the exciting, newest addition to Visual Art's Study Abroad offerings, plus scholarship opportunities, and be able to ask any questions you may have.

Info Meeting: THU, FEB 13, 2025 5:30PM | Chalmers Hall, Rm 360 or via Zoom
------------------------------
Feb 13th Zoom Meeting
https://kansas.zoom.us/j/88991310164
Meeting ID: 889 9131 0164
Passcode: 516073

Steve Gurysh, river where footprints can be seen (I,II) (2024) Mars Global Simulant, fragments of floormats from a ‘93 Honda Accord SE, high density urethane foam.

Please join us on Friday, Feb. 7th for the opening of Materialize: Visualizing Climate Change at the Belger Crane Yards Gallery, 2011 Tracy Avenue in Kansas City. Steve Gurysh will be presenting six new sculptural works and the show will be up through May 3rd. Steve Gurysh employs 3D scanning to recreate ash trees devastated by emerald ash borers, dislocated riverbeds, and spawning grounds of horseshoe crabs. Caroline Landau utilizes clear glass to memorialize a Bristlecone pine tree, a species threatened by climate change. Tali Weinberg weaves images of endangered tree species out of petrochemical and plant derived materials.

Organized by KU MFA alum Kirsten Taylor, this exhibition brings together the work of six contemporary artists who innovative use of materials and digital processes invite viewers to examine the impact of climate change on natural and human-made systems, transforming disembodied data into experiences that engage our senses, emotions, and ability to visualize and comprehend an environmental crisis on a planetary scale.

All in a Day’s Work: Michael McCaffrey

Visual Art Painting/Drawing Faculty, Mike McCaffrey has a solo exhibition opening from January 22–February 27 in the Annex Gallery at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania until February 27th.

Closing Reception February 27, 5:00–6:30 p.m.

Photo by Brandon Waldrop

Congratulations to Metalsmithing/Jewelry Assistant Professor Sunyoung Cheong on being chosen for Research Intensive Course Grant for her Digital Jewelry Design course! Eight faculty members from across campus were selected for the award. They will work with the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships this spring to redesign portions of their courses to include a larger research or creative component. 

Recipients of the Research-Intensive Course Grants participate in a workshop to learn best practices, share models and refine the focus of their classes. They also receive ongoing support from the faculty fellows and staff members in the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships.

Sarah Wertzberger Artist Talk on Feb 11th at 2:30

Artist-in-residence Sarah Wertzberger will be giving a lecture on her work on our TC2 digital loom. Tuesday, February 11th at 2:30pm in 518 Chalmers Hall.

Visual Art Staff members, Merry Sun and Cooper Siegel are joining to start 100,000, a new Art Space in the Waldo neighborhood of Kansas City.

For their inaugural exhibition, 100,000,000 is pleased to present Dinner, Look, a solo show by Detroit-based artist Kiwi Phong Nguyen. Nguyen’s practice celebrates intergenerational love, self-determination, and desire by simultaneously deconstructing and recreating modes of adornment. He colorfully partners family objects with the body, recontextualizing ephemera as wearable garments. Cultural translations create new images. Soda cans, plastic beads, and a blurred snapshot of a friend, all become jewels. Steel clothing racks jut from the walls, staging manipulations of material and pattern in bold sculptural collages. In essence, Nguyen develops a nascent language, a code for playfulness, pain, longing, love, protection, failure, and triumph.

Dinner, Look is on display from February 1-March 1                            

Hours: Sunday, 1-5pm or by appointment                                   100millionspace@gmail.com
Located off the alley between 222 and 332 W. 75th St.

Kansas City, MO 64114      

Sarah Gross is an Associate Professor of Ceramics at KU as well as our Graduate Director. Read more about her work at this profile in Ceramics Monthly from April of 2024. Sarah Gross: On Fields of Gray

Congratulations to Kirsten Taylor (Ceramics MFA, '23) on being chosen as the Artist-in-Residence at the University of Central Missouri this spring!

Kirsten Taylor is a multimedia artist based in the tallgrass prairie. Her work investigates relationships between humans and nature, and questions the assumptions of Western hierarchies that place nature in subservience to humans. Taylor’s projects focus on topics, such as habitat restoration, loss of ecological knowledge, and human constructs of wilderness. Taylor holds an MFA from the University of Kansas and a BA in Studio Art from Baylor University. Taylor has exhibited nationally at venues including 108 Contemporary, and the Leedy Voulkos Art Center. Taylor received an Artist-in-Residence position at Shawnee Mission Park with Johnson County Parks and Recreation Department in 2022.

Follow Kirsten on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/x10studios/

A Mark of Resistance                                                                   by Adrienne Rich

Stone by stone I pile

this cairn of my intention

with the noon's weight on my back,

exposed and vulnerable

across the slanting fields

which I love but cannot save

from floods that are to come;

can only fasten down

with this work of my hands,

these painfully assembled

stones, in the shape of nothing

that has ever existed before.

A pile of stones: an assertion

that this piece of country matters

for large and simple reasons.

A mark of resistance, a sign

Mosaic Life Care Exhibition: Deadline Feb 7th

National Juried Undergraduate Exhibition: Deadline Feb 9th

Spencer Museum of Art has 4 paid graduate internship opportunities for AY25-26. Ranging across curatorial, collections, communications, and academic programs, these 11-month positions are .5FTE and are equivalent to GA positions. Please share with graduate students in your departments/schools. 

Further details about each position can be found on the SMA website -  https://spencerart.ku.edu/employment

Brosseau Creativity Awards
Deadline: March 9th

Applications for our annual Brosseau Creativity Awards are now open! KU undergraduate students in any field of study are invited to submit creative work in the categories of writing and diverse media. Learn more and apply online by March 9th!

Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Emergency Grants

These monthly grants range from $500–$3,000, with the average amount being $1,700. Visual and performing artists whose work is of a contemporary, experimental nature and who have a US Tax ID number can apply.
Deadline: Rolling | foundationforcontemporaryarts.org