Winter Gallery Walk to feature new exhibits and returning favorites

Friday, the Hays Art Council will host the Winter Gallery Walk between 7 and 9 p.m. in the Chestnut Street District of downtown Hays.

The anchor for this year’s walk is the 31st Annual Five State Photography Exhibit featuring artists from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado.  This year’s competition was judged by Charlie Riedel, Associated press photographer.

Riedel has been a staff photographer with the Associated Press since 2000. Through his national and international assignments, he has received numerous awards and recognition for his editorial and creative photographs. Among those works are images from the Summer & Winter Olympics, Gulf Coast oil spill, hurricane Katrina, World Trade Center attacks, Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl. His work has been named to several “Photos of the Year” lists, including that of Time Magazine.

Nearly 450 works entered in this year’s competition but only 160 works were selected for the exhibition. The photos were judged in three categories — nature, people and open.

The Hays Arts Council was established in 1967 and was the first arts council in the state of Kansas. They have been putting on Gallery Walks for 30-35 years, according to Brenda Meder, the executive director.

The Art Walks are held four times throughout the year, with one taking place in the spring, summer, fall and winter seasons. Art studios and stores open their doors for thousands as they stroll through Downtown.

The Art Walks are a great way to take in the arts and music while spending time with friends and family in the Chestnut Street District. Along with multiple downtown locations, the Sternberg Museum of Natural History and Moss-Thorns Gallery at Fort Hays State University also host art exhibitions in conjunction with the gallery walks.

In addition to the photographs, the gallery walk also features the work of FHSU staff and students’ art work at the residence of Mirta Martin, president of Fort Hays State University, on the FHSU campus.

Martin’s residence is new to the gallery walk list this year. Besides showcasing FHSU staff and students’ art work, the home also will feature interior design students’ work “freshening up” the residence for Martin as the new university president.

The President’s home, on College Drive, will be open from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., giving those attending the downtown portion of the walk time to visit campus on their way.

Participating locations and contributors:

Hays Arts Center, 112 E 11thHays Arts Center Annex, 1010 MainHays Public Library, 1205 MainArt Walk Gallery, 1012 MainDiamond R Jewelry, 1008 MainDowning-Nelson Oil Co., 111 W. 10thMadd Matter, 112 E 11thWhite Chocolate, 810 MainEllis County Historical Society, 100 W. 7th Moss Thorns Gallery, FHSU Rarick Hall
31st Annual Five State Photography Exhibit
This is a regional fine art competition featuring artists from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado. The juried competition was judged by Associated press Photographer Charlie Riedel. The Exhibit features 160 photographic works from professional and amateur photographers alike.

“Studio 653: A Capstone Exhibition of BFA Studio Art Majors” Paintings and Photography by Bruce Burkholder
Bruce Burkholder was selected as a well known Kansas Artist with an article featured in the Kansas Magazine for 2008 summer issue titled “Kansas Artist Trails.” In January 2007, he was selected as one of the Best of Kansas Artists. His painting “Down The Road In Western Kansas” was exhibited at Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius Inaugural, The Main Street Art Gallery that featured the best of Kansas Artists.

“Stilleben: a Perspective on the Contemporary Still Life” by Eleanor Heimbaugh
Eleanor Heimbaugh is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts Degree in ceramics from Fort Hays State University. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Washburn University. Eleanor’s ceramic art as been featured in juried national and international exhibitions. In addition to creating her own ceramic art, Eleanor enjoys sharing the joys of ceramics with others and intends to teach at the collegiate level after graduation. Eleanor will always be a passionate advocate for the ceramic arts.

The “Turning Points: The Art of Change” film will also be showing on a continuous loop.

“The Fantastic Flight” participatory exhibition with FHSU Ceramics Students

Sculpture, Drawings, Computer Graphics, Paintings, and Mixed Media works by Nancy Flax and James Mages
James A. Mages received his Masters of Fine Arts degree from Fort Hays State University and continues to teach Art at Hays High School in Hays, Kansas. Mages has completed work of all scales for an uncountable number of clients throughout the years. His most recent commission, a memorial sculpture in the Dreiling Schmidt Cancer Institute on the Hays Medical Center Campus, is one of his largest to date.

Drawings by John Francis Borra, “4th Wall Cartoonist” and “Land Sea Series” paintings by Joel Dugan
John Francis Borra is a professional cartoonist, illustrator and writer who endeavors to supplant our culture of death with one of truth, justice and charity. He exposes anti-life leaders, organizations and governments whose efforts contribute to global depopulation, economic collapse, social upheaval, crime, terrorism and war.

Joel T. Dugan  is an accomplished visual artist and works primarily as a painter. He has an active national exhibition record of solo and group shows and has completed many public art commissions and multiple corporate commissions for intuitions such as The Ford Motor Company and the State of Michigan. Joel also works to cultivate community interest in public art and community projects throughout the regions he has called home.

“Plat Maps and Pump Jacks” oilfield related art by Michael K. Knutson
Michael K. Knutson is an accomplished visual artist and works primarily as a painter. He has an active national exhibition record of solo and group shows and has completed many public art commissions for intuitions such as The Ststernberg Museum of Natural History.

“3 Men – 3 Mediums” watercolors by Elwyn Vatcher, collage by John C. Thorns, and oil paintings by Terrance Koehn
The Madd Matter Frame Shop and Gallery is the oldest established custom frame shop in Hays. The shop opened in 1979 in the Chestnut Street District. The sales gallery features original artwork by mixed media artist John C. Thorns Jr. and photography by Lilly Kingsley and Jim Tanis. In addition to original art, the gallery carries a selection of signed limited works by various wildlife artists.

Photography by Jesse Jensen
Jesse Jensen studied the Art of Photography at the New York Institute of Photography and currently lives in Hays Kansas.

“I Love to be out in nature because of the beauty in which it conceals, you never know what to expect when walking alone with just you and your camera out in the middle of no where,”Jensen said in an artist’s statement. “One thing that Photography has taught me is you must respect Mother Earth, she was here first so be courteous.”

“A Christmas Open House” with live seasonal music.  “Twas the Night Before Christmas” featured exhibition
From buffalo to boxcars, outlaws to oil strikes, farming to flying, and Victorian gentility to Volga-German tenacity, learn about Ellis County’s wild and varied history, including the time Hickok, Cody, and Custer spent in Hays. The mission of the Ellis County Historical Society is to collect, display, and appropriately preserve items that illustrate the history of Ellis County; to identify, and appropriately preserve historical sites within Ellis County, Kansas; and to enable the people of Ellis County to share the responsibility of preserving the historical evidence of the people of the region.

Annual FHSU Art and Design Faculty Exhibition
The Moss-Thorns Gallery is located on the first floor of Rarick Hall at FHSU. The gallery is named for two former chairmen of the art department at FHSU — Joel C. Moss and John C. Thorns Jr. Student and faculty exhibits, as well as traveling exhibits, are presented on a regular basis. The gallery changes shows throughout the year.

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