STORY BY LAURA KRUG
VIDEO BY ELIZABETH ANDERSON
PHOTOS BY ALEX JUAREZ
On Thursday evening, the usually quiet storefront of 1010 Main Street was transformed into a hub of artists exchanging ideas against the backdrop of live music by the Paseo ColorWave art show. Fort Hays students Rayvon Lewis and Tessa Kriss make the creative group Paseo, and both are majoring in fine art and graphic design. They curated the show’s work from fellow classmates in the art and design program at FHSU.
Over 20 artists, graduate, and undergraduate, contributed their artworks, and the media of the works included photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, and ceramics. Not only did the show focus on visual art, but the open mic component of the show included musicians, DJs, and other performing arts. Lewis and Kriss hope there will be an inspiration for all at their opening show.
ColorWave is the two student’s first time organizing a gallery show.
“Everything ran smoothly, but contacting over 20 artists was kind of difficult,” Kriss said.
They were well prepared for the crowd that came on Thursday night, and the space was filled to capacity. Over 200 people visited the show throughout the night.
Lewis developed the concept of ColorWave by noticing the photos people took with art in galleries to post on social media.
“It’s cool to take photos in front of art pieces now,” Lewis said. “We wanted a colorful art show for people to enjoy.”
ColorWave wanted to capture the new wave of exciting, interactive art.
“We wanted to go in with a bang since people are excited by colorful art,” Kriss said.
Kriss and Lewis formed the art collective The Paseo this semester. Lewis is from Kansas City, Missouri and he grew up on Paseo Street, which, like many neighborhoods in KCMO, has a high crime rate.
“When people think of the Paseo, they think it is a bad place. We want to change that perception,” Lewis said. “So if we host these events under the name, and people will think of Paseo as a place where people come to show love and support, rather than having violence.”
This summer, the two students were selected by advertising agency Leo Burnett to work in Chicago as graphic design interns. Because of the experiences they had at open mic nights while in Chicago, Kriss and Lewis were inspired to bring a new art experience to Hays.
“Everyone was so supportive of people who went up at open mics to present their art,” Kriss said. “We just thought, why don’t we have something like this in Hays?”
“We want poetry, people playing instruments and our fellow artists to come out and do their thing,” Lewis added.
The Paseo has additional shows planned to showcase art and host open mic nights.
“Next semester, we plan to go big and take the next show to Kansas City, but still have two or three shows in Hays.” Lewis and Kriss said.
“Right now we see a disconnect between all of the arts and the community, so it’s important to provide a space where people can come together and appreciate it. People should have the opportunity to appreciate new forms of art and learn about them in their community.” Kriss said.
The Paseo hopes to not only curate mixed media art shows but provide a space for different artistic talents to find common ground.
For more information on upcoming Paseo shows, follow their Instagram page @paseothecrew.