2007 EXHIBITIONS:

November 17 - January 13, 2008
Opening Reception Friday, November 16, 2007, 4-7pm
Jim Cantrell: A Painter’s Odyssey
   Jim Cantrell paints primarily with oils and watercolors. He describes his technique as abstracted realism. His forte is the human figure encompassing masterful composition, & technique.
   Henry Adams, Professor of Art at Case Western Reserve University and biographer of Thomas Hart Benton, describes him as “an artist who transforms raw tubes of paint into designs and images, filled with pattern, meaning, illusion, and pictorial depth. His nuances of color, texture, or shape take on a fascinating life of their own, similar to, and yet recognizably separate from, the world of actual things.”
   A native of Oklahoma and raised in eastern Nebraska, Cantrell earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1958 and his Master of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley in 1965 with a double emphasis in ceramics & painting. He began his distinguished career as a teacher. In 1971 he established himself as an independent studio artist in Bardstown, Kentucky where he continues to work.
Richard Brown Lethem: The Compass of Desire
   Artist’s Statement: People are my starting point. Characters in a landscape of the mind dictated by their relatedness, their community, loving or otherwise. I try to look hard and with some degree of humor, at what we fear and desire most: intimacy, alienation and our violent streak, the real stuff of our lives.
   My work is content driven. I feel a compelling inner narrative which responds to the individual in the context of social change, paradox, exuberance and vulnerability. Increasingly I am concerned with our shared environment with animals.
   Formally it is expressing movement and energy in transition. The state of change. With intensified color and a dancing line against shape and pattern I hope to record a free equivalence to the movement that defines the spirit.
   I see the defining social issues of my generation to be racism and a pervasive acceptance of violence. The Civil Rights Movement of the 50’s and 60’s and the Vietnam War brought both these issues into clear focus. Since then these issues remain just as relevant. In my work the subconscious mind has played a major role but consciously it has been expanding dialog with these two issues.
   Since moving to Maine in 1994 I have been heavily involved in teaching at the University of Southern Maine, particularly the discipline of drawing. The act of drawing defines my ideas and is inseparable from the process of my painting.
   The commitment to teaching along with my own painting have been urgent, important and ongoing in recent years. The human figure interacting with the environment and animals of the northern social landscape has been my dominant theme. I have also produced a body of work related to recent travel in Egypt and Mexico.

September 14 - November 3, 2007
Vincent Campanella: Classical Abstractionist
   Vincent Campanella (1915-2001) was born in New York City and began his life as an artistic prodigy, encouraged by his family in classic art school training. In the 1930s, as an artist with the Depression Era WPA, he moved to Wyoming and there, surrounded by wide-open vistas, his style began to evolve. Returning to New York, Vincent became affiliated with the Rehn Gallery, and then in 1949, moved west again, this time to Kansas City, for a teaching position at the Art Institute, and later at nearby Park University where he stayed until his retirement.
   Through the 1950s Campanella was a rising star in the world of art, alongside Milton Avery, Marsden Hartley, and Karl Knauths, whose method of painting also came from a close study of nature. But taste shifted away from naturalistic painting to the Abstract Expressionism of Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Willem DeKoonig, and Vincent became disenchanted with the American art scene of the period. This exhibition takes a re-look at the art of Vincent Campanella and his place in the development of art in mid-twentieth century America. 

The accompanying exhibition catalog with essays by art historians Henry Adams and Burton Dunbar is available for purchase in the Museum Shop. Call 816-233-7003, ext. 10 or email frontdesk@albrecht-kemper.org to order.

Additional Biographical Information on Vincent Campanella
Vincent Campanella Timeline
Exhibition Press Release

2007
Show Organizer
Bev Amundson

April 20 - June 10, 2007
Opening Reception: Friday, April 20, 5-8pm
Material Matters
Designed in conjunction with the 14th International Surface Design Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, Material Matters is an invitational exhibition featuring approximately twenty artists whose work involves creative manipulation of the fiber arts and serves to expand the definition of the textile medium. This exciting exhibition includes the work of established fiber artists alongside artists from other disciplines who incorporate textiles into their work. The exhibition also furthers the museum’s mission of supporting and exhibiting artists with a regional connection. Curators for the exhibition are Mary Anne Jordan, Associate Professor of Design at the University of Kansas and Jennifer Zeller, Curator of Education at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. It is our hope that the exhibition will broaden visitor’s perceptions of surface design and the textile medium.

For more information about the Surface Design Association or its conference: www.surfacedesign.org

The Albrecht-Kemper is also providing an opportunity for conference participants to visit this exhibition and other sites in St. Joseph. For more info or to register: jzeller@albrecht-kemper.org
SAINT JOSEPH  MISSOURI – FIBER ART TOUR
·       WEDNESDAY  MAY 30, 2007
·       $50 (Lunch Included)
·       Departing Kansas City Art Institute 9:00 am  Returning  4:00 pm
First stop on the tour will be at the historic Victorian-era Wyeth-Tootle Mansion, where the Curator of Collections will show examples of 19th-century clothing and textiles, including those of Charles Frederick Worth. Next, spend time at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art viewing the textile exhibition Material Matters, which features the work of contemporary artists including Amie Adelman, Marna Goldstein Brauner, Jenny Hart, Lisa Kriner, Susan Lordi Marker, Kristin Miller, Laura Strand, Wendy Weiss, and Bhakti Ziek . After lunch in the Museum Café, visit the Glore Psychiatric Museum to see fascinating artwork made by the patients and the Saint Joseph Museum, showcasing examples of Native American clothing, moccasins, and pottery.  Finally, we will head back to Kansas City where the tour will end at Asiatica,  where stylish clothing design is combined with innovative Nuno fabrics and antique Japanese textiles.

April 20 - June 10, 2007
Opening Reception: Friday, April 20, 5-8pm
Dorothy Wenz: Bits and Pieces
Local artist Dorothy Wenz brings her unique painting style to the museum, displaying artworks that are, as she says, "a little bit of this and a little bit of that." Wenz's landscapes document her travels and visions while her still lifes demonstrate an interest in design and pattern. The majority of the exhibition is comprised of new work, which will be shown in conjunction with a few selections from her past so that the viewer can have a better sense of how her work has developed over time. Be sure to come and support this local artist the Albrecht-Kemper is proud to call a friend.

March 4 - April 5, 2007
Opening Reception: Sunday, March 4, 1-4pm
New Acquisitions
Thanks to the generosity of multiple donors, the museum has recently acquired numerous artworks. The selection is varied in both subject matter and media, yet all the works serve the museum and its mission well. Don't miss this opportunity to see these new and interesting artworks.

Regional High School Art Exhibition
Awards Ceremony: Sunday, March 4, at 2pm in the Boder Theatre
     The mission of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is to bring the excitement of American visual arts to the region through education, temporary exhibitions, the permanent collection, and the nurturing of regional artists. What better way to nurture young local talent than through exposure in a museum-sponsored juried art competition? The Regional High School Art Exhibition is an invitational exhibition, with over 75 schools from Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas asked to participate.
     Artworks are divided into nine categories based on media and/or technique. After a panel jury selection, First, Second, and Third Place, plus Honorable Mentions, are awarded in each category. Make sure you don't miss this opportunity to see the incredible and innovative work of our future artists.
     For more information, or If your school is interested in participating in this annual exhibition, please contact Jennifer Zeller, Curator of Education, at jzeller@albrecht-kemper.org or 816-233-7003.
2007 student participants
2007 participating teachers and schools
2007 High School award winners

January 13, 2007- February 25, 2007
Opening Reception: Friday, January 12, 4-7pm
Cultural Evolution and Diffusion: Japanese-American Printmakers
Annual Membership Exhibition
Awards Ceremony: Friday, January 12, at 6pm in the Boder Theatre
see above link for more information and Official Entry Form.
Please note this form is a pdf legal size document (8 1/2'' x 14")
2007 Award Winners

November 18, 2006 - January 7, 2007
Opening Reception: Friday, November 17, 4-7pm
Impact: From Nebraska
Impact is a juried collective of artists from Nebraska who work in all media. The exhibition will showcase two works from each participating artist. Come support these regional artists.
Julie Rice: A Touch of the West
Julie Rice is known for her agricultural landscapes and western portraits. In many of her works she uses a unique and fascinating "touch technique," where she uses her fingertips and ink to create the images.