• Conservation efforts also began on Dennis Oppenheim’s Performance Piece, 2000. The large 20foot sculpture made of fiberglass, steel, cement, bugles, hard foam, firebrick and pigmented resin was deinstalled in summer 2009 for total restoration. Oppenheim considers Performance Piece one of his most important works, and it was recently reproduced on the back cover of his major book published in Germany. The work was expected to return to its original location in fall 2009. • Clement Meadmore’s sculpture Always, 1992, located in front of the Carlsen Center, was repainted to likenew condition. The internationally acclaimed sculptor explored elongated, squared metal forms in his work, fusing Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. He stated, “My goal is to make geometry yield an expressive result.” The sculpture was installed on campus in 1994.
THIRD THURSDAY ‘VISITING ARTISTS’ PRESENTATION In November 2008, in collaboration with the JCCC fine art and art history departments, the museum began a new program on the third Thursday of the month. Each of the free programs featured two Kansas Citybased artists paired with JCCC faculty moderators. The new program was made possible in part by an Ovation Grant from the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City. • The inaugural presentation in November featured Barry Anderson, who creates video and audio installations and teaches at the University of MissouriKansas City, and Anne Austin Pearce, who works in a variety of 2dimensional media and is director of the Greenlease Gallery at Rockhurst University. Moderators were Larry Thomas, JCCC professor, fine arts, and Dr. Allison Smith, assistant professor, art history. • In February, guest artists were Sonie Joi Ruffin, a fabric artist, designer, author and director of the Faso Gallery of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Mo., and Jessie Small, a sculptor and installation artist who is currently working in China. Moderators were Smith and Mark Cowardin, assistant professor, fine arts.
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• KeSook Lee, known for her installations and embroidered fiber works, and Michael Wickerson, chair of the sculpture department at the Kansas City Art Institute who works in wood and metals, were the guest artists in March. Moderators were Cowardin and Ann Wiklund, adjunct professor, art history. • Davin Watne, a painter and sculptor who graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, and Deanna Dikeman, an alumna of JCCC and Purdue University and an accomplished freelance photographer, were the guest artists in April. Moderators were Thomas and Tom Tarnowski, professor, photography. More than 640 people attended the Third Thursday presentations in 20082009.
ART EDUCATION In 20082009, the museum also expanded educational programs for students, children, educators and visitors of all ages. Museum public programs (lectures, presentations, workshops, etc.) reached more than 3,500 individuals in the community. • The museum’s free art appreciation tours brought more than1,730 adults from the community through exhibitions and installations in 20082009. Docents and staff led more than 200 tours for the community (including more than 1,000 children from 20 local schools). Adult community groups that scheduled tours included social organizations, classes from other college campuses, business groups, and groups from art museums in Los Angeles, North Carolina, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis and San Francisco. • In 20082009, 44 individuals from the community volunteered more than 1,600 hours, assisting with visitor services and educational programs. Most of the guided tours were led by dedicated volunteer docents who have completed a comprehensive training program through the museum. With 21 individuals continuing from past years’ training groups, the museum welcomed eight individuals in a new training class that began in January 2009.
• The museum continued its popular Contemporary Creations classes for children ages 811 on Saturdays throughout the academic year. During each session, students explored and discussed selected works of art, developing critical thinking skills and expanding cultural awareness, and then created original works of art in the museum’s studio classroom. With 66 class sessions offered, and 485 students participating in 20082009, the museum continues the program on Saturdays and explores options for other classes and scout groups to engage in studio activities after their tours during the week. • Artist Do Ho Suh was the speaker for the Jerome Nerman Lecture Series in June 2009, with more than 500 visitors in attendance. Suh’s work, Some/One, 2004, which is exhibited in the secondfloor Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Gallery, has become an icon of the museum’s permanent collection. Donated by Tony and Marti Oppenheimer and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation, Some/One is a meticulously crafted sculpture comprised of thousands of stainless steel dog tags pieced together to form a monumental robe with outstretched arms. Like many of Suh’s works, it explores the relations between individuality, collectivity, anonymity and identity. The lecture series is an annual event underwritten by an endowment gift from Central Bank of Kansas City. (The Jerome Nerman Lecture Series and other museum lectures are recorded and available through JCCC’s Billington Library.)