nouns /february 8 - march 26/
The Sunflower Biennial is a juried exhibition of visual art celebrating secondary and post-secondary arts education programs while recognizing artists in Kansas for dedication, achievement, and contribution to exchanges that reveal life. This year’s exhibition, Nouns, is divided into three sections: People, Places, and Things.
Programming:
February 11 | 1-3 PM
February 15 | 12 PM
March 15 | 12 PM
Opening reception | Awards and juror remarks
Art Byte
Art Byte
Virtual tour with artists talk available online. Visit www.SalinaArtCenter.org/Nouns
Cover: Aja Wong, Women are Creatures, Hence the Obituaries, 2022
Above: Madison Rettiger, Jurassic Art, 2022
An essay from our jurors
/Nouns/: words (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things (common noun), or to name a particular one of these (proper noun)
Artists are social barometers; much can be discerned from a widespread exhibition of work produced within a given period of time. Considering the universal upheaval of the last few years, one might expect artists, the youth in particular, to be reflecting inwards, processing their isolation by plunging even deeper into a retrospective pool for inspiration.
However, after reviewing the images submitted for this exhibition, it was interesting, perhaps even heartening, to find many of the artists examining their external environment; observing their family and friends, their homes, natural and urban surroundings, even placing themselves in self-portraits within a larger communal context. In a sense, we seem to be re-marking our own territory, noting the people, places, and things that are once again influencing our growth and evolution.
This exploratory extroversion is apparent in ‘The After Party’, by Kailin Nielsen, a boldly colorful still life of a pair of glasses and cherries amid candy sprinkles, the detritus left in the aftermath of a now unprohibited gathering. In the oil by Claire Davidson entitled ‘Me and Noodles’, a skillful self-portrait portrays the artist in a restaurant, a common backdrop that up until a year ago would have felt disingenuous. Even some of the more opaquely introspective works are sited in a public location: Aja Wong’s cyanotype photograph, provocatively titled ‘Women are Creatures, Hence the Obituaries’, portrays an animal/human hybrid sprawled across a park bench, and the almost voyeuristic photograph of ‘Chappy’ by Abbey Graves captures a profoundly private moment in an active farm scene.
Our residual loneliness continues to be apparent though, in works like ‘College Dorm’ by Mara Fox, where a single person is sitting alone in their room, almost glitching in a disassociating world where boundaries between people, places, and things are breaking down. Equally powerful are the haunting photographs by Paola Iseley, of parking garages and bus shelters completely devoid of people or any evidence of recent human occupation. It is clear that the threat of apocalypse is still overwhelming and must be challenged on basic and primal fronts, evidenced in the bare insistence of Brooklyn Petrie’s ‘We’ve Always Been Here’.
The rigor and raw purpose in our desire to survive, as individual artists and members of a larger global community, constantly pushes us to evaluate what is most important. The creative impulse, to realize something that has not existed before, is directed by our own
needs for self-actualization: we struggle to understand why we’re here and what to do with that knowledge. The work in this exhibition demonstrates that emerging regional artists are addressing these questions with courage and taking their own agency in determining what the future holds.
Elizabeth Stevenson and Patrick Duegaw
About Our Jurors
Patrick Duegaw, one of the co-founders of Fisch Haus, is a Juror 2023 Sunflower Biennial. Patrick is an artist and shows nationally and internationally, and divides his time between his studios in Kansas and Montréal, Québec. Duegaw’s first solo museum exhibition, The Builder, Removed, a comprehensive retrospective of 111 paintings and drawings, was held at the Wichita Art Museum in the spring of 2009. Many museums and exhibitions later, Duegaw has had seven large-scale solo multi-media exhibitions at Fisch Haus, regularly exhibits in galleries in both Kansas City and San Francisco, and has been invited to participate in national group shows.
Elizabeth Stevenson, LEED AP, Director of Fisch Haus is a Juror 2023 Sunflower Biennial. Fisch Haus is a multi-disciplinary art facility, located in Wichita’s Commerce St. Art District, currently accommodating five full-time local creatives and a steady stream of artists, actors, and musicians, both regional and international. Elizabeth earned a degree in architecture from McGill University in Montréal. She has lived and worked throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, finally arriving in Wichita in 1998.
People /pē-pəl/
Amy Baber
b. 2002
Everett, Washington
University of Kansas
Luminoso, 2022
Oil on canvas
30”x40”
Panic Room, 2022
Oil on canvas
24”36”
Kierstin Barton
b. 2002
Wichita, KS
Butler Community College
Frozen, 2022
Graphite on paper
8.5”x 10”
Devin Carter
b. 2000
Hutchinson, KS
Wichta State University
Fallen Angel, 2022
Plaque-mounted photograph
print
20” x 30” x 1/4”
Collin Chaney
b. 2002
Chanute, KS
Pittsburg State University
Passing, 2022
Woodcut on paper
11 7/8” x 11 5/8”
Mason L Cloud
b. 2000
Newton, KS
Fort Hays State University
Blending In, 2021
Ceramic
12.5” x 12.5” x 7”
Claire Davidson
b. 2003
Wichita, KS
Butler Community College
Self Portrait Plaid, 2022
Oil on canvas board
16” x 20”
Self Portrait Argyle, 2022
Oil on canvas board
16” x 20”
Me and Noodles, 2022
Oil on artist panel
16” x 20”
Mariah Dechant
b. 2002
Cimarron, KS
Fort Hays State University
Medias Effect, 2022
Trace monotype, gelatin monotype, intaglio, and acetone transfer on paper
13” x 10”
Bat Shit Crazy, 2021
Charcoal on paper
30” x 22”
Kat Doty
b. 2002
Springfield, IL
Fort Hays State University
Tony (Figure Drawing), 2022
Pastel on paper
24” x 19”
Mara Fox
b. 2002
Kansas City, MO
Emporia State University
Pigeon or Chicken?, 2021
Oil on canvas
20” x 16” x 2”
Fragmented, 2022
Oil on canvas
20” x 16” x 1”
Samantha Gales
b. 1999
Wichita, KS
Wichita State University
Half of a Hole, 2022
Collage, acrylic, ink, colored pencil
30” x 22”
Zoë Gillis
b. 1998
Shawnee, KS
Wichita State University
Inner Child, 2021
Silkscreen on paper
8.5” x 11”
Abbey Graves
b. 2001
Wichita, KS
Wichita State University
Chappy, 2022
Digital print
20” x 24”
Victoria Hernandez Velazquez
b. 1998
Zacapu, Michoacán, Mexico
Emporia State University
Piecing It Together, 2021
Mixed media on muslin fabric
8’ x 6’
Mirka Leyva-Gaucin
b. 2000
Emporia, KS
Emporia State University
i would tell you everything (if i could), 2021
Archival pigment print
24” x 24”
Ashley Herrman
b. 2002
Great Bend, KS
Barton County Community College
Exploration of Wonder, 2021
Chalk pastel on paper
18” x 15.5” x .5”
Paola Iseley
b. 2001
Dallas, TX
Wichita State University
Womanhood (My Body), 2022
Inkjet print on Pro-luster paper
12” x 18”
Jamie Kalen
b. 2002
Emporia, KS
Emporia State University
Baby Don’t Stop, 2022
Oil paint on canvas
20” x 16” x .75”
Amy Baber, Luminoso, 2022
Claire Davidson, Me and Noodles, 2022
Savanna Nichols
b. 2002
Wichita, KS
Butler Community College
Arachne, 2022
Graphite on vellum
34” x 22” x .25”
Kailin Nielsen
b. 1998
Kearney, NE
Fort Hays State University
Debauchery, 2022
Oil paint and glitter on linen
48” x 36” x 2”
Sexualization or Sexuality?, 2022
Oil on canvas
48” x 44” x 2”
Mariah Prophet
b. 2005
Salina, KS
Salina Central High School
Blue, 2022
Clay
6” x 4” x4”
Jenae Romeiser
b. 2001
Morrowville, KS
Emporia State University
A Granddaughter’s Self Portrait, 2022
Oil paint
20” x 16” x 0.5”
Macalah Ruff
b. 2001
Okinawa, Japan
Wichita State University
Fools Play (Jazzy), 2022
Digital print
20” x 13”
Carrie Sleezer
b. 2000
Emporia, KS
Emporia State University
Apple of My Eye, 2022
Cyanotype print on Stonehenge paper
22” x 27”
Dragging, 2022
Graphite pencil, colored pencil, and thread on Stonehenge
22” x 17”
Collin Chaney, Passing, 2022
Abbey Graves, Chappy, 2022
Rosemary Stapleton
b. 2004
Tulsa, OK
Pittsburg State University
Self-Portrait, 2022
Pencil and charcoal drawing
24” x 18”
Lucia Rose Suniga
b. 2002
Wichita, KS
Wichita State University
One Day When You Are Older, 2021
Acrylic paint on reclaimed
canvas
40” x 30”
Kelsey Taber
b. 1996
Kansas City, MO
Johnson County Community College
Losing Balance, 2021
Cast aluminum
20” x 8” x 5”
Bryan Vazquez
b. 2001
Emporia, KS
Emporia State University
21st Edition, 2021
Oil on canvas
16” x 20”
Luis Henry Veleta
b. 2003
Lakin, KS
Garden City Community College
Chile Colorado (mmmfood), 2022
Oil Pastel
30” x 22”
Jade Warden
b. 2000
Wichita, KS
Wichita State University
Koji, 2022
Charcoal on tan paper
9” x 12”
Self-Portrait, 2022
Acrylic, watercolor, and stickers on black canvas
20” x 16”
Brenna R Welch
b. 2000
Wichita, KS
Emporia State University
Blocked Satyrs, 2022
Oil on canvas
20” x 16” x 1.5”
Enchanted in Thought, 2022
Oil and gold leaf on canvas
36” x 24” x 1.5”
Aja Wong
b. 2002
Olathe, KS
Kansas State University
Women are Creatures, Hence the Obituaries, 2022
Cyanotype Photograph
9” x 12” & 12” x 9”
Samantha Gales, Half of a Hole, 2022
Places
/’pleIsəz/
Sophia Marie J Agbayani
b. 1999
Cauayan City, Isabela, Philippines
Wichita State University
Vain, 2021
Monoprint on paper
11” x 15”
Mara Fox
b. 2001
Kansas City, MO
Emporia State University
College Dorm, 2022
Oil on canvas
24” x 30” x 1”
Mya Garcia
b. 2003
Garden City, KS
Garden City Community College
Glitch in the City, 2022
Photographic print
Paola Iseley
b. 2001
Dallas, TX
Wichita State University
Made for the Night, 2021
Inkjet print on Pro-luster
paper
12” x 18”
The Love we Leave Behind, 2021
Inkjet print on Pro-luster
paper
12” x 18”
Brooklyn Petrie
b. 1999
Topeka, KS
Washburn University
We’ve Always Been Here, 2022
Digital - Adobe Illustrator
48” x 72”
Sarah Presley
b. 1997
Spring Hill, KS
Kansas State University
Untitled, 2022
Color etching
24” x 18”
Mel Sharp
b. 2002
Overland Park, KS
Wichita State University
Path (2), 2022
Oil on canvas board
12” x 12”
Dylan Stone
b. 2002
Olathe, KS
Johnson County Community College
Great Blue Heron, 2021
Digital Photography
16” x 20”
Frances Tsounis
b. 2003
Livingston, New Jersey
Emporia State University
L’age D’or, 2022
Intaglio
10” x 12” x .5”
Angel-Like at the Turnpike, 2021
Oil pastel & gouache
Cecilia Vazquez-Paredes
b. 2002
Garden City, KS
Garden City Community College
Still life, 2022
Graphite on Bristol paper
18” x 23”
Luis Henry Veleta
b. 2003
Lakin, KS
Garden City Community College
E Beaty RD Gas Station, 2022
Oil pastel
20” x 14”
Above: Sarah Presley, Untitled, 2022
Below: Paola Iseley, Made for the Night, 2021
Things /thiŋs/
Ashton Albright
b. 2001
Overland Park, KS
Johnson County Community College
Purgatory, 2021
Mixed media, fabric, and acrylic paint
37” x 20” x 18”
Kierstin Barton
b. 2002
Wichita, KS
Butler Community College
Cornered, 2022
Graphite drawing on paper
8” x 11”
Dad’s Denim Jacket, 2022
Charcoal on toned paper
23” x 34”
Makenzie Burmeister
b. 1997
Omaha, NE
Kansas State University
Concrete Compliments, 2022
Stoneware tile with glaze, screen print with glaze and concrete
7” x 7”
Justice Catron
b. 1999
Tahlequah, OK
Kansas State University
Sorry About my New Shoes, 2021
Electric fired ceramics
12” x 4” x 6”
Mason L Cloud
b. 2000
Newton, KS
Fort Hays State University
Outreak, 2022
Ceramic
5” x 5” x 2’ per arm
Sadie Dreiling
b. 2000
Wichita, KS
Emporia State University
Geometry, 2022 Glass
8.75” x 4.5” x 3”
Ember Fiegenbaum
b. 2000
Wichita, KS
Emporia State University
Maybe We Can Be Okay, 2021
Lithograph and screen print on paper
8” x 8”
Jake Geisen
b. 1999
Lawrence, KS
University of Kansas
Rooted, 2022
Borosilicate glass, clay
10.5” x 9.25” x 4.5”
Madison Gleason
b. 1999
Great Bend, KS
Fort Hays State University
Textured Textile, 2022
Fiber
39” x 25.5”
Rebecca Impson
b. 2006
Wichita, KS
Goessel High School
Spring, 2022
Ink and watercolor paper
6” x 11”
Sarah Kuffler
b. 2000
Coffeyville, KS
Wichita State University
This is all she had, 2022
Oil on canvas
6” x 9.75” x 2”
Growing Up, 2022
Oil on canvas
8.25” x 9” x 3.5”
Misophonia, 2022
Oil on canvas
4.5” x 4” x 2.5”
Kennedy Mitchell
b. 1998
Kansas City, MO
Love, Loss, and Growth,
2021
Casted aluminum, wood, paint, silk roses
17.5” x 17.5” x 17.5”
Madison Mullen
b. 2000
Wichita, KS
Lick Her Bottle, 2022
Acrylic on collage canvas
36” x 24”
Savanna Nichols
b. 2002
Wichita, KS
Butler Community College
Frog of the Flowers, 2022
Alcohol ink felt tip pen
16” x 12” x .25”
Gaylin E Nicholson
b. 1998
Olathe, KS
Johnson County Community College
Up n’ at ‘Em, 2022
Raku fired slip-cast ceramic
4” x 3” x 7”
Kailin Nielsen
b. 1998
Kearney, NE
Fort Hays State University
The After Party, 2022
Oil on linen
24” x 41.5” x 2”
Jared Parsons
b. 1999
Independence, MO
Emporia State University
Glass Peppers, 2022
Hot sculpted glass, stained with acrylic paint, 11 glass peppers
(biggest pepper 7.5” x 1.5”, smallest pepper 5” x 1”, basket
12” x 12” x 12”)
Dalton Reed
b. 1999
Lawrence, KS
Emporia State University
Have I Ate Yet?, 2022
Glass kiln casting negative image technique
12” x 6” x 4”
In Space, No One Can Hear
You Scream, 2022
Sculpted Glass With Color
4” x 7” x 10”
Alayna Reinke
b. 2003
Overland Park, KS
Johnson County Community College
Here We Go Again, 2021
Aluminum and preserved flowers
5” x 10” x 12”
Alayna Reinke, Here We Go Again, 2021
Rosemary Stapleton
b. 2004
Tulsa, OK
Pittsburg State University
A Long Nap, 2022
Ceramic
2.5” x 5” x 3.5”
Alexander Charles Stewart
b. 2001
Topeka, KS
Emporia State University
Little Thing, 2022
Glass
12” x 5” x 5”
Dylan Stone
b. 2002
Olathe, KS
Johnson County Community College
Snow Geese, 2022
Digital Photography
16” x 20”
Lucia Rose Suniga
B. 2002
Wichita, KS
Wichita State University
La Familia, 2021
Ceramic stoneware with velvet underglazes and clear glaze
15” x 6” x 6”
Kelsey Taber
b. 1996
Kansas City, MO
Johnson County Community College
Not Yours to Use, 2022
Ceramic, bronze, 3D printed resin
15” x 15”
Hands Off, 2022
Canvas, paint, string, screws
(site specific installation)
50” x 50”
Cecilia Vazquez-Paredes
b. 2002
Garden City, KS
Garden City Community College
Amphibian Adventure, 2022
Watercolor on Bristol paper
22” x 30”
Glory Winzer
b. 2002
Augusta, KS
Butler Community College
Illness 1, 2022
Ceramic
5” x 3” x 7”
Illness 2, 2022
Ceramic
4” x 6” x 6” each
Ember Fiegenbaum, Maybe We Can Be Okay, 2021
Glory Winzer, Illness 1, 2021
Skulls
Christina Bruce
Salina, KS
Wichita State University
Petri, 2022
Oil on canvas
36” x 24”
Infectious, 2022
Acrylic and oil, pom-poms, embroidered felt, hot glue, beads, craft paint, on canvas
20” x 16”
Collin Chaney
b. 2000
Chanute, KS
Pittsburg State University
Man, 2022
Woodcut on paper
6.75” x 5.375”
Rebecca Impson
b. 2006
Wichita, KS
Goessel High School
Deadly Dance, 2022 Scratch board
10” x 6”
Jared Parsons
b. 1999
Independence, MO
Emporia State University
Skull Study, 2021
Oil on canvas
12” x 12”
Seferino Ramirez Jr.
b. 2002
Lancaster, CA
Garden City Community College
Forever and Always, 2022
Clay, moss, rope, roses
8” x 13” x 15”
Jared Parsons, Skull Study, 2021
Collin Chaney, Man, 2022
Madison Rettiger, Alas, Poor Yorick, 2022
Christina Bruce, Infectious, 2022
Madison Rettiger
b. 2001
Grand Rapids, MI
Johnson County Community College
Alas, Poor Yorick, 2022
Ink and watercolor on paper
7” x 10”
Jurassic Art, 2022
Ink and watercolor on paper
7” x 10”
Abbey Segobia
b. 2002
Emporia, KS
Emporia State University
Kitchen Counter, 2022
Graphite on paper
14” x 17”
Luis Henry Veleta
b. 2003
Lakin, KS
Garden City Community College
Time gone by, 2022
Acrylic paint, oil pastel on masonite panels with wood matrix support
3’ x 4.5’
Jennifer Wong
b. 2000
Wichita, KS
Emporia State University
Warped Figures, 2022 Glass
5” x 3.5” x 1.5”
Top from left to right:
Creating exchanges among art, artists, and audiences
Founded in 1978, the Salina Art Center is a 501(c)3 art museum and education center. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the museum galleries, Cinema, and Education Warehouse are located in beautiful downtown Salina, KS.
Salina Art Center museum admission is always free to everyone. Members, donors, business partners, foundations, the Salina Art Center Endowment Foundation, and the City of Salina support admission, exhibitions, art education, and programming.
The Sunflower Biennial exhibition is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
Learn how you can live a more creative life by becoming a Salina Art Center member and how your gifts keep quality art experiences accessible to everyone. Visit us online at www.SalinaArtCenter.org.
Salina Art Center, 242 S Santa Fe Ave. Salina, Kansas
SalinaArtCenter.org
Catalog published by Salina Art Center to accompany the exhibition, Nouns | 2023 Sunflower Biennial
February 8 - March 26, 2023
Opening Reception February 11, 2023
Text by Patrick Duegaw & Elizabeth Stevenson
Design by Hannah Crickman
All images courtesy of the artists
Exhibition design by: Patrick Duegaw, Elizabeth Stevenson, and Daniel Picking
