These profiles of Kentucky artists serve as a representative sampling of the state’s artistic talent and achievements. Hosted by Missy Johnston, the videos include examples of artists’ work as well as artists talking about process, subjects, inspirations, and purposes.
Painting: Dionisio Ceballos
Painter Dionisio Ceballos was born in Mexico City and now lives in Louisville. In this segment, he discusses his thematic choices and creative process, his color and subject selections, and the connection he has found between his life’s spiritual and artistic journeys. He also relates some of the challenges he faced when he was invited to paint several reproductions of the work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo for the film Frida.
Suggested Uses:
Use in conjunction with a discussion of the purposes of art, comparing Ceballos’ purposes in creating his own work with the purpose of the work created for the film.
Show to spark a discussion about an artist’s methods and intentions as well as the creative process in general. Have students create art based on the video and your discussion.
Use in conjunction with a creative art activity from the “Making Art” section of the binder that uses the same medium (painting) or is based on the ideas and approaches of Dionisio Ceballos.
Pair with a profile of another painter to compare and contrast the techniques and methods different artists use in their approach to the same medium.
Use as part of a “careers in the arts” unit or as an introductory activity before an artist-in-residence visits your classroom.
Oil Pastels: Martin Rollins
Martin Rollins’ work focuses on urban and suburban street and park scenes from around Louisville, where he lives and works. The various drawings featured in this profile illustrate his interest in buildings and architecture as subject matter, his use of light and shadow, and his focus on the transient nature of life. Rollins talks about the challenges and advantages of his chosen medium, oil pastels. The temperamental pastels, having a texture somewhere between a crayon and a tube of lipstick, offer intense pigments and, according to Rollins, help to vividly reveal a sense of honesty in the composition. Rollins also discusses his own creative process, giving viewers a peek into his sketchbook.
Suggested Uses:
Show before taking your students on a walking tour of your community. Have them bring along sketchbooks and, like Rollins, sketch ideas, places, images, or anything else that comes to mind as they look at the architecture in their community. If yours is a more rural area, have students compare and contrast their sketches and ideas with Rollins’.
Use as an exercise in analyzing the use of the elements of art and principles of design. After looking at Rollins’ work, have students decide for themselves what he’s most interested in and back up their decisions with examples.
Use in conjunction with a creative art activity from the “Making Art” section of the binder that uses the same medium (oil pastels, regular pastels, or oil paints) or is based on the ideas and approaches of Martin Rollins.
Pair with a profile of an artist working in a similar medium—e.g., painting, other 2D media—and compare and contrast the techniques and methods required by the different media.
Use as part of a “careers in the arts” unit or as an introductory activity before an artist-in-residence visits your classroom.
Fine Books/Cut Paper: Carolyn Whitesel
For artist Carolyn Whitesel, books are more than a bound arrangement of words on paper—they’re works of art. She shows viewers a series of her accordion-fold books (books made with pleated pages) and discusses various alternatives to the traditional binding we encounter when we visualize a book. Her books often contain photographs, samples of marbled paper, and collaged word poems. She also shows examples of her books-in-a-box and pop-up books featuring cut-paper topiaries and humorous hands.
Suggested Uses:
Show to spark a discussion about “What is art?” Ask: How is bookmaking an art form?
Show to inspire students to create their own fine books. (See the “Accordion-Fold Books” segment on the Spectrum of Art DVD and the “Making Art” section of the binder for instructions and demonstrations.)
Use as part of a “careers in the arts” unit or as an introductory activity before an artist-in-residence visits your classroom.
Printmaking: Stephanie Potter
Stephanie Potter, a printmaker from Frankfort, KY, demonstrates her creative process. Starting with a general idea, she creates a basic design and sketch, then cuts an image into the wood or linoleum she has prepared with ink. Potter works primarily with black ink on solid surfaces, hoping to make a striking connection with the viewer through stark imagery and style. Her subject matter comes from everyday life, she says, as she shows numerous examples of her prints.
Suggested Uses:
Pair with the “Printmaking: Derrick Riley” profile on the Spectrum of Art DVD to compare and contrast the techniques, methods, and subject matter different artists use in their approach to the same medium.
In a video production class, compare the different documentation styles employed by the producers of the two printmaking segments (on Potter and Derrick Riley). Ask students to discuss why each producer might have taken the approach he did (e.g., does the documentary approach suit the subject matter?).
Use as an exercise in analyzing the use of the elements of art and principles of design. Ask students to pay particular attention to negative and positive space.
Use in conjunction with a creative art activity from the “Making Art” section of the binder that uses the same medium (printmaking) or is based on the ideas and approaches of Stephanie Potter.
Use as part of a “careers in the arts” unit. Ask students to think about possible careers for students who major in printmaking.
Quilts: Juanita Yeager
Juanita Yeager demonstrates the process she uses to create patterns and select fabrics for her original quilts. She also discusses how some classes she took after becoming interested in quilting helped her to develop her own techniques and visual interest in the medium. She approaches her work very much as a painter would approach a canvas, she says, looking at nature for an initial design. She also says that her quilts help her to express herself.
Suggested Uses:
Pair with a profile of a painter to explore why Yeager says she approaches her work very much like a painting. Segment possibilities include “Painting: Robert Tharsing” and “Expressionism: Landscape” on the Spectrum of Art DVD.
Pair with the “Recycled Threads” segment from Visual Arts and Culture and discuss the purposes of art. Compare and contrast the techniques and methods the two artists use in their approach to the same medium.
Use in conjunction with an art activity from the “Making Art” section of the binder that uses the same medium (quilting) or is based on the ideas and approaches of Juanita Yeager.
Use as part of a “careers in the arts” unit or as an introductory activity before an artist-in-residence visits your classroom.
Weaving/Photography: Dobree Adams
In this profile, recorded at her farm along the Kentucky River, Dobree Adams describes the age-old process she follows to create her contemporary tapestries and rugs: raising a rare breed of sheep; shearing their wool; and spinning, dyeing, and weaving colorful yarns into vivid compositions inspired by her surroundings and the entire process. She also talks about her transition from careers in physics and computer programming to her life of working on a farm, weaving, and making photographs. Her pictures, she says, reveal the symbiotic connection of the elements, which “are always talking.”
Suggested Uses:
Use in conjunction with profiles of other artists who take a traditional art form and transform it into contemporary work. Ask students to think about what artists working in such diverse media as iron (“Forge: Ironhorse Forge” on Spectrum of Art), stone (“Stone: Russell Dawson” on Spectrum of Art), and wood (the Truman Lowe segments on Visual Arts and Culture) might have in common with Adams.
Show along with profiles of photographers Uwe Ommer and Tom Myers (both on the Spectrum of Art DVD). Discuss the purposes of photography exemplified by their different approaches to the medium.
Use in conjunction with an art activity from the “Making Art” section of the binder that uses the same medium or is based on the ideas and approaches of Dobree Adams.
Show before a “sheep to shawl” demonstration you arrange—either an in-school artist’s demonstration or a field trip to a site that showcases such demonstrations.
Metal Sculpture: Ed Hamilton
Louisville sculptor Ed Hamilton reflects on the evolution of his work, from the Junkology series of 1978-80, which began with a piece of metal junk he found in the street, to his large series of well-known bronze monuments, beginning with the Booker T. Washington Memorial he created in 1984. He describes both his thought process and his techniques for using bronze while working on a new piece of public art, a memorial to Louisville native and NFL star Lenny Lyles. In his sculptures, Hamilton says he is always looking to portray figures with great emotion and historical accuracy because those factors add to the thrill of a work’s final unveiling to the public.
Suggested Uses:
Show to spark a discussion of the purposes of art and the value of public art. Take a walking tour of your community, looking for examples of public art.
Pair with the “Metal Fabrication: Garry Bibbs” segment on the Spectrum of Art DVD to compare and contrast the techniques, methods, and subject matter both artists use in their approach to the same medium or with the “Expressionism: Figurative Art” segment (also on Spectrum of Art) to discuss the similarities as well as the differences between artists working in different media.
Show to inspire students to create their own versions of Junkology.
Use as part of a “careers in the arts” unit. Have students research education and specialized skills required by someone who works in bronze. Explore the economics of working in bronze (cost of materials, studio, power, salaries for assistants, and transportation; commissions and fees; etc.).
Wood Sculpture: LaVon Williams
LaVon Williams’ stained wooden relief pieces and figure carvings capture everyday scenes such as churchgoing men and women, jazz players, and couples, all inspired by African-American history and culture. Williams, a fifth-generation wood carver living in Lexington, talks about his main influences, including his family, the traditional methods of wood carving found in the African-American community, and jazz. He calls the resulting wood sculptures “urban folk art,” connecting a proud history with a contemporary visual sense.
Suggested Uses:
Show to spark a discussion about what inspires artists, where they get their ideas, and what influences them. Explore the relationships among various disciplines (e.g., how music can inspire a visual artist).
Use in conjunction with articles on folk life and folk art in the “Visual Art and Culture” section of the binder. Discuss what the folk traditions of a family/culture reveal about the people and their history. Ask students how Williams’ work is “urban folk art.”
Pair with profiles of artists working in a similar medium and/or folk tradition (e.g., the “Wooden Animals: Minnie Adkins” or “Painting: Helen La France” segments on the Spectrum of Art DVD). Compare and contrast techniques, processes, subject matter, and influences/traditions.
Use in conjunction with an art activity from the “Making Art” section of the binder that uses the same medium or is based on the ideas and approaches of LaVon Williams.
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