HEARTLAND

The friendly neighborhood Lawrence Percolator is featured in the SMART Museum's Heartland exhibtion catalog. Here is a PDF of it for you! The catalog features essays by John Corbett and Frank Veenstra; Joshua Decter; Dave Eggers; Charles Esche; Hasan Kwame Jeffries; Andria Lisle; Hesse McGraw; Kerstin Niemann; Stephanie Smith; Rebecca Solnit; Matthew Strauss; Dan S. Wang; and Matt Weiland.

While this publication stems from the Heartland exhibitions at the Van Abbemuseum and the Smart Museum of Art, this book is much more than an art catalogue. Contributors—including novelist Dave Eggers, scholar Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and journalist Rebecca Solnit—explore the region through topics ranging from art to music to urban farming to political history. An illustrated section introduces all of the artists involved in both iterations of Heartland, including established figures like Kerry James Marshall and exuberant newcomers like Whoop Dee Doo. An appendix surveys the lively state of independent and artist-run cultural initiatives from New Orleans to Detroit.

If you see any Percolator Paraphrenalia at the exhibition, send us a note about it.

Make a License Plate - Support the Arts

Call for Artists To Design the Kansas Arts License Plate

The Kansas Arts Commission invites Kansas visual artists to submit designs for a new Kansas Arts License Plate. Artists must currently reside in Kansas and be 10 years old and older.

The plate is scheduled for production in 2010 or once funds are raised for its manufacture.

The license plate will be available for all Kansans to purchase for their vehicles. All proceeds will go towards grant programs of the Kansas Arts Commission.

The design should reflect and promote a positive image of Kansas and Kansas arts. The image will be used to promote the arts and the Kansas Arts Commission throughout the state and nationwide.

Submissions must be postmarked by October 15, 2009, or if delivered, received by October 15, 2009. No submissions will be returned.

Kansas Arts Commissioners and staff will narrow the submissions to five finalists. A sample plate for each of the finalists will be posted on the Kansas Arts Commission website and Kansans will be invited to vote for their favorite plate.

The winning design will be announced in January 2010. The artist submitting the winning design will be credited in all promotional material for the license plate and will be prominently featured on the Kansas Arts Commission’s website. Other promotional opportunities may be available. In addition, the winning designer will receive a three-percent royalty fee for all Kansas arts license plates sold.