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Lunch With Art

 LUNCH WITH ART

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host a quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members in the meeting room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Main, West Plains.

After the brief program, WPCA board members will host open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite attendees to comment regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversation with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Lunch will be catered. Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations should be made online through the current Lunch with Art event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org

Individual membership is $25/year. Other membership levels and benefits are described on the website westplainsarts.org, along with a membership application.

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for the public on Monday, February 12, 2024, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Information on upcoming arts activities will be discussed by Arts Alliance members, then local artist Tara Shahan will demonstrate the technique for creating hand-painted alcohol-ink ornaments. Each attendee will have an opportunity to create one of these unique ornaments.

Multiple colors, shades, saturations and metallics are used in the design of each ornament to create different effects: marbling, melting, crackling, pitting, swirls, etc.  Ornaments measure approximately 3″ in diameter.

Tara Shahan was raised in a small town in the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio until about the age of 12 when her family moved to Missouri.  Her upbringing included being a member of 4-H, where most of her projects consisted of food, sewing and crafts taught by her mother, a 4-H leader. Tara won ribbons for her work at local and state fairs.  Her love of arts and crafts continued throughout her adult life and now she teaches workshops in the local area including north-central Arkansas.  Her art includes acrylic painting on canvas and wood as well as other craft projects such as doorhangers, wreaths, faux stained glass and glass etching to name a few.  Tara now lives in West Plains and has conducted local art and craft workshops for the West Plains Council on the Arts for about 5 years.

WPCA board members will open the luncheon with discussions on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Each quarterly lunch is an opportunity to open conversations with current board members and contribute to the future of the arts in West Plains.

Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations may be made online through the February 2024 Lunch with Art Facebook event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email paulasperaneo@gmail.com   Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early.

Nov. 13 2023 LUNCH WITH ART – GARRETT MELBY

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for the public on Monday, November 13, 2023, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Information on upcoming arts activities will be discussed by Arts Alliance members, then local artist Garrett Melby will showcase live-painting techniques. Area musician Anthony Garner will perform during the live-paint demonstration.

Melby graduated from Willow Springs, MO in 1998 and had success in school in art related events. His art was displayed in Willow Springs downtown and in the school art show. He graduated from Collins College in Phoenix, AZ with a degree in animation. While in Arizona, his art and animation were displayed in downtown Phoenix art galleries, First Friday art walks, as well as in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona.

Currently Melby’s artwork is on display at Wages Brewing Company in West Plains, MO and Springfield Brewing Company’s Cellar music venue. Melby paints live with many area and national bands and musicians, including the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Steeldrivers, Haha Tonka, the HillBenders and many more. Melby currently is the Coordinator for Honest Imaginations an art-based program for special needs individuals in West Plains. 

Melby has had art shows and benefit auctions at Wages Brewery West Plains, The Yellow House Community art program West Plains, The Queen city Shout Springfield, Q enoteca wine bar Springfield MO, OZBI, and Springfield Brewing Company’s Cellar. At these art auctions He has helped raise money for many local charities close to his heart such as ORC\West Plains Regional Animal Shelter, The Bridges Program of West Plains Schools, Rescue and Defend, the West Plains Optimist Club, Queen City Shout Poverty Relief, CASA, Christos House and Play it Forward to name a few.

“My mission statement is simply: You can’t move forward if you don’t give back. I paint live with bands and do a lot of cool things on a canvas, but the real art is finding a way to help someone with your art and that’s what I’m striving to do.”

Anthony Garner is a Singer/Songwriter specializing in Alternative Country/Folk/Americana/Southern Rock/Blues music with influences ranging from Appalachian to Cajun. Performing all over the SEMO/NEA Area, Anthony is a passionate string striker whose lyrics tell the stories of times past and those to come. With covers you’ll know and originals you’ll love, you can find him on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. 

May 8, 2023 LUNCH WITH ART

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for the public on Monday, May 8, 2023, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Information on upcoming arts activities will be discussed, then Cleo Cockrum and her daughter Naomi Saunders will share their experience learning to play the mountain dulcimer and give a short demonstration along with WPCA President Kathleen Morrissey.

Cockrum bought her first dulcimer in Ohio in the 90s because her young daughter, Naomi, was introduced to it and learned to play a song at a festival booth. They played together for several years.

Dulcimer playing had taken a back seat for other life ventures, but now they have started again, including Naomi’s daughter, Kay. “Now we have 3 generations that sit around and have fun with our at-home jam sessions. The other grand kids (as young as 4) enjoy strumming along with us,” says Cleo.

The luncheon program will also introduce the upcoming dulcimer workshops to be held during the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival June 2 and 3. Entry-level instruments will be available for use by the first 25 individuals who register for each session. Details for the workshops will soon be posted to the Festival Facebook page and on the website www.oldtimemusic.org   Beginning and advance workshops should provide a lot of joyful dulcimer music!

WPCA board members will open the luncheon with discussions on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversations with current board members and contribute to the future of the arts in West Plains.

Lunch will be catered by Sole Café at the Grizzly Lofts. Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations may be made online through the May 2023 Lunch with Art Facebook event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org   Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early.

Marideth Sisco & Danette House – Storytellers

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for the public on Monday, February 13, 2023, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Marideth Sisco and Danette House will share their storytelling experiences and recent acceptance into the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (T.A.A.P) sponsored by the Missouri Folk Arts Program.

Marideth Sisco’s observations on life in the Ozarks are carefully distilled from a wealth of hill-country lore handed down through generations of rural and small-town living. At turns heartwarming, hilarious and haunting; the tales extracted from family, townspeople and her personal journey are a tapestry of humor, irony, and a discerning wit, prying timeless truths from the stark simplicity of life lived close to the bone and closer to nature.

“I began my singing career at age 3, standing on an ice cream freezer at an auction, when my great uncle Tom Ferguson stood me up there during a break in the sale and told me to sing for the crowd. I’ve never stopped.”

She’s never stopped talking about the Missouri Ozarks where she was born and raised, either and is a consummate storyteller and extemporaneous speaker, especially when it comes to sharing tales of the unique Ozarks culture that is fast passing away.

An Ozarks mainstay, Sisco has invested much of her life in cultural preservation work. Years were spent covering her community as a reporter for the West Plains Daily Quill newspaper before her retirement.

Today, her writing still is heard regularly through “These Ozarks Hills,” her radio program on KSMU that focuses on the daily life, joys, and lore of the region. She also garnered national recognition through the acclaimed film “Winter’s Bone,” in which she served as a music consultant and vocalist. She is a Missouri Master storyteller and is the 2018 winner of the Quill Award from the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.

Sisco says, “We’ll be talking about the importance of storytelling to capturing and preserving history of a place and its people.”

Danette House is a life-long native of the Ozarks. A seventh generation Ozarker, retired educator, and avid lover of history, House taught in West Plains for 31 years.  Her Ozark and Howell County credentials go back to her three-times great-grandfather, Washington P. Hawkins (Uncle Wash) whose family moved to Ozark County near the North Fork of the White River in the 1830’s. As a boy, he visited a nearby settlement named West Plains.  Apparently unimpressed he described it as “just a blackjack log house, occupied by a man named Howell.” Wash served in the Union Army and later called West Plains home for many years.

House is extremely honored to have received a grant from the Missouri Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program for 2023. She is thrilled to have Marideth Sisco, Master Storyteller, writer, musician, and singer as her guide, mentor, and teacher through this learning process. Danette hopes to be able to train in the art with her emphasis on telling stories about the history of West Plains, Howell County, Ozark County, and how her family story is woven throughout.

 House says, “You must hear the stories to understand the Ozarks. Memories, sometimes proud, happy, and humorous; sometimes terrifying, heartbreaking, and tragic. Listen. The past is gone and yet still living all around you. Stories connect those two points and take you into the future.”

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.” Sue Monk Kidd

In addition to the program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversations with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Lunch will be catered by Foodie’s Fare and choices will be Butter Chicken or Baingan Bharta (eggplant). Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations may be made online through the February 2023 Lunch with Art Facebook event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org   Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early.

Shane Baker

November 14, 2022

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for the public, co-sponsored by OzSBI, on Monday, November 14, 2022, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Conference Room at OzSBI Small Business Incubator, 408 Washington Ave., West Plains. Shane Baker will be the featured presenter, discussing his text art mobiles and providing a guided tour of his artwork currently on display at OzSBI.

Shane Baker, an Ozark native, was born and raised in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. As an undergrad at Arkansas State University, Shane took art classes and explored his artistic side, but decided that teaching was his calling. After graduating with a degree in Elementary Education he taught for 32 years. He became an Elementary Reading Specialist, curriculum director, college professor and education consultant. Throughout his career, Baker maintained his interest and love of art and the artistic process.

In 2010, using some of recycled cardboard, and other recycled items, Shane created his first mobile. He now creates items full of detail and nuance. Each mobile has a theme, and they range from darker subjects like hate crimes and Covid to words of endearment and even peaceful cruising on the river. Some mobiles look at the lives of well-known personalities such as Picasso and Billy Joel. Others consider the reincarnation of diabetics, political pumpkins and even a celebration of our humble shoes.

In addition to the program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to enjoy conversations with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Lunch will be catered by Dawn Dionne. Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations may be made online through the November 2022 Lunch with Art Facebook event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org   Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early.

Lunch with Art

Kathleen Morrissey

August 8, 2022

KATHLEEN MORRISSEY – UPCYCLED TWIST BOXES

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for the public on Monday, August 8, 2022, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Kathleen Morrissey will be the featured presenter, demonstrating upcycled Japanese twist box creation.

Morrissey has spent nearly 30 years as an arts administrator in south central Missouri. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981, she relocated to West Plains, Missouri where she established The Media Arts Center, Inc. a public access cable television facility providing technology, training, and access to community media, and partnerships to bring KSMU public radio to the region, from Springfield, MO. At the same time, she became the volunteer administrator for the West Plains Council on the Arts, developing their community arts program, regional infrastructure for cultural conservation through the arts, and heritage/arts festivals for economic vitality.

In 1998, she became the theater and events coordinator for Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP), coordinating cultural enhancement and educational programs for citizens in South Central Missouri. Emphasis on collaborations and community cultural planning, resulted in programming such as: Performing Arts; Visual Art Exhibitions; Film Series; National Audio Theater Festival; Symposiums designed to examine the literary and historical significance of the region and special one-time events such as The Moving Wall Vietnam Memorial.

After l2 years of work with MSU-WP, Kathleen turned her community experience and institutional knowledge toward consulting for projects at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Trillium Trust, and Ozark Action, Inc. a community action agency which completed a feasibility study for a National Heritage Area designation. In 2017, while keeping her home base in West Plains, she made the professional leap to serve the Missouri Arts Council, St. Louis, MO as Assistant to the Director. In March 2020, Kathleen retired to West Plains to resume working in community arts. She recently completed the Ozarks Deep: Art & Culture Trails project funded by City of West Plains, Community Development Grant and the NEA in 2021.

During her time in St. Louis, she participated in the annual Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, where the upcycled twist-top boxes were featured. She brings this artform to us on August 8 and will provide a “make and take” event for attendees.

Morrissey says, “These boxes are beautiful creations made from materials that usually end up in the garbage. They are simple to make, can be adapted for different sizes, and always involve a lot of fun as a group project. ”

In addition to the program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversations with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Lunch will be catered by Dawn Dionne. Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations may be made online through the August 2022 Lunch with Art Facebook event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org   Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early.

  • May 2022 Lunch with Art –
  • Ellen Hones Martin, Potter

 

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on Monday, May 2, 2022, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Ellen Hones Martin will be the featured presenter, demonstrating some of her pottery process.

Martin moved to West Plains when she was six years old. She has always loved art, thanks to the present, creative influence of her mother and grandmother throughout her childhood. Since graduating from SEMO in 2018, Ellen has been pursuing her pottery career while working part-time at a local florist. Her ultimate goal is to become a full-time artist and gallery owner and contribute to the growing art community of West Plains.

Martin says, “The process of making my functional pottery consists of muscle memory and varying pressure to control where clay distributes on the pottery wheel. Once the basic form is created, the vessel’s surface becomes a blank canvas, where I begin to translate my fascination with naturally beautiful colors and textures of the earth onto the clay. After being kiln-fired for the first time, I enjoy applying red iron oxide wash to the carved portions of the exterior, mimicking the rich, matte browns of bark and rocks. I then brush or dip numerous glazes on the remaining smooth surfaces and allow the high-heat temperature of an electric kiln to activate, melt, and mutate the rutile raw glazes into a glamorous, beautified version of nature’s most recognized colors.

I fuse together the inspiration from my grandma’s colorful, patterned collage styles with natural elements of bare clay bodies and red iron oxide, to create a neutral, organic design that peacefully coexists with the smooth, jewel-like glazes. I freely hand-carve patterns and symbols reminiscent of both the doodles in my past sketchbooks and the natural elements of my Ozarks surroundings. My ultimate goal is to create a unique, eye-catching piece of art that not only will serve someone functionally but will invite them to see the beauty of the colors and textures that surround them in their everyday lives.”

  • March 2022
  • Lunch With Art
  • Heather Legler – Stained-glass artist

“LUNCH WITH ART” WILL FEATURE

STAINED-GLASS ARTIST HEATHER LEGLER

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on Monday, March 7, 2022, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Heather Legler will be the featured presenter, demonstrating her stained-glass art process.

Legler will bring a project that she is preparing for the Cystic Fibrosis auction in March. She will also demonstrate this unique art form, bringing some of the tools and supplies used in the stained-glass process, and will be available for questions about the artform. Come join us for a decidedly distinctive program!

Legler’s artist statement:

“I have always loved the beauty in stained glass pieces, but never in my life did I think I could create them. To me they are a lot like a puzzle, and I love making puzzles. 

I was introduced to stained glass when I married into the Legler family. My mother and father-in-law owned a stained-glass business at their home and then stopped to focus on their family and careers. Again, when we got married, I never thought I would do stained glass. However, God put it on my heart to learn this craft and to get my mind on something other than the medical problems we were having at that time. I learned this craft about seven years ago; at this time, we were facing daily seizures for our youngest child Mae-Ann. She was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, which she had inherited from her dad. While we dealt with all her issues, we were seeing that our oldest child Stephen also inherited Tuberous Sclerosis Complex as well. Luckily, our middle child Richard does not have this disease. I needed something to get my mind off all the medical issues, so my father-in-law took me out to his glass shop and showed me basic techniques of how to cut glass and how to put it all together. Since then, I have worked hard to make my craft better with every creation. I give thanks to Bob and Beckie Legler for all their knowledge and help, and to God for giving me this gift of art and a creative mind.”

In addition to the program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversations with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

NOV. 2021 Lunch with Art

“LUNCH WITH ART” WILL FEATURE

ARTIST BOLAJI OGUNWO LIVE FROM NIGERIA

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on Monday, November 8, from noon till 1p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Bolaji Ogunwo will be the featured presenter, via ZOOM, from Nigeria.

Ogunwo is a prolific painter with over fifty local and international exhibitions to his credit. A dexterous portraitist, he has obtained many university degrees, the latest being a PhD in Painting from Delta State University, Abraka. He is currently a studio artist and a Painting Lecturer at the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos, Akoka. His work may be viewed on his website

http://bolajiogunwo.com/

  • Bolaji Ogunwo

               WPCA board member Crockett Oaks says, “Bolaji’s style of artistic expression leaves you questioning the depths of his inspiration.  Thought-provoking and always insightful, his ability to articulate a feeling on canvas speaks to the mastery of his skill craft.  One day, I am convinced that Bolaji will be prominently discussed in the same vein as the other great artists from the continent of Africa, that took the world by storm with their transformational works!”

“My art is informed by the people and events that permeate my immediate and cyberspace,”  Ogunwo says. “In the course of my artistic career, spanning about two decades, I have resolved not to be led primarily by the trending thematic and stylistic cultures in the visual arts practice, but to see and represent ideas the way I feel and not just the way they are, hence my art is cathartic; a frenzied purgation of my emotions on canvases. Beyond aesthetics, I ventilate loudly via a rich texture through my palette aimed at documenting socio-political, cultural and economic subjects for posterity.”

 

MAY 2021 Lunch with Art


WPCA QUARTERLY “LUNCH WITH ART”

FEATURES THE DAVIS CREEK ROUNDERS

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on Monday, May 17, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. The Davis Creek Rounders – Dennis Crider, Marideth Sisco, and Ken Wagoner – will be the featured presenters.

               It’s the long-awaited return of one of the Old-Time Music Festival’s earliest old-time music groups – the Davis Creek Rounders – What’s left of us.

Over the decades a number of musicians, both local and those passing through, sat in with a core group that met every Thursday in the music room at the home of West Plains resident and MSU biology professor Rick Cochran. That core group included former Quill sports editor Dennis Crider, attorney Ken Wagoner, and former Quill staff writer Marideth Sisco. Rick passed away in 2017. Crider, Wagoner and Sisco are pleased to be reuniting for this special performance to celebrate the many happy years they spent ‘Thursday nights at Rick’s.’  Sisco says, “It was a mighty good time every time, and we’re pleased to share again those happy memories.”

After the brief program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversation with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early. Masks will be required to attend this program. “While we appreciate that masks are somewhat inconvenient, best practices at this time call for wearing one indoors when close to others,” organizers say. “We’ll do our best to provide a safe, socially distanced, but intimate experience for all.”

FEBRUARY 2021 LUNCH WITH ART

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on Monday, February 8, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Melissa Smith, Tourism Coordinator for the City of West Plains, will be the featured presenter.

Come and learn about the new ideas for local Public Art projects. Smith will also bring us up to date on the progress and changes being made at the Welcome Center, cultural tourism efforts for West Plains, and how the arts can be involved.

Smith says, “A 16-foot vintage postcard that says “greetings from West Plains” is going up on the outside wall of the Welcome Center. More is planned – just something to get people to stop or divert here to see. Then we can make sure they get a Visitor’s Guidebook and hopefully they will spend some money while they are here…eating or shopping, or decide to spend the night and venture out to see one of the mills…or make us their destination on their next trip.”

After the brief program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversation with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early. Masks will be required to attend this program. “While we appreciate that masks are somewhat inconvenient, best practices at this time call for wearing one indoors when close to others,” organizers say. “We’ll do our best to provide a safe, socially distanced, but intimate experience for all.”

 

NOVEMBER 2020 LUNCH WITH ART

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on Monday, November 16, from noon till 1p.m. in the Community Room at    the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. Marideth Sisco will be the featured presenter.

Masks will be required to attend this program. “While we appreciate that masks are somewhat inconvenient, best practices at this time call for wearing one indoors when close to others,” organizers say. “We’ll do our best to provide a safe, socially distanced, but intimate experience for all.”
 
Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early.
 

Marideth Sisco’s observations on life in the Ozarks are carefully distilled from a wealth of hill-country lore handed down through generations of rural and small-town living. At turns heartwarming, hilarious and haunting; the tales extracted from family, townspeople and her personal journey are a tapestry of humor, irony and a discerning wit, prying timeless truths from the stark simplicity of life lived close to the bone and closer to nature.

She shares, “I began my singing career at age 3, standing on an ice cream freezer at an auction, when my great uncle Tom Ferguson stood me up there during a break in the sale and told me to sing for the crowd. I’ve never stopped.”

She’s never stopped talking about the Missouri Ozarks where she was born and raised, either. A consummate storyteller and extemporaneous speaker, especially when it comes to sharing tales of the unique Ozarks culture that is fast passing away, Sisco is much in demand as a public speaker.

An Ozarks mainstay, Sisco has invested much of her life in cultural preservation work. Years were spent covering her community as a reporter for the West Plains Daily Quill newspaper before her retirement. Today, her writing still is heard regularly through “These Ozarks Hills,” her radio program on KSMU that focuses on the daily life, joys and lore of the region. She also garnered national recognition through the acclaimed film “Winter’s Bone,” in which she served as a music consultant and vocalist. She is a Missouri Master storyteller and is the 2018 winner of the Quill Award from the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.

Reservations may be made online through the November 2020 Lunch with Art event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org

FEBRUARY 2020 LUNCH WITH ART

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host “Lunch with Art” for current and prospective members on February 10 from noon till 1p.m. in the community room at the West Plains Public Library,  750 West Broadway, West Plains. Dennis Crider will give a presentation on some of his photography adventures and techniques.

West Plains, Missouri photographer Dennis Crider took his first picture at the age of 4 during a family vacation at Yellowstone National Park. It was a shot of Old Faithful blowing its top and that photo was recently found among thousands of family photographs.

Hailing from Wichita, Kansas, Dennis was yearbook and newspaper photographer in high school and college and learned much of his trade while working for a film processing plant in Wichita during summer months. In 1969 he became a reporter/photographer at the West Plains Daily Quill newspaper. By the time he retired in 2008 he was head photographer and sports editor.

Since retirement he has been busy photographing things that don’t talk back and selling photos at art shows in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. His favorite subjects are wildlife, nature, scenic, landscapes and the cowboy way. He also recently co-authored a coffee table book “Last Stage to Matador” with Rick and Beverly Hamby, and future plans include another book of a stagecoach journey through Palo Duro Canyon in the panhandle of Texas. That adventure will be in May this year.

NOVEMBER 2019 LUNCH WITH ART

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host “Lunch with Art” for current and prospective members on November 19, 2019, from noon till 1p.m. in the meeting room at The Hampton Inn, 1064 London Lane, West Plains.  Angela Bullard will demonstrate Wool Needle Felting techniques.

Angela Bullard has been an art lover from childhood, always experimenting with different techniques and mediums to see what can be created. Bullard studied art in college and has attended many classes and workshops in Chicago and regionally. Since moving back home to West Plains she has received many awards for her eclectic work at juried and non-juried shows at the Harlin Museum.

Angela has dabbled in watercolor, oils, colored pencils, acrylics, wax, pastels and fibers. She stumbled across the art of needle felting while in a fiber phase working on her crochet skills. The technique requires a sharp, barbed needle that is “stabbed” repeatedly into loose wool fibers. This friction from the needle’s barbs makes the wool felt or bond together. The next logical step was to make landscapes! Wools come in a gorgeous array of colors and have the benefit of a textural appearance, so paintings have a real feeling of depth. Historically, wool felting has been used to make shelter and clothing as well as decorative pieces. Come and enjoy learning about the fascinating and beautiful technique of needle felting with Angela!

After the brief program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversation with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Lunch will be catered by Dawn Dionne. Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations should be made by November 9, and may be made online through the November Lunch with Art event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org

Individual membership is $25/year. Other membership levels and benefits are described on the website westplainsarts.org, along with a membership application.

AUGUST 2019  LUNCH WITH ART

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their first “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on August 27, 2019, from noon till 1p.m. in the meeting room at The Hampton Inn, 1064 London Lane, West Plains.

Regina Willard will demonstrate her quick painting techniques, painting a bouquet on a 6×8 small canvas, and will have some pieces for sale as well. Willard’s paintings are sparked by familiar surroundings, subjects she enjoys observing. She considers her style impressionistic with emphasis on brushwork and notes of color.  “When I paint, I want to give something of myself whether it be an emotion or feeling by way of a color or a mark made. I’m most intrigued by movement of paint and how a mark laid next to another in a different direction can give a subject life…… drawing the viewer to engage in my work.”

After the brief program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversation with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Lunch will be catered by Dawn Dionne. Cost of the luncheon is $10 for WPCA members, $15 for non-members. Reservations should be made by August 20, and may be made online through the August Lunch with Art event page, by calling Paula at 417-293-2325, or via email info@westplainsarts.org

WPCA QUARTERLY “LUNCH WITH ART”

FEATURES THE DAVIS CREEK ROUNDERS

West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly “Lunch with Art” event for current and prospective members on Monday, May 17, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Community Room at the West Plains Public Library, 750 West Broadway, West Plains. The Davis Creek Rounders – Dennis Crider, Marideth Sisco, and Ken Wagoner – will be the featured presenters.

               It’s the long-awaited return of one of the Old-Time Music Festival’s earliest old-time music groups – the Davis Creek Rounders – What’s left of us.

Over the decades a number of musicians, both local and those passing through, sat in with a core group that met every Thursday in the music room at the home of West Plains resident and MSU biology professor Rick Cochran. That core group included former Quill sports editor Dennis Crider, attorney Ken Wagoner, and former Quill staff writer Marideth Sisco. Rick passed away in 2017. Crider, Wagoner and Sisco are pleased to be reuniting for this special performance to celebrate the many happy years they spent ‘Thursday nights at Rick’s.’  Sisco says, “It was a mighty good time every time, and we’re pleased to share again those happy memories.”

After the brief program, WPCA board members will open discussion on current plans, programs available through Arts Alliance partners, and invite discussion regarding future arts endeavors for the area. Here’s an opportunity to open conversation with current board members and contribute to the future of arts in West Plains.

Attendance is limited, so reserve your spot early. Masks will be required to attend this program. “While we appreciate that masks are somewhat inconvenient, best practices at this time call for wearing one indoors when close to others,” organizers say. “We’ll do our best to provide a safe, socially distanced, but intimate experience for all.”