Iowa Arts News is a monthly publication of the Iowa Arts Council. If you would like to subscribe, please send us a blank e-mail.
Director’s Spotlight: Art is Where You Find It
By Anita Walker, Director
The
wonderful thing about art in this often impersonal world is that fact that it
is so personal. Great art is the art you personally love. And the only way I know
to love art even more than your heart and head tell you to is to know and love
the artist who created it. To see where the art was created. To experience where
the artist lives and gets his or her inspiration. To recognize the artist in the
art.
I frequently travel the state visiting our wonderful cultural institutions. But recently I had the opportunity to take part in a tour of our individual artists. The purpose of the tour was to promote our BuyIowaArt.com Web site. Lt. Governor Sally Pederson toured the studios and homes and performing venues of seven artists across the state, talking to the news media about the importance of the arts in Iowa, and how easy it is to access Iowa art on the Web.
I got to go along on part of the tour and it was truly inspiring. You’d never suspect driving through a typical neighborhood in Des Moines that there was something magical in one of the homes. But step through the front door of Peggy Johnston’s house and you know an artist lives there, even before you see the art. The color on the walls, the architectural features, just the feel of the house inspires. Everything is perfect. Just like the perfect precision Peggy applies to her paper art, the books, with and without words, that she assembles and binds and creates as sculpted objects. Almost every room upstairs is devoted to her craft. She loves the shapes and styles of different types of books. Some reflect her own experiences, like the bat-shaped book that tells the story of some unwanted visitors here. Others are a beautiful vessel for a story yet to be told in the book’s new home.
We visited the farm and barn studio of Pam Dennis and her husband Ryk Wiess. The “gallery” was in the barn, but the art was everywhere. In the garden, in the woods, in the wonderful old farmhouse where Pam and Ryk live. Listening to Pam that afternoon you felt her passion for her art and you understood that there is nothing else in the world she could or should be doing. She talked about her inspiration, and the careful artist’s dance that tiptoes the fine line between fierce allegiance to her artist’s voice and the way she must listen to those who buy her work. Pam makes her living as an artist. She’s strict about money, carefully guarding her ability to remain a working artist even through the economy’s ups and downs. And she’s a gentle person, who trips over the dog and welcomes everyone with open arms. And when you marvel at the way she shapes clay and twig into dancing figures, you can’t help but see Pam.
You can see and purchase the work of Pam and Peggy, and many other Iowa artists, by visiting www.BuyIowaArt.com What a special and unique gift for the holiday season!
Save the Date for Cultural Advocacy Day
On Tuesday morning, Jan. 24, groups will gather at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines for the traditional march to the Capitol and an opportunity to meet with their legislators. Tuesday afternoon will give participants an opportunity to attend advocacy workshops and “problem solving meetings” to discuss topics such as smart building codes, health care for cultural workers, arts education and more.
