JANE INGRAM ALLEN
Allen traveled to Moshi, Tanzania, in East Africa, to collaborate with local artists at WHAT (Warm Heart Art Tanzania).
"The artist Seppo Hallavainio, originally from Finland, has established a papermaking and art studio in Tanzania for the purpose of education and international artistic exchange. He has invited me there to work with local people, artists and plant experts to identify new plant fibers for papermaking and create new works using local materials and inspired by this place. I will exhibit the works in Tanzania, the USA and other international venues. I will also write articles about my experience for publication in art magazines and gather materials for a possible book about papermaking art in Tanzania. I will also teach workshops, give lectures, and share ideas and techniques to help the local people develop papermaking art as a means for substainable income."
PHILLIPPE BARRIERE, CASSIE WADDELL, WILLIAM BOURNE
from Lawrence, Kansas
Palestine
Architects Barriere, Waddell, and Bourne worked on the Aqabat Jaber Refugee Camp Architectural Design Project. Creating architectural improvements in the Aqabat Jaber Camp for United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), they worked on improving the amenities and housing for Palestinian refugees.
LAURA BERMAN
from Kansas City, Missouri
Can Serrat Artists Center; El Bruc, Spain. (2007)
As an Artist-in-Residence, Berman continued working on Re:Collection, a body of work that documents her various collections of things.
"I have had the opportunity to live in 10 states and 26 dwellings in 32 years. My collections of things have grown- both in size and relevancy to me- during these years of continuous relocation and moving. No matter where I am living, I always feel at home if some portions of my collections are with me."
"Though my collections are not thorough by any means, they do completely define my existence. My collections document where I have been. Re:Collection has begun with my rock collection, of which I have about one-hundred pretty normal specimens, collected continuously throughout my life from the time I was six years old. Mostly river rocks and beach debris, this collection also contains a fragment of precious metal (melted by my best friend in high school when she forgot she had put a pot of water on the stove to boil) and antique glass (a transparent jade-green, smoothed by a clear stream in the middle of Vermont). I am painting portraits of each rock and rock-like object in my collection, grouping them together into compositions and printing multiples of each specimen."
LYNN BOWERS
from Kansas City, Missouri
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (June 2003)
BEDE CLARKE
from Kansas City, Missouri
Fundacio Tallers Josep Llorens Artigas, Galifa, Spain
Clarke is a ceramics artist, during his residency he focused on the creation of a body of work concerned with drawing and painting on earthenware clay.
DONNA COLE
from Aloha, Oregon
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (August 2006)
During a one-month Residency at Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Cole's will focus on mold making processes. While at ICS she will also collaborate with Donna Rozman on a program to help individuals unlock their creative potential.
LAURA DEANGELIS
from Kansas City, Missouri
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (September 2004)
“The Lighton International Artists Exchange Program allowed me the time and freedom to experiment and grow as an artist. It also allowed me to be a student of ceramics again, and gain a new level of respect for this versatile material.”
“I learned much about myself as an artist and others through my contact with ceramic artists from all over the world. We shared ideas and working methods; which were informed by our country‘s origin, in a way that had never been so clear to me before.”
SANDOR DOBANY
from Pécs, Hungary
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (June 2003)
KEITH EKSTAM
from Springfield, Missouri
Fundacio Tallers J. Artigas; Gallifa, Spain.
Professor of Art and Design at Missouri State University. Ceramicist Keith Ekstam's work builds sculptural froms utilizing painted slips and englobe surfaces.
WADE ELDEAN
from Holland, Michigan
Ajijic Art Institute (November 2004)
“The Lighton grant motivated me to advance my commitment of learning from other cultures and to obtain a better understanding of my role as an artist in a global context. But more importantly, I was able to immerse myself in another culture and a Mexican artist’s life.”
“As I look back on my most memorable learning and life experiences, international exchange and travel have been some of the most positive and prolific in shaping my artistic vision and outlook on life.”
ANITA ELEK
from Budapest, Hungary
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (June 2003)
CARY ESSER
from Kansas City, Missouri
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (June 2003)
In summer 2003 I was fortunate to participate in a residency at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary thanks to a grant from LIAEP. Upon my return to Kansas City I began to plan a summer study abroad trip for KCAI students to the ICSHU – I had a wonderful time there and felt it would be a perfect place for students to study ceramics and experience living and traveling in Central Europe.
Dreaming in Magyar: KCAI Study Abroad to Hungary was developed. In June 2005 KCAI twelve students, my colleagues George Timock and Phyllis Moore, and I arrived in Hungary for a four-week stay. Two courses were offered to students, - a ceramics studio course and a travel-writing course. The staff at the ICSHU was incredibly welcoming and hospitable to us throughout our time there. Students had the opportunity to work with a special porcelain material available at the studio, which is very white and translucent. Several Hungarian artists came to the studio to demonstrate their working methods for us and we learned many new techniques, especially regarding slip casting, china painting, and photo transfer. The students also benefited from the artists who were in residence at ICSHU during our time there. We became acquainted with the town of Kecskemét and traveled to Budapest, Pecs, and Herend to experience the cultures, architecture, museums, and particularly the tradition of historic and contemporary ceramics.
KCAI is planning the second study abroad trip to ICSHU for summer 2006. We have also instituted an exchange program with the University of West Hungary in Sopron. The International Ceramics Studio is a satellite campus of this university, so KCAI exchange students have the opportunity to work at the ICSHU for an entire semester under this program. This spring semester 2006, KCAI ceramics student Jo Kamm is at ICSHU, the first student to participate in the exchange program. We hope to have some Hungarian students coming to KCAI in the near future.
LEOPOLD FOULEM
from Montréal, Québec Canada
Independent research (December 2004)
ANNA COLLUORI HOLCOMBE
from Manhattan, Kansas
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (November 2004)
“The residency at ICS enhanced my personal vision in a major way. I expanded my “vocabulary” by working with molds, slip casting, porcelain and high fire. My new work is a continuation of the concepts I have been working with for some time, but the look is quite different, a more “European” aesthetic has emerged.”
“The best part of the residency was working with other artists, especially Ilona Romule. This exchange made my experience truly beneficial.”
“I cooked as close to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner as I could without yams and cranberries. It was my way to thank the staff and other artists for a wonderful experience. It was all a new experience for them. After toasts of homemade palinka about 20 of us ate a feast that we in the US take for granted. I think we were all thankful that day - for being in such a special place.”
JULIE HUDSPETH
from Kansas City, Missouri
Milkwood International Artist Residence, Cseky Krumlov, Czech Republic (June 2006)
During a a one-month residency at Milkwood International Artist Residence, Hudspeth will immerse herself in the local community of Cseky Krumlov, painting at various locals and engaging with local artists.
JOE KAMM
from Kansas City, Missouri
Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Skaelskor, Denmark
CAROL KOFFEL
from San Francisco, California
Den Bosch, Holland
Check out Carol Koffel's blog on her experiences in Holland, www.ekwclighton.blogspot.com.
MICHAEL KRUGER
from Lawrence, Kansas
Frans Maseree Graphic Arts Centre, Kasterlee, Belgium
Check out Michael Kruger's blog on his experiences in Belgium, elixirpress.blogspot.com.
JAMES LEEDY
from Lake Lotawana, Missouri
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (June 2005)
Jim Leedy's residency at afforded him the opportunity to continue his work on ceramic sculptures, exchange of ideas and techniques with artists from Hungary and other international artists in residence and to learn about Hungary.
ISADORA LEIDENFROST
from Ithaca, New York
Research, Apprenticeship with J. Gurappa Chetty, Sri Kalahasti, and Residency at the Tasara Center for Creative Weaving, Calcutta, India (September 2004)
Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost went to India to research Mata Ni Pachedi-Cloth of the Mother Goddess, a hand painted cotton textile. She presents her research in her film "Unconscious Eloquence", a 27 minute documentary that introduces a textile tradition of the Gujarati culture of Northwestern India and the Chitara Community's process and long standing history of tradition has never before been seen in America.
Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost also created the ABCD Education Project, a community outreach program and fundraiser for the children of the Chitara family. The ABCD Education Project raised funds for 11 children to attend school for at the most 7 years of education for each child. The fundraising efforts of the ABCD Education Project also created funding for the ABC School. The ABC School is a free one year long english class for the under and uneducated members of the Chitara community. There are 33 people enrolled in the class from age 4 to 60--women, children and men.
“Going to India created a phenomenological transformation of my artwork and me. It enhanced my knowledge of technical processes, cultural motifs, and exposed me to the most exceptional textiles in the world. It has advanced my creative endeavors and has opened an enormous river of ideas of creation.”
LINDA LIGHTON
from Kansas City, Missouri
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (June 2003)
Independent research in China (June 2004)
In 2003, Linda Lighton was invited to the prestigious International Ceramic Studio (ICS) in Kecskemét, Hungary. At her request and with LIAEP funds, artists Cary Esser and Lynn Smiser Bowers joined her for a 5-week residency, as did Hungarian artists, Elek Anita and Sándor Dobány. While there, Ms. Lighton and Artists Coalition Director, Janet Simpson, worked with the residency Director, János Probstner, to develop a three-year exchange program. As a result, residencies in Kecskemét were awarded to Anna Calluori Holcombe and Laura DeAngelis in 2004, James Leedy and Eric Nichols in 2005, and Donna Rozman and Donna Cole in 2006.
MEGAN LYNCH
from Lee's Summit, Missouri
Can Serrat Residency Program, El Bruc, Spain (June 2006)
During a one-month at the Can Serrat Residency Program, Megan Lynch will create a series of collages focusing on the experiences of living in Spain. While at Can Serrat she will utilize the printmaking studio and will work with other visiting artists. The residency is part of an extended stay in Spain which will be dedicated to creating artwork and exploring the Spanish culture.
PETERIS MARTINSONS
from Riga, Latvia
Kansas City Artists Coalition, Missouri, US (March 2002)
Peteris Martinsons, a Latvia artist, was the first LIAEP artist. He exhibited at the Kansas City Artists Coalition’s gallery in 2002 as a part of his three-week residency in Kansas City.
PAUL MATHIEU
from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
San Bao International Ceramics Institute, Jingdezhen, China (May 2005)
"This collaboration has been and still is most fruitful, enlightening and productive on both sides. I try to take advantage of as many aspects of ceramic production available in Jingdezhen and use the wide variety of skills and expertise found there. The results have exceed my expectation and the experience has enriched my practice greatly."
STEVE MATTISON
from Kecskemet, Hungary
Kansas City, Missouri; Kentucky, Montana USA
DONALD MAXWELL
from Kansas City, Missouri
20th International Hamburg Short Film Festival (June 2004)
“The most challenging aspect of my project was trying to take in and understand as much as I could of this far flung and varied festival, not miss an opportunity for camaraderie and fun, and at the same time find time to sleep.”
“For an artist, experiencing other cultures provides a perspective on our own. I think it is important for an artist not to be too immersed or overwhelmed by his own culture. There are certain assumptions and values that are embedded in any culture or civilization and the only way to see them is to get outside of them. I believe it is the artist's responsibility to be comprehensive and universal in his vision to the fullest extent he can. Also, it is the hidden assumptions of a culture that are the most powerful, both for good and bad. I don't know if a single exchange can accomplish the goal of giving an artist this perspective, but it sure can't hurt. I salute and commend Linda Lighton for her vision and values and for her determination to act on them. ”
“How important do I rate International exchange? Highly. I believe that travel and meeting other people creates a double vision: the ability to see two sides of an issue. I believe that having this double vision is important especially as an American. We are the unchallenged power in the world. We therefore have a responsibility to understand other's points of view and their circumstances. They can't vote here and yet our national and international policies affect them. This is as a citizen.”
STEVE MAYSE
from Lenexa, Kansas
Bubec Sculpture Studio, Czech Republic
HESSE MCGRAW
from Kansas City, Missouri
Independent Project in collaboration with artist, Nemyr Canals (Puerto Rico) on the work of French theorist, Jean Baudrillard (May 2004)
“My art practice is guided by the application of specific conceptual and theoretical foundations. Jean Baudrillard’s work has been very influential to these foundations. The opportunity to produce this film was an incredible challenge and a rare occasion for my work.”
“This experience did a number of things to advance my artistic sensibility and creative goals. It accelerated my studio and curatorial practice. In terms of artistic vision, the diversity of the experience and perspective that I was surrounded by allowed me to refine my own sensibilities and hone my creative interests. In terms of career goals, it forced me to expand these significantly and ask more of myself—this kind of experience inflates your ambition and notion of what is possible to achieve.”
BRENDAN MEARA
from Kansas City, Missouri
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy (February 2006)
Meara will conduct independent research as part of his internship and at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
GRANT MILLER
from Kansas City, Missouri
Cite Internationale des Arts Residency, Washington University Paris Studio, Paris, France
MEREDITH MORTEN
from Boston, Massachusettes
International Ceramics Studio, Kecskemet, Hungary
STEVE MUMFORD
from New York City, New York
Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq
ERIC NICHOLS
from Kirkwood, Missouri
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (June 2005)
"Missed my plane to Brussels! Arrived in Budapest with no luggage. Left for Kecskemét anyway. Got on a train not knowing where it was going. Finally arrived two days late. Jet lag was a bitch. Studio and facilities where beautiful. Lots of space. Still wearing the same clothes from the day I left St. Louis. One month to create and explore with no distractions. What a peaceful and energetic environment. Communication was difficult but fun. ICS staff where all extremely helpful and personable. Met some incredible artists from all over the world. Skill levels that surpass what I have seen in the U.S. One week later my luggage arrives. Two weeks later my clothes are disintegrated in a dryer fire! Wearing the same clothes everyday sucks! Pink porcelain is cool! Kecskemét is bigger than what I had anticipated. Hungarian women are unbelievable. A series of sculptural wall hangings were born. Only two lived, and I had to leave them behind. Hopefully someone will love them. Thank you Linda and the KCAC for this priceless experience of artistic growth."
LYNN MANOS PAGE
from Kansas City, Missouri
Skopelos Foundation For the Arts, Skopelos, Greece (September 2006)
During a three week residency at Skopelos Foundation For the Arts, Paige will create monotype prints using the boats of the Skopelos harbor as subject.
BEN RADATZ
from Kansas City, Missouri
Independent Research at Prypyat, Ukraine (October 2005)
As part of the project, paraSITE. Radatz traveled to the Ukraine for independent research and documentation of Prypyat outside Chernobyl. He was assisted with the research by 1+1 Studio, Kiev, a motion graphics and design studio for television and print; Milk Creative Services, Kiev, a member of a European coalition of small design studios who work together as a creative network; and by 4th Block, Kharkov, Ukraine a gallery (and also a triennial) dealing primarily in poster art concerning ecological issues, of which Chernobyl is a reoccurring theme.
ERIC ROBERTSON
from Kansas City, Missouri
Foundation B.a.d., Rotterdam (June 2004)
Geo Air Residency Program in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia (March 2006)
Excerpt from C.A.R.L LOG: Tents are pitched in the Duke’s woods. Around the camp fire a little smoke on my sweater... the crackle of the logs. I continue to contemplate the structure of the Bosche Bollen. The sound grew strange.... a gravel road, the A3, circling a round- about several times. Nine Space Invaders were blindfolded and dropped on the out skirts of town last night. I was certain we were Northeast of town, left stranded in a shed near a small farm house. I peaked in the living room window, there a man sat on the couch squeezing mayonnaise on his sandwich. It made sense... follow the polder along the Domel... soon doubtful that we could make our way across the river until we discovered a small chain driven pontoon, two people cranked from each end drawing us closer to the spillway…
“During my visit to Rotterdam an affinity emerged; the foundation of my concerns as an artist resonated through conversations with local and international artists, a foundation that emphasizes process and interaction over static objects. It became evident that this community could have a profound influence on my perspective as a contemporary artist. This was a unique opportunity that will further define and challenge my ideas as an artist.”
“Traveling is essential to artistic development, having the mobility to access larger networks, to participate in a larger debate and becoming active in a global practice. This residency has been key in the future and direction of my practice. It is essential dedicate uninterrupted time towards research and process.”
During a a three-week residency in Tbilisi, Robertson will focus on producing art in public space and generating open discussions around current social, political and urban conditions in Tbilisi. The Project is Coordinated by two artist initiative, "Enough Room for Space" based in The Netherlands and the newly formed "Geo AIR" in Georgia. This is the first phase of research for Geo AIR to develop a model for the future of their international arts exchange program.
ILONA ROMULE
from Riga, Latvia
NCECA Conference, Louisville, Kentucky
DONNA ROZMAN
from Crested Butte, Colorado
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary (August 2006)
During a one-month Residency at Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Rozman's will focus on mold making processes. While, at ICS she will also collaborate with Donna Cole on a program to help individuals unlock their creative potential.
MARIANO SARDON
from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sedalia and Kansas City, Missouri, US (November 2005)
Sardón traveled to Missouri to install "Books of Sand" and give slide lectures about his work. To see more of Sardon's work visit his website, marianosardon.com.ar
JESSE SMALL
from Kansas City, Missouri
The PWS Experimental Sculpture Factory in Jingdezhen and The Pottery Workshop, Shangai (September 2006)
Small worked in The PWS Experimental Sculpture Factory in Jingdezhen, China and at the Pottery Workshop Artist in Residence Program in Shangai, China for six months.
"After working in Jingdezhen for a few months, I learned how to fit my efforts into the local division of labor. Here, a different person is in charge of each step. There is the mold-master, the kiln-master, the sculpture-master, the trimming-master, the glaze-master, etc etc. No single person can take credit for everything, yet the products are considered "art" by the culture. I get interesting results by delegating parts of my process to these masters. I have been accustomed to performing every aspect of my studio process because I felt that authorship was at stake. But the attitude is very different here, and now I am comfortable with it. It's an opportunity to rethink my cultural baggage."
"I was planning to come back to the USA during the month of April, 2006. However, I was offered a solo exhibition at a gallery in Shenzhen City (near Hong Kong) in August. The gallery offered me a studio and living space for three months to prepare for the show. I believe it is important to say "yes" as often as possible. That is why I am here in the first place, because of people saying "yes." It is a simple, powerful statement. So, I am moving to Shenzhen in about 8 weeks to begin working there. Until that time, I am living and working in Jingdezhen. See you in August/September 2006."
RAECHELL SMITH
from Kansas City, Missouri
Independent Research in Italy, Slovenia & Germany (June 2005)
"During my travels, I met artists from around the country and thought a great deal about how contemporary art is helping to collapse divisions and misunderstandings between cultures, as the world shifts via rapid globalization and information exchange is made simple through technology.
The places I experienced, the people I met, and the artwork that I saw will have a continuing impact on my own development as a curator and the curatorial work that I do. I am more and more interested in how artists from other cultures can help us learn more about the world we live in. And, I feel compelled to understand contemporary artists working with issues that we might not understand at first glance. This was my very first travel to Eastern Europe and I found remnants of communism/socialism balanced with a new optimism and fresh opportunities for artists in these places to enter into an international conversation and community. For example, how does an artist grapple with recent memories of war and conflict while contemplating democracy, artistic freedom, and international connectivity for the first time? "
CRAIG SUBLER
from Kansas City, Missouri
One month Independent Research in Bamako, Mali (June 2006)
Subler will travel to Bamako, Mali in West Africa in order to meet and interact with Malian contemporary artists and create a suite of drawings that explore cultural tourism and the psychological and physical space where Western tourists interact with Mailian Culture. In Bamako, Subler will work with the faculty and students at the Conservatory of Art. The Conservatory, under the direction of Malian artist Abdoulaye Konate, has worked to encourage artists working around the globe to visit the school and to work with its students and faculty.
HIROTSUNE TASHIMA
from Tucson, Arizona
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió, Kecskemét, Hungary and Ceramic Research Center, Skælskør, Denmark (May 2006)
During a one-month Residency at Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió and a three-week Residency at Ceramic Research Center, Denmark, Tashima will create a new series influenced by working and living in Hungary and Denmark. The residencies will expand the artist's perspective on the work of artists from Europe and Eastern Europe.
TED VOGEL
from Portland, Oregon
Two Month Residency at the Zentrum Fur Keramik; Berlin, Germany (October 2006)
JAMIE WARREN
from Kansas City, Missouri
Tokyo, Japan
MICHAEL DAVID WICKERSON
from Lake Lotawana, Missouri
Balchik, Bulgaria
LARS WOLTER
from Moenchengladbach, Germany
Rocket Gallery - London, England and Paragraph Gallery - Kansas City, Missouri Exchange (September 2005)
Lars Wolter traveled to Kansas City and installation a site-specific wall painting. The exhibition was co-curated by Hesse McGraw, Director of Paragraph Gallery, Kansas City and Jonathan Stephenson, Curator of Rocket Gallery, London.
JAMES WOODFILL
from Kansas City, Missouri
Rocket Gallery - London, England and Paragraph Gallery - Kansas City, Missouri Exchange (September 2005)
James Woodfill traveled to London to install a site-specific work. Woodfill "found" his materials in London. "I pick the objects for their particular sense of neutrality, and look for ways to misuse and re-assess them." The constructed artwork offers “a fresh look at what exists around us. I am used to working and searching for materials in Kansas City and the shift in scale and diversity was quite a challenge. The ease to which I am used to was not there…But this process pointed out to me the need to more fully utilize the ease with which an artist can work in Kansas City. It seems to me that this ease allows for a more contemplative working process, and this might be a defining aspect of work in the Midwest."
"I become aware of a great skepticism about United States policies from a personal point of view, and I was able to discuss my perceptions of the United Kingdom and Europe developed through the media. My understanding of the subtleties involved in philosophies was greatly enhanced."
ANDREA YATES
from Lawrence, Kansas
One month Residency at Guldagergaard International Research Center, Skaelskor, Denmark (July 2006)