​These plein-air painters were recently honored at the annual Carthage Chamber of Commerce banquet as they collectively received the 2017 Artist-of-the-Year Award. All at artCentral extend congratulations to this team of fine artists: Alexandra Burnside, Teri Y. Diggs, Liz Foster, Olivia Givens, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, David Greenwood-Mathé, Sydney Hartless, Tom Jones, Chris Raredon, Tyla Raredon, Emily Rose, Sierra Russow, Brenda Sageng, Linda Swatsenbarg, Elizabeth Wallsmith and Joe Wallsmith.

Our spring exhibition season begins at artCentral with a blockbuster at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage!  Friday, February 2nd, 6:00-8:00 p.m. is the Opening Reception for ART SPEAKS, the stunning, not-to-be-missed mixed media collection presented by the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition (JRAC) and juried by artist Marian Stahl Chamberlain.

We extend our sincere appreciation to Koral Martin of KOKA Art Gallery and to Cherry Babcock of Cherry’s Art Emporium for their underwriting of this impressive exhibit which will be on display until March 18th. Admission is free.

Joplin Regional Artists Coalition is a not-for-profit group founded in 2010. JRAC’s mission is to promote, strengthen and advocate for the visual arts and artists, art enthusiasts and patrons of the visual arts and to network visual artists to more effectively engage in cultural, economic and educational artistic activity within the Joplin region. Many Carthage artists are active members of JRAC.

Serving as a showcase for the strength and diversity of the visual arts in this region, JRAC’s Artist Registry, www.joplinrac.org, offers artwork and contact information for JRAC members.

Art speaks fluently through the artists of JRAC. Each and every artist has a unique voice. These accomplished artists know how to use theirs as each tells a different story.

Through these talented art makers art speaks powerfully, abundantly and succinctly, as well. Art speaks large and art speaks small—in two dimensions and in three. No materials are off limits. All media are placed one way or another in service to this cacophony of creative voices.

Art speaks softly and quietly. Art speaks boldly and brightly, colorfully and subdued, too. Here in our community and around the world, art speaks through artists who’ve known the freedom of artistic expression and through those who’ve experienced the pain of being silenced.

On the walls of Hyde House the art of JRAC is unleashed and unsilenced for all to hear and to see. At artCentral our excitement is grand! Our small town is about to see more grand art and you’re invited to this juried exhibition!

Juror Marian Stahl Chamberlain is artistically moved by everyday moments. These ordinary moments inspire feelings that compel her to speak them in her own art.

Originally from the Springfield, Missouri, area, Marian’s work is influenced by a strong personal drive, an art and art history based education, experiences as an educator and her own personal experiences residing in other states.

Marian focuses her expression through printmaking which allows her to combine drawing and an involved artistic and technical process while enjoying many different media including pastel, graphite and watercolor. Marian’s portraits, prints, watercolors, pastels, drawings, murals and other work can be found in collections across the United States from Florida to New Jersey to the west coast.

As a member of Fresh Gallery, Best of Missouri Hands, the Springfield Regional Arts Council, the Southwest Missouri Art and Craft Guild, and the Springfield Visual Arts Alliance. I hold a BA in Studio Art and Art History, and a ME in Art Education, both from Drury University, Marian Stahl Chamberlain is well qualified to serve as juror for this fine ART SPEAKS exhibition. artCentral and JRAC join in extending our appreciation for her generous giving of her time and talent.

Personally and on behalf of artCentral’s Board of Directors, I welcome Marian Stahl Chamberlain and the fine art makers of JRAC as they show us ART SPEAKS! For information call: (417) 358-4404.

participating in groups devoted to sustaining and developing a high quality of life in Carthage. She’s participated as a longtime member of the Art Walk committee and served on the boards of the Carthage Visitors and Convention Bureau and Vision Carthage.

Cherry’s business skill set is enviable. She’s organized, thoughtful, and decisive fearlessly working at her forward edge. Undaunted by challenges, Cherry’s a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of business owner whether taking on the interior renovation of the Emporium’s 135 year old Ramsey building or finding the right people to share the daily operations.

When I ask Cherry what she loves best about her art gallery/framing enterprise/restaurant, she responds, “I love being here, surrounded by art that I love and by people who matter to me. I don’t have employees. I have a staff, our staff. Our staff is our family.” Indeed, in part, this is literally true. Cherry’s sister and her two adult sons (one at the gallery and one offering sound business advice from out-of-town) play key roles in getting the work done, keeping the doors open and opening new doors, too, like the brick-arched passageway leading from the Emporium’s gallery into the realm of two extraordinarily talented women—recent additions to Cherry’s business family.

Betty Goodman and Stormy Gunlock are the angels hovering over Cherry’s newest enterprise—Annie’s, the specialty gift and gourmet shop, that Cherry’s recently purchased and moved from 3rd Street to the Main Street storefront next to the Art Emporium. Bringing their creative professionalism to the stocking and display of Annie’s wide variety of unique merchandise, Betty and Stormy make Annie’s your one-stop shop for entertaining essentials and for gifts for every occasion. David and I introduced his two out-of-town sisters to Annie’s, and we were delighted to learn at our family’s holiday gift celebration, the sisters had gone back to Annie’s to do their shopping!
At Annie’s delightful choices abound—from tastefully charming greeting cards to exotic chutneys to best-ever chocolate truffles; from distinctive wines to sparkling stemware; from uniquely scented candles to arty kitchen towels; and lots, lots more. Open on Christmas Eve, Annie’s offered rescue and respite for the customer who happily declared, “You have saved me from a last minute trip to the MALL! I’m so thankful you’re here!”

Art and framing and specialty gourmet and gift selections—what more can Cherry’s Art Emporium offer? Well, good food and music, of course! You’ll find both when you walk through the art gallery and step into the Woodshed—Cherry’s spacious back room replete with art and vintage décor and tantalizing aromas. David and I are still reminiscing over the pleasure of the sprout-embellished, perfectly dressed portobello mushroom burger and heaping portion of mixed fries we recently shared.
The Woodshed menu specializes in amazing burgers, but you’ll find plenty of other possibilities for your small party dining. Large special events can be scheduled at the Woodshed by calling Cherry’s at (417) 358-2707. There’s also a space available for more intimate events just around the corner in Annie’s original location at 116 West Third Street.

In the past the Woodshed was a twice a month bluegrass venue where you could purchase coffee and pie to go along with some authentic, downhome pickin’ and singin’ in an eclectic space cluttered and crowded with theater seating and an accumulation of junk including broken down washing machines. Carrying on the seventeen year tradition, the Woodshed’s Friday night music of today is a special treat with local and traveling musicians performing their original tunes, with options to enjoy good food and the additional pleasures brought by a liquor license.

“What next?” I ask Cherry. “Oh, I have plans to bring excellence to Carthage every chance I get!” Cherry replies, speaking with the confidence and self-assurance of a person living on purpose. “Working with visionary folks like Ed and Kara Hardesty of Mother Road Coffee, together we’re inspiring each other to lead the way in turning Carthage into more than just another stop on Route 66. We want to see Carthage become a Destination where one can have the kind of exceptional and meaningful experience you can take home and relish forever—until the next time you just have to come back again!”

​All residents and travelers, too, are invited to come back to artCentral on Friday, February 2nd, 6:00-8:00 p.m. for the Opening Reception for “Art Speaks”, the stunning, not-to-be-missed mixed media collection presented by the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition. Admission is free.

As director-curator of artCentral I take great pleasure in welcoming guests to artCentral and hearing about their art experiences in our small town. Without exception, all are impressed with the quality of art they find in our Hyde House galleries and their art-questing beyond. Having visited Cherry’s Art Emporium, one guest boldly stated, “The art we found there is on the level of the art we expect to see in New York City or Chicago or other big art centers.”
 
I repeat this statement to Cherry Babcock. She smiles, nods her head and says, “I like hearing this! In fact I’ve heard similar comments at least half a-dozen times.”
 
Every year, artists and art lovers alike make an annual pilgrimage to experience Cherry’s Plein Air Paint Out, staged on the square during our Maple Leaf Festival. Their most frequently overheard comments mostly tend toward “Wow! These paintings are amazing.”
 
Cherry doesn’t do what she does for the favorable comments, no matter how sweetly the words resonate. Cherry does what she does, because she can’t help herself. “I’m here because I want to be, have to be. Cherry’s Art Emporium is my prayer, my meditation.”
 
Now fully engaged as the owner of her art gallery/framing enterprise/restaurant, Cherry lives by her credo: “If you own a business, you have to be here. Customers expect to see and engage with the owner. You don’t just go away and leave all the responsibilities with someone else.”
 
In spite of her dedication to a hands-on business approach, Cherry’s very aware that rest and relaxation are essential components in enjoying success in business and in relationships. She aspires to live a work-life balance with occasional vacations and those getaway weekends when she and Joe, her husband, drive west to fish and hunt on their small farm outside of Carthage. She affectionately refers to their retreat as their “country home”—a camping trailer big enough to accommodate a queen-sized bed.
 
I sometimes wonder if Cherry doesn’t also have a bed at her business, too, for her hours spent onsite far exceed a forty-hour week. “No,” she assures me, “I don’t sleep here. I love to be in the sanctuary of my home, and I love returning to work early in the morning when I’m the only one here. Often I take those first quiet morning moments to meditate and to look around and ponder what I’m creating. I feel God really has his hand on me. All I have to do is listen to his guidance and the doors fly open before me. My life just keeps miraculously expanding!”
 
Before moving to her current location at 311 South Main on the square, Cherry served her customers from her location on Howard Street where in addition to her framing business she continued with her modest art gallery, having only enough space to show a small handful of artists. “In order to grow my business, I knew I had to move to the square,” Cherry says. She did in 2013. Her business has been growing and flourishing ever since.
 
To her new location, Cherry’s brought with her repeat customers with whom she’s been doing business over the twenty-six years since 1992. Many with Cherry’s guidance have gathered prized art collections in their homes and still return for just one more painting or sculpture they can’t live without. While her emphasis rests in representing local and regional artists, Cherry’s stable of forty-five art-makers includes several exceptionally accomplished and well-known artists from around the country.
 
Besides serving and engaging with her artists and customers, one aspect of her work that truly inspires Cherry is finding like-minded Carthaginians that share her zeal and vision for setting our town on every map as a go-to destination for art and shopping and a variety of dining opportunities.
 
Next week I’ll conclude my three-part feature on Cherry Babcock’s hometown enterprises by telling you of her plans and collaborations to continue to grow her own business while helping create a small town that attracts and brings an ever greater variety of businesses to support the economic health our beloved Carthage can enjoy for decades to come.

our nighttime pillow talk, too) frequently return to three favorite themes—fashion, food and art. 

​​On a recent morning we touched on the value of a good pair of wool socks in winter and whether to have cranberry chutney on or beside our breakfast toast spread with avocado. David mentioned Magritte’s painting of a dress form with the anatomy of a naked woman. He spoke of the wood art he’s been working on and the new molding he wants to use to frame the painting underway on his easel. I told David how much I enjoyed painting the pet portrait commission I completed as a Christmas gift for a husband to give to his wife; I spoke of my excitement to begin my newest series of works on canvas to be titled “My Husband’s Elegant Body”; and I mentioned my delicious art-centric conversation with Cherry Babcock.
 
Cherry and I are two women with full lives and a shared passion for art. With both of us constantly twirling in our unique spheres, our opportunities for connection and conversation don’t come around often enough, but when they do they are wondrously satisfying. Fashion, food and art are typical themes for us, too.
 
A couple of years ago, on one of those first spring mornings when the chill still stung our cheeks, we sat on the bench outside the Deli beneath the gentle warmth of the welcome Saturday sun. Our time was brief but sweet.
 
Cherry told me of her extended Florida sojourn replete with ball gowns and jewels. I spoke of my years in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village designing for a small fashion house specializing in women’s fancy occasion frocks. We talked of the pleasure of a good bowl of hearty soup. I mentioned my art-in-progress and up-coming exhibits at artCentral. Cherry shared her delight for the new artists coming into her stable.
 
A few days ago we set aside time to meet up and have an extended visit. Settling into one of the lush sofas in her spacious gallery, our thematic conversation continued as though we’d never stopped. Members of her staff and a few customers stopped by with questions and comments. The interruptions were simply modest pauses in the flow of our dialogue.
 
With regard to fashion, we compared notes on the advantages of different hairdos. With a coif worn long, a ponytail is always an option, while a good cut can make a short style quick and easy. Mostly our extended talk time centered on Cherry’s candidly responding to the questions I asked about her current innovations and future plans, all of which revolve around the art and the food she’s loved all her life.
 
Growing up in Carthage, Cherry was eager to leave as soon as possible. “I felt so limited and confined,” Cherry explains, “I just had to get away and experience the thrill of adventure.” She did. Her wanderlust landed her in Ocala, Florida, where she spent eight years sampling “a society life”. She also began her forty year love affair with art after discovering the enchanting feminine prints of Louis Icart and the brilliant expressionist colors and suggested action in the works of Leroy Neiman.
 
Asked why she left her exotic Florida adventure and came back to Carthage, Cherry muses, “I had to go away to know I wanted to come home. Being away I realized how precious home is and how much I loved Carthage and how much I wanted to surround myself with the support of my family—those people who know me best and always have my back.”
 
Cherry’s first Carthage frame shop and small art gallery were in Lemasters Home Decorating. There, as in all of her business undertakings, Cherry relied on the lessons she learned from her businessman grandfather, owner of Cantrell’s Seed House. He taught her at an early age the importance of customer service and treating customers really well.
 
Next week I’ll give you more of Cherry’s business backstory that’s led Cherry to her remarkable business unfolding and expansion that Carthage is witnessing on the square through Cherry’s visionary endeavors.
 
For now, remember to mark your calendars! artCentral begins our spring exhibition season with a blockbuster! Friday, February 2nd, 6:00-8:00 p.m. is the Opening Reception for “Art Speaks”, the stunning, not-to-be-missed mixed media collection presented by the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition.