​Art turns us toward the light and wonder and renewal. Art tells the story of our human experience. Art speaks where words are unable to explain.
 
Art has been with us every day, every week, every month of this last year. Art connects us to our past and brings truth and beauty to our present. Art prepares us and leads us toward our future.
 
Art comes from our spirits and whispers to our souls.
 
Art rallies us when we are low. Art carries us toward recovery.
 
Art leads us out of our troubles and shows us our way forward.
 
Art is love. Art is powerful. Art is like the very best kind of hug, the most tender kiss.
 
Art is that comforting, gentle hand upon a trembling shoulder. Art soothes us when we ache and gives solace when we grieve. Art gives us strength when we are fearful. Art gives us hope when we are discouraged.
 
Art lifts us. Art sustains us. Art is a bouquet that causes our hearts to sing.
 
Art is love. Love is at the center of artCentral—the love of art and artists and the community where we create and live and work and play and raise our families and celebrate our friends.
 
Art is about coming to the end of a hard road and knowing that by grace and determination we have endured and are ready to go forward with renewed commitment to cherish the miracle and beauty of the lives we are given to live and to celebrate the art we are compelled to create and share.
 
In the year before us artCentral has great love and great art to share. Please join with us at Hyde House for artCentral’s joy-filled celebrations of the gifts of living, loving and creating. CDC protocols are observed to keep us all safe and healthy.
 
Through March 13, 2021: This year’s opening exhibition, KALEIDOSCOPE, continues at Hyde House showcasing members of the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition. Gallery Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m. at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage.

​April 2 – May 15: Philip Ledbetter: PAINT in MOTION: Paintings Exhibition underwritten by Carthage Hardware, Quinn’s Custom Framing and SMB|Southwest Missouri Bank
 
June 4 – July 17: Annual Juried Membership Exhibition: underwritten by McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation
 
July 5-9 and 12-16: Virtual Summer Arts Camp for Youth in partnership with the Neosho Arts Council
 
August 6 – September 18: Richard and Debbie Reed: METAMORPHOSIS: Mixed Media Exhibition underwritten by Schmidt CPAs and Advisors.
 
October 1 – December 4: Lori Marble and Jo Mueller: PIECED TOGETHER: Mixed Media Exhibition underwritten by Old Missouri Bank.
 
October 1 – December 4: Silent Auction Fundraiser: SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS: 5x7 Canvases created and donated by artCentral Artists underwritten by Old Missouri Bank.
 
October 1 – December 4: Fundraiser: artCentral’s signature limited edition SCARLET AMARYLISS underwritten by Old Missouri Bank.
 
For 2021, all year through, artCentral will bring grand art to our small town!
                                                       
Art at artCentral is preparing us and leading us toward our future. Mark your calendars now and come join us for our new and exciting year before us!
 
Art is an essential component in any healthy, vibrant community, especially greater Carthage. You can't spell Carthage without "art"! Art turns us toward the light and wonder and renewal.

​at my alma mater Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. My intimate mixed media “Give Happiness” was selected to be included in the inaugural exhibit.

art@hendrix!, described as “a love letter to Hendrix’s history with visual arts,”  celebrates the artistic life of Hendrix College prior to the WMA’s opening. The exhibition includes 94 artworks created or collected by alumni and faculty and staff, as well as significant works from the Hendrix permanent collection and courtesy of the Historic Arkansas Museum.
 
Originally planned as the WMA’s inaugural exhibition, art@hendrix! shifted to an online-only format due to the pandemic and is viewable at the museum’s website: www.windgatemuseum.org.
 
Recently I served on an alumni panel in celebration of the Windgate’s online opening. The event started me thinking about my magical years as a student at Hendrix.
 
After spending my first undergraduate months at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, by good fortune I found my way south to Hendrix. Though the student body was fewer than my graduating class at Hall High in Little Rock, I knew I was somewhere special.

​Kathy, my roommate and I learned our goldfish did not fare well in their bowl placed on top of our radiator. Indeed, more than once we returned from class to find yet another wee one flopping about and drying out on the floor having leapt from their too hot basin of water. We were slow to realize the problem. I suppose we had our minds elsewhere.
 
Our classes were small and our professors caring. The academics were rigorous enough to demand our concentrated attention in keeping with Hendrix’s sometime bantered about identity as the liberal arts Little Harvard of the South. Plus, I had assistantships in the art and theater departments. Campus life kept me twirling! I spent my junior year organizing and implementing the campus social calendar. In my senior year I served as chairwoman of the Women’s Judiciary Board. Always, all the way through, art was then, as now, the center of my world. 

The museum will give all students an opportunity to live with art as part of their daily lives, as well as offering a deeper art experience through classes, Odyssey projects, and internships.

​WMA will enrich all Hendrix disciplines, from the humanities through the sciences, while engaging the artistic community throughout the South with traveling exhibitions, residencies, commissions and partnerships with other museums and arts organizations in the state and beyond.
 
In the words of past President William M. Tsutsui "Just imagine walking across campus on a Friday afternoon, and in the distance you hear strings or jazz or voices raised in song. As you venture into the Creative Quad, you will be surrounded by activity and caught up in the energy: there is the art museum, with an exhibition hung and a gallery talk underway; across the quadrangle, an ensemble plays in open air; in the new auditorium, a film is being screened in state-of-the-art facilities; beyond the archway are actors bringing a scene to life."
 
Yes, I can just imagine the new cultural dimensions the Windgate is bringing to the Hendrix experience! I love knowing that the Windgate will be a significant place of learning for art-loving students who will prepare to one day serve art and artists and communities as I am privileged to do at artCentral. 
​The museum will give all students an opportunity to live with art as part of their daily lives, as well as offering a deeper art experience through classes, Odyssey projects, and internships.

​Thank You! to all the artists who have filled artCentral’s Hyde House galleries with a splendid array of thematic riffs on KALEIDOSCOPE. In this season-opening exhibition many artists have contributed their best in their familiar, go-to medium, others have explored in entirely new directions. The diversity in this collective treasure chest is astonishing.
 
Through March 13, 2021, treat yourself to a spirit-lifting afternoon art outing in artCentral’s beautifully elegant Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. Weekend Gallery Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m.
 
The Missouri Arts Council has certified artCentral as an ArtSafe Space. For all who enter Hyde House, CDC protocols are followed: masking, contact tracing, social distancing and hand sanitizing. Thank you for helping our artCentral community keep our staff and volunteers and artists and guests safe and healthy.

​Thank You! to all who joined in the KALEIDOSCOPE evening Opening Celebration on Facebook. Thank you for supporting artCentral, artCentral artists and members of the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition (JRAC).
 
A very special Thank You! to artCentral’s awesomely talented board member/techno guru/digital choreographer Wendi Murdock who created and directed the exciting online Celebration magic. Thank You!, too, to my art-savvy co-hosts and exhibiting artists: David Greenwood-Mathé, artCentral’s Prepitor extraordinaire, and Andrew Batcheller, JRAC board member, for sharing in our celebratory repartee featuring each exhibiting artist.

VIEW the OPENING CELEBRATION EVENING here!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FhccsiByIj3QGhnbqQMGnC5RSWzwwjp8/view?usp=sharing
 
Thank You! to KALEIDOSCOPE’s gracious underwriters: The Palms Massage and Day Spa and Cherry’s Custom Framing and Art Gallery. Your support for artCentral and the arts in our community is a tremendous gift!

​Thank You! to the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition for our valuable alliance that continues to enhance the cultural life of southwest Missouri and far beyond. JRAC 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.
 
Thank you! JRAC for inviting Juror John Smittle who traveled from Columbus, Kansas, to select the exhibition’s Award Winners. Arriving eager and early on a sunny winter afternoon, John first made a walk-through initial viewing of all the artworks in the downstairs and upstairs galleries. Next he composed a list of the art that most caught his attention as he considered Impact of Presentation, Composition of Elements, Technical Achievement and Reflection of Exhibition Theme. After much contemplation and written comments for each, John gave me his choices to receive ribbons and cash awards for first, second, third and honorable mention places plus two artworks he chose for special recognition.

FIRST PLACE: Melody Knowles, "Protecting My Personal Space” for “a very thought provoking narrative work with a plethora of story-telling symbolism told with pleasing color choices.”

SECOND PLACE: Eric Beezley, “You Are Here” for" a pleasingly diverse surface with strikingly bold contrasts of color that cause the viewer to feel instantly drawn into the canvas.”

THIRD PLACE: Jane McCaulley, “Tulips and Lace” for “a clean and precise fused glass composition moving out from the center with pieces that extend beyond the circular edge.”  

HONORABLE MENTION: Andrew Batcheller, “The Vestigial Fires in Love’s Vault” for “incredible technical skills and bold colors surrounding the somber central subject set against a nice use of perspective.”

​SPECIAL RECOGNITION: David Greenwood-Mathé, “Crowleidoscope” for “a dark yet exciting painting with great contrast of color and lots of motion tied together with circular motifs.”

​SPECIAL RECOGNITION: Jim Bray, “Aliens” for “an abundance of motion and chaos surrounded by dark somber hues that pull the viewer in to be explosively hurled outward.”

​To all the award winners artCentral offers hearty “Congratulations!” and to all exhibiting JRAC artists artCentral offers heartfelt gratitude for your contributions that make this exhibition a superlative season opener!
 
All artCentral’s members, patrons and first time guests are enthusiastically urged to come see the entire KALEIDOSCOPE collection. Experience the wealth of imagination, the joie de vivre and the color up-close and personal. View the artworks selected as outstanding, choose favorites of your own and make arrangements to purchase one or more to take home. For more information contact artCentral by phone (417) 358-4404 or email: artcentral@artcentralcarthage.org.

In Celtic climes February 1 is often thought of as the first day of spring.

Spring is certainly how our climate feels on a sunshiny day up on Hyde House Hill where new life is emerging as daffodils begin to rise up through winter’s leaf mulch. Inside the walls of artCentral’s light-filled galleries are profusely blooming with colors galore in artCentral’s KALEIDOSCOPE exhibition.

KALEIDOSCOPE, graciously underwritten by The Palms Massage and Day Spa and Cherry’s Custom Framing Art Gallery, is going LIVE in Hyde House from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Friday, February 5, 2021, when the Opening Celebration for this dynamic exhibition will showcase the dazzling creations of 40 members of the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition (JRAC)!

Come to the party! Join in the fun! Learn which artworks juror John Smittle has selected as award winners.
John Smittle’s life in art is the gift he brings with him to artCentral and to KALEIDOSCOPE. From Emporia State University he has a BSE in Art K-12 and an MFA in Drawing and Painting from Pittsburg State University. He taught K-12 art for two years in Onaga, Kansas, and 7-12 art for thirty years in Columbus, Kansas. He is an adjunct art instructor at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kansas. We are very grateful to have John as juror for KALEIDOSCOPE.

For your KALEICOSCOPE viewing pleasure and participation, awesomely talented artCentral board member/techno guru/digital choreographer Wendi Murdock has created an exciting online presentation you will be sure to enjoy.

This arty evening will be hosted by artCentral artists: Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé (Executive Director-Curator), David Greenwood-Mathé (Prepitor) and Andrew Batcheller (JRAC board member).
Tune in on artCentral’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage.

The festivities begin with a stunning video presentation featuring each and every artwork one after another in a kaleidoscopic sequence of patterns and elements and images backed by a musical soundtrack. The brilliance and diversity of this collection are exciting and inspiring and soothing, as well.

Taking a virtual tour through all the downstairs and upstairs galleries each artwork will be given a turn to stand in the spotlight as Alice Lynn, David and Andrew share their individual artistic insights and comments. Through the magic of this online event, you, too, can join in the conversation with your questions and observations. In the course of the evening you will likely hear from more than one contributing artist watching from the viewing audience.

The roster of participating artists is truly impressive. Some are well known far beyond our state borders. Others are regional art stars. You may already have their art in your personal collection. (David and I certainly have quite a few in ours!) Some artists are just starting to be recognized, and others are just beginning to exhibit their art. All are worth our attention. They include:

Andrew Batcheller, Eric Beezley, Angel Brame, Diana Bray, Jim Bray, Daria Claiborne, Jane Clark, Ginger Copeland and Liz Darling;

Nancy A. Erwin, Judith Fowler, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, David Greenwood-Mathé, Al Gritten, Mary Johnson, Tom Jones and Janice Kinman;

Jean Kisling, Melody Knowles, Philip Ledbetter, Lori Marble, Koral Martin, Jane McCaulley, Connie Miller, Dustin Miller and John Mills;

Margie Moss, Jo Mueller, Mary L. Parks, Sandra Parrill, Linda Passeri, Mary Passeri, Tyla Marie Raredon, Emily Rose, Brenda Sageng, Linda Teeter, and Chadan Tomlin.

You will not want to miss a minute or an image as you pick your own favorites. You can even make your purchases as this fast-paced show leads up to the grand finale when ribbons, created by JRAC president Emily Rose and Andrew, will be given to KALEIDOSCOPE award recipients along with cash prizes and surprise gifts from artCentral.

Come to the LIVE on Facebook party. Afterwards, through March 13, 2021, come on up the hill to see all the KALEIDOSCOPE art up close and personal in real time at Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth Street in Carthage. Afternoon Weekend Gallery Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m.
​
The Missouri Arts Council has certified artCentral as an ArtSafe Space. For all who enter Hyde House, CDC protocols are followed: masking, contact tracing, social distancing and hand sanitizing.
Thank you for helping our artCentral community keep our staff and volunteers and artists and guests safe and healthy for this spring and for all our seasons yet to come in this brand new year.