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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

1/20/2021

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IN THE COMPANY OF BABY ANGELS   
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Baby Angel Alexandra and Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520) | La Madonna di San Sisto | detail
​He was stretched out on my left, turned toward me as he rested on his side, breathing quietly in blissful, contented sleep. As I lay enjoying the beauty of the man’s peacefulness, up popped a bevy of plump little naked bodies with rounded bottoms, their soft shoulders adorned with tiny wings. Gleefully they frolicked up and down and over this man as though the terrain of his body was their playground. I reached out to shake him into waking and tell him what was happening. Just then…
 
I awoke. There lay my husband sleeping as peacefully as in my dream. The tiny, chubby, winged children were nowhere to be seen when the phone alarm played softly and he opened his eyes. We embraced and said our “good mornings”.
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​Over the coffee David brought upstairs and back to bed, I told him of my pleasantly curious dreaming of the little people playing on him. Online we looked up images of the cherubic figures familiar in art and known as putti. Some were frolicking like I saw them in the night. One familiar twosome, painted long ago by Raphael, was resting and appeared to be thinking their most angelic thoughts.
 
As amused as I to begin our day in the company of baby angels, David went back downstairs to make our breakfast. I began moving into the opening asana of my morning yoga, when “ping” went my phone announcing an artful message sent by our east coast daughter.
 
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, lost in a reverie of deja vue, I stared at my little screen, seeing Audrey’s two images stacked one atop the other. The one above was of our two-year-old granddaughter, whom of course we think of as cherubic. Her sweet, chubby-cheeked face was lost in thought, haloed in dark ringlets and resting on her crossed arms propped on the kitchen counter. Alexandra looked just as pensive as the two cherubs who appeared below her in Raphael’s classic, well-known painting that David and I had just seen only moments earlier in our internet browsing inspired by my dream.   
 
Dreams can be curious messengers. What am I to make of mine? My dream? My early morning messengers? What were those putti up to cavorting over my husband? Were they merely playfully getting my attention—pre-telling me of the phone text and pictures I was about to receive?
 
Putti, in the ancient classical world of art, were winged infants that were believed to influence human lives. Derived from personifications of love in Greek and Roman art, putti, cupids and angels can be found in both religious and secular art from the 1420s in Italy. Putti were portrayed in Italian paintings, especially those of the Madonna and Child. They later appeared in the Netherlands, Germany and France. Today’s putti are mostly seen as bow and arrow toting cupids acting as the harbingers and facilitators of Valentine love.
 
The two relaxed putti who appear below Alexandra’s image, though unequipped with bows and arrows, are certainly images of loving adoration painted by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520), known to us as Raphael. One of the most well-known angel paintings of all time, Raphael's putti are some of the most beloved and reprinted angels of Western art.
 
Though most often appearing in isolation, Raphael’s delightful putti pair is taken from a much larger work in oil: the Sistine Madonna or La Madonna di San Sisto, one of Raphael’s last completed works. On the canvas, accompanied by Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara, the Virgin Mary stands upon a cloud holding the Christ child. The two cherubim are located at the very bottom of the painting. Nearly destroyed by allied bombs dropped on Dresden, Germany, during World War II, Raphael’s painting was saved by Russian forces. Though briefly held by the Soviet Union, the painting returned to Germany and can be seen today in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister with the two putti still looking up in adoration.
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Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520) | La Madonna di San Sisto
​The message of my dream? Perhaps the putti appeared to remind me that in all times, peaceful and chaotic, too, our precious Alexandra and her sister Sophie, their grandpère and all of us are always in the company of adoring baby angels, if we can only imagine they are with us in our dreams and seek them in the work of artists who imagined them, too. 
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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

1/14/2021

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PHOTOGRAPHER JANE BALLARD MAKES MEMORIES
As artCentral’s board members will tell you, I have a hard time letting one of them go after we have spent time working and playing together for the artCentral we love. The time has come to see board member and gifted photographer Jane Ballard off to her new adventures. To soothe the ache of our parting, I have asked Jane to leave her story with us. I am so very grateful for Jane and for this—her parting gift sent to us from her keyboard.
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JANE BALLARD | Photographs and Memories | Digital Photography Photomosaic
​Once upon a time...isn’t that how all fairy tales start?
 
I remember being a creative child—coloring, painting, drawing, and even playing with clay.  It was fun, but I wasn’t very good at any of it.  Then I picked up a camera—a Kodak Brownie to be exact.  I’m sure I wasn’t a very good photographer either, but I had found my passion!  I loved seeing the world around me through that camera and capturing those memories.  THAT is what photography is all about—MEMORIES!
 
I was lucky enough to travel to Europe in 1972, and I took a Kodak Instamatic camera with me, exposing 36 rolls of film!  When Notre Dame burned, I dug out those photos and reminisced about that trip.  Vacations, weddings, birthdays, Christmases—we all turn to our photographs to relive those special memories.
 
In the mid-1970’s, I graduated to a “real” camera, a Canon AE-1, and really started working on my skills.  Of course, that was the film days.  You had to THINK about your exposure, composition, white balance, et cetera before you even pressed the shutter button.  Then you had to wait for two weeks to get the photos back from the lab!  I learned to plan my shots and get it right in camera, because there weren’t any “do overs”.
 
But then “life” drilled the creativity out of me.  I heard the voices saying, “Logic—that’s the only thing that will get you through.  Be sensible: art is frivolous and you can’t make a living at it.” I got a degree in accounting and entered the business world. As a result, my creative side got pushed back into the darkness, and my camera was put in the closet. 
 
In the early 2000’s, I picked up a camera again as a necessity, when I needed to post photographs of products on my website.  I carefully staged and lit the products, knowing that they had to look good in order to sell them.  And the passion for photography was rekindled!
 
I have worked my way up through the digital “point and shoot” cameras to the Nikon Z7 Mirrorless that I use now.  I’m continuously trying to hone my skills as a photographer and a photo editor by taking online classes, in person workshops, and attending photography conferences.  I have also joined local and statewide photography organizations.
 
When I started looking for venues in which to exhibit my images, I contacted Alice Lynn at artCentral.  I entered the membership show and, later, exhibited some of my images in the satellite galleries.  And, I joined the artCentral Board of Directors.
 
In 2018, I co-curated a photography exhibit called “Colors of Autumn” at artCentral which featured works from several local photographers from the Four State Photography Enthusiasts (FSPE).  In 2019, we followed with an exhibit called “All Creatures Great and Small.” In addition to the artCentral exhibits, I have co-curated four exhibits for the FSPE at Spiva Center for the Arts and one at Maple Uncommon.
 
A few months ago, my husband, Bobby and I moved to Table Rock Lake.  Our new home has a beautiful overlook on the lake and I have started a Sunset of the Day album on my Facebook page to showcase that view.  I have captured some spectacular images, but I’m still looking for THE sunset shot!  
 
Although my time on the artCentral board of directors is coming to an end, I must say I have enjoyed being involved with the board and the great people with whom I have served!  I hope I have brought to light a wider acceptance of photography as art.  The purpose of art is to evoke an emotional response and photography does that.  And no other art form can capture memories like photography can.
 
We live two hours away now, but I am still going to be involved with artCentral and Spiva. 
 
2020 didn’t give us the “Perfect Vision” that we had planned. Here’s to much better 2021 memories!
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Thank you, Jane Ballard! We appreciate and cherish you. We cherish the memories we have made with you!
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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

1/7/2021

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WITH GREAT PLEASURE!
ALEXANDRA BURNSIDE
KALEE HINSPETER and son, CARTER
With great pleasure the members of artCentral’s Board of Directors and I introduce to you Alexandra Burnside and Kalee Hinspeter—two remarkable women who are poised to take their seats at the board table of artCentral as we launch into a brand new year.

Welcoming Alexandra and Kalee with me are artCentral’s hardworking, visionary current board members including Betsy Flanigan, president; Jane Ballard, secretary; Jackie Boyer; Maddie Capps; Wendi Douglas; Doug Osborn; Jason Shelfer; and Kerry Sturgis; as well as our dedicated Membership Coordinator Bev Sturgis.

Alexandra and Kalee will be splendid additions bringing fresh new perspectives, genuine enthusiasm and well-rounded skill sets to add to the expansive diversity of our multi-talented board members.

ALEXANDRA BURNSIDE

​
Alexandra spent much of her childhood in El Paso, Texas and Webb City, Missouri, where she graduated with honors from Webb City High School. She earned her BSEd in Art Education from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. While there she worked for three years as a gallery assistant in the Harry Krug Gallery in Porter Hall on the campus of PSU.

Student teaching brought her to Carthage in 2012. Hired after graduation, Alexandra has been an Elementary Art Teacher in the Carthage R-9 School District since 2013. At Fairview Elementary in Carthage, she teaches kindergarten through third grade students.

An eight-year member of the Missouri Art Education Association, Alexandra serves as the District 9 representative for Missouri. She works closely with Art Feeds to provide therapeutic art to students and at artCentral as a super popular art educator during summer artCamp. She has passions for fostering creative development in children, arts advocacy and making a positive impact in her professional and personal life.

As an artist Alexandra was recently on the team of local artists who transformed the shop and business windows on the historic downtown Square turning them into a magical winter wonderland with silhouetted scenes painted in white.

Alexandra enjoys thrift shopping, ballroom dancing and baking pies. Her home that she shares with her sister Alyssa, her cat Dinah, and her dog Zeus is a 1960's time capsule filled with her favorite Mid-Century Modern decor.

Alexandra says, “I'm thrilled to be invited to work with others who value the arts and artCentral. I'm looking forward to seeing the behind-the-scenes workings of the gallery. Perhaps my years of experience as a gallery assistant and in the field of education will be valuable contributions to the Board.”

KALEE HINSPETER

​Kalee Hinspeter is a native of Shawnee County Kansas. She spent most of her youth in Joplin, Missouri, and graduated from Joplin High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, Human Resource Management and Marketing from Missouri Southern State University in 2017.

Kalee brings with her both hospitality and retail experience, as well as a solid background in business administration. She is the Office Manager for Schmidt CPAs and Advisors in Carthage and Rolla.

Kalee resides in the neighboring Carthage community of Webb City. There she shares her home with her eightyear old son, Carter, and their two dachshund-chihuahuas, Dexter and Lily.

Beyond the hours Kalee devotes to working for the Schmidt firm and spending time with her family, she enjoys cooking, gardening, crafting, music, furniture restoration and a variety of DIY projects.

Kalee tells us, “I’ve always been most happy when expressing my creativity. I truly appreciate all forms of art. I love when I’m able to feel a connection to the beauty and uniqueness of an artist’s work, especially ones that are deemed frivolous to the ordinary eye. I am humbled and eager to begin serving the Carthage community and beyond through artCentral. I am thankful for the opportunity to promote the mission of this wonderful nonprofit organization.”

Kalee has already pitched in to help in perfect timing. When the pandemic necessitated artCentral cancelling the much anticipated Opening Artist Reception for the Annual Membership Exhibition, special take-home-a-party bags were presented to each participating artist in appreciation for their creating a terrific exhibition inspite of the pandemic’s challenges. When one more item was needed to complete the party bags, Kalee was instrumental in facilitating that donation.
________
With great pleasure we look forward to having Alexandra and Kalee join as board members with artCentral’s community of artists and art lovers moving forward together into 2021 to give to Carthage and our neighbors the grand art that enhances life for all of us in our small town and beyond.

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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

12/30/2020

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A STAR-STUDDED NEW YEAR
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MERLEN WHITE | The Merger | Acrylic | 24"x34" | 250.
​“A good omen” is how I am thinking of a very recent celestial phenomenon—a prescient prelude to artCentral’s glittering new exhibition year now waiting in the wings. The 2021 line up of exhibiting artists is totally star-studded!
 
As to the recent celestial phenomenon, did you see the Christmas Star the night of the Winter Solstice? The alignment of the two largest planets in the universe—Jupiter and Saturn—was dazzling as the two super stars came so close they looked fused into a single point of brilliant light.
 
Astronomers believe the last time humans witnessed this impressive sight was around the year 1226. The rare event possibly was also visible in 1623 though there are no records of human sightings, perhaps because the planets crossed paths right at sunset and the setting sun eclipsed their viewing.
 
Some believe the Star of Bethlehem seen by the Three Wise Men in the Bible’s Nativity story was actually what today we call the Christmas Star.
 
For our 2020 viewing of the great conjunction a little over a week ago, just before the sunset of a beautifully clear Missouri day, my husband David and I loaded up the puppies, packed a thermos of hot cocoa and a half dozen freshly iced sugar cookies, then headed east up Chestnut Street to the highest plateau far removed from the festive holiday lights glowing throughout our hometown below. Turning into the Silent City laid out on the top of the ridge, unpacking and enjoying our wintry treats, we settled in to watch the show in the heavens.
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​While a gleaming crescent moon watched from above, we could almost feel the presence of the city’s silent residents resting beneath their stones outlined by the fading amber backdrop of the sinking sun. Then, as if by magic, out of the gloaming and over the serene silence, the Christmas Star began to shine brighter and brighter while the almost cloudless sky darkened moment by moment into ever deeper shades of indigo.

​​​If you did not get to witness this news making main event in the Solstice heavens, though the rare Christmas Star will not make another appearance until 2080, please be consoled. You still can see Jupiter and Saturn very close together for the entire month of December. Simply look southwest right after sunset to see this stunning sight for yourself.

Indeed these two super planets in alignment are worth contemplating if you put stock in astrology’s symbolic interpretation which tells us this pair of planetary giants carry super attributes and powers. The heavens are promising a collaborative astrological unfolding of well-orchestrated abundance thanks to the alignment of Saturn as the can-do dispenser of structure and Jupiter as the creator of good fortune, expansion and growth as we leave 2020 and enter into the light of 2021.
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MERLEN WHITE | Yin/Yang of Space | Acrylic | 24"x36" | 300.
Turning your gaze from December’s show-off heavenly bodies, look in January to Hyde House on the hill above Thirteenth Street. The gallery lights will be burning late and brightly with preparations getting underway to open the first of artCentral’s star-studded 2021 exhibitions.
 
Leading off in February and March will be the shining new art works made with the talents of the artists collectively known as the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition (JRAC). The JRAC Exhibition’s moniker is KALEIDOSCOPE—perfectly chosen to describe this showcase of constantly changing patterns and sequences of artworks and their elements by thirty plus amazing creative spirits.   
 
March and April will welcome spring, art star Philip Ledbetter and his gloriously animated latex on canvas paintings comprising PAINT in MOTION.
 
June through July will spangle artCentral’s galleries with the brilliant works of artCentral’s ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP EXHIBITION.
 
August and September will show off the dynamic 2D and 3D never-before-seen creations of Richard and Debbie Reed—workers extraordinaire in a diversity of media.
 
This terrific new year will wrap up with the star-studded October-November-December PIECED TOGETHER collection presented by Lori Marble and Jo Mueller taking their first artCentral exhibition star turns in conjunction with the dozens of SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS made and donated by artCentral artists for the benefit of artCentral’s end-of-the-year fundraiser.
 
Blessed preemptively by the heavens, 2021 is going to be a super stellar star-studded year at artCentral! Come look and see. Amble through the galleries and star gaze with us!
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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

12/24/2020

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THE TWELVE DAYS of CHRISTMAS
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PARTRIDGE in a PEAR TREE | Getty Image

​What are The Twelve Days of Christmas of which we sing?

​This dozen days in Christian theology span the time between the birth of the Christ Child and the appearing of the Magi, the Three Wise Men, coming to receive the manifestation of Christ. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas day, December 25, and run through the Epiphany, January 6, sometimes called Three Kings' Day.

​The tune of the familiar Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, dates back to the early twentieth century. Composed by Englishman Frederic Austin in 1909, the carol is based on a traditional folk song and celebrates the gifts given in this season of celebration.
​The twelve gifts given are these:
  1. A partridge in a pear tree
  2. Two turtle doves
  3. Three French hens
  4. Four calling birds
  5. Five gold rings
  6. Six geese a-laying
  7. Seven swans a-swimming
  8. Eight maids a-milking
  9. Nine ladies dancing
  10. Ten lords a-leaping
  11. Eleven pipers piping
  12. Twelve drummers drumming
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THREE FRENCH HENS
​In the Christian tradition the gifts are those given by Christ, such that the “partridge in a pear tree” symbolizes Jesus and “three French hens” represent Faith, Hope and Love.
 
Faith. Hope. Love. What splendid gifts to receive in any season, at any Christmas, but especially as we draw near to the end of a year like no other we have known.
 
I so wish for you and for myself, as well, the blessings of these gifts, these three French hens, to carry forward into the New Year just before us. Faith. Hope. Love. May we receive these with open hearts and open arms. May we treasure them. Nurture them. May we share them with those we hold dear both near and far.
 
May Faith and Hope and Love be given in extra measure to you among us who are remembering loved ones who have left our company and are no longer here to celebrate holidays with us. May the heartaches of their absence be soothed—may your feelings of loss and aloneness be assuaged.
 
As I have written before, I know these holiday times—these holy days—can magnify all our emotions—joy and sorrow, too. I see your posts on Facebook. My eyes tear as I read, “Grief is like having broken ribs. On the outside you look fine, but with every breath you hurt.” I hear you. I care that you are hurting. I thank you for your honest sharing and telling us of your very real aching, your unfinished mourning—for the leaving of a precious child, a wife, husband, mother, father, sister or brother who has gone through the veil; a missed friend or lover; a pet who has crossed over the rainbow.
 
I wish for each heartache the gifts of Faith, Hope and Love that whisper their presence and promises of comfort. I wish for you peace. I wish for you a coming someday when your heartache lessens to become sweet, soothing memories that mend your aching and cause you to smile with your recalling of dear loved ones who are now departed.
 
There is an art to receiving gifts. Sometimes we must wait and weep before we can be ready for them to come whether with the Magi on the twelfth day of Christmas or maybe another day still farther before you. Come they always will like glittering stars in the winter night skies—like fireflies twinkling in summer’s dusk—like three French hens unexpectedly appearing and miraculously gathering on your lawn. Faith. Hope. Love. Come they will. Come they will. Faith, Hope and Love are here already in your holy days of aching. I promise.  
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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

12/16/2020

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COUNTING BLESSINGS
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The Sleeping Woman with a Cat | Wladyslaw Slewinski | 1896
 “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)”, written around 1952, was the last hit for the popular composer Irving Berlin. Explaining the inspiration for his lyrics, he wrote, “…after the worst kind of a sleepless night, my doctor came to see me and after a lot of self-pity, belly-aching and complaining about my insomnia, he looked at me and said ‘speaking of insomnia, did you ever try counting your blessings?’”
​Insomnia. For many 2020 has been a year of unrelenting insomnia providing lots of cause to keep us awake worrying and counting a plethora of concerns—personal, communal and global. When unrest and ennui seem overwhelmingly present, I try very hard to remember the counsel of my husband David’s serene 90-year-old Aunt Martha Lavern. “Count your blessings. Make sweet memories.” was her best advice when David and I sat before her four years ago telling her of our intended marriage. Ever since that day, each time we call Aunt Martha I tell her we are doing our best to count our blessings and make sweet memories.
 
Making sweet memories at artCentral over the last year has created a wonderful list of blessings to count:
 
·      The blessings of artCentral’s benefactress Katherine Hyde, as well as, her estate trustees who value artCentral’s stewardship as we carry out Ms. Hyde’s vision for Hyde House, her family home, to always provide a place to celebrate and teach fine arts;
 
·      The blessings of artCentral’s Artists and their art, Members, Docents, Friends, Guests and Patrons in Hyde House when possible and virtually online while CDC protocols are in place;
 
·      The blessings of keeping the faith with artCentral’s hardworking, visionary board of directors including Betsy Flanigan, president; Jane Ballard, secretary; Jackie Boyer; Maddie Capps; Wendi Douglas; Doug Osborn; Jason Shelfer; and Kerry Sturgis; and our dedicated Membership Coordinator Bev Sturgis;
 
·      The blessing of the designation of artCentral as an ArtSafe Space certified by the Missouri Arts Council;
 
·      The blessings of underwriters and sponsors in our community and beyond who have graciously provided support to carry on with gallery exhibitions; stop-gap funding for the operational challenges created by the pandemic; and opportunities to raise funds to sustain artCentral’s programming;
 
·      The blessings of generous donors like you who have reached into your pockets and found the dollars to contribute to artCentral’s ongoing success in the face of 2020’s challenges;
 
·      The blessings of artists who have stepped up with panache and flexibility and given their best while dancing with artCentral’s fluctuating scheduling and CDC protocol requirements: Philip Ledbetter; Member Artists contributing to the Annual Membership Exhibition; board member and artist Jason Shelfer for the installation of his SCULPTURAL SPECTACULAR; and Ina Niday and Mary Datum with their beautiful 2 FRIENDS exhibition;
 
·      The blessings of the forty-seven phenomenally talented artCentral artists who shared so generously from their hearts to raise funds through the wonderfully successful SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS, 5X7 Silent Auction: Sally Armstrong, Jane Ballard, Joan Banks, Andrew Batcheller, Eric Beezley, Diana Bray, Aurelia Burr, Landon Cawyer, Stephanie Cawyer, Mary Datum, April Davis-Brunner, Nancy Dymott, Cynthia Greene, Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé, David Greenwood-Mathé, Al Gritten, Cindy Head, Steve Head, Diane Heisner, Barbara Hicklin, Nina Johnston, Janice Kinman, Helen Kunze, Lori Marble, Koral Martin, Jane McCaulley, Nicole Meyer-Foresman, Connie Miller, Dustin Miller, Janice Myers, Ina Niday, Mary L. Parks, Sandra Parrill, Tyla Marie Raredon, Chris Reed, Debbie Reed, Emily Rose, Brenda Sageng, Debbie Southard, Lisa Teerlink, Linda Teeter, Andy Thomas, Dan Trogdon, Jordy Vulpine, Lora Waring and Bonnie Young; and
 
·      The extraordinary blessings every day and always in my life and work with my artist husband David who shares my passionate love for the world of art, for artCentral, for artCentral’s artists and for this remarkable small town where art really does matter.
 
We are wise to remember Aunt Martha’s “Count your blessings. Make sweet memories.” We are fortunate to have Irving Berlin‘s yuletide reminder, “If you’re worried and you can’t sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.”
 
As we fall asleep at the close of 2020, there are so many blessings to be counted, for as we wake into our brand new year of 2021, there are so many sweet, new memories waiting to be made.
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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

12/10/2020

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DECK the HALLS with BOUGHS of HOLLY!
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​I so love Carthage. I love the history. I love the charm. I love all the pleasures of living in a small town, but mostly I love the old houses. I love living in one.
 
My husband David and I both love our soulful old house built in 1890 on a corner just two blocks from Central Park. 
​Though neither of us are native Carthaginians, living here in this home we call Paradise gives us the feeling of being woven into the vintage fabric of this sweet community—especially now as we collectively celebrate the winter traditions and celebrations that have been passed down and are come round again to lift our hearts and brighten our spirits.

​Once again the season to deck the halls with boughs of holly is here! Driving through the quiet streets of Carthage the memo seems to have gone out sucessfully. Each evening there are more lights twinkling than the night before. Not only are halls inside being decked, outside porches and yards, lamp posts and trees are gloriously decorated and glowing, seeming to say no matter the challenges of 2020 ‘tis the season to be jolly, to don our gay apparel and troll the ancient Yuletide carol! In the words of Scottish musician, artist and author, Thomas Oliphant (1799-1873):





​​​See the blazing yule before us.
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Follow me in merry measure,
While I tell of Yuletide treasure.

Fast away, the old year passes.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses.
Sing we joyous all together, oh
Heedless of the wind and weather.
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Christmas Child with Boughs of Holly | artist unknown
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​​Our home has dawned her gay apparel and magically transformed into our Yuletide treasure with a blazing hearth and joyous songs wafting up and down the stairs. Red-bowed wreaths and swags of holly and evergreens are everywhere while candles scent the air with cinnamon and spice. Miniature red balls and cherished family ornaments decorate our two tiny indoor trees, while big red balls dangle from the wide spreading branches of the monkey tree beside the chicken palace.
Working remotely in my home studio-office has caused me to love our old house even more. When on a recent evening I heard the back door bells jingling as David came home from work, running down the stairs to give him his usual greeting hug and kiss and “Welcome Home!” I told him again and again, “I love our house!” “I love our house!”    
 
The very next morning when David brought our coffee up to bed, he brought a new game with him. “I will ask,” he proposed, “‘What do you like about our house?’ You get to answer with the first thought that pops into your head, then you ask the same question and I get to give my answer. What do you think? Do you want to play?” “Yes!”
 
Our “What do you love about our house?” game is quickly becoming another of our favorite morning rituals. On one of my turns I answered, “I love all our Christmas decorations!” On one of his turns David told me, “I love that we have filled our rooms with art—our art, the art of our friends, the art of the artists of artCentral.”
 
David’s appreciation of our art-filled home calls to mind another old art-filled house we both love dearly—Hyde House. Now home to artCentral this historic American foursquare farmhouse was the family home of Katherine Hyde. A lover of art and an aspiring artist, Ms. Hyde bequeathed Hyde House to the City of Carthage always to be used as a showcase and teaching space for art.                       
​ 
Like so very many homes around Carthage, old and new, too, Hyde House is now shimmering in the fancy dress of this celebratory season. Take a drive east of town to 1110 East Thirteenth and you will see this beauty festooned and sparkling at the top of the gentle Hyde House hill with the gallery Christmas tree shining brightly in the front window. While lights twinkle all around you, leisurely view the exciting Sculptural Spectacular created by Jason Shelfer and spread across the lawn. Then look up at the moon and stars decking the halls of the heavens. Listen! You can almost hear them calling us to be joyous all together as we hail the new as the old year passes while our halls are decked with boughs of holly.  
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HYDE HOUSE | Late Afternoon
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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

12/2/2020

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                 AT LAST! TIME TO CELEBRATE THE MAGIC!                      
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Anticipated since early October, at last Saturday, December 5th, is here! Time to Celebrate the Magic—the Magic of the Season, the Magic of Art!
 
Long before you arrive at 1110 East Thirteenth Street, you will see Hyde House atop a gentle rise—home to artCentral—sparkling and glowing in this magical season. Outside, porch bannisters are festooned with garlands and wreaths of red-bowed greenery. Inside, the Christmas tree shines and glitters among the galleries filled with beautiful, pocket-friendly, magical art that will delight your eyes and cause your heart to sing. You can easily check off all the names on your gift list with one stop shopping. There is something here for everyone!
 

Two terrific artCentral exhibitions are ready for your viewing and browsing at their grand finale:

·         INA NIDAY & MARY DATUM | 2 FRIENDS | Oil Paintings serenely rendered lovely landscapes, exquisite florals, luscious fruits and vegetables, adoring puppies and much more with a collection of hand-painted vintage tin ornaments and fine arts notecards, too.

·         SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISER: Original 5x7 canvases created and donated by 47 artCentral artists to benefit artCentral’s Fund for Art and Artists. This diverse collection celebrates the imagination and photographic memories, the beauty and passion of nature, abstracts and still lifes, as well.

A few fundraising Scarlet Amaryllis ($20.00 each) are still available for purchase in beautiful porcelain planters.

You have four ways to join in the fun and the excitement:
​
  • Shop online anytime! All the art is available for viewing in the comfort of your home or office and, of course, on your digital device when you have a few extra minutes to spend. Visit artCentral’s website at www.artcentralcarthage.org and look for Ina’s and Mary’s exhibition and Small Works Auction under the Events drop-down; or check out both the Exhibition and Auction albums under Photos on artCentral’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/photos/?ref=page_internal.
 
  • Shop during Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5, 12:00-5:00 p.m., as artCentral participates in the citywide Christmas Open House sponsored by the Carthage Chamber of Commerce.
 
  • 5:00-8:00 p.m., Saturday, December 5 – Join the LIVE virtual Closing Celebrations hosted at Hyde House by Alice Lynn and David Greenwood-Mathé, Jason Shelfer and Wendi Douglas on https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage. You will be able to view all the art in real time, make purchases and place your winning bids. For more information call (417) 358-4404.
​​​​​​​​
  • 5:00-8:00 p.m., Saturday, December 5 – Pop into Hyde House—artCentral’s home and certified ArtSafe Space where CDC protocols are practiced—face masks, social distancing and sign in. A maximum of ten people will be allowed in the artCentral galleries at any one time. You will be able to view all the art up-close and personal in real time, make purchases and place your winning bids on the charming Silent Auction canvases. For more information call (417) 358-4404.
 
Coming and going to Hyde House you will discover artistic magic can be found all through our magical hometown—framed by windows of houses glowing brightly lit from within at twilight, in front yard displays scattered over lawns, with the colorful decorations draped across quite streets, at the animated displays in the Way of Salvation drive-through, up high and all around beaming from the peace star above the courthouse and the strands of lights stretching out.
 
New this year and especially exciting are the delightful decorations around our historic downtown square where Vision Carthage, supported by a grant from the Helen S. Boylan Foundation, has conjured a tunnel of light and storybook storefronts of winter wonderland whimsy to delight our eyes and raise our spirits. A cadre of energetic artists including one of artCentral’s two newest board members, Alexandra Burnside, has been seen out-on-the-town at all hours, working on sunny days and chilly ones, too. Alexandra with her gang of guerrilla window painters (Sarah Huntley, Tom Jones and Madelyn Scott) have been pounding the pavements and plying their brushes to turn all the windows around the square into a magical snowy village! WANTED: Applause for their terrific gifts!!!!
 
Yes, now is the time to Celebrate the Magic—the Magic of the Season, the Magic of Art! When you begin and end with artCentral at Hyde House, your heart will open to find magic everywhere you look!

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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

11/25/2020

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WHAT MAKES A HOUSE A HOME?
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Our east coast granddaughter, Alexandra, has just turned two, and, alas, we were not there to party with Xandie and her family. Thanksgiving has just past and our table was spread for only us--David and me on our own--not the traditional family gathering shared in so many earlier years. Two more sweet celebrations sadly missed.
 
Over recent months so many of us have known similar experiences--not being able to be where we wanted to be when we wanted to be there with those with whom we ached to see and share our time. This most unusual year of 2020, loaded with unexpected challenges, has taken on the strange sensation of living in a time warp—running for so long on a treadmill and getting nowhere fast.
 
Like every workout, this perplexing year, too, will come to an end. Finally we will have much to celebrate, for changes are coming, if only we remember to hope. Hope, if we choose, can be with us even now while the days grow still darker. As we turn on our holiday lights, if only we look, we can find the hope, and goodness and kindness, too. They are enough to get us through until we experience the shifts for which we are longing.
 
We can find hope-goodness-kindness in so many places. My husband David and I have stumbled upon them in a most curious movie for grownups—a sleeper of an off-kilter cult film called “Peanut Butter Falcon”—a journey story about running and walking for so long, a love story where the first rule is “party!” and a redemption story with a happy ending and lost souls and a pretty girl and bad guys and unlikely heroes and angry bullies and even a giant named Samson. Twice already we have watched this sleeper of wonderment and will do so again while sequestered over the holidays.
 
The lead single from the terrific Peanut Butter soundtrack, “Running for So Long” (“What Makes a House a Home?”), was penned by songwriters Michael Schwartz, Tyler Nilson and Parker Ainsworth. David and I have come to call this “our song” which David has been singing and playing for me and the puppies just before we go to bed to put us in a place of hopeful dreaming.  Perhaps this is a poignant anthem for all of us!
 
My Oh My Lord, I just can't hardly wait.
We've been worn down in the hardest ways
With long nights over, I'm starting to believe
I'm not as broken as some made me out to be

What makes a house a home
Been running for so long
When I met you, I couldn't let you
What makes a house a home?....

 
What makes a house a home? Home to artCentral, Hyde House is an elegant, old farmhouse filled with our family of artists and members, patrons and guests eager with the anticipation of gathering to party once again in the not too distant future. In the meantime, though like everyone else we are feeling a bit broken by running for so long, there are so many lovely ways to participate and support artCentral—our certified ArtSafe Space where masking, social distancing and sign-in are practiced.
 
Please do join in and help celebrate with artCentral’s family, for the long night is almost over!
 
On Saturday, November 28, 12:00-5:00 p.m., please plan to visit Hyde House at 1110 East Thirteenth Street to celebrate artCentral's participation in our Chamber of Commerce citywide Small Business/Shop Local Saturday.
 
All day on Giving Tuesday, December 1st, you can make your online donation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/ and at https://www.artcentralcarthage.org/give-4art-fund.html.
 
The first weekend in December, Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5, 12:00-5:00 p.m., artCentral will be participating in the citywide Christmas Open House while we wrap up our current gallery exhibition and end-of-year fundraisers. Scarlet Amaryllis ($20.00 each) will be available in beautiful porcelain planters.
 
Be sure to join us for the LIVE Facebook Closing Celebrations, Saturday, December 5, 5:00-8:00 p.m. for the 2 FRIENDS Exhibition featuring the exquisite oil paintings of Ina Niday and Mary Datum and the SMALL WORKS | GREAT WONDERS Silent Auction.  You will be able to view all the art in real time, make purchases and place your winning bids. For more information call (417) 358-4404.
 
What makes a house a home? Working together as an art-loving family supporting the art and artists of our small town’s amazing non-profit artCentral in Hyde House!
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ART NOTES | Alice Lynn Greenwood-Mathé for ArtCentralCarthage at Hyde House | on Facebook and in The Carthage Press and The Carthage Chronicle

11/18/2020

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ANDY THOMAS
Carthage Hero
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artCentral Artist ANDY THOMAS
A hero is admired for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. We recognize our heroes because they inspire us and call us to follow their leads—to use our talents and be our best selves.
 
Each year since 2012, a new group of Carthage Heroes, past and present, has been named and added to the Hall of Carthage Heroes. You can find their pictures and stories on display when you visit Fair Acres Family YMCA.
 
In 2019, beloved Carthaginian and artCentral artist Lowell Davis, who was laid to rest just last week, was tapped as a Hero and inducted into the Hall of Carthage Heroes. Among this year’s inductees is Andy Thomas, another artCentral artist and native son, a man near and dear to the heart of Lowell Davis. You can see the breadth and depth of Andy’s art and achievements and honors when visiting www.andythomas.com.
I love the story Andy tells of how badly he wanted to be successful enough to make painting his fulltime career and the sole means for supporting his family. For sixteen years while working his day job for Leggett & Platt, he went home to paint late into the night.
 
Andy was inspired when he met Lowell Davis, Bob Tommey and Jerry Ellis. They were making their livings painting full time and supporting their families. Though Andy thought, “I can do this, too,” he wasn’t fully convinced until he and Lowell had a three hour heart-to-heart talk in Lowell’s drafty old farmhouse. When Andy left that initial visit, he says there were two people in the world—Lowell and Andy—who truly believed in his ability to achieve his dream.
 
In pursuit of his own holy grail Andy set out on his quest supplied and suited out with his natural talents and riding a steed of passionate determination. Increasingly he grew confident in his ability to achieve his goals. Meeting his wife and muse Dina brought the special magic his journey needed. Traveling in a partnership of equals they found their diverse talents and skills made them the perfect business partners to go forward together, to succeed in manifesting their shared dreams and to enjoy a comfortable life of their own making.
 
Andy’s advice to painters aspiring to success:  “You are successful because you keep going. You have to want to be better. A positive attitude goes a long, long way. Put on a happy smile and surround yourself with positive thinking and positive speaking people.” Dina emphasizes: “Modesty and self-criticism do not sell art. If you cannot say something nice about your art, do not say anything at all!”
 
Andy believes he was blessed with good parents because Clarke and Olive Thomas taught him that family comes first. Today he and Dina have six children and eleven grandchildren with whom their lives are beautifully interwoven. Andy likes to give drawing lessons to the youngsters who often hang out in his studio. The glimpses of talent he sees are his best rewards. Perhaps because of Andy’s generosity, future heroes are already sitting at their grandfather’s feet. 
​Andy is generous with his family and with artCentral, too! For this year’s Silent Auction Fundraiser Andy has created yet another remarkable donation. “Freedom” is the title of his watercolor painting masterfully rendered as is every work that comes out of Andy’s studio. Strutting and high-stepping across the picture plane, back dropped with a lush green forest, a singular turkey is colorfully, brilliantly painted with Andy’s signature panache. This masterwork from the brush of a Carthage Hero is in Hyde House waiting to be carried home as your treasure. The opening bid is set at $300.00. The “Buy Now” bid is $1,800.00. Will you be the fortunate patron who snatches up this prize?
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ANDY THOMAS | FREEDOM | Watercolor
Through Saturday, December 5, Weekend Gallery Hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. with CDC protocols practiced at artCentral. Face masks, social distancing and sign in are required for everyone entering Hyde House.
 
Be sure to tune in Saturday, December 5, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., for the Facebook LIVE Closing Celebrations for the Silent Auction and the 2 FRIENDS Exhibition featuring the exquisite oil paintings of Ina Niday and Mary Datum.  You will be able to view all the art in real time, ask questions, place your winning bids and make purchases.
 
To see Andy’s and all paintings on display at artCentral visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ArtcentralCarthage/photos/ as well as at www.artcentralcarthage.org. For more information call: (417) 358-4404.
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    ALICE LYNN GREENWOOD-MATHÉ
    Executive Director-
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    artCENTRAL
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