August 24, 2016
Story by Brandon Steinert
The Shafer Art Gallery has chosen to highlight local talent in its next exhibit, the Barton County Arts Council Friends and Acquaintances Art Festival, in conjunction with the Barton County Arts Council.
An array of work from 3D to oil painting and water color will be on display beginning Friday through October 7 in the Shafer Art Gallery at Barton Community College. The show is underwritten by the Bill J McKown Memorial Endowment and the Golden Belt Community Foundation.
“The heart of a community is revealed in the artistic expression of its citizens,” Gallery Director Dave Barnes said. “The Barton County Arts Council Friends and Acquaintances Art Festival gives our community the opportunity to see the wide gamut of artistic enterprise in our county. All styles, experience levels and viewpoints share the spotlight to make this a genuinely inclusive event.”
The featured artist in this exhibit is actually a group of artists known as Artists At Large, the largest artist organization in Barton County.
Spokesperson for Artists at Large Bev Simonson said the group started about a year ago. It grew from its initial four founding members to about 20 active members covering the gamut from serious amateurs to professionals in all mediums. The group has shown in the Hutchinson Library and The Deines Cultural Center in Russell. Simonson said they are pleased to be showing at the Shafer Gallery.
Group member Krystall Barnes said she was pleased to find so much talent in the area through participation in Artists at Large, and looks forward to the awareness the upcoming exhibit will generate for the group.
“We’re very happy to be included in such a far-reaching exhibition,” Krystall said. “We’re honored and we hope people will come and get to know us.”
For more information about Artists at Large, contact Simonson at (620) 792-2713 or bsimonson2606@yahoo.com.
The Shafer Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is always free.