Photo Credit: Aurora Noctua; Cards made by Viviantics

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and when looking for that special present for that special individual, be it friend or partner, don't forget about the Lexington Art League's brand new local artist gift shop. The gift shop features a wide variety of things from lovingly folded paper-heart greeting cards to meticulously crafted silver jewelry. Along with our selection in the gift shop, our January-February exhibition features Lori Larusso in the Lillian Boyer gallery. Her fabulously painted heart-shaped cakes come in wall decor as well as stickers. Each artist featured, whether it be in the gallery or the gift shop, has put their heart into their creations that are perfect for gifting to the ones you love. 

Gallery hours for the Lexington Art League are:
Tuesday - Friday [12-6pm] and Saturday - Sunday [1-4pm]

​Author: Aurora Noctua
Aurora Noctua is a local artist and intern of the Lexington Art League. She is currently enrolled at the University of Kentucky pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media and Design. 

For nearly 30 years the Lexington Art League has been hosting a yearly Kentucky Nude Exhibit. This year marks the first time that the exhibit has been hosted as a biennial. But that's not the only change that is happening with this iconic event.

Earlier in the year the Lexington Art League began a period of rebranding to focus on local and regional artists. Prior to this the League's events and exhibits were focused on bringing in national and international artists. This new direction allows the League to provide opportunities to local artists. The 2019 Kentucky Nude Exhibit is the primary example of this shift in focus.

With over 80 works by local and regional artists the 2019 Kentucky Nude Exhibit is filling the galleries of the historic Loudoun House, the League's historic home. From now until January 5 visitors will be able to explore the works of these artists. The show is a premiere example of local talent, further progressing Kentucky's position as an artistic leader in the 2020's.

The 2019 Kentucky Nude Exhibit will be open until January 5. Gallery hours for the Lexington Art League are:
Tuesday - Friday [12-6pm] and Saturday - Sunday [1-4pm]

The Lexington Art League will be closed December 23 - January 1 for the Holidays.

About the Artist
Andrew Brinkhorst is a photographer who has lived Lexington, Kentucky, for the last eighteen years. Strongly influenced by the classic documentary styles of photographers such as Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bruce Davidson, Bill Allard, Martine Franck, Danny Lyon, and Stanley Greene, his primary interest is in street and documentary photography.  He has studied with renowned Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey, and his work has been published in local and regional newspapers and magazines, and exhibited in festivals and public events. His current project explores and documents the seeming renaissance occurring in the live music, art, and small business environments in Lexington. ​

"That feeling of a great show, a song that works, a recording that captures exactly what you’re after. Pursuing your art. All of those things are the thing. This Is The Thing."

Lexington Art League (LAL): Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your background?

Annie Sprinkle began her life as Ellen Steinburg, but, over time, she recreated herself as the vivacious, voluptuous, fearless Annie Sprinkle; the complete opposite of timid, shy, conservative Ellen. Annie Sprinkle is a lot of things: an artist, an activist, a scholar, a thespian, and a sex-positive feminist, just to name a few. She has an extensive portfolio of work ranging from photography, books, films, performance pieces and lectures. Annie has spent much of her life as an advocate for sex education and equal rights. Nothing about her is conventional; a former prostitute turned porn star with a Ph. D. who explores sexuality and shamelessly shares her experiences through writing, visual art, and performances while teaching others to embrace a subject society considers taboo. She is as feisty and colorful as her name suggests. Throughout her life of work, she has always striven to entertain as well as educate.

A significant part of Annie’s work has been in the performing arts, traveling around the world sharing her experiences and thoughts about sex and sexuality through her one-woman shows. Her most notable performances include Post-Porn Modernist and Public Cervix Announcement. These controversial shows have garnered wide interest as well as notoriety, prompting riots and a debate in the U.S. Senate about whether or not the government should fund “controversial art”. But, likely, such reactions are what Annie hopes for. Her method is to present sexuality in a radical, uncensored way so that it cannot be ignored.

John Rivers Coplans (1920-2003) is a renowned English artist who we are very excited to have featured in our exhibition Artist: Body.

Coplans settled in London after World War II, deciding to become an artist. He had taken his first photographs in 1941 while in Ethiopia, serving in the King’s African Rifles. When he returned to London in 1946, he began to study painting, and eleven years later in 1957, Coplans was first featured in New Visions Centre Gallery in London for his tachiste-influenced abstract paintings.

Coplans moved to the United States in 1960, taking a position teaching at the University of California-Berkeley. In 1962, he moved to New York to co-found the art periodical Artforum, providing coverage on the ever-growing West Coast art scene. He held this position until 1977 when he returned to his love of photography while serving as head of the Akron Art Museum in Ohio. In 1980, he began taking nude self-portraits using a timer but became more serious about the idea a few years later, appointing an assistant to help with the photographs.

Said Coplans about the photographs, “I don’t know how it happens, but when I pose for one of these photographs, I become immersed in the past...I am somewhere else, another person, or a woman in another life. At times, I’m in my youth.”
Coplans began taking these photographs regularly in 1984, large-scale black and white, candid Polaroids usually presented from the neck down. He took these pictures from around the age of 60 and onward, giving a poignant study of aging, and often pull from his abstract art background, posing in different and unique ways.

Coplans’ art has received widespread acclaim and has been featured in various exhibitions and literature around the world. Four of his silver gelatin print photographs are featured at the Loudoun House during this exhibition: Back With Arms Above (1984), Interlocking Fingers #12 (1999), Hands Spread on Knees (1985), and Hands With Buttocks (1987). Each of these photographs provide a look at the human body in an almost surreal way. In Back With Arms Above and Hands With Buttocks, he contorts his body in such a way that makes himself look more like an object than a human body, curling his fingers into a fist, hunching his shoulders over so his heads or arms aside from the parts above his head are not visible.

Coplans’ art and the rest of the exhibition’s art will be available for viewing during gallery hours at the Loudoun House on are Tuesday - Thursday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Friday 10:00am - 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm through March 27. 

Written by Sammy Petitte, LAL Intern, University of Kentucky CLD Student

LAL presents Fourth Friday: Curator Discussion with Julien Robson and special guest, Michael Lowe on Friday, March 25.  This event will focus on Robson and Lowe’s personal experiences collecting artwork. Robson is the former curator of The Speed Art Museum and Lowe is the collector of fascinating works by artists including Cindy Sherman, Andres Serrano, Bob Stanley, Wiener Werkstätte, Art Nouveau Marcel Duchamp and Maurizio Cattelan.  

It is an honor to have Lowe as a part of the discussion.

Right when you walk into Lowe’s Cincinnati home, guest Curator Julien Robson says, “a replica of the world’s smallest exhibition space, a miniature glass door, with brick surround, that lights up when you open it, is the first work of art you see.”  It is the perfect introduction to the type of Conceptual artwork that has intrigued Lowe for the past twenty years.  

His wife, Kim Klosterman, describes Lowe as “a veritable art bloodhound who, once he gets the scent of something, will not let go.”  This tenacious spirit shows in the collection displayed throughout Lowe’s home. A 1964 painting of Mick Jagger by Bob Stanley hangs on the wall by the staircase which opens onto the main living space that is occupied by what Robson describes as “a variety of objects ranging from antiquities and Chinese objects to Wiener Werkstätte and Art Nouveau.”  

In this space, Lowe displays many impressive works like a 1967 abstract painting by Mario Yrisarry and a set of miniature canvases by painter Gene Davis, but his favorite is the sculpture by John McCracken. Lowe loves artists who have the artistic integrity and nerve “to do the work and persist with it,” which is exactly what the Californian “Fetish Finish” artist achieved.  

Lowe has always been a collector. Whether it was books about architecture or working as an antique dealer, he was constantly fascinated by artists’ multiples beginning in the 1980’s. His purchase of a small portfolio produced by William Copley led him to the discovery of Conceptual Art. S.M.S was only the beginning for Lowe. Robson says that after realizing the market for these works was inexpensive, he began to investigate, deal, sell and collect conceptual works, many of which are now held in his studio.   

Lowe and his wife share a unique interest and collection of art of the 60’s and 70’s. While he has a warehouse where he displays work from this period, he is more concerned about getting a bigger space so he can enjoy his collection himself instead of creating a museum that would put him in the pubic eye.  

We are very excited to have Lowe as a special guest and cannot wait to hear more about his personal collection.

The first hour of Fourth Friday will consist of the Curator Discussion and cocktails. After that, the evening will move into music by Nicholas Penn and light bites and a cash bar provided by Bella Notte.  

Come out to experience this special Curator Discussion on March 25th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Loudoun House.

Written by Sheridan Fromm, LAL Intern, University of Kentucky ISC student

Francesca Woodman was beautiful and youthful with long, dark hair and a slim body. She was often the subject of her own artwork, but rather than focusing on her beauty, her photographs often elicit a haunting, somewhat unnerving mood. She created ghostly, blurred images with long exposure and her face was usually obscured or hidden in her photos. Her work commonly included symbols such as birds, mirrors, and skulls. Over the course of her life, Francesca created more than 800 prints. 
 
 Born to two artists, Francesca grew up surrounded by art, frequented art museums and was encouraged from a young age to foster her creativity.  She spent time in many different parts of the country; born in Colorado, attended boarding school in Massachusetts, and later was accepted into the honors program at the Rhode Island School of Design. She also frequently traveled to Italy, spending summers there at her family home in Florence and studying abroad in Rome her junior year of college. It was in a small bookshop/gallery in Rome that Francesca held her first exhibition. After graduating, she spent time in Seattle and eventually moved back to the northeast to New York. During this time, the first inklings of severe depression began to consume Francesca and it was there that her life would eventually end.
 
After college, Francesca pursued a career in photography but success did not come easily. Her portfolios were continuously rejected and this, along with a failed relationship, presented struggles Francesca could not overcome. In fall of 1980, Francesca attempted to commit suicide but failed. Seeking help, she moved in with her parents in Manhattan and her condition seemed to improve. She applied for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts but was rejected. In January of 1981, Francesca committed suicide by jumping out of a loft window in East Side New York. Her father claimed her suicide was the result of severe depression and a series of rejections.
 
Although Francesca’s life ended at the age of 22, her work continues to receive acclaim over 30 years after her death. Her work has been featured in many major exhibitions across the United States from New York to Colorado to California and many places in between. Her work is also recognized internationally and has been displayed in numerous European countries. Her life has been chronicled in both print and film; the most notable being a full-length documentary directed by C. Scott Willis called The Woodmans.
 
Francesca’s work is remembered because of the many unique elements she incorporated into her photography. The frequent desolate settings and obscurity of her photos evoke disturbing feelings and fascination from viewers. Her work is often characterized by the theme of mystery, implying that photographs never tell the whole truth about the subject.
 
Artist: Body features two of Francesca’s pieces, Untitled, New York and Self Portrait (Providence, RI). Most of her photographs do not have specific titles, but rather are identified by the time and place they were taken. Francesca’s characteristic female subject and use of black and white film are present in both of these renowned photographs.
 
You can view Francesca’s work at the Loudoun House this Friday at Fourth Friday: Curatorial Conversation March 25th from 6pm-9 pm or during gallery hours Wednesday through Thursday 10am-4pm and Saturday through Sunday 1pm-4pm until March 27th.
 
Written by Caitlin Robinson, LAL intern, Eastern Kentucky University Recreation and Park Administration student

Louis Zoellar Bickett is a Kentucky native that was born in 1950 in Clark County, Kentucky. Being a conceptual artist and photographer, Bickett has moved around quite a bit throughout his life but now runs an archive and studio here in Lexington. Unlike many professional artists, Louis Bickett is self-taught. His creations purely come from the skills he has acquired on his own throughout time.  He has had a working studio since 1969 with his artwork focusing on identity, the passage of time and death. These works are often very political in nature. The most important inspiration that Bickett has gathered in his travels around the world came from the work of Joseph Beuys and Annette Messager.

Not only has Louis Bickett had many of solo and group shows in the United States but has also collaborated in group shows in Japan, Russia and France. An early group show that is notable for him was titled AIDS: THE ARTIST RESPONDS. This took place at the Wexner Center for Art at Ohio State University.  It was the first organized show on a United States university campus concerning that particular subject. His most recent work is entitled THE ARCHIVE. He is currently taking an inventory on all the things in his home and studio and making a photographic documentation of them. At the conclusion of the project, the goal is for people to be able to look at the work and be able to tell exactly what Louis Bickett possesses.

Louis Bickett also has work on display in Artist: Body exhibition. The three pieces of work on display all play off of the same idea and have the same title What I Read. These pieces depict a nude Bickett holding the Bible, the Torah and the Qur’an. The goal was to show that he is now aging and vulnerable. In this context the humor that pervaded an earlier series gives way to pathos, a deepening awareness of mortality that is made all the more poignant by the presence of the three religious books.

Don’t miss your chance to learn more about this great local artist. Come by the Lexington Art League to view his works and receive a better understanding of just who Louis Bickett is as an artist. Gallery Hours will be held from February 27th through March 27th. Tuesday through Thursday from 10am-4pm, Fridays from 10am-8pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm-4pm.

Written by Chase Bisig, LAL Intern, University of Kentucky ISC student

To learn more about Louis, check out Creative Lexington's Snapshot Bio. 

Inspired by the nature of the things we consume and discard, Baltimore, Maryland native Shinique Smith is an American visual artist known for her colorful painting, installation art and bound sculptures of textiles and clothing.  Smith grew up with vast artistic training stemming from her mother who was a fashion designer and magazine editor.  She studied at a public arts high school alongside many notable young talents.  During this time, Smith was influenced by the graffiti scene.  A few years later, in undergraduate school, Smith became intrigued by Japanese calligraphy and Abstraction.  These various inspirations are the influences from which she withdraws “the graceful and spiritual qualities in written word and the everyday.”
 
After earning her BFA at Maryland Institute College of Art, Smith worked in the film industry and assisted on motion pictures.  In 2000, Smith returned to her studies to earn a Master of Arts in Education degree from Tufts University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003.  That same year, Smith made the decision to move to New York and participated in The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s artist studio residency, where she began making sculpture. 
 
Smith creates very unique sculptural works often using clothing, stuffed animals and other everyday materials like found objects by tying them together and combining these materials with expressive brushwork.  She says, “It all begins with emotion, an expression and I allow myself to go on a journey in the making of each work, a journey of association between object and color, between lyrics and fabric, between the viewer and me.”  Her sculptures recycle by using old,  thrown-away clothing that would be shipped in bales to the Third World.  For Artist: Body, Smith created a work from her own jeans, bundled and bound, as a stand-in for her body.  The title, Soul Elsewhere, implies a sense of disembodiment and the feeling of displacement.  The rope that is wrapped around the jeans and hung from the ceiling suggests the shadow of a lynch mob. 
 
Shinique Smith has received a lot of recognition throughout the years. Her work has been exhibited at prestigious venues like The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (Washington DC), MOMA/PS1 (New York), and many others. 
 
Today, one can view her new mural at Elk Camp in Aspen for the Aspen Art Museum through October 2016.  She has also contributed to Open Source, a citywide public arts exhibition curated by Pedro Alonso, by creating a performance space at a playground in Philadelphia.  In addition to these new projects, one can view her permanent public installations at the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in San Francisco, the Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot, New York MTA/Art in Transit and the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. 
 
Smith’s work, Soul Elsewhere, will be featured in Artist: Body, which will run from February 27th until March 27th.  Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Thursday 10am-4pm, Friday from 10am-8pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 1pm-4pm. 
 
Written by Sheridan Fromm, LAL Intern, University of Kentucky ISC student