Artists Talk with LVA: March 17, 2022

Clare Hirn received a significant scholarship to attend the New York Academy of Art – Graduate School of Figurative Art, located in Manhattan. The curriculum continues to focus on strong foundational skills for working “realistically” from life and the figure.

After graduating with her masters in painting and drawing in 1990, Hirn worked for a mural design firm in NYC, learning the techniques of working large scale. Upon returning to her hometown of Louisville, KY she pursued both mural work and her personal painting, participating and receiving awards in many regional shows. Hirn’s fine art murals and paintings grace many homes, businesses, and public spaces and have appeared in numerous publications.

Shohei Katayama is a Japanese American artist who explores the space between light and dark, life and death, beauty and danger, nature and man. His work includes line drawings, sculpture, and installation art. ​

Katayama received his MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 2019. He is the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award by the International Sculpture Center, the Frank-Ratchye Fund for the Art at the Frontier Award, and a finalist in the 21C Artadia award, among others. His work has been exhibited nationally, and internationally in Venice, Italy; New York; Portland, OR, and more. Katayama has participated in residencies in Norway; Brazil;  NJ; Tough Art Residency Program in Pittsburgh, PA, and at the Asia Institute Crane House in Louisville, KY.

Artists Talk with LVA: March 10, 2022

LVA Honors is right around the corner and this week we talk with two of the people being recognized in 2022: Visual Art Teacher Janet Britt and Legacy recipient William M. Duffy. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Keith Waits talk with artists.

A graduate of Hanover College, Janet Clements Britt obtained a Masters in Art Therapy at the University of Louisville. A door opened for an art educator at St. Francis School in Goshen and she walked through. In many ways her young students became her teachers and together they grew. Nineteen years later, Louisville Visual Art became her second home and for the past 12 years she has worn many hats.

She’s taught CFAC classes, summer camps, directed enriching projects in many public schools through the TAG grant program, led art groups for children living at St. Joseph Children’s Home through Open Doors and is currently teaching K-6th Holy Trinity Clifton Campus students.

In meeting each child where they are, Janet gives her students quality materials, lots of love, and continues to grow with them!

William M. Duffy is a lifelong resident of Louisville, KY. He earned a BFA in Painting at the Louisville School of Art in Anchorage, KY. Duffy has primarily devoted his creative energy to producing poignant paintings, silkscreen prints, and drawings that conveyed his African ancestry, his personal experiences within African-American culture, and the elemental experiences of humanity that connect us all.   

Best described as small yet monumental, Duffy’s figurative and abstract sculptures have won numerous purchase and merit awards in exhibitions throughout the United States and have been purchased by several private, corporate, and public collections In 2021 he worked with IDEAS X-Lab, Louisville, KY (On the Banks of Freedom Slave Memorial Stone Benches-2021). 

 In February 1997, he received an official commendation from the Board of Education for "sharing his outstanding artistic gifts with students and staff in the Jefferson County Public Schools". In the beginning of 2018, Duffy was one of the first artists to be awarded Imagine Greater Louisville 2020 grants, one for his "Portraits of Pride" project, working with the West End School students on paper collages. 

Celebrate with us at LVA Honors – a unique annual event in celebration of individuals that have made a significant impact in our community. March 24, 2022 from 5PM – 7PM, Art Sanctuary at 1433 S Shelby St, Louisville, KY 40217

Artists Talk with LVA: March 3, 2022

Vian Sora joins us to discuss the work in her new exhibit at Moremen Gallery. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM.Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Keith Waits speak with artists.

Vian Sora is a first-generation immigrant painter addressing the effects of war and displacement. Sora prides herself in being a self-taught artist, currently working in Louisville, Kentucky, who has received degrees in computer science and an MBA. She studied printmaking under the tutelage of Suleyman Tekcan at the Istanbul Museum of Graphic Arts (IMOGA).

Sora has exhibited in Louisville, Baghdad, Istanbul, and Dubai, including at Dar El Cid Museum, Kuwait, IMOGA, and the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. Her work has been collected by the Speed Art Museum and KMAC. Her newest work can be seen in"What You Shout Into The Woods Echoes Back" her solo show opening tomorrow at Moremen Gallery and running through April 2, 2022

Artists Talk with LVA: February 24, 2022

Andre Kimo Stone Guess is an internationally respected leader who has over 25 years of executive experience. He previously served as CEO of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh and was VP and Producer for Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. In June 2021 he became the President & CEO of the Louisville Fund for the Arts.

Andre's consulting clients include: The Pew Charitable Trusts, William Penn Foundation, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, The Clef Club in Philadelphia, Signature Theatre, MCC Theater, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, New York City Opera, The Esplanade in Singapore, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Aspen Institute, Manhattan Theater Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Workshop, Inc. (Estate of Charles Mingus), Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, Soulful Symphony, Wynton Marsalis Enterprises, Inc. and the Brooklyn Music School. Music management clients include: Christian McBride, Darin Atwater, Sean Jones, Aaron Diehl, Warren Wolf and Nicholas Payton.

Andre received a B.S. in Economics with a minor in Actuarial Mathematics from the University of Louisville. He has finished coursework and completed the comprehensive examinations for a PhD in Urban and Public Affairs with a concentration in Policy Analysis and Evaluation, also at the University of Louisville.  

Andre has served as producer for several recording projects, including one that won a Grammy.  He is also a writer and cultural critic with works published by USA Today, The Courier-Journal, The Root, The Grio and ESPN’s The Undefeated.

Artists Talk with LVA: February 17, 2022

Jennifer Starr, Maggie Hartman, & Valerie Canon talk about the Mind's Eye Theatre production of "Guys and Dolls" opening February 25 and why they are a women-led company. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Keith Waits speak with artists.

Jennifer Starr, Maggie Hartman, & Valerie Canon are all board members for Mind’s Eye, Jennifer is directing “Guys and Dolls”, Valerie is playing Adelaide, and Maggie will appear as one of the Hot Box dancers. They are all experienced theatre artists who have worked with several different companies in Louisville and the surrounding area.

Mind’s Eye Theatre Company’s production of “Guys and Dolls” will run from February 25 - March 6 at Art Sanctuary.