KU professor’s book gets national attention

An exhibition and accompanying book of Diane Arbus’ photography co-organized and written by Kansas University art history professor and Spencer Museum of Art photography curator John Pultz are creating a buzz nationally.

The exhibition, “Diane Arbus: Family Albums,” is on view at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery and in October will be at the Spencer. Pultz curated the show with Mount Holyoke art history professor Anthony Lee.

The exhibition was the topic of the lead art review in the Jan. 9 New York Times. The show and book also recently were reviewed in the New York Review of Books. The New Yorker reviewed the book in December. It was named one of the top 10 photography books of 2003 in The New York Times Book Review’s December holiday issue and one of the top 10 art books of the year in Art and Auction magazine.

Acclaimed guitarist pairs with chamber orchestra

Acclaimed guitarist and composer Anthony Glise and guitarist Jason Riley will team up with the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra for a “Guitar Spectacular” at 2 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

On the program are Concerto for Two Guitars and Orchestra, “The Pendulum,” Op. 16 by Glise, as well as Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Guitars and Strings.

The concert will conclude with the orchestra performing Vaughan William’s “Fantasia” on Greensleeves and Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia IX.

Glise is the only American-born guitarist to win first prize at the International Toscanini Competition (Italy). Riley has opened for such acts as The Doobie Brothers, REO Speedwagon and The Little River Band.

Guest conductor will be Edward Higgins, an accomplished brass performer and conductor who is associate director of bands at Washburn University.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for students. For tickets, call 843-2787.

Scotland’s favorite poet gets Lawrence party

To celebrate the birthday some 250 years ago of Scotland’s favorite poet, Brits and the Community Mercantile are sponsoring a Burns Night at the Lawrence Arts Center.

The event will be 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 25. Tickets are $8 at the door or $7 in advance at Mass Street Music, 1347 Mass.

Burns celebrations are held throughout the world this time of year. The Lawrence celebration will include traditional Celtic music by Forest Green (Cordelia Brown and Lawrence Carter with special guests), Maria & Megan (Maria Anthony and Megan Hurt), and Jonathan Ramsey.

The evening also will include Burns poetry by the Rev. Douglas Phenix of Topeka’s St. Andrews Society, Scottish treats, bagpipers and men in kilts.

Local quilter selected for New York show

A quilt by Lawrence artist Marla Jackson has been selected for the American Bible Society’s exhibition, “Threads of Faith: Recent Works from the Women of Color Quilters Network.”

The exhibition runs Friday through April 17 at the Bible Society gallery in New York. It includes 54 quilts by 33 artists on Christian themes.

Guild’s January meeting features Kansas quilter

The Lawrence Art Guild’s January meeting will feature a talk by Lawrence textile artist Linda Frost.

The meeting will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.

Frost started making utilitarian quilts from scraps, but 15 years ago, her designs became more complex, and she began creating quilts simply for the joy of working with color and fabric. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and quilt shows throughout the country.

She will present slides on the Tarot Card Art Quilters exhibition that was the result of an online challenge that started in April 2000. She also will show slides from “Kansas Art Quilters: Upon Reflection,” a collection of self-portrait art quilts on view at the Lawrence Arts Center through Feb. 7.

Piano students to get first-class feedback

Area piano students Saturday will have a chance to polish their chops before upcoming piano competitions when they participate in a Piano Festival at Kansas University.

The event, sponsored by the Lawrence Accredited Music Teachers Assn., will allow students to play a classical selection for a judge who will assign a rating, complete a comment sheet and then conduct a master class on the piece. Teachers and other students are invited to sit on these master classes to get technical tips and insights.

Judges are Richard Angeletti, Carole Ross and Alice Downs, all retired KU piano faculty.

The festival is open to the public.

The Lawrence Accredited Music Teachers Assn. is a professional organization for local music instructors that presents recitals each month at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Calligraphy exhibit on despite artist’s absence

“Zen no Sho: The Calligraphy of Fukushima Keido Roshi” will have its annual Lawrence opening Saturday at the Spencer Museum of Art, despite the fact that Roshi won’t be able to visit Lawrence this year.

He first visited the Spencer 15 years ago and has returned annually to display his works and give public calligraphy demonstrations. Pressing engagements will keep him away this year, the Spencer learned in December, but he plans to return in 2005.

The exhibition will be on view through March 14 in the White Gallery.

Additional activities will include a children’s art appreciation class, “Japanese Calligraphy,” at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Jan. 31; a Tour du Jour by curator Maria Roman Navarro at 12:15 p.m. Feb. 5; and a Japanese tea ceremony demonstration by Dale Slusser of the KU Center for East Asian Studies at 7 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Central Court.