Johnson County Library is proud to share the work of Kansas City metro area visual artists in our library art galleries. We have ten library branches with dedicated art gallery spaces to inspire people of all ages and beautify our libraries. We seek a diverse selection of artwork that inspires, educates and promotes community connection. If you're a local artist interested in submitting your artwork for consideration, learn more here.
While we are taking a break from in-person Exhibitions due to COVID-19 precautions, we will continue to feature interviews with some of the best visual artists in the Kansas City metro area.
Talk about your work. What would you like people to know about it?
All of my work is created with intention from a space of meditation and reflection. My hope is that the viewer will be able to connect to and have a visceral response to the work. Does it evoke a memory...
Introduce yourself and describe your work and the media/genre you work in.
My name is Linda Nickell and I am a local Kansas City artist primarily developing contemporary landscapes using oil and cold wax medium. I enjoy creating art in my studio space located in the...
Introduce yourself and describe your work and the media/genre you work in.
My name is Scout and I work with a camera! I have lived in Kansas City all my life and I typically make work about things like family, memory, grief, domestic space, but quite honestly amidst such...
The JCDS Emerging Artists Program exists to develop the skills of Emerging Artists so that they may reach their full potential and receive income through the sale of their art. It provides an opportunity for this group to build meaningful relationships with professional...
Debra Payne is a painter of rural landscapes and still lifes. Her work ranges from scenes of lush pastoral settings to renderings of houses to depictions of the disposable plastics and containers that consume our everyday lives.
After a diagnosis of severe post-traumatic stress disorder in 2011, Michael Schmaltz underwent several therapy sessions involving art. In 2012 he decided to buy oil paint and canvasses and started a series of self-portraits. He paints portraits of women because they can show...
When working on his art, Francisco Gabuardy draws from a lexicon of personal symbols. Many symbols allude to family ties, but also to larger concepts such as freedom and survival. He considers himself a mixed media artist who can create something out of anything he can get my hands on. However, he likes to re-explore the plethora of information and techniques that he’s confident with. This is why his work carries a playful knowledge of color, material, composition and attention to detail, which is infused with symbolism and narrative. Come view some of his work currently on display at Gardner Library.
Artist Statement: Lindsey Yankey grew up in rural Kansas playing outside, painting, drawing, and playing sports. She studied Illustration at the University of Kansas and is currently living in Lawrence, KS, with her family and their jungle of house plants. She finds...
Steph Kates began her art career as a painter, creating otherworldly landscapes exploring mythology, fairytales and fables. When she transitioned from painting to ceramics, she combined her years of experience with image-making, illustration and pattern work to the practice of pottery.
Talk about the work on view. What would you like people to know about it?
The purpose of my paintings is to create a space where viewers can get lost exploring. My work is centered around mental health, specifically depression and anxiety. Painting is not only a process...
