Tag Archives: Artist

Local artist shares her gratitude to healthcare workers through film

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org

A tragic situation lead local artist Kim Johnson to be a witness to the chaos world of the healthcare workers as they struggled to help those with COVID 19, which in turn has lead to an insightful and personal narrative of what Johnson saw.

“If My Paintings Were on These Walls” will premiere on Feb. 17 on WKTV’s Comcast Channel 25. (WKTV)

Friday, Feb. 17, WKTV will premiere Johnson’s short film “If My Paintings Were on this Wall” at 7 p.m. on Comcast Channel 25 or you can live stream it at WKTV.org. The film is a combination of watercolor paintings and an essay by Johnson with video clips, narrated by Grammy Award winner singer, actress and author Debby Boone.

“Having seen Kim’s artwork, I knew that she would do a beautiful job executing this project.” Boone said. “There is real emotion and humanity in these pictures that is quite beautiful and her essay really communicates the sacrifice [many] have been willing to provide for people during such a trying time with the pandemic and the overload in these hospitals.

“You know they are exhausted and their personal lives are maybe falling apart and yet, they still show up with love and compassion for the people they’re trying to serve.”

The story of Kim and Georgia Johnson

Covid 19 turned many people’s lives upside down and local artist Kim Johnson and her mother, Georgia thought that was going to be the case for them.

But a trip to the hospital lead to the discovery that Georgia did not have Covid like everyone thought, but rather metastasized breast cancer, which would take her life in 21 days.

During that time, Kim Johnson spent every waking hour at the hospital and when her mother was getting tested or sleeping, Johnson, with sketchpad in tow, would draw what see was seeing: the nurses looking so tired but kept going, health care workers being yelled and assaulted by frustrated and frightened patients; and those running from one hospital room to another to take care of patient needs.

“At the time, I was a pretty bitter person,” Johnson said. ”I disliked anyone in the healthcare field. I disliked [Georgia’s] doctor because I thought he could have caught it.

 

“I was pretty nasty and my attitude stunk in the time that she was there and a lot of times I left the room and took my sketchpad with me and God worked on my heart a little bit because one of the first things I saw, or rather heard, was there was a patient screaming. The F-bomb was flying right and left, and the next thing I know this nurse came out and she was balling…she crumbled to the floor in tears and someone came to console her.”

This would be the first of many sketches but after her mothers death, Johnson’s resentment toward anyone in the healthcare, caused her to pack up the drawings along with her art supplies. After selling the family home, she had no intention of having anything to do with art.

Finding compassion and gratitude

Six months later, Johnson began to have a change of heart, developing compassion for the healthcare workers. She rekindled her love for drawing and watercolor painting, and through most of her supplies were in storage, she was able to find a few supplies packed away including the sketchbook she had at the hospital.

One of the 38 paintings by Kim Johnson.

It is from that sketchbook she wrote her essay about her experiences and interactions within those 21 days and painted 38 4×6-inch paintings, all of which is included in the video.

Johnson has long followed and admired four daughters of legendary singer Pat Boone since 1977 when Debby Boone recored the song “You Light Up My Life.” She also was a fam of the 1979 Boone Family Easter Special. Through a meeting on the now defunct My Space, Johnson meet and became friends with Cherry Boone O’Neill, Debby Boone’s sister. It was through that friendship, which eventually migrated to Facebook, that she met Debby Boone, who upon hearing of the project agreed to narrate it.

“Honestly, I never thought that I would ever have the opportunity to meet Debby Boone, let alone work with her on a project I created,” Johnson said. “She narrated something I wrote. I still cannot believe that it is happening. I am beyond honored.”

There will be a private showing of the film at the WKTV Community Media Center in February. In March, there will be a public showing that will be followed by a brief appreciation recognition for healthcare workers in all capacities. The film also will be available on Kim Johnson’s YouTube channel at the end of March.

Mackinac State Historic Parks accepting applications for artist-in-resident program

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A sneak peek inside the artist-in-residence place.

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Mackinac Island has long been an inspiration for artists. Mackinac State Historic Parks is providing an opportunity to let it inspire you.

The Mackinac State Historic Parks Artist-In-Residence Program is designed to promote and encourage the creation of artistic works inspired by the history, natural wonders, and beauty of Mackinac Island. The residencies are available to artists of all mediums, including, but not limited to, writers, composers, sculptors, and visual artists including photographers.

The two- and three-week residencies are available beginning in early June and continuing through early October.

“We were so pleased to have completed the third year of the program in 2021 and look forward to 2022,” said Mackinac State Historic Parks Director Steve Brisson. “It was inspiring to witness how Mackinac sparked the creativity of the various artists these last three years.”

The resident artist is housed in the remodeled second floor of the Mackinac Island Visitor’s Center, formerly the 1915 Mackinac Island Coast Guard Station. The residence, which overlooks the Straits of Mackinac, includes a studio apartment with one full size bed with bedding and towels provided, private bath and shower, kitchen with stove, sink, and full-size refrigerator, washer and dryer, WIFI, and basic kitchen and cleaning supplies. It is an historic building and the second floor is only accessible by stairway. The residence is provided rent-free to the selected artist.

The Station 256 Conference Room is a large adjoining work/gathering space that is available by appointment for the artist when not in use by park. The artist also has access, with previous arrangement, to the workspace in the lower level of The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum for project work and/or workshops.

The artist is asked to provide a public presentation (workshop, lecture, reading, demonstration, etc.) on the second Wednesday of their residency and contribute one piece of their work to Mackinac State Historic Parks within 12 months. The artist is responsible for transportation to, from, and while on Mackinac Island and is responsible for all personal equipment, supplies, and food.

A jury of representatives from Mackinac State Historic Parks, the Mackinac Island Arts Council, and the Mackinac Island Community Foundation will select from the pool of applicants. Selections will be made solely on the basis of merit and how their work can advance the program’s goal of encouraging the creation of artistic works inspired by the history, natural wonders, and beauty of Mackinac Island.

Further information, such as the application and schedule, is available by clicking this link. Deadlines for applications is Jan. 14, 2022.

West Michigan artist’s work featured at MMA

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The work of Russell Prather will be featured at the Muskegon Museum of Art. (Supplied)

By Marguerite Curran
Muskegon Museum of Art

The Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA) has opened a new exhibition this week—Russell Prather: Layers and Light—featuring the work of Michigan artist Russell Prather in a solo installation-style exhibition of his most recent work. The exhibition will run through Jan. 17, 2021.

The Artist’s Vision and the Viewer’s Vision
Prather’s work consists of multiple flat layers of opaque and translucent surfaces that create illusions of three-dimensional forms that change depending on the viewer’s perspective. Senior Curator Art Martin shares the artist’s vision:

“And the Heart is Pleased by One Thing After Another,” a poetic fragment written by the ancient Greek poet Archilochus, is Russell Prather’s point of inspiration, demonstrating the joy that comes as exploration reveals a sequence of discoveries. Prather paints patterns on transparent polyester sheets that, when layered together, establish new forms that shift depending on the position of the viewer. As your point of view changes, so too does what you see, allowing you to redefine what you perceive in subtle to dramatic ways.

About Russell Prather
Prather is a professor at Northern Michigan University, where he teaches interdisciplinary English and Honors courses on Eighteenth Century and Romantic Literary and Visual Culture, Word and Image, Fine Art: Modern Sources, Film. His work has appeared at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids.

Video Artist Talk: Q&A with Russell Prather
A video artist talk with Russell Prather and a virtual walk-through of the exhibition will be available starting October 22 on the MMA’s Youtube channel.

Visitor Information
The Muskegon Museum of Art, at 296 W. Webster Ave., Muskegon, Michigan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm and closed Mondays. Visit www.muskegonartmuseum.org for up-to-date information.