Artists To Celebrate by Karl Marxhausen

In the town where I work and paint
there is a history of artists.
Today that tradition is being uncovered,
dusted off and renovated---with a vision for celebration.

Property has been purchased that once had stage acts
and once was a movie house. Plans have been drawn up
for something new. The interior has been cleaned out.

Volunteers from the Arts Council of Carroll County
have pulled nails out of boards

and metal ductwork has been sold for scrap.
It's time to raise the funding for new wiring
and moving forward.

Artists from counties outside our own
are donating artwork to raise proceeds for the renovation.
These include Nora Othic (pastel) from Brookfield, Missouri;
David De Armond (watercolor) from Merriam, Kansas;
and Margaret Shelby (horse-maker) from Kansas City, Missouri,
among others.

You are invited to attend the First Annual Art Auction, Saturday, May 10th,
at the Rupe Community Center in Carrollton.
Meet the county artists from 5:30-6:30 pm.

Enjoy the $15 dinner followed by the auction.

Directions from east or west: Take I-70 to the Concordia exit.

Go north on Hwy 23 to Waverly. Go north across the Missouri River

on Hwy 24 ten mile to Carrollton. Turn right at the first stoplight,

then take another right on Harvest Hills Drive.

Turn left by the Fire Station and drive behind it

to the Rupe Community Center.

Here are a couple artists from our town's history:

In 1863 Amanda Austin first studied under George Caleb Bingham,
the famous Missouri River painter.
Later she traveled abroad to Europe to continue her studies.
(from the Francis Trotter collection)

In the 1920s,
Fred Geary extracted slivers from the surface of a wood panel,
inked the surface, and pulled this woodcut print---while

he was in his middle 30s. An inspiration to all with mid-life careers.
He went on to do interior designs for the Santa Fe Railroad
and Fred Harvey at the Grand Canyon.
(from the Carrollton Public Library Collection)

Proceeds at the Auction on Saturday, May 10th
will help renovate the old Uptown Theater
and adjoining properties in Carrollton, MO.

We are located 80 miles north and east of Kansas City, MO.

As an artist myself,
seeing art from past generations is exciting.
It sets a fire within to foster present-day appreciation for the past
and unfold a new expression for today.