The Mercer Gallery at Garden City Community College is currently hosting “Here Forever, Gone Tomorrow,” an abstract painting exhibition by artist Kevin Kelly, through February 16.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, consisting of large, brightly colored, mesmerizing creations full of movement, energy, and unique mark-making.
An artist reception, with light refreshments provided, will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on February 15 inside the newly updated Mercer Gallery.
Additionally, Kelly, a seasoned educator, will give an artist’s workshop on February 16 from 1 PM to 3 PM inside Joyce 1413, covering the fundamentals of image-making.
Kevin Kelly is an artist and educator from the middle of America. He earned his Bachelor of Art
Education in 2001 and his MFA in painting from Wichita State University in 2008. His artwork is held in many private collections across the United States. It has been recognized through the Golden Artist Residency, the Mother’s Milk Residency, the Harvester Arts Community Fellowship program, and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Commission.
Kelly has been featured in group and solo exhibits in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New York for 15 years. His work has been featured in several publications, including New American Paintings, Studio Visit magazine, and the book Wichita Artists in Their Studios.
“The story of painting was partially about uncovering creative possibilities, freezing an artistic
gesture, and finding an individual identity. These artworks awkwardly occupy that space between a romanticized, painterly experience of the world and the unromantic surroundings of the Midwest, where I grew up,” Kelly said. “That landscape is characterized by utility, heavy-handed social and political messaging, and a restrained dialect. But both worlds are colored by nostalgia, memory, and moments of joy. I am looking through the cracks of painting, looking for the margins as I dissect its processes. By taking painted gestures and my surroundings out of their everyday contexts, I hope to give both a fighting chance.”
Regular gallery hours are Monday through Wednesday, from 9 AM to 4 PM, Thursdays from 9 AM to 10 PM, and Fridays from 9 AM to 4 PM.
The gallery has received cosmetic updates, including new trim, wall, and floor coverings, resulting in an updated space with a dark gray contemporary palette that allows the artwork to jump off the walls.
For more information, contact Gallery Director Michael Knutson at [email protected].
