The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 101

1 1 ii. 1 1:. kv i v. i i ljlv I I if; vJ Mf iSi 1 ffiCi Hilt I 4 4 is 9 4 If Staff Photos by Michael Coers Silk-screen prints by Ed Hamilton are among the works on display at the Louisville Art Workshop's show at Actors Theatre. Above is director Fred Bond.

Speaking of People Ail Workshop show at Actors gives sampling of year's work ig cffica. The children are Kirsk-n. 9. right, Karin, 5, and Eric, 12. Mrs.

Bond is expecting a fourth child next month. The Bond family's life centers around the workshop for they live in the back part of the building. At exhibition time their dining room becomes an the teachers took the money and gave it back to the workshop, said Bond. A membership drive, which laid in a supply of materials, netted about $900, mostly in sums of $1 to $5. The Bonds' life centers on the workshop.

They live in rooms at the back of the building and during an exhibit their dining room becomes an office. Artists drop in during the week to work in the gallery space on paintings or other media. The children, Karin, 5, Kirsten, 9, and Eric, 12, also get involved in pottery-makfng and other projects. Eric once suggested a skip rope rhyme which was used as a caption in a photographic exhibit. On the living room wall is a hanging made in an African art class by Mrs.

Bond, who writes poetry. Mrs. Bond, the former Anna Mulligan, is also a native of Louisville. She went three years to Spalding College until her marriage in 1957 to Bond. After returning to Louisville Bond taught 10 years at Hazelwootl Junior High in New Albany.

Then "he decided to quit and make this thins (the workshop) work with every ounce of energy he had," said his wife. Teaches at Lorclto He now teaches social studies, American history and art part-time at Lore! to High School and has a black-studies group in the evening. Though sculpture is his main interest, he is limited by lack of equipment and spends more time painting now. According to the Bonds, the workshop is not a social-service agency or a group to promote race relations. "Serving the community as artists that's our prime goal," he said.

"We've had every hue arid color and every shade of political belief. It's an open forum." The place does provide a sort of liiiven to be totally free" so that an artist doesn't have to he overwhelmingly concerned with a market. A performance of "Fcif fur's People" at Actors Theatre of Louisville will be a benefit for the Louisville Art Workshop at. p.m. Feb.

7, followed by a reception. Ticket information, may be obtained from Bond or at the theater. Another big event this year will be an exhibition of work by a Louisville painter, the late Bob Thompson, who was a friend of the Gallery group. Thompson, who studied at of and at Boston University, had his work shown at the Museum of Modern Art, Yale University and other centers and in 10 one-man shows in the U.S. and abroad.

"We think that he should be someone all Louisville should be proud of," said Bond, and he has arranged with the J. 15. Speed Art Museum for the exhibit to be held ther.e Feb. 1 through 21. k.jiw a Bond's sculpture is called "Ode to a Sleeping Brother." By JOAN KAY Couritr-Journal Staff Writer The Louisville Art Workshop members' show, now hanging at Actors Theatre of Louisville, will give viewers a chance to see results of the group's latest endeavor.

Included in the show of painting, prints, sculpture and crafts will be work by some six non-professionals who have been involved in special workshops the past year. In the past two years the workshop, which got its start in 1966, lost about 60 per cent of its artist members, who migrated to the West Coast, New York or graduate school. Beginning last January, said director Fred Bond, "we've tried to build" membership by offering new workshops for adults in design, painting and silk-screen prints. "We really feel their work has been splendid" and it is included in the show, along with that of the professional members. Providing an introduction to art techniques is just one facet of the workshop's sphere of activity, which has included sessions in creative dance and writing, in addition to regular exhibitions.

The concept of the artists' organization dates to 1958 when Bond came back to Louisville from a teaching job in Gary, Ind. "I had had a wonderful experience in the Chicago area working with artists. So I came home and said I wanted to find all the artists in my Speaking to other Negro painters, "I began to ask the question 'where do you Spurred on by the desire to exhibit their work he and other artists formed Gallery Enterprises. "It included a group lho have become somewhat il-lustriouSr-Sam Gilliam, Kenneth Young, Bob Carter." Gave an opportunity The group "represented the first crop" to come through the newly integrated University of Louisville. "For this new group at of it was a very big thing for blacks a chance to take art without going thousands of miles away." But "even though integration did take place, many times the black artists felt they weren't in participation.

The white culture scene takes place in a social setting and blacks are excluded." The climax of Gallery Enterprises was a citywide artists' exhibition at Central Park with jazz and Shakespeare by C. Douglas Ramey and a group of actors. "We registered 2,800 people on a rainy Sunday." After the success in the park most of sult with them about redesigning their churches." For two years the workshop, a nonprofit corporation, planned an art festival for the West End Community Council. The services are provided to the community solely for the cost of the materials. this place has represented is an attempt to create a real audience for art," for black and white alike and "an attempt to make a comment on the problems of artists everywhere, of relating to a community.

We have enough on our hands just to be good artists but you cant create in a vacuum. You have to make some attempt to relate to a community. "The traffic in this place is tremendous. Instead of trying to cram our art down throats we've tried to give some kind of identity to artists as someone you need." And he feels many of the misconceptions about artists are dispelled when amateurs and professionals work side by side. There are 17 schools within walking distance of the workshop, and lesson plan guides are provided for various exhibits.

For the Honduras exhibition there was a multi-media slide show with music and sounds of the country. To attract visitors to exhibits the workshop puts out a barrage of posters, letters to ministers and clubs, and mentions on radio. "We do everything except go out and bring them here," said Mrs. Bond, "and it works surprisingly." A Fisk University faculty exhibit drew 1,100. Workshop membership, which has been as high as 40, now numbers about 23 members, who pay $15 a year dues.

The workshop is mostly run on dues, donations from the community, and a percentage of the sales of exhibition works. "We only charge the artist 15 per cent of the sale, and the average is 45 per cent in the country," said Bond. Make own easels The main costs are insurance, mailings and other expenses of exhibitions. "We make our own easels" and screens for silk-screen process. Bond digs his own clay in Indiana, and potters use his basement kiln.

"We sometimes beg materials from people," said Mrs. Bond. Last summer was the first time adults paid a fee in workshops, and the money went for materials. Children worked free. One year the workshop had a $7,000 grant from the Kentucky Arts Commission, which was specified for salaries.

But the Gallery members had finished school and there was a mass exodus. The ones who were left "began sporadically to meet and talk" about continuing, with encouragement of the late Thomas Mer-ton, a Trappist monk and poet, and the late Rev. John Loftus, vice president of Bellarmine College. Bond agreed to get a group moving again if a permanent setting could be found. "We.

were exhibiting in bars, church basements," often for very brief spans of time. He spotted an empty, former grocery at 3531 Del Park Terrace, and "saw it as a gallery from the word go." Bond pays the rent with savings he had amassed for buying a house. "As I say, I saw this as a more meaningful thing. I've never doubted the greatness of my friends. They could very well have gone into oblivion.

I felt it was worth going fdr." Their first year six exhibits were held and public school children were invited to work in art classes. At the request of people in the community a Cultural Resources Center began to provide such services as designing posters for groups or doing publications. "We have had two churches call and ask if we would con Miss Anms Stephens, above, was a member of a special silk-screen workshop for amateurs. At left Mrs. Delores White works on design.

Show at Actors will run through Feb. 7. tttawsiw If ill 4- 1 i I if iv 1 --r li i am in Martha Nourse Nourst; Reynolds Mrs. Dunn Ross of York, Maine, announces the engagement of her daughter, Miss Martha Elsie Nourse of Defray Beach, to Mr. Stephen Dalrymple Reynolds son of Mr.

and Mrs. Stephen Dalrymple Reynolds of Delray Beach and Louisville. Miss Nourse is the daughter of the late Mr. Frederic Russell Nourse Jr. Mr.

Reynolds attended the University of North Carolina. The wedding will be in April in Delray Beach. Susan Floyd Floyd Wilmes Mr. and Mrs. William Murry Floyd announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Susan Murry Floyd, to Mr.

Thomas Edward Wilmes, son of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Theodore Wilmes. Miss Floyd attends the University of Kentucky. Mr.

Wilmes attends the University of Kentucky College of Architecture. The wedding will be May 22 at 12:30 p.m. in Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Johanna Hancock Hancock Sinfield Dr. and Mrs.

James Duffy Hancock announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Johanna Bertha Hancock, to Mr. John Oliver Sinfield, son of Mrs. Ernest Sinfield of Charleston, W. and the late Rev. Mr.

Sinfield. Miss Hancock received a B.S. degree from Marquette University and master's degrees from the Catholic University of America and the University of Louisville. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Eta, Tau Kappa Alpha, and Psi Chi honorary societies. A 1954 debutante, she is a member of the Spinsters Cotillion Club.

Mr. Sinfield received a B.S. degree from the University of Virginia where he belonged to Sigma Chi fraternity. A spring wedding is planned. Sharon Weisbrod Weisbrod Starks Mr.

and Mrs. Charles L. Weisbrod of Cincinnati announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Sharon Elizabeth Weisbrod of Waukegan, 111., to Navy Lt. (j.g.) Charles Flowers Starks, son of Mrs. Frank W.

Starks Jr. of Louisville and the late Mr. Starks. Miss Weisbrod attended Denison University and was graduated from the University of Kentucky. She was a member of Kappa Delta Pi and Pi Beta Phi.

Lt. Starks was graduated from Van-dcrbilt University where he belonged to Tau Beta Pi and Pi Kappa Alpha. He attends the University of Chicago graduate school of business while stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base. He is a member of the Bachelors. The wedding will be March 20, Mary Shepherd Slirpherd Dye The Rev.

and Mrs. James A. Shepherd of Frankfort, formerly of Louisville, announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Mary John Shepherd, to the Rev. Allen Millsaps Dye son of Mr. and Mrs.

A. Millsaps Dye of Clarksdale, Miss. Miss Shepherd attends Anbury College. The Rev. Mr.

Dye received a bachelor's degree from Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss. He is a student at the Candler School of Theology of Emory University. The wedding will be March 13 in First United Methodist Church, Kathleen Walker Walker Samoska Mr. and Mrs. J.

Earl Walker of Louisville announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Kathleen Walker of St. Louis, to Mr. George E. Samoska, son of Mr. and Mrs.

George J. Samoska of East St. Louis, 111. Miss Walker was graduated magna cum laude from the University of Kentucky where she was president of Alpha Gamma Delta, treasurer of Mortar Board and a member of Links and Cwens. Mr.

Samoska was graduated with honors from St. Louis University where he received a master's degree. He was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and Pi Mu Epsilon honorary society. The wedding will be March 27 in St. Paul United Methodist Church, Louisville.

Pagan Bittel and Mrs. Cletus H. Bittel of Owensboro. Mr. Bittel attends Brescia College.

The wedding will be Feb. 13 at 11 a.m. St. Stephen's Cathedral, Owensboro. Mr.

and Mrs. Joseph C. Pagan of Owensboro announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Sherry Jean Pagan, to Mr. James Henry Bittel, son of Mr..