Coronavirus hasn’t shut down creativity, but it has put a dent in art sales
Visual artists across Wichita are looking at a second month of canceled monthly art crawls, postponed seasonal openings of farm and art markets and canceled special events that were often some of their biggest shows of the year.
But even without Final/First Fridays, 2nd Saturday Artisan Markets and events such as Bartlett Arboretum’s Art at the Arb, local creatives say art is still being made in Wichita and there are ways you can enjoy it while following stay-at-home orders.
“I never liked the portrayal of creative people as suffering and starving,” said Shawn Craver, a transplant from the Appalachian Mountains of Western Maryland who makes his living as a professional musician and selling paintings. “Artists and musicians are hard-working and thrifty, like Appalachian people. I think people should not think of buying music and art as simply ‘support,’ but as purchasing a valuable product that they enjoy.”
Craver encourages Kansans to take this time to explore the arts to find something they enjoy. We caught up with five Wichita-area artists to find out how they’re adjusting to the pandemic life and how you can find their work while galleries, shops, bars and other artist-welcoming venues remain closed.
Javan Andrew, J. Andrew Design
Javan Andrew uses natural stone beads to make men’s and women’s jewelry and other accessories through his J. Andrew Designs. He sells in about 40 retail stores across the country and also relies on events. He said he isn’t alone in missing a huge chunk of income from the season-opening 2nd Saturday Artisan Market.
“It’s usually my biggest show of the entire year so I missed a huge portion of my budget for the year,” he said. “It’s always popular because it’s the first one and people are ready to get out to the art markets for the season after being cooped up all winter.”
He’s hopeful that The Workroom owner Janelle King will throw a grand opening market when restrictions are lifted.
In the meantime, Andrew is doing what he can to help the artist community as a whole, including organizing a March and April Virtual Final Friday Art Crawl.
Shop online for J. Andrew accessories at jandrewdesigns.com. You’ll also find J. Andrew Design on Facebook and on Instagram @jandrewdesign.
Leah Ward, Essential Elements by Leah
This time last year, Leah Ward was finishing a successful outing at Bartlett Arboretum. She and her mom, Becka Jahelka, shared exhibit space during the Art at the Arb event that typically happens during the Belle Plaine gardens’ Tulip Time each April.
Ward, a Rose Hill resident and Wichita high school teacher, makes jewelry featuring natural stones, freshwater pearls and crystals. Jahelka, who is retired, creates rice paper batik paintings and various types of printmaking. Both sell nature-inspired work that shows well together. They attended about 20 markets last year.
Their application for this year’s Kansas Grown Farmers Market in West Wichita was accepted but Ward said they opted not to participate in the markets until the stay-at-home orders are lifted.
“My jewelry can sit in a box and wait,” she said. “Those people who are growing food can’t wait. They’re growing lettuce, spinach and asparagus that needs to be bought and eaten now.”
Ward also sells her pieces in area stores including Aspen Boutique, Bela Luz and Bittersweet in Derby, plus museum gift shops. She has social media accounts for Essential Elements by Leah but not a website or online sales platform. She’s tried Etsy in the past, but it was too crowded for her handcrafted work to be found among a sea of mass-produced goods with similar keywords. She’s spent many hours during the past month researching e-commerce options so she’ll be prepared the next time her regular outlets disappear.
“I know people hear ‘shop local’ a lot but that’s more important than ever because it’s going to be critical to the recovery of our community,” Ward said. “Small business is the heart of our community. We all need them to recover.”
While her sales are down, her spirit isn’t.
“It’s a whole new landscape for a jewelry artist like me,” she said “The bright side is that the coronavirus doesn’t shut down creativity. I love the collection I have right now, and I’m eager to put it out there for people to see and enjoy.”
Find Ward @essentiallementsbyleah on Instagram and Essential Elements by Leah on Facebook. Find Jahelka at jahelkaart.com, Jahelka Art on Facebook and @jahelkaart on Instagram.
Bill Goffrier, Bill Goffrier Studios
Bill Goffrier has gathered a following of more than 2,500 on Facebook who can watch as his “Authenti-City” series of oil cityscapes grows. This week he added No. 230 to the detailed paintings of Wichita places.
But right now, he thinks people are most drawn to his photo-like paintings to see their most memorable spots in town, including iconic places that they cannot currently visit because of the stay-at-home order or because the structures are gone.
To stay in touch with fans of the series and connect with new patrons, he’s been posting some of the most popular works from the series. For example, he’s posted a painting of Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, demolished in 2018, and Joyland Amusement Park’s wacky shack ride (painted in its ruined state after the park was closed but before a fire destroyed what was left of the ride).
Just before COVID-19 closed restaurant dining rooms, Goffrier had installed his most recent temporary exhibition on the walls inside The Fusion Restaurant in the Delano District. Another restaurant was about to hang a permanent installation of his art before needing to put that project on hold.
He regularly shows his art in spaces where the public can see and possibly purchase the pieces, from city-owned galleries to churches to coffee shops. He said he has tried to make the “Authenti-City” series approachable by offering 5-by-7 paintings starting at under $200 as well as prints that cost much less.
Sales and commissioned work have slowed, but he’s still selling some pieces through his website, goffrier.com. And, he’s able to continue adding to the series, which he started in 2014 after moving back to Wichita after 30 years in the Boston area. He paints his subjects from a series of detailed photographs he takes of each location.
Find Goffrier at Bill Goffrier Studio on Facebook and @goffrier_studio on Instagram.
Andrea Gardner, Lamzy Divey
Andrea Gardner makes jewelry under the label Lamzy Divey, a nonsensical phrase from a whimsical 1943 song. She’d typically be participating in markets and events across Wichita this time of year, and selling her work in boutiques that have now had to close temporarily.
Word of mouth has made her a popular brand in the Wichita area, but without being able to sell through her usual channels she’s realizing social media is like “word of mouth on steroids.” She’s tried to reach a larger audience by participating in The Workroom’s April 11 online version of its 2nd Saturday Artisan Market. She didn’t sell anything at that event but her pieces were popular during this week’s Jewelry Trunkshow: Quarantine Edition that sold jewelry locked inside the showroom at The Workroom.
On the bright side, she said the stay-at-home mandate has given her the time she needed to create beyond the solid bronze custom jewelry she’s known for. She’s been able to spend time on labor-intensive accessories such as seed bead embroidery cuff bracelets.
“Artists always complain they don’t have enough hours to do their work,” she said. “I have hours and hours to fill, and it’s been a real blessing to have the freedom to work on a project I really enjoy but have always felt guilty spending the time to make.”
One bracelet can take as many as 12 hours, she said, so her stock has always been limited and sold out quickly. She’s also devoted more time to another pet project: textile bags. She designs and sews the bags from her large inventory of crewel fabric and trims from around the world
Her most popular collection features $38 Wichita flag necklaces with a solid bronze pendant accentuated with a crystal in the center of the Hogan. She also has a Wichita State alumni collection and one that features Bartlett Arboretum.
Gardner also works as an interior designer, and she’s handling the marketing and distribution for Heartlandia, a brand of merchandise that started when her husband Bill’s creative agency, Gardner Design, created a series of stickers expressing their love for the Midwest. There is now a jewelry line featuring the sticker designs, along with magnets, keychains and T-shirts.
View and purchase Heartlandia merchandise at heartlandia.com. Gardner’s Lamzy Divey creations are at lamzydivey.com, or follow on Instagram @lamzy_divey.
Shawn Craver, the Fiddler
Craver is best known as a fiddler, though he was an art major back in college. He said he made more money from his paintings last fall while appearing at Lovegrass Festival in Marion, Kan., than as a featured performer there.
When he’s not playing, he paints musical themes. Many are small enough to travel, so he takes the art show on the road, too.
Over the years, Craver has been in a number of Wichita bands. Last August, he decided to focus on solo projects, travel and plan a spring tour. He’s had to cancel the tour and he’s not been able to play his regular gigs that include The Hopping Gnome, The Artichoke and Fiddle Friday from 3 to 4 p.m. at Leslie Coffee. He also had been playing bass with an old school rock and blues jam at The Other Place in Garden Plain.
“There are always obstacles when a person commits to any path,” he said. “COVID-19 is just another, but I do count on playing gigs kind of like people live paycheck to paycheck. I had a good month previous to the shutdown, and I have faith because things seem to fall into place at the right time.”
See and purchase Craver’s art at shawncraverfiddler.com, where you can also hear his music. Find him on Facebook under Shawn Craver Music.
“Like many musicians, I’ve made all of my recordings available for free or ‘name your own price’ and people can be very generous,” he said. “Many local musicians are on Spotify and iTunes, and finding and streaming their music helps them in many ways.”
Where to find artists
We’re nearing a popular shopping season for buying graduation and Mother’s Day gifts. Here are a few ways to find area creatives while events and gatherings on an indefinite pause.
Wichita Arts Council, wichitaarts.com, has a list of organizations you can then find online and on social media to connect with artists.
Search for the Virtual Final Friday event page on Facebook (listed under J. Andrew Design or The Workroom).
Virtual 2nd Saturday Artisan Market & Trunk Shows are listed in the events section on The Workroom’s Facebook page.
Shannon Boone, owner of Shay Chic Productions, has compiled a list of artists and creatives under the “Artists in Wichita” tab on her website: shaychic.com/arts-in-wichita.
Kenzie Borland, co-owner of Dead Center Vintage, is updating a list of small businesses on the website ictresponse.com. Many creatives are on the list under the “Freelance” and “Professional Services” sections.