West Plains, MO. - West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will host their quarterly "Lunch with Art" event for the public, co-sponsored by OzSBI, on Monday, November 14, 2022, from noon till 1 p.m. in the Conference Room at OzSBI Small Business Incubator, 408 Washington Ave., West Plains. Shane Baker will be the featured presenter, discussing his text art mobiles and providing a guided tour of his artwork currently on display at OzSBI. Shane Baker, an Ozark native, was born and raised in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. As an undergrad at Arkansas State University, Shane took art classes and explored his artistic side, but decided that teaching was his calling. After graduating with a degree in Elementary Education, he taught for 32 years. He became an Elementary Reading Specialist, curriculum director, college professor and education consultant. Throughout his career, Baker maintained his interest and love of art and the artistic process. In 2010, using some of recycled cardboard,
West Plains, MO. - Missouri Humanities executive director Ashley Beard-Fosnow will present two programs in West Plains July 14, 2022. The events, sponsored by West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) will feature two sessions in Dogwood 1 at the West Plains Civic Center, both open to area non-profit representatives and the public. Programs will include: 3:30 - 4:30 MO Humanities 101 - a crash course workshop in Missouri Humanities programming for the public. The presentation will cover Humanities grants programs, online toolkit, digitals programs and other offerings that might be of interest. 4:30 - 5:30 Listening Session for public input from the organizations and individuals from throughout the community. What are humanities? Simply put, the humanities is the study of how people connect to the human experience through history, culture, and traditions. According to the Missouri Humanities website, www.MOhumanities.org - "The Humanities allow us to explore stories from people who ca
West Plains, MO. - The West Plains Council on the Arts and the Ozarks Studies Institute will be hosting a program within the Old Time Music - Ozark Heritage Festival at 1p.m. on June 4th. The event consists of a storytelling session and conversations devoted to mules and their impact on the Ozarks. Richie Dement of Centerville, Missouri, a coordinator of the Hirsch Feed & Farm Supply mule jump, will lead the "Mules of the Ozarks" discussion by sharing his vast mule-related knowledge and experiences. He will be joined by Les Clancy, a mule trainer and frequent mule jump participant from Ozark, Missouri. Matt Meacham, an Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival volunteer and mule jump emcee, will moderate the event. The Hirsch Feed & Farm Supply mule jump, in which mules compete to leap over a barrier, has been a popular Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival event since 2008.
West Plains, MO. - The West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) and Ozarks Small Business Incubator (OzSBI) have partnered to bring quarterly art displays to the incubator. Local artist Karen Pitts' works will be featured inside OzSBI's first floor April 1 through the end of June 2022. Visitors may view the display at the incubator during OzSBI's business hours, anytime between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. "Karen's ability to use the principles of design to create vibrant abstract paintings will assure the viewer of an exciting experience," WPCA Coordinator Janey Hale said. "Though her works are abstractions they create a visual emotion that any art lover will appreciate." Pitts was born and raised in Oklahoma City. At a very young age, she knew she wanted to teach art. She attended Southwest Oklahoma Junior College, working towards an art degree. She, along with her family, moved to Willow Springs in 1989. Pitts returned to college to com