Annual Report (2002)
ARLIS Central Plains Chapter

February 3, 2003

Submitted by M. J. Poehler, Secretary-Treasurer
mpoehler@kcai.edu
phone:816-802-3393
fax: 816-802-3338

Leadership Update

2002 Chapter Officers

Chair: Susan Craig, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Vice Chair/Chair Elect: Kay Logan-Peters, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Secretary/Treasurer: M. J. Poehler, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
Newsletter editor: Susan Bobo, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 

2003 Incoming Officers

Chair: Kay Logan-Peters, U. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Vice Chair/Chair Elect: Rachel Crane, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Secretary/Treasurer: M. J. Poehler, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
Newsletter editor:  Susan Bobo, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 

Narrative

At the close of 2002, Central Plains listed a total of 22 members.

Central Plains’ spring 2002 meeting was held June 6 - 8 at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg, KS.  Ron Michael was our host.  Tom Young, the longtime editor of the chapter’s newsletter, the Central Plains Irregular, resigned as editor.  Susan Bobo volunteered to be editor for a two year stint effective immediately.  The business meeting included a report from Marianne Cavanaugh on the ARLIS annual conference co-hosted by the CP Chapter in March, 2002, in St. Louis with the Visual Resources Association.  640 people attended the conference, which was a great success.  Kay Logan-Peters was the recipient of the 2002 CP Travel Award to the annual conference. 

Lindsborg, a farming community located near Salina in the Smoky River Valley, has a strong arts tradition and a vibrant cultural heritage linked to the Swedish immigrants who settled the town.  Thursday evening dinner at the Swedish Crown Restaurant was followed by an after hours visit to the Small World Gallery, owned by Jim Richardson, a Kansan who has traveled the world as a photographer for National Geographic.  The recently opened gallery featured Richardson’s images as well as ceramic pieces by CP member Ron Michael.  Friday’s programming included speaker Saralyn Hardy, Director of the Salina Art Center.  Hardy had just returned to the Salina Art Center following a stint in Washington, D.C., as Director of the Museums and Visual Arts section of the NEA.  Her talk reviewed her experiences in each of these challenging positions.  Other activities of the weekend included a tour of the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery and Studio, led by Ron Michael, Curator.  That was followed by a visit to the Red Barn Studio in Lindsborg to view the work of Lester Raymer.  On Saturday, many in the group participated in a guided folk-art tour extending to nearby communities and led by Ron Michael.

The fall 2002 meeting was held October 17 - 19 in Kansas City, Missouri.  It was jointly hosted by Cindy Barth at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (NAMA) and M. J. Poehler at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI).  Ursula Kolmstetter, Midwest Regional Representative, was a guest.  Members convened on Friday at NAMA for a panel discussion of Space Planning in Art Libraries.  Panel members included Ursula Kolmstetter, Head Librarian, Indianapolis Museum of Art; Kay Logan-Peters, Architecture Librarian, University of Nebraska- Lincoln; Cindy Barth, Head, Library Services, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; and M. J. Poehler, Library Director, Kansas City Art Institute.  Panel members all have recent and on-going projects involving space planning and remote storage issues.   Following lunch at NAMA’s Rozelle Court, there was free time to enjoy the current exhibit, Art of the Lega: Meaning and Metaphor in Central Africa. 

The business meeting was held at KCAI, a short walk from NAMA.  Susan Bobo reported on successfully assuming editorship of the Central Plains Irregular, having distributed an issue in September.  Ursula Kolmstetter reported on recent and current issues before the ARLIS/NA executive board. Chapter officers were elected (see above: 2003 Incoming Officers).  A $100 donation from CP chapter to the 2003 Annual Conference welcome event was approved.  A chapter web-site is planned, to be managed by Christine Jorgenson at the Joslyn Art Museum. 

After the business meeting, members took a tour of the Jannes Library at KCAI, a renovated mansion built around 1900, which opened in March, 2002.   Friday dinner was at Café Sebastienne in the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, affording the group a chance to take in the Fairfield Porter exhibition there.  The Saturday activities were centered in Independence, MO, and included the Truman Presidential Museum & Library and the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, once owned by Civil War artist George C. Bingham.

Central Plains chapter kicked off  the year 2002 by co-hosting the  joint annual conference in St. Louis.  Marianne Cavanaugh (CP) and Betha Whitlow (VRA), Co-Chairs for Local Arrangements, enjoyed a successful conference after working diligently on planning with the help of  many CP and VRA members.  In particular, members residing in the St. Louis area worked at length to make the 2002 conference a success.  Chapter activities for the remainder of the year centered on resting up, then conducting meaningful and edifying spring and fall meetings.

Issues for the Executive Board

The chapter voted to donate $100 to the Baltimore welcome party. 

The CP Chapter is interested in the Executive Board’s level of commitment to and plan for archiving the Update permanently.  In addition, the chapter would appreciate Executive Board consideration of a comprehensive salary review along the lines of the review conducted in 1990.