Arts & Entertainment
Artist's Work Selected for Midwest Art Exhibition
The work of a Wildwood artist is being seen at the 114th Midwest Art Exhibition at Lindsborg, KS.
Artwork from Kent Addison is being featured at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery during the 114th Midwest Art Exhibition, which began Saturday and continues through June 17, according to a report from The McPherson Sentinel.
Though Addison was born in Wildwood, he grew up in Springfield, IL. He came back to the St. Louis area when he attended college in St. Louis at Washington University, where he studied sculpture with Richard Duhme, who passed away in 2005.
Addison then earned a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame, after which he returned to St. Louis to teach at Maryville University.
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Between 1955 and 1992, his work primarily consisted of sculpture created with clay, wood, stone, cast bronze and welded steel, the Sentinel reports. Around 1980, he began to experiment with watercolor still-life studies.
"I use symbols to imply abstract ideas,” the 74-year-old Addison reportedly said of his work. “My main objective is to construct a synthesis of the natural, the abstract, and the imaginary, and so bring into existence a language of personal symbolism."
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A Maryville University Connection
Addison founded the Maryville University Art & Design Department, where he spent 34 years teaching.
"Since art professor Kent Addison joined Maryville University 45 years ago, our art and design programs have continued to expand in both size and scope," states the Art & Design program page at Maryville's website.
Addison's talent shines through in both his sculpture work and his watercolor masterpieces, and he’s well-known throughout the art community, in the St. Louis area and throughout the country.
He also designed the St. Louis Award Statue, which is part of an annual honor presented to the person who makes the most significant contribution to the St. Louis area. The award was established in 1931. The sculpture is 9 feet tall, and features a pine tree on a concrete pedestal engulfed in a grove of living trees, one for each person who has received the award.
Addison has been featured in Watercolor Studio, the magazine of the Missouri Watercolor Society, as well as several other publications. His work has been shown at museums and galleries across the state.