Category Archives: Visual

To Succeed Sarah J. Rowland, Who Will Remain on Board

Sarah F. Rowland, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The

Sarah Rowland Photo by Bob Greenspan

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, announced at the April meeting of the Board that as part of a planned transition in leadership, she will step down as Chair and will be succeeded by civic leader and arts patron Shirley Bush Helzberg, effective May 1. Mrs. Rowland, who has been Chair for the past four years, will remain on the Board.

“We are delighted to welcome Mrs. Helzberg to this important

Shirley Helzberg photo by David Riffel

role, and we know she will lead the Nelson-Atkins into the future, with ever-increasing community engagement,” said museum Director & CEO Julián Zugazagoitia. “This is a transition that builds on the great legacy of Sarah Rowland and that continues the Board of Trustees governance at the highest level.”

Mrs. Helzberg, who has been involved with the leadership of the Nelson-Atkins since 1996, is known as one of Kansas City’s most active community leaders and a supporter of dozens of civic efforts and service groups. She has been the President of the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Symphony since 1995, and she has served as Chairman of the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, President of Starlight Theatre and Founding Chairman of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City.

She and her husband, Barnett C. Helzberg Jr., former Chairman of the Board of Helzberg Diamonds, own, enjoy and appreciate African art and helped endow the African gallery in the Bloch Building. They co-founded University Academy Charter School, serving more than 1,000 students in Kansas City, and they were named Kansas Citians of the Year in 2002. Helzberg Hall, the magnificent concert venue at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, carries their name as well.

Beyond her passion for the arts, Mrs. Helzberg brings professional experience in the areas of marketing, advertising and real estate. She led the restoration of Webster House, a Romanesque-style school next door to the Kauffman Center, which is now a destination for shopping and dining, as well as other renovated and adaptive reuse projects in downtown properties.

“I am honored to serve along with other extremely dedicated members of the Board of Trustees, civic leaders, a fine-tuned administrative staff, and a gifted and talented curatorial team that brings scholarship and international recognition to the Nelson-Atkins and the Kansas City region,” Mrs. Helzberg said. “The enjoyment of art has had a profound experience on my life. I will enjoy working on the areas of our new strategic plan to continue to bring art to the community for the enjoyment of all and to build on the sturdy foundation of past leadership. Education, diversity and increased audiences will continue to be a most important area of my interest.”

Mrs. Helzberg assumes the role of Chair that has been held since 2009 by Mrs. Rowland, who took over the position following the death of Harry C. McCray Jr. Mrs. Rowland led the museum through the celebration of the esteemed tenure of Director Emeritus Marc F. Wilson and the search for the museum’s new Director, Zugazagoitia.

“We have all been privileged to work with Mrs. Rowland during this time of transition, as she strengthened our governance and as we worked to complete our strategic plan,” Zugazagoitia said. “Together we have embraced a new vision for the future, of bringing the highest art to everyone, unleashing the power of art and engaging with the spirit of the community.”

Mrs. Rowland and her husband, Landon, have been longtime supporters of the museum and have provided significant funding for the remodeling and reinstallation of the American galleries, unveiled in 2009. In 2002, they established The Ever Glades Fund, a permanent endowment fund for the acquisition of American art.

“The privilege and opportunity to follow remarkable and gifted civic leaders in their quest to enlarge and enliven the museum is an opportunity for which I am most grateful,” said Mrs. Rowland. “With an exquisite collection, a gifted staff of scholars and museum professionals and an enthusiastic and supportive constituency, the institution is positioned for extraordinary achievements in the century ahead. I am delighted to have been a part of that quest.”

A graduate of Smith College, Northampton, Mass., Mrs. Rowland’s professional experience was in publishing and in development for not-for-profit organizations.  Her volunteer associations and board services in Kansas City have focused on historic preservation and the visual and performing arts.  She is a farmer, a horsewoman and an amateur musician.

The museum begins its fiscal year May 1 with the following members on the Board of Trustees: Mrs. Helzberg, Mrs. Rowland, Charles S. Sosland, Mary Atterbury, Robert Bernstein, Paul DeBruce, Laura Fields, David Fowler, J. Scott Francis, J. Peter Gattermeir, Richard C. Green Jr., Julia Irene Kauffman, Alan R. Marsh, Kent Sunderland, Elizabeth Bloch Uhlmann, Adelaide C. Ward, Maurice Watson, and Chairs Emeriti Henry W. Bloch, Donald J. Hall and Estelle Sosland.

The Whole Person (TWP) will highlight 17 local artists with disabilities at the third annual “Expressions” reception on Friday, May 3, at the Jones Gallery (1717 Walnut St., KCMO).

Expressions is a First Fridays art show, free and open to the public, featuring wine and cheese, live entertainment, and an opportunity to meet artists with a diverse range of talents and abilities. Artists include Jorge Castillo, Tiffany Hart, Sean Houlihan, Rauchelle McNeal, Waunder Oshinbanjo, Linda Pluschke, Andrew Rosenbarger, Chad Sellhorst, Gene Smith, Nancy Thane, Monica Viren, Brandon Aspenlieder, Joe Franklin, Andrescia Hooten, Sean S., Lesley Johnston and Allan Burgess. Artists will share their stories at Expressions, for example:

• Lesley Johnston: Lesley’s stroke in 2003 left her with limited mobility, but her passion of designing and making jewelry only improved. She enjoys the artistic process of buying beads and making beautiful pieces of jewelry. “Jewelry makes me feel special and I hope that my pieces do the same for others. My greatest pleasure is seeing someone wear my art with pride.”
• Allan Burgess: Allan has lived in Topeka and Oklahoma for most of his life and is an enrolled member of the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma. A self-taught, lifelong artist, Allan pulls from his Native American heritage to create art that promotes self-healing. “My art has also been a recovery tool as I have coped with mental illness.  Vivid colors are used to depict emotions and I hope the viewer gains enjoyment from the art.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2011 American Community Survey), 10 percent of the population in the Kansas City metropolitan area has a disability.  However, the number of people with disabilities represented in the art community as artists and gallery visitors is well below 10 percent. Expressions seeks to break down the physical and attitudinal barriers of Kansas City’s rich and vibrant arts community for individuals with disabilities.

“Our goal is to help individuals with disabilities discover their own artistic abilities, expose the public to professional level artwork of people with disabilities and educate the community about the therapeutic power of art in the lives of individuals with disabilities,” says David Robinson, CEO of TWP. “We encourage everyone to join us for this opportunity to celebrate the strengths, talents, and abilities of people with disabilities.”

Accessibility options provided for the reception include Braille and large print formats of the event program, volunteer guides for descriptive audio tours, sign language interpreters, and an accessible restroom. Expressions is sponsored by UMB.

About The Whole Person
The Whole Person is a Center for Independent Living founded in 1978 as a private, non-residential, non-profit organization providing a full range of community-based services for people with disabilities.  For more than 30 years, TWP has been a leader in representing people with both mental and physical disabilities and providing independent living services to residents of Kansas and Missouri. TWP assists people with disabilities to live independently and encourages change within the community to expand opportunities for independent living.

In recognition of the lasting legacy Donald J. Hall created with his leadership and generosity, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art today announced that the 22-acre oasis of parkland on the museum campus has been renamed The Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. The land that surrounds the museum, considered one of the nation’s finest settings for a major art museum, is home to 35 sculptures.

The new name will be recognized with four bronze plaques in the park. The renaming sets the stage for a major celebration of the park’s 25th birthday in 2014.

“This is one small way to honor the commitment shown to the museum by Don Hall through the years,” said Sarah F. Rowland, chair of the Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees. “Because of his support and his quest for the highest standards, the Nelson-Atkins is both a world-class institution that has earned international renown and a regional treasure that is open to all.”

Hall and his late wife, Adele, have been strong and generous supporters of the Nelson-Atkins for many years. Hall served as a member of the Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees for 31 years, and under his influence the museum modernized its governance and broadened the Board from three members to 21. In the 1990s, when the museum moved toward expansion, Hall led an international pursuit of the best architect for the project, resulting in a design by architect Steven Holl. The Bloch Building opened in 2007 to worldwide acclaim.

“Adele and I shared a passion for the Nelson-Atkins and enjoyed our relationship with this fine institution through the years,” said Hall. “It truly is gratifying to see that is has become one of the premiere art institutions in the country.”

Through the years, Hall worked quietly behind the scenes to support the acquisition of major works of art, including Modern and Contemporary, African and the landmark Hallmark Photographic Collection.

In 1983, Hall contemplated how the Hall Family Foundation could best support the museum and consulted Seymour Slive, director of the Fogg Museum at Harvard. Slive made two strategic suggestions that played to the museum’s strengths. He recommended the Foundation support the strong Chinese art collection and build a monumental sculpture collection, capitalizing on the abundant land surrounding the museum.

In 1986, the Ablah family in Wichita, Kan., made available 57 works by the late Henry Moore, and Hall seized the opportunity to purchase the works through the Hall Family Foundation. A vision for a new sculpture park emerged, a new approach that would change the park’s relationship to the museum and make the park more accessible to the community. Architects Dan Kiley and Jaquelin Robertson created a design that incorporated modern sculptures into beautiful new landscaping, with terraces that led down the expansive south lawn of the museum. The museum worked closely with the Kansas City Parks Board, which held steadfast in its determination that the long, open view from the museum to Theis Mall should not be interrupted, and the new Kansas City Sculpture Park opened to acclaim in 1989.

Another landmark opportunity presented itself in 1991: the availability of Dallas real estate developer Ray Nasher’s collection of 20th-century sculpture, considered the finest private collection in the world. Seeking advice on what to acquire, the Hall Family Foundation hired Martin Friedman, director emeritus of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, to serve as its art advisor.

“The sculpture collection grew because of Don’s ability to make excellent decisions quickly, coupled with the expertise and close relationship with Martin Friedman,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, CEO & Director of the Nelson-Atkins. “Kansas City will benefit for decades to come.”

Friedman later oversaw the acquisition of the Shuttlecocks, a major gift from the Sosland Family that launched a community-wide discussion. Among other acquisitions were George Segal’s Rush Hour, Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Standing Figures (Thirty Figures), and Walter De Maria’s One Sun/34 Moons, which served as a new north-side entrance to the Nelson-Atkins and Bloch Building.

In 2011, the Hall Family Foundation added yet another magnificent piece to the Sculpture Park with the installation of acclaimed artist Roxy Paine’s Ferment. The brilliant “dendroid” sculpture was commissioned by the Hall Family Foundation as a gift to Friedman in recognition of his role in overseeing the transformation of the sculpture park.

“We are indebted to Don Hall for his decades of careful stewardship, and now it is time to celebrate,” Zugazagoitia said. “This gem in the city, The Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, is open to all every day of the year, and we invite people to play, to picnic, to contemplate, to be inspired by the art and to enjoy the park in every way. What an extraordinary gift by Don.”

Photo credit: Mark McDonald