Final Friday | September 26

Join us for Final Friday as we celebrate the closing of our current exhibitions and the opening of the annual Cottonwood, Inc. exhibition! Additional events include a film screening and an Adult Improv Troupe performance! 

Matthew Willie Garcia | Enter the Void

Enter the Void is a series of works that investigates the unknown, both in the cosmos and within the self. Garcia’s work will transform the gallery into a site of exploration and discovery, inviting viewers to reorient their sense of existence in relation to all of time, approximately 13.8 billion years.

The core of Garcia’s artistic practice is to transform our perception of existence and recontextualize our notions of space and time. Their work encourages introspection and asks the viewer to consider the mysteries of the universe that might not have straightforward answers, simultaneously redefining and reorienting our understanding of space, exploration, and one’s place in the vastness of the universe. Ultimately, by combining the realms of science and art, Enter the Void strives to challenge our understanding of the universe, foster curiosity, and create moments for contemplation and wonder.

INSIGHT Art Talk: Thursday, September 25, 7 pm

Samantha Mendoza | All That’s Forgotten

The fate of most things is doomed to be forgotten. Cherished items from youth, the voice of a loved one, even the morals and promises of a previous version of yourself. Always meditating on human fallibility, these works serve as narrative introspections that are influenced by the mystery, tragedy, and bliss of ambiguous memory.

Working primarily with narrative, Samantha Mendoza’s work is imbued with a fusion of personal and universal symbolism to weave the intimacy of self-inquiry with patterns of collective thought and experience. Her investigations flirt with ideas of gender, specifically interpretations of ‘Woman’ and femininity, in conjunction with mental health and human fallibility. Elements appropriated from various time periods, mythologies, rituals, and atmospheres blend to fabricate settings and situations that exist somewhere in the gap between the familiar and the mystical.

Ericka Walker | Selections from The Heritage Collection, 1775-1965

Selections from The Heritage Collection, 1775-1965,  is a series of large-scale relief prints exploring shared violent legacies, including the histories of the colonial (settler), the colonized, and the forcibly displaced. Each work features a man-made explosion since the War of The American Revolution. The national mythologies of both the United States and Canada bind Walker and her children to all manner of violent birthright, and in The Heritage Collection, these are translated in terms of infrastructure demolitions, bomb tests, artillery strikes, and chemical weapons deployments, sampled from the beginnings of nationhood to the present day.

Cottonwood, Inc. | Beyond the Surface

Cottonwood, Inc. has served adults with intellectual disabilities for over 40 years and provides Retirement Enrichment Day Services in downtown Lawrence. Retirees pursue their leisure interests, and many have the good fortune to participate in printmaking classes at the Lawrence Arts Center. This year, participants present both prints and acrylic spin art. Many pieces are also for sale, with 100% of the sales going to each Cottonwood Artist. It’s their chance to sell their artwork, benefiting the artists and what they’ve created.

This exciting annual exhibition is not to be missed!

Final Friday Opening: September 26, 5:30 – 7:30 pm in the main lobby

Thank you to Lunar Graphix 🌙 for providing gallery vinyl.

Film Screening | Join or Die

Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it. In this feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis.

Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work?

Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… What can we do about it?

Tickets: $10 or FREE for Lawrence Arts Center members! Click here to become a member.

Come early for an Adult Club Fair in the lobby!

If you have a club and would like to table at this event, please email: info@freestatefilmfest.com

Adult Improv Performance Troupe Series | September

The Adult Improv Performance Troupe will be putting on a show in the Black Box Theater at 7:30 pm. Join us for an evening of zany comedy. Free and open to the public, $10 suggested donation.

We can’t wait to see you there!