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An Extraordinary Art Exhibit BY COMBINING HER PASSION FOR ART AND NATURE AND THROWING IN A FEW UNEXPECTED DETAILS, AN ARTIST CREATES SOME UNIQUE 3D BOTANICAL REPRESENTATIONS. When she was around seven or eight, Kelsey Wiskirchen was using her own miniature sewing machine to make doll blankets and clothes. “I also loved embroidery and latch-hook,” says Wiskirchen, who had childhood dreams of being an artist. When she entered college, she thought her artistic talents would be relegated to a hobby while she pursued a more practical career. However, after spending a semester enviously watching art students having fun as they worked on their projects in the dorm lounge, she decided that art had to play a larger role in her life. When she took her first fibers class, she knew she had found her artistic niche. “I love working with my hands, and I love the tangible quality of the fabric,” said Wiskirchen. “Fiber art is a sensory experience for me—the different textures of fabrics and the challenge of expressing my ideas through this medium are what I love.” Growing up in Missouri, Wiskirchen had spent lots of time outdoors with her parents and her grandparents, and as she grew older, nature came to be a source of inspiration for her. Inspired by botanical illustration, she decided to create a series of artwork for a college art exhibit that would combine her passion for fiber art with her love of nature in a way that also expressed the relationship between plant life and human life. Selecting eight different plants she was familiar with from her childhood, she decided to create three-dimensional fabric representations of poison ivy, coneflower, Mayapple,
morel mushroom, wild blackberry, wild onion, goldenrod and lowland brittle fern. To accurately represent the plants, she conducted extensive research studying both the physical nature of the plants as well as the human relationship to each one. In addition to learning about the medicinal uses and edibility of the plants, Wiskirchen found out about their historical significance including the many artists throughout history who have dealt with plants as subject matter. “From ancient Greek architecture to the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci to modern botanical illustration, art history is filled with a fascination with plant structures,” said Wiskirchen. “I was surprised to find out how many artists who, like me, were interested in the mysterious root systems of plants.” For her art project, Wiskirchen dyed fabric to get the exact color she wanted for each of the eight plants, then sewed the fabric over a wire structure she had designed for each plant. Information about the plants was also screen-printed onto the fabric. To showcase the three-dimensional representations, each plant was displayed on an individual wooden shelf, with the root system hanging below. Wiskirchen also made detail boxes that held an enlarged detail of a specific part of the plant, such as a leaf or the head of a flower, and the plant’s scientific name was included on each display. To incorporate her childhood experiences with nature, Wiskirchen added a special personal touch to each work of art. “Since the works were inspired by my encounters with these plants as a child, I wrote a brief memory that related to each one that was also displayed on the wall,” said Wiskirchen. Creating such a large series of artwork for the exhibit was a new experience for Wiskirchen that provided some valuable lessons outside the classroom. “With the help of a committee of art professors and Truman’s gallery director, I learned how to plan for the entire exhibit,” said Wiskirchen. “From the initial conceptualization, to the research and writing, creating the actual art, displaying the body of work in the Art Gallery, to advertising and planning for an exhibit opening, the entire process was a learning experience.” In the future, Wiskirchen hopes to be in position where she can help cultivate other students’ passion for art. She received her bachelor of fine arts degree from Truman last year and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Arizona State University. ”After I finish graduate school, I hope to have the honor of being on the opposite end of that relationship teaching other art students,” said Wiskirchen. Nature Lesson To accompany the three-dimensional fabric representations of plants she created, Kelsey Wiskirchen wrote about some of her childhood memories in relationship to the plants featured in her art exhibit. In the following story, she recalls an encounter with poison ivy. If you scratch it’ll only get worse!” The day had been a grand exploration, brimming with adventure. I had spent the entire afternoon hiking around the old city lake that rested snug in the middle of Grandma’s farm, careful to avoid the prickly burrs and jutting branches. I stopped occasionally to observe dancing butterflies, sketch wildflowers, and eat the lunch Grandma had packed. In some places, the trees hung so low over the water that I had to crawl through the brush on my hands and knees. Now I perched on the tub’s edge, wincing as Grandma dabbed pink calamine lotion on my skin with a Q-tip. I distracted myself by counting backward from a hundred. When that didn’t work, I tried holding my breath. Patches of itchy bumps ran from my neck down to my ankles.
Page 2 and 3: The Truman Alumni Association is or
Page 4 and 5: Installation Ceremony for Universit
Page 6 and 7: continued from page 3 Grim Smith Bu
Page 8 and 9: Class of 2010 Graduates participate
Page 10 and 11: AProper Tribute The University host
Page 12 and 13: Sara Wissmann, a health science maj
Page 14 and 15: James D. Cianciola, assistant profe
Page 16 and 17: By Amanda Goeser From studying the
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Page 20 and 21: By Jesslyn Tenhouse (’09) Apartne
Page 24 and 25: iTruman NOW PLAYING: HOMECOMING 201
Page 26 and 27: 1947 Huella (Griffith) Darling (’
Page 28 and 29: Matt Schur (’96), Lincoln, Neb.,
Page 30 and 31: 2005 Julie Anderson (’05), Baton
Page 32 and 33: is an assistant teacher for The Fam
Page 34 and 35: to being involved in funeral servic
Page 36 and 37: 1950s Claire Howard Abbott (’58),
Page 38 and 39: James H. Dittemore (’76), of Atla
Page 40 and 41: Looking for Leaders The Truman Alum
Page 42 and 43: Truman alumni have a long history o
Page 44 and 45: Gifts Push Campaign Closer to $30 M
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Page 48 and 49: Aherne Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scho
Page 50 and 51: Spring Sports Recap Softball - Seni
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