{"id":410265,"date":"2026-05-03T20:39:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T20:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/410265\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T20:39:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T20:39:28","slug":"lawrence-artists-open-their-studios-for-art-spaces-tours-looks-behind-the-scenes-continue-sunday-the-lawrence-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/410265\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawrence artists open their studios for Art Spaces Tours; looks behind the scenes continue Sunday \u2013 The Lawrence Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By transforming homes and industrial buildings into accessible galleries, the Lawrence Art Guild aims to do more than sell art; it also looks to demystify the creative process for the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saturday marked the first day of the fourth annual Art Spaces Studio Tours, where community members traveled across Lawrence to visit their favorite artists\u2019 studios, peek into their creative processes and build their collections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For those who missed the opening day, studios will be open again from noon until 6 p.m. Sunday, May 3. <\/p>\n

See a list of participating artists and map of studios on the guild\u2019s website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Assemblage of found history<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times<\/p>\n

Nick Schmiedeler, this year\u2019s featured artist, opened his studio at 710 Missouri St. Schmiedeler specializes in assemblage, meshing found metal and wooden pieces to create eclectic sculptures for his yard and home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Schmiedeler\u2019s open studio offers a glimpse into a process that he describes as uncalculated. As he balances his 30-year career as a forklift operator with creative work, he spends his time hunting through junkyards, flea markets and local dumps for metal and wood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times Nick Schmiedeler\u2019s bottle tree sculpture at his home and studio<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really not that thoughtful about it, to be honest,\u201d Schmiedeler said. \u201cIf it has a cool look, I just grab it and I kind of throw it in my excess stuff over there and randomly just weld things together or assemble them and just see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schmiedeler likes to keep his materials era-consistent, often pairing century-old scraps with pieces from a similar time to create a sense of cohesion. His use of colorful weather-worn bowling balls, often split by elements, serve as a rounded contrast to the sharp edges of many of his steel sculptures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times A bowling ball sculpture sits in Schmiedeler\u2019s yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really do this for myself,\u201d Schmiedeler said. \u201cIf other people appreciate it, that\u2019s nice. It\u2019s complimentary, but it\u2019s always just for our own comfort and we like being surrounded by this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times A walkway leads to Nick Schmiedeler\u2019s backyard and studio.<\/p>\n

The muralist in the alleyway\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dave Loewenstein and his son, Andr\u00e9s, hosted guests in their alleyway studio behind their home at 645 Illinois St. <\/p>\n

A staple of Lawrence\u2019s art scene, Dave is known for his large-scale murals that involve deep community collaboration \u2014 a practice that now involves his son as an active assistant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the Loewensteins, inspiration is almost always tied to place. Whether working with the Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation or a local nursery school<\/a>, Dave said the \u201cwhere\u201d and \u201cwho\u201d of the community drives their process.<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times A drawing by Dave Loewenstein on display in his studio<\/p>\n

\u201cWe usually talk to whoever we\u2019re working with,\u201d Dave said. \u201cIf we\u2019re doing a mural, it\u2019s really about where, and then who lives nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9s, who is already honing his artistic voice at age 8, is engaging visitors with live drawing demonstrations, dubbed \u201cDraw-o-Rama.\u201d Guests spin a wheel for three random topics; Andr\u00e9s then illustrates a scene based on those prompts using marker and paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times Andr\u00e9s Loewenstein draws a vending machine as part of his \u201cDraw-O-Rama\u201d activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might do the same thing my dad is,\u201d Andr\u00e9s said, \u201cand paint walls and different stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times A self-portrait by Andr\u00e9s Loewenstein is on display.<\/p>\n

Hub of collaboration<\/p>\n

Art Emergency, at 721 E. Ninth St., houses a collective of artists working in various mediums, from painting and photography to textiles and mixed media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times Brandt Minden poses with his work at Art Emergency.<\/p>\n

For Brandt Minden, acrylic painter and photographer, the studio has been an important space for professional growth. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Liza MacKinnon uses the space to transform maps and books into intricate, three-dimensional garments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times Brandt Minden\u2019s paintings are on display at Art Emergency.<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times A paper map onesie created by Liza MacKinnon is on display at Art Emergency.<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times A 3D paper figurine by Liza MacKinnon is displayed alongside her 2D children\u2019s dresses.<\/p>\n

Joining them is Kathy Suprenant, a former KU biology professor whose retirement career in fiber arts has become a second act.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Suprenant uses a multi-step process, printing, painting and then digitally mashing up her work before printing it onto satin and stitching it by hand. Her background in science often informs her aesthetic, as she finds herself returning to organic, cellular shapes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times Kathy Suprenant displays a print on silk featuring embroidery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been joyous,\u201d Suprenant said of her transition from the lab to the studio. \u201cI just do it to have fun. That\u2019s the real reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether it is the vibrant, colorful canvases of Minden, the delicate paper garments of MacKinnon, or the fiber art of Suprenant, Art Emergency highlights the diversity of talent thriving in Lawrence.<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtney Lane\/Lawrence Times Liz Campbell displays fabric collages created during her participation in the 100-day art challenge at Art Emergency. Campbell created mini fabric collages, each the size of a traditional playing card, to combat her creative slump.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

Courtney Lane (she\/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read her complete bio\u00a0here<\/a>. Read her work for the Times at this link<\/a>, and see her photography for the Times at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Latest Lawrence news:<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t\"\"Chris Guion \/ Contributed photo\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

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KU students moved back into Stephenson Hall Friday afternoon after spending the week in temporary housing. Severe storms on Monday caused structural damage and flooding at the men\u2019s scholarship hall.<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t\"\"Jacob Rice \/ Lawrence Times\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

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A couple hundred people marched down Massachusetts Street Friday with signs and chants in a protest regarding issues of immigration policy, transgender rights and several more subjects. <\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t\"\"Maya Smith\/Lawrence Times\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

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KU students skipped classes and work to participate in a May Day protest Friday in an effort to \u201cdisrupt business as usual\u201d alongside similar nationwide demonstrations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\t\"\"Jacob Rice \/ Lawrence Times\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

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Haskell students, staff and community members installed a permanent stickball pole on campus Thursday evening. The skull from September\u2019s bison harvest now looks over the wetlands from the top of the pole.<\/p>\n

MORE \u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share this post or save for later By transforming homes and industrial buildings into accessible galleries, the Lawrence…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410266,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-410265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}