Photo Courtesy: Kaitlin Parks
Kaitlin Parks
Lantern Staff
On Friday, Oct. 28 was Wichita’s Final Friday Art Festival. Final Friday events have been held the last Friday of the month for the past 10 years.
Wichita venues open up to local artists to share their art around the city. Lovers of art roam Wichita to gaze at the impressive pieces of work that these different artists put their time and effort into. Butler Art Instructor Kristin Beal is the co-founder of one Wichita art venue, Harvester Arts. Every month the gallery hosts a different artist. During the month of October, Harvester Arts hosted National artist and Beal’s college friend, Jimmy Trotter.
Trotter and Beal met in 1990 at the Kansas City Art Institute and still remain close friends to this day.
“After teaching in a few of Kristin’s art appreciation classes the other day, I can see how much work goes into being an instructor, and let me tell you, I couldn’t do it,” Trotter said. “You can tell that she really connects with her kids on a personal level and really wants to show them how to express themselves through the art they’re making.”
Beal is originally from Augusta and after graduating from Augusta High School, she attended the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI). She finished her undergraduate degree in drawing and painting at Wichita State University (WSU)and received her bachelor’s in Fine Arts. After attending WSU, Beal attended Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Va., where she received her master’s of Fine Arts also in painting and printmaking.
“I’ve always known that I was going to do art for a living, and it’s kind of like there was no other choice for me,” Beal said.
Beal’s artwork has been featured both nationally and internationally in N.Y., Miami, Fl. and Richmond, Va., over the span of her artistic career. After the realization that she was neglecting to contribute her art with her own community, she decided to stop sending the majority of her work away. Since then, she has become a strong community member in the arts. Beal has taught art appreciation at Butler for nine years and loves it just as much now as she did when she began teaching.
“I love teaching art appreciation because it’s an opportunity to lead people down the clear path of enrichment through the arts,” Beal said.
She lives every day with the mindset that art is all around and that we should appreciate our surroundings. Living this way has given her a more positive outlook on life, which also affects her life and her relationships and she hopes that others can live with the same positive lifestyle.