West Plains, MO. – The West Plains Council on the Arts (WPCA) and West Plains Public Library (WPPL) will partner to bring quarterly art displays to the library. Art teachers from West Plains R-7 schools are being featured through the end of June 2023. Visitors may view the display at the library during open hours, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
WPCA Coordinator Janey Hale says, “West Plains is fortunate to have art teachers that excel in drawing out their students’ creative abilities. WPCA is excited to showcase the teachers’ artwork. This is an opportunity to view what they do that inspires them to inspire their students.”
WPPL Director Shawnie Kennedy shares, “We are so excited to have the art teachers of our community displaying their work in the library. Not only are they artists, but they use their talent and love for art to inspire our youth. They are true masters!”
About the Artists:
Mary-Louise Grisham Nash – West Plains-based artist/art teacher, Mary-Louise Grisham Nash has been passionate about art for the majority of her life. Originally from West Plains, Mary-Louise attended Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where she received her bachelor’s in design arts, emphasis in photography, with a minor in art history. During her studies, she traveled and studied at the Santa Reparata International School for the Arts in Florence, Italy, where she was influenced and inspired by the art history, architecture, and landscapes of the region. Upon graduation, she went on to receive her Master of Arts in Teaching at Missouri State University. After earning her Master, she returned to West Plains to start a career in Art Education at West Plains R-7 school district. She is currently in her 11th year as the middle school visual art instructor. She is passionate and inspired by students’ love and drive to learn new creative things, and also by the beautiful colors that she is surrounded by every day right here in the Ozarks.
Kathy Grigsby is a retired West Plains R-7 Art Teacher. While enjoying retirement she also teaches part-time at South Fork Elementary. Kathy has painted many murals over the years for businesses and homes. Her most recent was the murals at The Truck Patch she and artist Cindy Temple collaborated together. She also has donated many paintings including Santa as auction items for various fundraisers and events.
In her retirement, she has found more time to be in front of her easel with opportunities to take many workshops with Regina Willard exploring painting techniques. As a result, she has carried this over to her teaching which has enlightened her instruction in the process of art. She states that “art is a process of mark making” and enjoys her students’ art more with that perspective. Kathy is married to Rick Grigsby and they have 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren.
Karen Pitts is currently in her third year of teaching art at West Plains High School and spent thirteen years teaching art at Willow Springs Middle School. She also teaches art at the Harlin Museum in West Plains and is the owner and operator of a painting party business “Treat Your Palette” teaching adult painting. Karen started her lifelong love of the arts at the early age of seven. Her first acrylic paints at the age of nine started her love for painting and have continued that love to today. Her goal after retirement is to continue teaching art, hosting painting parties, and starting an online kid’s art program. Karen has three daughters and seven grandkids and enjoys visiting family and grandkids back home in Oklahoma City.
Audrey Scott is a painter and art educator from West Plains, MO. “I have been painting since I was a child, always entranced by color and the emotional depth it is able to capture and evoke. In high school, I developed a keenness for working in a more abstract approach, and that style has continued to evolve over the years. After high school, I obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with a Minor in Art History from Missouri State University, and have had the opportunity to exhibit my work in galleries including Cottey College in Nevada, MO, and Obelisk Home in Springfield, MO. I currently have the privilege of teaching art at West Plains High School.”
A Meet-the-Artists event will be held on Monday, April 17, 2023, 4-6 p.m. at the library, 750 W. Broadway, in West Plains. The public is invited to attend, meet the artists, view, and discuss the pieces on display. Partial funding for this exhibit is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Shawnie Kennedy at Shawnie.Kennedy@westplains.gov
at the library or WPCA Coordinator Janey Hale at jhale2129@gmail.com.
