Niewald And Guggenheim

The Artist and my friend BET received undergrad degrees from the Kansas City Art Institute. The two went on to receive MFAs from Boston University and University of Miami, respectively. The Artist's in sculpture, BET's in ceramics.

The Artist's BFA is in painting, though. At KCAI, he studied under Wilbur Niewald. I got to meet Wilbur while The Artist was a student. Wilbur is a simple, very humble man. But his landscapes, portraits and landscapes are amazing. I predict there will be a day when he is known in Kansas City much like the area celebrates Thomas Hart Benton. I could be wrong, but the unknown is one of the things that makes art and artists exciting.

Over the last several years, I've had the opportunity to attend many of Wilbur's shows, have shared meals with him, and have stopped to see him at work. I still don't own one of his pieces (they're a little out of my price range currently, but The Artist and The Wife do), but I dream of owning a painting one day. Even just a little one.

In April, it was announced that Wilbur was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. It is considered a very prestigious fellowship for artists. For the next few months, he will be based in Santa Fe (where my sister lives). Here's a link to a story on KCUR.org (KC's NPR station). No registration required. The story includes slides and an audio narrative.

If you don't already know of Wilbur Niewald, someday you might be able to say you heard it here first!