The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-13
FREE FAIR ART EXHIBIT
General Quality and Value of
Display Is Better Than Any
Shown in Previous Years.
BY CARL BOLIVAR.

BY CARL BOLIVAR.
The art exhibit at the Kansas Free
Fair this year does not contain as
much Ioca! work as in some Other
years, but the general quality ant
value of the display taken as a whole
is fully up to. if not better than any
thing that has preceded it.
There are fine displays of good
work from the Kansas State univers-
ity, and from Paramount college at
Wichita. from the Topeka high school.
and from the College of the Sisters OF
hand made toys by students of the
high school at Alma, Kan. is also ex-
ceedingly good and attracts much at
tention.
The Kansas City Art Institute has
sent non-competing collection of large
oil portraits and human figure studies
which are a gratifying index to the
quality of work being turned out by
art schools in the middle west at the
present time.
Then there is most excellent ex-
hibit of paintings and designs from
the American Federation of Arts
which one can study with pleasure and
profit for hours at time and never
weary in SO doing. This exhlolt con-
sists largely of color drawings and
paintings for book illustrations, and
compositions to be used in the applied
arts 1t is made up of the pest
examples, carefully selected from re-
cent work done by talented students or
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York;
the Rhode Island School of Design;
the Boston Museum of Art, and the
PENNSYLVANIA Museum School of In
dustrial Arts, of Philadelphia.
The American Federation's exhibit
ton of photographs, maps, plans, etc,
of streets, parks and public squares
in various cities of the world, is of
special falue to, and should be care
fully studied by, everybody interested
in civic planning and identifying.
Among the Kansas school EXHIBITS,
that of the state university received
first prize. 1t contains a number of
fine portrait and still life studies done
in oils, some beautiful charcoal
sketches remarkable for the easy free
dom of their technique, their good
drawing and composition, and the
tasteful and effective massing of black
and white. There is also a large
and excellent group of designs for wall
paper, fabrics, book covers, etc, form
ing part of the Kansas university ex-
hibit.
Paramount college, was awarded
second prize. Its exhibit contains
some exceedingly beautiful and well
executed still life sketches in oil, and
a number of portrait studies and de-
signs in black and white. The general
scope of the Fairmount exhibit was
less extensive than that of the state
university.
The Topeka high schools depart
ment of fine and applied arts has
very creditab1e exhibit. embracing abb
stract designs in color, batiks and
jesse work. This exhibit received
third prize.
The Bethany college exhibit is the
smallest of the four school exhibits. II
contains, besides many creditable
drawings done in pen and ink and
other black and white mediums, a
number of still life water color paint
ings of which its faculty may well be
proud. The Bethany college exhibit
was awarded fourth prize.
There is only one division and class
for school exhibitions. This obliged
the judges to consider all schools.
whether it was the State university,
high school or a private school, ac-
cording to the same standards. Con-
sequent1y in making the awards. ii
was the variety and scope of the work
embraced in the exhibition. as well as
the excellence of the work shown,
that had to be taken into considera-
tion. There are individual examples
of work in the Bethany and Topeka
high school exhibits which undoubt-
eddy would have received first prize,
had they been in independent compe-
tition with work of a similar character
outside of the school exhibits.
Among thse Independent exhibitors
Mrs. Gladys Nelson Smith of Mime
apolis, kan, was awarded first prize
in the professional class, for the best
collection of five oil paintings, for the
best oil portrait from life, and for the
best landscape from nature done in
oil. AS heretofore, most of Mrs
Smiths work has to do with child
life. Her pictures possess charm
and originality that makes a strong
appeal to the average visitor to the
fair.
Mrs. L. C. Hodge received first
prize for the best marine done in oil
painted this summer while at the La
guna Beach Art colony near Los An
geles. It is an excellent piece of work,
and by its many fine, true qualities.
proclaims its author to be a close OBJ
server and a deep lover of nature.
Miss Marian Peers received first
prize for a landscape and also for
marine, both done in Opaque water
color. The landscape is a view of the
Grand Canyon. and the marine a
scene on the Pacific coast in Cali
fornia. Both of these works besides
exhibiting a deep appreciation Of the
beauties of nature, have strong dec
orative quality. The treatment IS
most interesting
Frank Arbuck1e of Canton. Kan,
who exhibited collection of very
fine work at the Kansas Free Fair
last year, has another good exhibit
this year. His work is entered in many
classes and he received several prizes.
1t embraces, drawings from life, in
charcoal and pastel, book covers, pos
tiers. architectural drawings and batiks.
Among the posters was the design ac-
CONTINUED on next Dagel