The Artificers, a local art gallery at 8 N. National Avenue, will have a grand opening and ribbon cutting gala on January 28. At 5:30 p.m. will be the ribbon cutting. The gala is from 6 to 9 p.m.
An artificer is a skilled or artistic worker or craftsman, according to Webster’s Dictionary.
Cocktail attire is recommended for the gala event.
The owners, Kate and Trent Freeman, have been renovating the storefront for several years and still have some work to do, but the first floor is ready for the classes the Freeman’s will offer.
The classes start February 1 as part of the The Artificers Teaching Studio, and offer a wide range of classes for any age or ability.
“We will start off with clay sculpture and pottery wheel throwing classes, but soon will add a variety of classes from our extensive list of master artists, that includes painting, watercolor, airbrush, graphite drawing, mixed media collage and more,” Kate said.
Trent Freeman. Submitted photo.
“We are so excited to host a variety of artists throughout the coming year and display their superior craftsmanship that has taken them thousands of hours to develop,” she said.
A clay sculpture. Submitted photo.
The hours of operation for the art studio/gallery business are Tuesday- Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are extended hours during classes and special events.
About The Artists
Trent works to create art in mixed media: clay, glass, wood, metal; Kate works in clay and acrylic painting.
“We had our studio in Kansas City for 22 years,” Trent said. “I’ve been a professional for 28 years. We’ve done everything from gallery to commission to art festivals all over the country. Most of our work is commission now.”
Trent said when Kansas City shut down businesses during the COVID-19 Pandemic, they began coming to their farm, west of Fort Scott.
Trent’s parents, Ed and Jackie Freeman built a house near Bronson and retired there, and so Trent and Kate have been coming here for 20 years, he said. “And we loved the town.”
Eventually the Freeman’s purchased the building at 8 North National Avenue, on October 2, 2020, and have been working on the renovation since.
Marcia McCoy, photographer and longtime friend of Gordon Parks, hasdonated an iconic portrait of the celebrated Fort Scott native taken by his son, David, to the museum that bears his name.
Gordon Parks photo Trail Blazer. Submitted.
Now on display in the museum, located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, is the photo of Parks shown in 1973. The photo,titled “Trailblazer,” captures the image of Parks riding horseback and smoking a pipe while directing a film on location in the Flint Hills of Kansas.
“Gordon Parks was a trailblazer from Fort Scott, a true ‘Renaissance’ man, and my father,” said David Parks.
McCoy, who also worked with Gordon Parks as curator of his signature collection, “Images from the Soul,” teamed with Parks and Robert Erlichman of Art Guild Press to create an edition suite of “Trailblazer.”
“(Gordon) loved this image his son capturedof him, out in the Flint Hills of Kansas–his homeland,” McCoy said. “Mr.Parks is a national treasure and has inspired creators globally to have the courage to create and express their voices and visions. We are delighted to share this powerful and inspiring portrait with you and the world.”
For more information or to schedule museum visits and tours call (620) 223–2700, ext. 5850, or email [email protected]. ###
Trent and Kate Freeman in front of their Artificers building at 8 N. National. Submitted photo
Kate and Trent Freeman, local artists who moved from Kansas City,
are in the final stretch of their renovation of the building they purchased, at 8 N. National Avenue. The name of their art business is the Artificers.
“We are so excited to finally give the community a sneak peek into The Artificers,” Kate said. “Our Christmas Art Show will be held at 8 North National Avenue. We are renovating and restoring the Hammon’s Real Estate building and after a few obstacles we are ready to host our 6th Annual Christmas Show in our new gallery.”
The art sale/ show will be open December 2, from 5-9 p.m., December 3, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., December 4, noon to 5.p.m
“We hope everyone coming for the Candlelight Tour at the Fort Scott National Historic Site will stop in and see us,” she said.
Trent and Kate Freeman. Submitted photo
The Artificers have selected eight artists to set up and sell their artwork this year.
For Christmas, Trent and Kate create sculpture exclusively.
“Other artists will have pottery, copper jewelry, Airbrush and Graphite, and an illustrator and a photographer,” she said. “Our artists are true craftsmen, all their work is original and limited, or handmade made from raw materials.”
The artists include: Trent and Kate Freeman, sculpture; Erin Shevling, pottery; Tim Kienzel, copper jewelry; Darrell Williams, Airbrush/Graphite; Julie Snitker, illustrator; Andrea Latham, ceramics; and Maggie Brenner, photography.
“We started this show six years ago at our former studio in Kansas City as a way to give some of our artist friends an outlet to show and sell their artwork during the Christmas and holiday season,” she said. “We soon learned that our clients loved coming as much as we enjoyed showing off our latest creations.’
‘We have had wonderful support every year from friends, family and clients new and old,” Kate said. “Last year, with the setbacks of the building remodel, Jared Leek, owner of Front Door Realty, Crooner’s Restaurant and The Liberty Theater, was generous enough to provide us space in Front Door Realty and open up Crooner’s so we could continue with our tradition of this show. We will be forever grateful to them for their generosity.”
About the Artificers
The Artificers is a collection of artists and craftsmen.
They are a privately owned art gallery, and a teaching studio and working studio with two resident artists, Trent and Kate Freeman.
Trent and Kate each have their own studio in the building.
The Artificers will offer a space for professional artists to apply to display their work as well as the aspiring artist to take classes in many different mediums including but not limited to clay, airbrush, watercolor, acrylic, stained glass etc.
“We will be having regular Master Artist gallery openings as well as opportunities to learn from those artists,” Kate said. “We also have several community art events on the horizon that we would like to host or be involved in developing. We are so excited to be a positive force in Historic Downtown Fort Scott and look forward to inviting you into our new space.”
FORT SCOTT — Winners of the Gordon Parks Celebration “I Am Driven By” photo contest, sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography, have been chosen. Fifty entries were received and the winner of First Place was Kenneth E. Washington (Washington, DC) with the photo titled “Mother & Son.” Second Place was Lucas Clark with the photo “Kansas peace.”
“Mother and Son” by Kenneth E. Washington (Washington, DC) is the first place winner. Submitted photos.Second Place was Lucas Clark with the photo “Kansas peace.”Third Place was Jeni Elder with her photo, “My Mother & Daughter.”
There were five Honorable Mentions named: “Hard Worker.” by (Yasser Alaa Mobarak,( Alexandria, Egypt.); “Endless Knowledge.” by Bariegh Farrell (Fort Scott, KS); “Life’s Curiosities.” by Anna Laubenstien (Fort Scott); “The Way of Music.” by Bariegh Farrell (Fort Scott, KS);“2 Village Girls” by Kenneth E. Washington (Washington, DC).
First, Second, and Third place winners received cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 respectively.
The contest was open to any non-professional photographer and was inspired by a quote from Gordon Parks and his incredible drive.
“Driven by an insatiable hunger, I still search for those things that
inspire me—beautiful imagery, music, and literature.”—Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks, who started his career in fashion photography and chose a camera to fight against racism, discrimination, and poverty.
Judges for the photo contest was professional photographer, Veretta Cobler and established make-up artist and hair stylist, Donna Fumoso based in New York City. The photo exhibit is on display on the Gordon Parks Museum facebook page facebook.com/fsccgpmuseum/ and the museum’s website gordonparkscenter.org.
Gordon Parks Museum is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College.
The Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College, will feature a photo contest sponsored by Merl Humphrey Photography. This event is inspired by a quote from Gordon Parks and his incredible drive. “Driven by an insatiable hunger, I still search for those things that inspire me–beautiful imagery, music, and literature.”
The theme of the contest is “I Am Driven By…” This is open to any amateur photographer. Photographers are invited to capture the essence of this quote and what they are driven by?
Non-professional photographers of any age and skill level are invited to take pictures for the project and may enter up to two photos in JPEG format with less than 2MB. There will be a first place ($100), second place ($75) and third place ($50) prize and up to five honorable mentions. All photos submitted will be on exhibit at The Gordon Parks Museum and in the Ellis Family Fine Arts Center Oct. 6 – 8, 2022. All photos will also be posted on the Gordon Parks Museum website and Facebook page. Judges for the photo contest will be professional photographer, Veretta Cobler and established make-up artist and hair stylist, Donna Fumoso based in New York City.
Photographs must be submitted via e-mail to [email protected]. All photos must be attached in JPEG format and limit file size to less than 2 MB. All entries will be confirmed via email. Photographers should submit (in their email) a title, along with their name, address, email, phone number and share a one or two sentence on what inspired the photo. If under 10 years old, please include parent’s information. Photos should be received via email by Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at the latest.
For more information, email [email protected] or by phone call 223-2700, ext. 5850.
Audry Eberhard in her music studio. Submitted photo.
Audry Eberhard is the sole owner and employee of Discovery Music Studio, located in the basement of her home at 410 Sunset Drive.
“I have been giving lessons for over 20 years, eight of which have been in this area,” she said. “I am just now starting to give lessons and classes in my home studio.”
She gives both individual and group piano lessons.
Some of the instruments she teaches music concepts with. Submitted photo.
“I have 3 pianos in my studio, so I can do a group of three students,” Eberhard said. “I have a curriculum that I am going to use that includes ensemble pieces. Playing in a group affords students the chance to develop accuracy while playing, because you need to get the rhythm correct as well as play correct notes.”
“Students are more motivated to practice as well because they want to sound like their friends and not make any mistakes,” she said. “It also gives students the chance to learn from each other as well as the teacher. I teach music theory in the form of a game to make the learning time more fun and games are more fun when you play them with friends.”
The cost of an individual lesson is $50 a month with more details on her website. The cost of the group classes is $30 a month.
“I have several different group classes: Group Piano, Preschool Group, and a beginning music group for 5-8 year olds,” she said.” I presently have openings for the Preschool Group on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. My Beginning Music Class presently has 3 openings and meets Thursday’s at 4:15 p.m.”
“If people are interested in other group times I do have openings in my schedule, they would just need to contact me via my website for other available time frames,” she said. “My schedule and openings are constantly changing as more people contact me.”
Eberhard said she “wanted to figure out a way to bring in a little more income and yet do something that I loved to do. I have always enjoyed lessons in the over 20 years that I have given them.”
“I needed to build up my client base and as part of that I thought it would be better if I could have an area dedicated to my lessons rather than just a piano in my living room,” she said. “In researching, I came across the idea of group lessons for piano teaching. I have taught groups of kids other kinds of music in previous job settings so it was an intriguing idea to use this in piano teaching.”
“God blessed me with two more pianos at very reasonable costs so now I have the means of doing group piano” Eberhard said. “I am excited to see how the students respond in the group setting. There is an energy and excitement when students are learning and discovering things in a group setting.”
More of the instruments Eberhard teaches music concepts with. Submitted photo.
“I use various instruments, games and hands on activities to teach musical ideas and concepts,” she said.
A local agriculture business is sponsoring a photo contest that will feature cattle, goats and sheep.
“We are starting our annual photography contest today and wanted to make sure residents of Fort Scott had the opportunity to participate as well,” said Sam Raney, Marketing Coordinator at ReproLogix.
Include in your email: your name, age, address, and phone number.
Limit one (1) entry per person, per category.
(You can submit one Small Ruminant and one Cattle picture.)
Contest begins April 29th, 2022 and ends May 13th , 2022
1 like = 1 vote. Images will be posted The winners will be announced on Friday August 27th.
First place winner will receive a $1000 Visa Gift Card.
Second place winner will receive a $500.00 Visa Gift Card.
Third place winner will receive a $250.00 Visa Gift Card.
All entries become the property of Reprologix and may be used or reproduced in any manner and for any purpose by Reprologix without additional consent or compensation, and will not be acknowledged or returned.
Calista Ricards in her garden at 1301 S. Horton. Submitted photos.
The Little Flower Farm LLC owner, Calista Richards, sees herself as an artist.
“I love that you can simultaneously be an artist while being completely covered in sweat and dirt,” she said.
She grows, sells and delivers her product, cut flowers, from her home at 1301 S. Horton, as of January 2021.
“I provide fresh and local flowers in bouquets and arrangements,” Richards said. “The types of flowers change as the seasons change. You can tell what time of year it is by the contents of my bouquets and arrangements.”
The flower arrangements are available for delivery within Fort Scott city limits, for purchase at the Fort Scott Farmer’s Market (On Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings), and for pickup on Horton Street at her home.
Directions On Picking Up
“When using Buzz for Blooms (1301 S. Horton) enter the southern driveway and go around the fence until you see a post in a pot with a sign that says Buzz for Blooms,” she said. “If I am not already outside, ring the doorbell found there and I will be out to assist you with your order. You can even customize your purchase by pointing to things you would like out in the field. Then, you exit out the northern driveway with your blooms– or future blooms– without ever having leave your car.”
Submitted photos.
About The Entrepreneur
“I graduated from high school in 2020, having been home schooled the whole time, and wanted to start a business instead of going to college,” she said. Richards believes college could not teach her what she wanted to know and “can lead to crushing debt,” she said. “I would not shackle myself with that.”
“There is nothing like being a part of the community this way,” she said. “Flowers are bought for every time of life: birth, death, joy, sorrow, great occasions, and no occasion at all. I want to see all these things and play my little part to bring beauty to all of it.”
The young entrepreneur is involved in the community, since opening her business
She is a member of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, the Bourbon County Garden Club, and a board member of the Fort Scott Public Library.
In addition, “I have participated in the downtown cleanup and have done numerous fundraisers for the local cancer support group Care to Share,” she said.
Richards wanted to start a business that she could operate out of her home.
“Zoning Section 20-601.05 Temporary Uses states that you may have a business made up of seasonal sales of farm or garden produce, bulbs, plantings, or cut flowers, on an individual’s place of residence and raised by the same individual, provided no structure is constructed for such use,” she said.
Richards is eldest of the six children of Jeremiah and Jennifer Richards.
“I have no employees but I cannot say I have no help,” she said. “My family has been nothing but supportive and are working so hard so I can live this dream. I could not have done it without them.”
to the Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come” & Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice Exhibition
Join us for a one-day shuttle trip to the Parks exhibition, in the Marion Pelton Gallery at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art featuring photographs donated by Parks to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1973. Also view the ”Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice,” Exhibition.
Email a picture of your entry to 
