Artists Talk with LVA: November 25, 2022

Squallis Puppeteers celebrates its 25th anniversary and Nora Christensen & Shawn Hennessey talk about that history with us. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com Thursdays at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Squallis Puppeteers has existed for twenty-five years and has always been dedicated to handmade and homespun. We have been making puppets, performing, and teaching children (and adults) in Louisville, Kentucky since 1997.

In 2003, Squallis Puppeteers Inc. became a nonprofit 501c-3 organization.

Our mission is to use the art of puppetry to free imaginations, create fantastic characters, and tell the stories that are important to our community.

Squallis is recognized as a positive and important part of the Louisville community, telling stories that challenge viewers to think, while reflecting values of citizenship, empathy, and collaboration.

Squallis has two full-time staff, Nora Christensen and Shawn Hennessey, who conduct most of the educational programs and two-person performances.

The Academy at LVA 2018 Senior Spotlight: River Skipworth

River Skipworth has been taking Louisville Visual Art (LVA) classes for nine years, starting in fourth grade and continuing up through his senior year. His teachers have included Annette Cable, William Duffy, Dennis Whitehouse, Claudia Hammer, Colin Lloyd, and Sunny Ra, and ranged in location from Douglass Community Center to DuPont Manuel High School, Spalding University, and the Holy Trinity/Clifton Community Center.

He has received nine Gold Keys, a Gold Key Portfolio, two Silver Keys, and Eight Honorable Mentions in the Scholastic art Awards. River also won a first, two seconds, and a third place in the KY Art Education Association All State Art Awards in the region, and a second place in the state. He was a member of Art Club at school, and participated in Studio 2000 (through Metro Parks & LVA), The Future is Now (a mentorship program through LVA), and the Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA).

River will be attending Murray State University in fall 2018. “So far I have received around $4,000 in financial aid, KEES money and academic scholarships. I plan on majoring in some art form, but I haven’t decided yet exactly which one. I have also won the John Botto Award for overall body of work in the 2018 Scholastic Art Awards that included a scholarship of $250.”

“I give Louisville Visual Art (LVA) a lot of credit over the years for helping me succeed in not only the many classes but also helping me to participate in multiple programs including: Studio 2000, The Future is Now, and GSA. I have also volunteered for a United Way daycare teaching art to kids for a week during Christmas break, and for Squallis Puppeteers on multiple occasions. The class I have enjoyed and learned from the most is Painting with Dennis Whitehouse and Sunny Ra.”

“Children’s Fine Art Classes (CFAC) and The Academy at LVA have made a huge impact on my life, I would not be the artist I am today with out the many years and mentors I have learned from. I have enjoyed learning from each and every one of these teachers and have tried to absorb as much of their knowledge and skill as possible. It saddens me to know that this constant source of help and guidance for me will soon be gone, but I hope it will continue to help and inspire young artists in Louisville like my little sister. I have recommended CFAC to many people and feel that this program is more important to our community than it has been credited. All of my teachers have been great but I feel that Mr. William Duffy has gone above and beyond for me, not only because I was with him the longest but also because I could always tell he genuinely cared for me and the other students. He is very knowledgeable in multiple techniques and is an overall kind human. Thank you.”

River's work will be included in The Academy at LVA Exhibition, which will be on display May 9 - 16 at Louisville Visual Art, 1538 Lytle Street in the Portland neighborhood. Gallery Hours are Monday through Thursday, 12-4pm, or by appointment. There will be a reception Friday, May 11, 6-8pm.

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Art[squared] Spotlight: Julia Davis

To celebrate the 5th Anniversary of LVA’s Art [squared] Event to Benefit Children’s Fine Art Classes, we will feature five local artists who are contributing 24” x 24” paintings to be sold at the event through a Silent Auction. Today we feature Julia Davis:

Design for CirqueLouis event, digital illustration by Julia Davis, 2017

“As an artist and I want to be fully involved within the arts on many levels.” – Julia Davis

Besides her studio practice as a painter, Davis has also become involved with performance, working with Squallis Puppeteers for the last 18 months and becoming immersed in the world of puppetry, education, and creation all together. “I started working for these amazing people as an administrative assistant in the office then I started dipping into puppet mingling, which then lead to protest involvement, then to making puppets and performing with said puppets. I made my first puppet for Emperor's New Clothes, which is an adaptation of a Hans Christian Anderson Fairy tale using multiple animal rod puppets, which meant I had to find my voice as well. I eventually made my first backpack puppet for the performance of Peter and the Wolf (with the helping hand Squallis directors, Shawn Hennessey and Nora Christensen) that was utilized in a one-time performance with the Louisville Orchestra on March 17th, 2018.”

“I also I dip into the circus as an illustrator for CirqueLouis, and I am currently working on my 4th poster for them. Like Squallis, CirqueLouis is a non-profit organization that makes a great effort teaching the public and the youth of the public the importance of performance artwork, specifically the importance of the circus. Their most recent show, Kaleidoscope (November 2017) was a favorite of mine because it gave life to one of my most treasured studio items, the movable manikin. I was given a lot of artistic freedom and was able to develop a visual story in one frame. I truly love the relationship I have with CirqueLouis and will be designing the poster for their new show, Happy Birthday that will be performed at the Iroquois Amphitheater as part of that historic venue’s 80th birthday.” 

"Look before you leap" by Julia Davis, Oil on canvas, 24x24in, 2018, Featured Silent Auction Painting for 2018 Art[squared} Benefit

Davis remains dedicated to her studio practice for painting however, and was included in Not Just a Drawing: A Line with Intent in Chicago in March 2018. Oh, Places is a new painting that is adding on to a continuing study about the use of imagery. “My personal work contradicts realistically painted images with superimposed line work offering a question of purpose. My aim is to paint images in a realistic fashion and interrupt them with graphic line work to consistently investigate the use of imagery. The piece for "Art [Squared]", Look before you leap, is another addition to my study.” 

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Education: BFA, University of Louisville, 2012
Website: www.JuliaDart.com
Instagram: @Julia_Davis_Art

"Peter" (for Peter and the Wolf) by Julia Davis for Squallis Puppeteers, 2018

"Pinocchia", Design for CirqueLouis poster, digital illustration by Julia Davis, 2016

"Pinocchio" (alternate), Design for Cirque Louis poster, Digital illustration by Julia Davis, 2016

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Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2018 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

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