Visiting artist helps visual arts students

A visiting artist from Washburn University helped students and offered a customizing apparel workshop at LSMSA during the week of Feb. 5-9.

“I would like to thank Angela Robinson and the LSMSA Foundation for providing funding for bringing visiting artists and lecturers to our campus and to work with our amazing students,” said Chris King, lecturer of visual arts at LSMSA.

John Sebelius is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker who holds an M.F.A. in drawing and painting from the University of Kansas and a B.F.A. with honors in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design.

His work has been featured in “Harper’s,” “Express,” “DETAILS,” “Review,” CNN, “Aspen Daily News” “The Washington Post” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He has shown work in Gallery Two in Sydney, Australia; Woods-Gerry Gallery in Providence, Rhode Island; Kansas City Artists Coalition; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont; and had a solo exhibition at the Gonzo Museum in Aspen, Colo.

Sebelius’s short documentaries and videos have been screened at the Austin Film Festival, Tallgrass Film Festival, Virginia Film Festival, Free State Film Festival, Lawrence Arts Center, Gonzo Museum and the American School of Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo.

He is a founder and currently serves as resident artist for the Artistic Expressions Healing Arts Initiative, a stress disorder treatment program at the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center, where he provides both mental and physical space for veterans to learn new art skills and explore their emotions, histories and health needs through a creative healing process.

In 2017, Sebelius was awarded Best artist by the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, and the “Lawrence Journal-World.” He currently teaches drawing at Washburn University and lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife, Allie, and dog, Norman.

“He has shown in our gallery before and worked with our students in the past,” said Dr. Kristi Key, director of academic services at LSMSA. “His return this week was a great opportunity for our students to learn new techniques and workshop new skills.

“The LSMSA Foundation’s generosity allowed us to host him this week and to support his work with our students.”