News

Despite a strong hand in the development of the practice, Kansas does not offer a license to art therapists. But the art therapy faculty at Emporia State University are trying to change that.

In 2001 attempt by the Kansas Art Therapy Association to get support for a licensure bill failed.

Legislators told the Kansas Art Therapy Association they needed 100 board certified art therapists practicing in the state for them to consider licensure.

But, says Emporia State University faculty member Libby Schmanke, they just can’t seem to get close to that number.

Wichita State University Contemporary Art History Professor Dr. Royce Smith has organized and curated a small, yet potent show titled, Response to Provocation: Living Memoirs of the Culture Wars. Installed in the McKnight Art Center at WSU, this is a mature-themed show that draws connections between the Culture Wars of the 1990’s and today’s on-going social and cultural debates. The University serves as the ideal environment to have these productive discussions.

Whether Beethoven or beat boxers, musicians have come to rely on one tool to help them keep time.

The metronome was invented by a friend of Beethoven’s, Johann Maelzel, in 1815. It is used in music to set a tempo, measured in Beats Per Minute, and traditionally has a range of 40 - 208 BPM, roughly the extremes of the human heart-rate. BPM correlates to the human body in other ways, too.

The state of Kansas doesn’t offer a license to art therapists, and as a result there are not many, especially in the south-central part of the state. Here is a profile of Ian Gingrich-Gaylord, one of the few art therapists in the area.

The storm shelter below the main offices on the Prairie View campus in Newton is cold and dark but brightly decorated.

It serves a dual purpose – storm shelter and art-making workshop.

It’s kind of a nice metaphor; the storm shelter says Ian Gingrich-Gaylord, Prairie View’s art therapist as he pushes open the heavy door.

Music therapy is having a positive effect on some residents at Wichita's Larksfield Place. The older adults are showing signs of increased motivation and improved communication.

Meg Beck has spent nearly 30 years as a music therapist engaging adults and children with the use of music in hospitals, schools and senior facilities.

Inside the health care center at Larksfield Place, about 10 wheelchair-bound residents between the ages of 70 and 100 sit in a semi- circle. Some suffer from dementia and impaired vision.

See the full list of Mary Jane Teall Award winners.

It’s been said that politics and religion don’t mix but both are present on area stages in the coming weeks.

Hey, the referees are back! Which is a mighty big deal in some circles.  Personally, I’m more of a baseball fan. Football – not so much.

I don’t even understand how they can call that weird oblong object with shoelaces on it a “ball.” Aren’t balls round? Shouldn’t footballs be called blimps? Why didn’t they call the game “footblimp” instead of pretending they actually play it with a ball?

The clinic formerly operated by the late Dr. George Tiller in Wichita has been purchased by a group that intends to reopen it as a medical facility for women.

Trust Women Foundation Inc. Executive Director Julie Burkhart says her Wichita-based nonprofit bought the clinic in late August. An attorney for Dr. Tiller’s widow also confirmed the sale.

Burkhart is a former Tiller employee. She has said in the past that she was involved in efforts to open a new clinic in Wichita.

In 2011, Kansas made headlines by eliminating all public funding for the arts. That meant the state no longer qualified for federal matching grants of more than $1 million. But some recent changes mean the state will reapply for the lost federal dollars.

During the last legislative session, lawmakers restored state funding for the arts. And now, the state’s arts agency, the Creative Arts Industries Commission, will reapply for federal grants.

Wichita City Council members heard a presentation on redistricting Tuesday during their scheduled workshop. The plan will revise the council district boundaries in the city.

Since August, the Commission of Electors made up of representatives from all six districts in Wichita and an appointee by Mayor Carl Brewer have worked on redistricting with information from the 2010 census.

The revised map includes a population of 60,000 to 67,000 people per district. Commission member Misty Bruckner told the council that the group looked at various growth patterns.