Kennedy Art Center
& Marion Design Co.

Grand Opening, Ribbon Cutting, and Art Exhibit.

May 5, 2023 5:00-8:00 pm.
Ribbon Cutting with Greater Grant County at 5:30

Come celebrate with us this Friday night at 326 S. Washington St! Downtown will be filled with a familiar energy reminiscent for those who remember downtown as a “place to see and be seen.” Artists tend to create that space with their art. The gallery will be filled with paintings, sculptures, quilts, stained glass, and mixed media created by dozens of local artists’ and Kennedy family members. As you mingle and network, you’ll experience live music, charcuterie boards by Char & Co., a cash bar by Don’s Tap, tacos by Los Amores, and flowers by the Flower Cart Lady.

Artists whose work will be on display are:

Tashema Davis
Jonathan Bouw
Will Carpenter
Diane Owen
Daniel Tomas Hall
Sue Munn
Chris Kennedy
John Reishus
Debra Shepler
Don Artamas
Henrik Soderstrom
Emily Troutner
Peter Troutner
Debbie Luttrull
Jamie Miles
Hannah Richardson
Deb Geyer
Bruce Campbell
Laura Stevenson
Claudia McGinness
Jeremie Riggleman
Keith Lowe
Wendy Puffer
William “Bill” Kennedy 
LaCroix Kennedy
Paul Kennedy 
Joan Kennedy Seeger
Mercedes Kennedy Wells 
Harriette Kennedy
Ken Kennedy

We’re grateful for the Marion Arts Commission’s generous sponsorship of this event and the participation of local businesses to enliven this significant event!

A paintbrush laden with paint glides across the canvas, a pencil scratches gently on the surface, clay molds to the shape of the potter’s fingers, iambic pentameter reveals itself in the rhythm of a poem, notes swell from the lungs. Each reveals a unique stroke - recognizable to the medium with which the mark is made. And from all these unique marks, unique stories are told by unique artists - showcasing a world once visible only to them. The Kennedy Art Center is where art is made visible - where each stroke before lays the ground for new strokes to come.

The brand is built upon a series of strokes that act as marks made on the world and uses a custom typeface built by Marion Design Co.

Our story starts with eight siblings - each incredibly gifted in their creative abilities. Pastels, acrylics, watercolor, poetry, sculpture, jewelry, florals, cartoons, the human voice, pencil, fashion, teaching & business - just the beginning of creative expression. Marks left by one generation now carried by the next. The Kennedy family makes a strong case for the value and ability for our work to make a mark on the world around us. Since the Kennedy Family set their roots in Marion they have left their mark, from early beauty shops in our downtown, a thriving countertop & cabinet business, education, the arts, and now the Kennedy Art Center.

There have also been many alternatives introduced to gathering since 2020.  We can now meet separately on our phones, in conference rooms, through screens, or through group messaging apps.  While these have worked in situations when we couldn’t be together, there is something about connecting with people face to face and in person.  

In the book, “The Art of Gathering” by Priya Parker, she makes observations on how we meet and why it matters.  

“We gather to solve problems we can’t solve on our own.  We gather to celebrate, to mourn, and to mark transitions.  We gather to make decisions.  We gather because we need one another.  We gather to show strength.  We gather to honor and acknowledge.  We gather to build companies and schools and neighborhoods.  We gather to welcome, and we gather to say goodbye.”  (Parker, 2019)

This weekend we are gathering to open the Kennedy Art Center.  We are gathering to celebrate and to welcome the community.  We are gathering to acknowledge and laugh and relax with those who have helped this process come to fruition.  We are gathering to open and begin a new journey.  

So come and gather with us!  We are providing a space and letting you know to “gather here”.  This is not a situation where we can gather through a screen or in a message.  We want to gather with you in a new and beautiful space and invite you into our journey.  The art of gathering for Marion Design Co this weekend, is to share this moment with our community and to invite you to continue with us.  We can’t wait to see you!

Parker, P. (2019). The Art of Gathering. Penguin Random House, 1.

- Angie Thompson, Chief Financial Officer

We hope to see you at the Grand Opening on this Friday - May 5th, 5-8 pm!

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