Banking on KC – Kristen Devlin of JCDS Emerging Artists Program
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Kelly Scanlon:
Welcome to Banking on KC. I'm your host, Kelly Scanlon. Thank you for joining us. With us today is Kristin Devlin, who is the Arts program specialist at JCDS Emerging Artists Program, which is a program of Johnson County, Kansas. Welcome, Kristin.
Kristen Devlin:
Thank you so much for having me, Kelly. I'm so excited to introduce the JCDS Emerging Artists Program to you and your listeners.
Kelly Scanlon:
Yeah, so tell us about that. What's the mission of the program?
Kristen Devlin:
Okay, so JCDS serves people with IDD. That's intellectual and developmental disabilities. We focus on abilities and provide choice-driven supports and advocate alongside people to live and work in our community. So in the art studio, that looks like creating equal citizenship. Being able to make money from your artwork is so important as an artist. We also focus on adult status in the art room, making art with the supplies that are the standard for artists today and keeping up with those standards and making competitive artwork.
Kelly Scanlon:
How many are enrolled?
Kristen Devlin:
So there's 16 artists in the program right now. We do have a waiting list, I believe. Gather more information about that on our social media. You could also contact the CDDO and I believe in Jackson County, there's a different process through their county. But that's a great starting point just to make sure you have that funding through a waiver or wanting to private pay. So there's some paperwork stuff that you would have to complete. Definitely come by and take a tour of the studio anytime. We would love to meet you and talk to you about our work. We're in the Old King Louie Building, the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center. It's at 8788 Metcalf Ave.
Kelly Scanlon:
So that's your overall overarching mission. How do you carry it out?
Kristen Devlin:
So in the art studio, what that looks like is support, finding source imagery, support, applying to shows, documenting artwork. We focus on adult status. So because we support adults, we're using supplies that artists in the community use. We are applying to shows. We are pricing our artwork alongside artists in the community, really advocating for choice and visibility with artists.
Kelly Scanlon:
When you're talking about those that you serve, how is it that individuals are able to get into the program? Is there an application process? How do they find you?
Kristen Devlin:
Definitely online is a great start or you can reach out to us through social media. A good fit for our program is a person that's a working artist already. The artist in our program would be making art regardless of our program or not. This is just kind of a place for them to land and be seen then by that larger audience.
Kelly Scanlon:
Talk to us about the kinds of art that's created.
Kristen Devlin:
Right, so our most popular art medium right now I would say is acrylic paint. We also do a lot of watercolors. We have an artist that works with woodworking. He also makes charcuterie boards and pottery pieces as well. So sometimes we'll have visiting artists from the community come in and teach a workshop and we'll learn from them. We also have a rug-making program.
Kelly Scanlon:
Rug making?
Kristen Devlin:
Yes, we use a peg loom. And what we do with that is we got a donation from a hotel of hotel sheets. So we wash them, process them, dye them, and then tear them into strips and that becomes the fabric which these rugs are made from. We also have a tufting gun, so we'll make rugs that way. But generally, painting is our big thing and a lot of times we take commissions from people in the community. We have several artists right now that work on a lot of pet portraits for people either in memorium or just in celebration of their pets. So we offer a lot of different mediums.
Kelly Scanlon:
I know that one of the goals of the program is to be able to allow the artists to sell their work. How does JCDS assist with that?
Kristen Devlin:
So we do have an online store. You can find that pin to the top of our social media on Facebook and Instagram, and we started that during COVID just to make sure that we were still getting that engagement. And we also are open every day from eight to three Monday through Friday. And then we do have two big sales a year, one in the summer and one in the winter where all 16 artists are represented and they're all working the shows and talking to the customers about their stories and experiences.
Kelly Scanlon:
What is the benefit of the artists of working with your program? Is it to get that exposure? Is it to develop that camaraderie with other artists?
Kristen Devlin:
Yeah, I think those are two great examples of the benefits. We've seen an increase in self-confidence, being seen as more than your abilities is really important to the artists in our program. They're able to be seen by their community for their talents and what they bring to the table. We were also the subject of a documentary recently called Emerging Artists and that toured around the Midwest and film festivals and we heard a lot of feedback about different communities perhaps starting a program like this. So that was a really great compliment and good to know that other people are affected not only the artists in the program, but the community around them too.
Kelly Scanlon:
Yes. If somebody wanted to look that up, what's the best way they could do that? Is it out there on YouTube somewhere or?
Kristen Devlin:
It's still on the festival circuit. I believe we have two more. The next one's going to be in Emporia, but we'll link to all the information about that on our socials. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, JCDS Emerging Artists.
Kelly Scanlon:
A lot of artists, whether they have a disability or not, are not able to reach the point where they're able to make a living off of their work. Are you finding that because of the enrollment in this program and because of the support that they receive, that they are maybe beaten the odds of making a living with their work?
Kristen Devlin:
That's a really interesting question. I think one of the greatest problems artists have in general is knowing the price point for their work. The market value of art is so interesting because it's not set in stone. It's a more of a fluid thing, and it's what the buyer deems it to be almost. So to me, artwork, looking at your art collection and seeing who do I want to support with my art purchase? Is it a local artist? Is it maybe an artist with a different point of view? And seeing where you could fill in those gaps and have a art collection that mirrors your values and has a heart and has a story to tell.
Kelly Scanlon:
JCDS is a county program. What was the inspiration behind its launch?
Kristen Devlin:
So JCDS Emerging Artists launched 10 years ago.
Kelly Scanlon:
Congratulations.
Kristen Devlin:
Thank you so much. And the inspiration for this program was seeing the talent there and that need for equal citizenship to be able to be paid and recognized for your talents. One artist that I'm thinking of in particular was making abstract paintings that were being cut up into cards, and the person that was supporting him at the time once said, "I can't cut these up anymore. They're too beautiful as they are." And that launched his career. Today he's an abstract artist that sells his paintings for $800 or more. He makes giant paintings and he's saving up money to go on a cruise. The program is filled with stories like that. 16 artists with a different individual voice and style.
Kelly Scanlon:
Once you're enrolled, how long does the program last?
Kristen Devlin:
So there's no endpoint. One of our artists now has a retirement plan of retiring when he's 77. He's in his fifties now. So it's kind of a make-your-own, choose your own adventure, make-your-own life plan. And we support that.
Kelly Scanlon:
With it be in maxed at 16. Are there any plans to expand the programs?
Kristen Devlin:
We would love to expand. We always want to keep a center at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center. That's such an important partnership for us, but we are definitely open to thinking big and dreaming of expanding, yes.
Kelly Scanlon:
Do you collaborate with any other agencies here in the Kansas City Metro?
Kristen Devlin:
Yes. We were lucky enough this year to collaborate with Imagine That! KC. They're a program that's a lot like ours. It's non-for-profit, not a government program. That's our main difference. They support about 60 artists, I think currently because they have a large building in the crossroads. We collaborated with them on a show at the Kansas City Public Library. We've also worked with professors from Johnson County Community College to do a visiting lecture and check in with our artists as kind of a studio tour. And same thing with Charlotte Street, we've met with people from there to talk to our artists about different things about the life of an artist.
Kelly Scanlon:
So how did you get involved in this program?
Kristen Devlin:
I'm really passionate about healing with the arts. I believe that people with all abilities should be represented. This is my dream job. Before this, I worked in education and I'm a working artist as well. So to be able to support people in a field that's not always open to different people abilities is really powerful.
Kelly Scanlon:
You say you're a working artist. What's your medium?
Kristen Devlin:
My medium is watercolors. I like to paint all kinds of illustrations, animals, all the things.
Kelly Scanlon:
Just so whatever you happen to feel like painting when you pick up the brush in the morning.
Kristen Devlin:
Yes.
Kelly Scanlon:
Talk to us a little bit more about the impact the program said, but what are some of the other things in terms of perhaps their personal growth in addition to their career path?
Kristen Devlin:
I've seen a lot of confidence building in terms of speaking about their artwork, creating a bio, being more confident about what their work is saying. We see a lot of times when people tour the art room for the first time of this kind of relief of I've found a place where I can land. I would also say it's interesting to look at the impact this program has had on the community. We have a lot of buyers that have their favorite artists and are looking for what's coming out next or because there's 16 very, very unique voices, there's a big broad appeal to different people who have their favorite subject matter or favorite interests and are always looking for the next piece from an artist.
Kelly Scanlon:
In terms of the structure of the program, do you have certain set hours where an artist, a participant, can come in at any time and work, or do you have classes and they have to be there at certain times?
Kristen Devlin:
So this is a really interesting kind of program because alongside that adult status we focus on, there's no set lunchtime, you eat when you're hungry, you come in when works for your schedule. We do have set hours that we're open nine to four, so anytime between those hours or people get there earlier than nine, anytime between eight to four you can be there, but it's really when it works with your schedule. A lot of artists have jobs in the community, so we're working around their schedule and figuring out what works for everybody.
And then of course, sometimes we have big shows on the weekends and we'll come in for that. We do have workshops. Most of our curriculum, I would say, I use that term lightly, it is an artist collective, but we will, if someone has an interest in something, investigate that and lead a workshop on that. Say for example, printmaking or throwing pottery on the wheel. We've had visiting artists come in for that before and that would be more of a structured day. But generally it's an artist collective. You show up, the expectation is that you're working on your art and you're focused on art and that expectation is met for sure.
Kelly Scanlon:
Again, to find out more about any of this, to keep track of the individual artists, to keep track of when the shows are going to be held following your social media is probably the best route to do that.
Kristen Devlin:
Yes, I would agree with that. And our social media is kind of interesting because we don't have one brand. We're representing 16 different artists, so they have a lot of involvement with that. What pictures are chosen to take pictures of what the captions say, and they receive that feedback when it's positive. So that's a really good way to support us. Another good way they could get involved is volunteering through Johnson County Developmental Supports. There is different events there, like a gardening club and a cooking club. So if you have different focuses that you would like to share with people, we welcome that there. And then if you're interested in volunteering at Johnson County at the Emerging Artists Program, we're looking for artists with specialties in a field that could maybe lead a workshop or something. We do have a smaller space, so those big corporate volunteer days would be better for developmental supports. And that's in Lenexa off Lackman Road.
Kelly Scanlon:
And do you have a need for any kind of supply donations?
Kristen Devlin:
We are taking supply donations.
Kelly Scanlon:
You also have an online store. Tell us about that.
Kristen Devlin:
So our online store, you can find on our social media there. So each artist has their own page and it's a great way for the artist to receive feedback is to see which one of their artworks they're selling and where to go from there. So if you're looking to support this program, that would be an awesome way to be involved.
Kelly Scanlon:
So how do you get to the online store?
Kristen Devlin:
You can search us on Facebook or Instagram, JCDS Emerging Artists, or on that JCDS website. There's a link there as well.
Kelly Scanlon:
JCDS Emerging Artists. And if you Google that, I'm sure all those things will pop up, including your Facebook page.
Kristen Devlin:
Yes. Thank you so much.
Kelly Scanlon:
Kristin, thank you so much for being a guest today, for coming and sharing your program and opening our eyes to a whole new source of art that really has an impact on individuals in our community.
Kristen Devlin:
We really appreciate it, Kelly. Thank you.
Joe Close:
This is Joe Close, president of Country Club Bank. Thank you to Kristin Devlin for being our guest on this episode of Banking on KC. Johnson County's Emerging Artists program opens doors for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Besides helping them earn income in an industry that typically doesn't accommodate people with IDD. The program promotes equality, personal growth, communication, self-expression, and self-advocacy. In short, the program helps participants to be seen as adult artists rather than being defined by their disability. Country Club Bank has always advocated efforts to help individuals in the community reach their full potential. The JCD S Emerging Artists Program does just that by helping to unleash the creativity in program participants so they can lead fully engaged lives. Thanks for tuning in this week. We're banking on you, Kansas City.
Country Club Bank Member FDIC.