Ada Koch
artist's website
Ada has been a visual artist/activist/teacher in KC for 28 years, teaching at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, serving on local boards to promote the local art scene, and working with newspapers, magazines and radio stations to promote her work against violence. Her art is worldwide in notable collections including the Nelson-Atkins Museum, the Stowers Institute, JD Reece Company, and Overland Park City Hall to name a few.
Glenn North and I have collaborated for over eight years on projects linking our activist messages to violence, gratitude, hope. This project inspired us to see how KC is emerging from years of pandemic illness, racism, and violence. We enjoyed Nature and cherished human interaction. “Reflections on Chaos and Calm” uses clouds as symbols of moods. Tumultuous clouds are characteristic of chaos. As the saying-each cloud has a silver lining-these clouds too have metallic linings (which can be colored silver or metallic silver on the boards) reflecting light in the community, promising cleansing rains to promote renewal. Glenn’s poem is an invented form-urku-urban haiku. In each line, two extra syllables provide space to express complexities of urban life. What have we as humans learned from dark times? We can look at the world pensively, seeing how we are reflected in Nature, in art, in poetry, and how they reflect us back. Our lives include despair but from the depths we pull positive outcomes because we are resilient and will continue to find and share love and hope.
