The Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center’s annual ArtPath exhibition is back for its seventh year. There are 20 pieces along Lansing’s River Trail created by Michigan artists.
Throughout the summer, WKAR will be bringing you stories about those artworks and the people behind them.
That includes one sculptor who has made a piece encouraging people to look beyond their differences and connect.
K.W. Bell’s <i>The Conversation</i> is a sculpture depicting two figures standing on the opposite side of a screen.
"On one side, a person is a figure is trying to close this barrier," she said. "And on the other side, they're trying to open it, depending on their viewpoint."
They look like they’re made of metal but are actually built out of clay. It’s a medium Bell only started working in over the past decade after painting for many years.
"I would always tell my kids when they were little, 'When I grow up, I'm going to be a sculptor.' And my kids are all grown, and they finally decided it was time for me to grow up. And so, they gave me a class in pottery."
She built the nearly 5-foot-tall figures by hand in her Haslett home studio, each one in two pieces
"I build up with slabs instead of carve away," Bell explained.
Bell says there’s reflective nature to how she makes her sculptures that she hopes people pick up on
"I am kind of talking to myself. I'm trying to learn through these pieces that I build and trying to share and have other people kind of contemplate the ideas behind them," she said.
As a nod to that dialogue, she calls her piece The Conversation, saying the two figures each represent a different but valid perspective.
"I find that in one conversation, I can be on both sides of this: longing to share something that I value but also wanting to protect that very thing," Bell said.
That’s especially true during an election year.
"Lots of topics like religion, race, LGBTQ+ politics, mental health, socio-economic and world events are always difficult."
Bell says those differences shouldn’t prevent people from talking
"Having the conversations that are uncomfortable are often really important because we can dig down deeper, we can grow our own knowledge and viewpoints and perspectives," she said.
If you can't agree, then to agree to disagree. But don't end the conversation, keep talking.
To help get those exchanges started, Bell has also put four chairs around her sculpture, so people can sit down and talk.
She has one last piece of advice for those who end up at an impasse
"If you can't agree, then to agree to disagree. But don't end the conversation, keep talking."
K.W. Bell’s sculpture The Conversation can be found in Burchard Park just south of the Brenke Fish Ladder in Old Town.
The Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center is a financial supporter of WKAR.
