Our Western Heritage: The Paintings of Norma Clare, Dodge City

Celebrate our Western heritage, as reflected in the artworks of Dodge City artist Norma Clare, during the month of December at the Barton County Arts Center, 1401 Main, Great Bend. There will be a public reception for the artist Sunday afternoon, December 16, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The Arts Center is open weekday afternoons until 5:30 p.m.

Norma Clare has been involved in a variety of art projects throughout her life. Her artwork can be found in the private and business sector across the United States. She has received numerous fine arts awards, as well as teaching awards in both Kansas and Oklahoma. With public exposure from historical murals painted at Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas, and the Pioneer & Indian Museum in Woodward, Oklahoma, a wide range of viewers has appreciated her work.

Becoming an art teacher early in her career opened up her true education. Art students can create very interesting problems that have to be worked through. Sharing solutions is what it�s all about. She is classified as a versatile artist, with the ability to work in more than one medium on a varied assortment of surfaces, having painted on just about anything �that will hold still.�

Art is the fountainhead of her life. She offers Native American, as well as Western themes, in her art. Always learning and processing, she keeps her art new and exciting. Each painting is a process that takes on a life of its own, changing as it develops, sometimes heading in a different direction than was planned. The viewer gets pulled into one�s imagination, beyond the subjects, and makes the piece their own, letting the spirit of the West live on.

Norma makes it a point to stay involved with the Western heritage of Dodge City and the original inhabitants of our national grasslands, the Native American, remembering the West so others can, too.

This program is presented in part by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The City of Great Bend, Barton County and CPI Qualified Plan Consultants provide additional support of the Barton County Arts Council.