A new exhibition, “Louise Kames: I Don’t See Anything That’s Not Beautiful,” is now open at the Figge Art Museum. It invites viewers to explore themes of deterioration and transformation through the artist’s reflective drawings, prints, and installations.
Ms. Kames’ encounters with a woman with dementia, who ritualistically gathered sticks and leaves into piles to “beautify the landscape” and soothe her mind, inspired one of the series I Don’t See Anything That’s Not Beautiful.
A Dubuque, Iowa artist and art professor, Ms. Kames draws upon her own experiences and relationships to reflect on the impacts of memory loss and the beauty found in everyday acts.
The series includes charcoal and pastel drawings, screen prints on fabric, and transfer prints on pages from a prayerbook, each exploring the beauty found in ordinary things and the profound changes brought on by memory loss.
The exhibition also features Ms. Kames’ latest series depicting a mature willow tree from her yard. Slowly dying due to Iowa’s prolonged drought, the tree is rendered with intricate care, embodying a metaphor for resilience and loss. She compares her artistic practice to acts of devotion, sharing, “I find pleasure and solace in the simple act of seeing. … My hope is to draw the viewer into a similar contemplative space.”
The Figge will offer accompanying programming to complement the exhibition, including a printmaking workshop where Ms. Kames will demonstrate some of the techniques she used to create her works.
The Figge also will host a panel of healthcare professionals, family caretakers, and patients in the early stages of dementia to discuss the impact of the disease on those who are afflicted and their caretakers. These programs invite the community to engage with Ms. Kames’s themes of mindfulness, memory, and beauty in unexpected places.
Additional programming
Companion programming includes:
- Jan. 11, 2025, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Second Saturdays at the Figge activities feature a printmaking workshop with Ms. Kames and family-friendly printmaking activity.
- March 13, 2025, panel discussion in Figge auditorium; 5 p.m., bar opens, 6:30 p.m., panel discussion. Health care professionals, family caretakers, and patients will discuss with Ms. Kames the impact of disease on those who are afflicted and their caretakers. Moderated by Art Therapist Dana Keeton.
- April 3, 2025, Artist Talk, “Louise Kames: I Don’t See Anything That’s Not Beautiful;” 5 p.m., bar opens, 6:30 p.m. program, in the auditorium. Hear directly from artist Ms. Kames as she introduces her exhibition.
“Over 6 million Americans have some form of dementia, and that number is only expected to continue to rise,” Figge Senior Co-Curator Joshua Johnson said in a news release. “With that staggering statistic in mind, we think that it is important to share work like Kames’s that focuses on this difficult topic.”
Ms. Kames holds an MFA in drawing and printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MA in art history from the University of Illinois, and a BA in studio art and art history from Clarke University, where she is a professor of art and directs the Art + Design Program.
“Kames’s work invites us to slow down and truly see the beauty and significance in everyday life, even in moments of change and loss,” Figge Executive Director and CEO Melissa Mohr said. “We hope visitors will find comfort and inspiration in her thoughtful, meditative pieces.”
The Louise Kames exhibition is on view in the Gildehaus Gallery through April 6, 2025. It is made possible through the generous support of Andy and Debi Butler, Susan Perry and Stan Goodyear. Find more information here.
