Interview with arts journalist Ellis Widner
AAS: Ellis, thanks for agreeing to have the table turned - how do YOU feel being interviewed?
EW: It’s certainly not a familiar experience! Thank you for inviting me; I appreciate the opportunity to be part of this.
AAS: Talk about your background. Are you originally from Arkansas?
EW: I was born in Harrison, Arkansas. Before my first birthday, my parents moved to Washington state. After my father’s death, mom and I returned to Arkansas. I enrolled at Arkansas Tech for my sophomore year, then transferred to UA Fayetteville, where I graduated with a degree in journalism and social science, minor in education. I have been a reporter, reviewer and editor since, with a brief sidestep to work in advertising and public relations. Other than college classroom visits as a guest lecturer and one semester filling in for a teacher at an elementary school, my teaching career never happened.
AAS: You’ve worked as a journalist and editor for different newspapers around the country before coming back to Arkansas and to the Democrat-Gazette. What were those experiences like?
EW: I joined The Tulsa Tribune as a night club/pop music writer/reviewer in the mid-70s and was features editor when that paper closed in 1992. Most of my time in Tulsa was spent writing about musicians and concert reviews/previews, with a little work in general features (tornado coverage, a news-related project). In the visual arts, I did some writing about major regionalist painter Alexandre Hogue and several artists from Oklahoma’s Native American community, which is very important historically.
I moved to Philadelphia in 1992 as entertainment editor of the Philadelphia Daily News. It was a challenging experience to work in one of the country’s biggest newspaper markets. I learned a lot. The cultural life was amazing … world class museums, wonderful architecture, orchestra, opera, performance art, dance, theater, live music and history! While there, we went to an amazing concert by the legendary Nina Simone and attended events at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“Stop the Presses!” opening at Cantrell Gallery
I came to Little Rock in 1995 as one of the feature editors with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. My late partner, Phillip Pruitt, and I were warmly welcomed to the newspaper with a reception at the home of Jack & Marcia Schnedler (Jack was my supervisor). One of the things that really knocked me out was how much artistic talent is on the ADG staff. I organized an art show to raise funds for an employee’s medical bills. That evolved into “Stop the Presses,” an art show I helped curate for a number of years at Cantrell Gallery; the last one was in 2016. I think that it helped boost some staffers’ profiles, particularly editorial cartoonist John Deering who is an inspired painter and sculptor. (He did the Little Rock Nine sculpture at the state capitol building). Several staff members have gallery representation.
I now work part time and edit the Sunday Style section. As I can, I write stories and reviews of artists and exhibits; I also assign coverage.
AAS: You also wrote the occasional profile for the High Profile section and have interviewed some super people. One of those was Sheila Cotton in 2009, who I interviewed a few weeks ago. It must have been great fun doing those profiles.
EW: Sheila Cotton was a great interview experience; she is as nice and funny as she is talented and smart. I have a lot of respect for her and her art, you can feel her landscapes and the history they present so powerfully. High Profile was such a great place for her story to be told.
I also did a High Profile on Charles Banks Wilson, who was born in Arkansas and spent most of his art career in Oklahoma. He was famed for his drawings and paintings of Native Americans and was considered America’s best lithographer at the height of his career. I visited him several times and really enjoyed his company and his art.
Most of my writing has been in the Style section.
AAS: Your reporting and writing have been recognized by your peers and perhaps most importantly, the people you have written about. That must be very gratifying.
EW: I have won a number of awards over the years, including a national award from the National Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ) for a series on Iraq (just before the Gulf War) that I was a writer and team leader for at the Tulsa Tribune and a Most Objective Critic award from the touring entertainment magazine Performance (no longer in print). I’ve also won numerous awards from journalism organizations.
The real rewards come from people who’ve read something I’ve written and write me or want to talk about it; to tell me how it helped them see something new. And some have disagreed — and we learn from that, too. With an open mind and heart, art is a natural vehicle for illumination, growth and connection.
AAS: Did you always know you would one day have a career that was based in the arts in some way?
EW: To be honest, I didn’t. I had planned to be a teacher in social studies and journalism. But I decided I needed to experience what being a working journalist was like, so when graduate school burnout hit, I went to work.
AAS: You have traveled extensively for work and pleasure. Do you try to visit museums or galleries when you travel?
EW: Always. Travel and career movement have broadened my personal and art horizons. I grew up on a farm near a small community (population about 300). The art I saw was in books. I took an art appreciation class in my first year of college and was very taken by Paul Klee. The teacher passed out a bunch of colored squares to us and had us create a work inspired by Klee. The first time I saw paintings and sculpture I had only seen photos of was unreal, I almost didn’t believe what I was seeing. It was powerful, very emotional. I still get that feeling when I see something else I have only seen in books. I’m very visceral in my response to art … if the message, feeling, story is strong, I’m not as worried about technique. I always ask myself, ‘What is this trying to show or teach me?’”
I started buying art in the 1980s, inspired by the landscape and culture of New Mexico and Native American art. In Tulsa, I did some writing about art and had the privilege of spending time with Woody Crumbo and other influential Native American artists. Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa has an amazing western and Indian art collection, Philbrook Museum of Art’s collection was varied and inspiring. While in Oklahoma, Phillip and I purchased two lithographs from Alexandre Hogue.
Visiting Santa Fe and Taos frequently in the 1980s and 1990s was life-changing. I felt a real connection to the potent landscape and sky and the artwork of Agnes Pelton, Georgia O’Keeffe, Helen Hardin, Arthur Dove, photographer Laura Gilpin and Stephen Rosser, an Oklahoma artist who was living in SF when we met him.
I was inspired by trips to sites of Anasazi settlements (Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde in particular), the pueblos (Acoma, Taos, etc.), Petroglyph National Monument and petroglyphs elsewhere – and the homes of O’Keeffe and other artists and writers, such as Mabel Dodge Luhan.
In Philadelphia, the magnificent Philadelphia Museum of Art was a second home; we lived about three blocks away. The first time I saw the Van Gogh sunflower painting, the only one in North America, was astounding. It was so beautiful; I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I had the same response to a Van Gogh self-portrait at the Art Institute of Chicago. I attended a press reception for the great photographer Sebastiao Salgado, and was seated next to him at the luncheon. I was deeply moved by his intelligence and artwork, which carries great environmental and social power. His “Workers” series was one of my favorite exhibitions. I also was profoundly affected by an exhibition of the American documentary photographer Dorothea Lange. She humanized the Depression with images such as the haunting “Migrant Mother.” And trips to NYC and D.C. to the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rubin Museum and the Museum of Modern Art were enriching. And I love the county museums in Arkansas. There is much to learn there.
AAS: What kinds of art are you drawn to? Do you collect any artists or types of art in particular?
Ellis was invited to participate in “The Masked Project” by photographer Ashley Murphy. His was one of the portraits displayed in Baker’s Alley.
EW: I like art that moves me emotionally or spiritually or tells a compelling story. I’m pretty eclectic, but I am fond of modernism, outsider art, contemporary art and photography. Paintings, prints, sculpture, whatever.
In Santa Fe, I also learned about Zuni fetishes — animals and birds carved from stone that have spiritual dimensions — which I began collecting in the 1980s.
I have also taken a photography class and two clay classes. As I near retirement, I am thinking about another art activity.
The art collection ranges from originals and prints to flea market and estate sale finds and includes Warren Criswell, Elizabeth Weber, John Deering, Scinthya Edwards, Diana Shearon and Amy Edgington. I also have a wonderful unicorn decoupage and “Two Nice Queens,” a campy folkish painting by a Joshua Tree, California, artist, both inexpensive estate sale finds.
I have photography by William Gottlieb and Moshe Brakha. I still have a few New Mexico artists’ work.; the Alexandre Hogue lithographs and a lithograph by Charles Banks Wilson. Tibetan thangkas and some Buddhist statuary. And some of nature’s most beautiful art — Arkansas crystals.
The collection is a work in progress that shifts because of moving and my internal changes. I’m also in the process of downsizing.
AAS: How important are the Arkansas Arts Center and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to our state?
EW: Both museums have drawn national and international acclaim and attention for the quality of their collections and exhibitions. Their acquisitions have also turned heads, particularly Crystal Bridges’ co-ownership of the Alfred Stieglitz Collection and the Arkansas Arts Center’s acquisition of a large body of drawings by John Marin.
Our state benefits artistically, culturally and economically from the museums’ activities. In terms of image, people look at Arkansas differently now. Hopefully, our citizens also feel a real sense of pride in these institutions — they are cultural treasures.
Crystal Bridges has elevated our cultural experiences and reputation with their wonderful collection and the exhibitions they’ve organized and presented — especially Andy Warhol, Jamie Wyeth, State of the Art, Stuart Davis. The recent Crystals in Art and 2018’s Art for a New Understanding, a survey of Native American art, both took my breath away. I am also very moved by the works in the Alfred Stieglitz Collection.
The Arkansas Arts Center has elevated my appreciation and understanding of drawings and modernism and, to a degree, contemporary art. The Becoming John Marin exhibition in 2018 was astounding; Ann Wagner’s work was so impressive. And what a catalog!
I also have very fond memories of the AAC’s Carroll Cloar and William Beckman exhibitions from 2014. Cloar being one of the most talented of Arkansas-born painters (Hostile Butterflies!) and Beckman for really opening my eyes to the power of large-scale drawings. The Arts Center also created a wonderful catalog for the Cloar exhibition.
Also, I liked the drawings Robert Bean did on the walls of the museum school - “Swim at Your Own Risk”. And in 2018, Independent Vision: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Martin Muller Collection was a real thrill.
“When the phone rings and Ellis asks: ‘Do you have a moment?’ I know he is referencing the notes written on his spiral notepad, following a gallery visit. He offers readers thoughtful interpretations of exhibits, certainly the rewards of careful observations. His support of artists expands their audience and spotlight.” – Brad Cushman
AAS: We are so fortunate to now have the Brad Cushman Gallery at the Windgate Center for Art & Design at UALR.
EW: I met Brad Cushman when I was in Oklahoma and he was working at a college there. I’ve always had a real appreciation and respect for his intellect and depth and humanity. He’s a great guy. His professional depth had a wonderful showcase with his collaboration with Jackye and Curtis Finch on their wonderful Face to Face exhibition of artists’ self-portraits on paper at the AAC in 2013. Brad’s installation, and an amazing catalog, was very impressive.
Ellis with Delita Martin at the opening of “The Dinner Table” installation at the Brad Cushman Gallery.
The Cushman Gallery is a space of inspiration and education for me, and being in a university setting allows for a certain freedom with exhibitions you might not have at a museum or gallery. Delita Martin’s “The Dinner Table” installation was mind-blowing; I choked up a few times.
AAS: When and how did you become devoted to Buddhism?
EW: In high school, I worked some in our library. We got a copy of The Dalai Lama’s first book, “My Land, My People.” I read that and was fascinated. However, it was not until I moved to Philadelphia that I came into contact with a Buddhist teacher and began to explore Tibetan art and culture. It was in Little Rock, at the Ecumenical Buddhist Society, that I began to seriously study Tibetan Buddhism. There, I met the visiting Tibetan lamas who changed my life. I have been on three pilgrimages to Tibet. The landscape has visual qualities similar to northeast New Mexico. You can feel Tibet’s Buddhist culture in your body and spirit … places where people have practiced and meditated for hundreds of years … it is a landscape that is very much charged and alive. The architecture, the temples, the statuary and thangka paintings, reflect that. Pilgrimage and visiting sacred sites opens you, changes you. There is nothing like walking the land of your spiritual ancestors.
I follow scholar and teacher Robert Thurman on Instagram [I’ve discovered a lot of cool art on the ‘gram]. Another contemporary Tibetan painter, Karma Phuntsok, based on Australia, has melded traditional Tibetan iconography in contemporary settings to powerful effect. I also have done some English language editing of Tibetan translations.
"Art makes you more liberal, more open, more tolerant. It improves your ability to listen to others' stories. There is nothing if there is no art. It buffers space between individuals for opinions to resolve issues. It's what makes us human, not only as a creator, but participation is beautiful." – Tenzing Rigdol, a contemporary Tibetan artist who also is a trained thangka painter. (Posted by Robert Thurman on Instagram)
AAS: I hate to put you on the spot, but do you have any ‘favorite’ interviews that you are especially proud of?
EW: First of all, the two High Profile section stories I wrote on Sheila Cotton and Charles Banks Wilson. Delita Martin was a revelation. When she had her first show at Boswell Mourot Fine Art, I was very taken with her warmth and intelligence and her art’s powerful connection to the women of her family. I think she’s a remarkable, almost scarily talented artist who just gets better and better and more daring.
Great interviews challenge you and readers — the comments of Elizabeth Weber, David Bailin, Sammy Peters, V.L. Cox and Warren Criswell were particularly impactful. I’ve learned a lot from Garbo Hearne. Few people make me laugh more than Sulac. I loved writing about James Matthews in 2019. His eviction quilts were a powerful social statement.
I was especially affected by David Bailin’s “The Erasing” a series of very large mixed media works informed by his father’s Alzheimer’s disease, which has touched many of our lives, including my own. Several of those works brought me to tears. One of the best stories I’ve written was an interview with Bailin, talking about the process and his response to drawing — then erasing parts of it. It was profound and as close as art can get to memory’s loss. [The story in the Democrat-Gazette won a couple of awards]. I was very touched and honored when David asked me to update that story for an essay for his catalog about the series. Leslie Newell Peacock of the Arkansas Times also contributed an insightful essay.
And I can’t forget the always charming Curtis and Jackye Finch, who were delightful interviews for the Face to Face exhibition at the Arts Center.
I was fortunate to interview Jamie Wyeth at Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. We connected right off the bat; it probably helped that I had lived in Philadelphia and been to the family’s museum at Chadds Ford. He was very open talking about his father, Andrew Wyeth, and his controversial Helga paintings, and his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth. A couple of times he waved off publicists to give us more time. I was most appreciative of his openness and trust.
Earlier this year, I did a piece about Marcus MacAllister, a Little Rock artist who lives in Paris. It still kind of haunts me. We talked in person, used email and Skype to complete the interview. His depth and fascination with Jungian archetypes, shapeshifting, spirituality and his fearless dedication to his creative vision is impressive.
“I remember a few years ago reading Ellis’ in-depth interview with Jamie Wyeth at the opening of his show at Crystal Bridges .... now Jamie Wyeth has probably been interviewed a zillion times in his career, but when he sat down with Ellis, well, by the third paragraph the reader sensed the trust, the rapport developing in this conversation. Wyeth really took off his seat belt and it was a terrific, intimate conversation. But whether it's Crystal Bridges or a modest little show of drawings in a small commercial gallery, Ellis always has a respectfulness, a graciousness to his approach.” – Sheila Cotton
AAS: I had the pleasure of meeting your late husband, Scott Hardy, several times at gallery openings. He seemed to share your love of art.
Ellis and Scott at a reception for Elizabeth Weber at Boswell Mourot Fine Art.
EW: Scott was one of the kindest and funniest people I’ve known; he had a real appreciation for art and was open to everything. His viewpoint was invaluable to me. He accompanied me on most of my gallery visits and was a big part of the enjoyment for me.
AAS: You have an illustrious career supporting the arts and artists and now we are in crazy times. Galleries are just now beginning to reopen and return to somewhat normal operations. Do you think COVID will have a lasting impact on the art scene in Arkansas? Can artists, who may not have sold much in the last 4 months hang in there? Any words of advice for young artists who want to be a part of the art scene?
EW: Wow. I think the full impact will unfold over time. Artists, galleries and museums will have to be especially creative in their presentation of art. It’s interesting to see how some have responded: drive-by shows, pop-up art shows in unexpected places, interesting online presentations, promoting work on social media (Meikel Church, Diane Page Harper, Theresa Cates and Laura Raborn are among those do this very well) and creative collaborations with musicians, dancers, etc.
We will definitely see more digital exhibitions — many of the art world’s great art fairs have approached this aggressively with digital “rooms” to show and sell art. As the software becomes more sophisticated, virtual reality, 3-D visuals and other applications will probably play a very important role in showing, marketing and selling art, even in the post-pandemic world.
The Arkansas Arts Center got a baptism by fire in this new digital world when the pandemic forced the 62nd Annual Delta Exhibition to become an online-only event. Some Arkansas galleries are also beefing up their websites.
There are many strengths and potentials for virtual presentation, with options for interaction, links, videos and more that you might not get in a physical show. Another benefit is accessibility — the audience expands considerably with online presentation. BUT … digital does not give you the full experience of a work of art. That requires you and your eyes and heart in the presence of the work. Nothing will replace that. Each digital device presents colors differently; digital can’t totally reproduce an artists’ color palette, a work’s texture, scale and layers. Subtleties don’t always come through a camera lens or computer screen. The full picture and full experience of art only reveals itself to you in person.
Advice for young artists: be you. Be open to constructive criticism. Be fearless. Ask questions. Work hard. Look at the work of other artists. Find time for reflection and contemplation. Take chances. Don’t be afraid of failure. That’s when real growth can manifest. Don’t be lazy. A lot of times the difference between success and failure is staying focused; a full-time art career is very demanding. You have to create, market and push your art … and maybe work to support it.
AAS: Based on your years of covering the arts and artist, what do you think ‘makes’ a good artist?
EW: What makes a good artist is a lot of the same qualities that makes a good person, a good writer, a good actor, a good doctor, a good friend. Dedication. Open heart. A willingness to make personal sacrifices to help others as you further your goals and growth. Discernment. Be aware and critical of your work, but not hyper-critical attacks on your sense of self-worth and being. Notice, when people offer criticism, the tone of their voice and intent. That will tell you whether to take it seriously or not. Being a full-time or even part-time artist takes a lot of dedication, determination and faith.
AAS: Thank you Ellis for all you have done and continue to do for art in our state.
