Kumpania and Standing Rock Cultural Arts Present

The Women's Art Recognition Movement

16th Annual Silent Art Auction
And Charity Benefit

September 5th Through October 17th, 2020

Paintings, Sculpture, Photography,
Multi-Media by various artists!
Proceeds benefit Safer Futures,
Portage County's battered women's shelter

Standing Rock Cultural Arts invites you
to support the gallery with a purchase of art

Prints by Daniel Johnston

Pen and ink drawings from his time in Ohio.

Thank you to the collection's curator
who made this possible.

Listen to a Musical Tribute to Daniel Johnston

Prints are 8.5 x `11 full size reproductions
from original notebook and letter size drawings
$20 Unframed

Please direct inquiries to info@standingrock.net 330-673-4970.
Prints will be sent by mail.
Or arrange local pickup (330) 673-4970

                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
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Standing Rock Cultural Arts presents

GLIDE    Through August 23rd

Paintings and Photographs by Ian Marshall

The gallery is now open by appointment
Call 330-673-4970

Work is large scale and ranges from 28"x28" to 42"x60"


Ian Marshall is a Kent, Ohio-based painter and photographer.
Originally from this small Cuyahoga River town of Kent,
Marshall spent many years carefully observing the town and
watching many changes which unfolded. Along with the changes
included a rebirth of elements; the discarding of withering materials
and their replacement, the neo-genesis of industrialization.

Ian has received numerous awards throughout Northeast Ohio
such as acceptance into the GAR Foundation in Akron along with
Best of Show at Art in the Park in Kent. Ian has also shown work
at 78th Street Studios in Cleveland. Marshall completed his
bachelor's in Fine Arts program with a concentration in painting
from Kent State University in May 2017.

Lessons to be Learned from the Kent State Shooting Incident

Dr. Drew Tiene
Professor Emeritus: Kent State University

How does the shooting of student protestors at Kent State fifty years ago relate to our lives today as American citizens? Clearly there are a number of important lessons to be learned. First of all, it was an instance of what would now be called political spin. The facts of the case were misreported, misinterpreted, and manipulated by both the media and government officials. At first, it was inaccurately reported in some newspapers that guardsmen had been shot. Then there were false claims that a sniper's presence on campus had prompted the shootings. Guard commanders insisted that their soldiers had been attacked by the demonstrators and fired in self-defense. These misleading claims ultimately became the basis of their legal defense in the courts. The contentious and questionable public discourse that followed the shootings helped confuse Americans about the nature of the incident for the ensuing decades, right up until the present day.

The gunning down of political protestors has been practiced by autocratic regimes throughout history. Recent examples can be seen in countries like Iraq, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Chile, Iran, and Ecuador. Those of us in the Kent State community appreciate the official recommendation to "Learn, Inquire, & Reflect" that is etched into the memorial built to honor those who were shot. Many of us feel that an equally important message should be "Never Again." Such practices should have no place in the United States.

The incident at Kent State University in 1970 was a violation of Constitutional rights cherished by American citizens. The campus protest on May 4th was an exercise of the First Amendment right "peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Students were practicing their freedom of speech guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. If the United States is going to uphold these traditions, it needs to allow political dissent without interference or intimidation on the part of law enforcement. The shooting of anti-war demonstrators at Kent State will hopefully be remembered in American history as both an aberration and an anomaly.

None of the Ohio National Guardsmen who fired their weaponry at unarmed students were ever held legally accountable. Their "self-defense" argument is sadly still with us today, having been used repeatedly in similar types of cases over the ensuing decades. Police who face charges for shooting civilians have repeatedly claimed they thought their victim was reaching for a gun, even when there was no weapon. The Black Lives Matter movement has hopefully raised the nation"s awareness about these issues and the need for accountability. An often underappreciated legacy of the Kent State shootings was the manner in which the justice system failed afterwards.

The Kent State shootings were a result of opposition to an unpopular, unsuccessful war conducted in Asia. Unfortunately, over the course of the past half century we have witnessed a number of similar overseas military misadventures, wherein we have lost many American lives, killed thousands and spent huge sums in the process. The famous quote by historian George Santayana that "those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it" surely applies here. Another lesson associated with the Kent State shooting incident might be that war not continue to be waged in other countries whose citizens prefer to determine their own destiny.

Finally, the Kent State shootings took place in a political context wherein a president sought to enhance his power, silence the media, and punish his enemies. That president, Richard Nixon, ultimately had to resign during impeachment proceedings against him. The parallels to today’s Trump administration are difficult to miss. It is clear that, like Nixon before him, Trump intends to disrupt the traditional balance of power between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The enormous powers of the U.S. presidency have been abused in the past, and they can be abused again.

Hopefully the Kent State shootings will never become an obscure footnote in American history. The incident represents an inappropriate use of deadly weaponry to silence dissent, followed by misrepresentations of facts and a miscarriage of justice. Such challenges to our democratic values seem particularly relevant in today's "post-truth" political era. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Kent State shootings can serve to preserve the heritage of freedom that the United States of America represents, both for its own people and as an example to the rest of the world.