WKU News

The Kentucky Museum is thrilled to announce the opening of Tangents to Heaven, an exhibition honoring the life and legacy of Episcopal priest, filmmaker, writer and art connoisseur Al Shands and his wife, Mary Norton Shands. Together, the couple supported and collected the works of nationally and regionally prominent contemporary artists. After their deaths, their collection was bequeathed to institutions across the Commonwealth, including 45 pieces donated to the Kentucky Museum. 

“The Kentucky Museum at WKU is honored to one of three chosen cultural institutions with this gift of art from the Shands’  personal collection”, shares Brent Bjorkman, Director of the Kentucky Museum. “This exhibit, Tangents to Heaven, is dedicated to both celebrating the rich talent of the artists highlighted in the installation as well as Al and Mary’s unfolding vision related to the power these expressive works have on seeing our world in a creative light.” 

The exhibition explores the collection through five themes, all connected to Rev. Shands' quest for heaven as he wrote in various sermons and essays. The collection includes works by nationally and regionally recognized contemporary artists, including:

• Barney Bright, a Shelby County, Ky, native and sculptor known for his contributions to Kentucky's urban landscapes. He is the founder of Bright Foundry in Louisville and the recipient of the 1989 Commonwealth Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
• Joseph Downing, a Horse Cave, Ky, native and veteran of World War II who studied under Ivan Wilson and became known as a "Poet of Color and Light."
• Wayne Ferguson, a longtime Kentuckian potter whose various residencies resulted in the development of "holloware" that often feature satire or commentary. He is the recipient of the Al Smith Fellowship and Rude Osolnik Award.
• Frank Gehry, one of the most influential late 20th century architects whose furniture lines are prized household items.
• Andrea Gill, an internationally known ceramicist from Alfred University and the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships.
• Ross Gordon, a Syrian immigrant now living in Kentucky as a photographer and lawyer, who has traveled the world photographing clients for Rolling Stone, Maxim, 21c Museum Hotels, and many others.
• Gary S. Griffin, a metalsmith and educator who has received two National Endowment for the Arts grants and the Society of North American Goldsmith's 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Vinhay Keo, a Cambodian immigrant interdisciplinary visual artist and graduate of the Kentucky College of Art + Design at Spalding University who explores the legacy of the Khmer Rouge Genocide, the Vietnam War, colonialism, and queer erasure in his works. He is the recipient of numerous fellowships and grants.
• Brother Lavrans Nielsen, a Trappist monk whose art became nationally recognized and resulted in a solo show at Swearingen-Byck gallery in Louisville in 1975.
• Rude Osolnik, one of the fathers of contemporary wood turning who ran the industrial arts program at Berea College for more than forty years. He founded the Berea Crafts Festival in 1982. The Osolnick Award is named in his honor.

Tangents to Heaven is sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners.

Special thanks to Julien Robson, Director of Great Meadows Foundation and Director of the Mary and Al Shands Art Preserve, for his expertise and advice.

The exhibition, along with all the Museum's exhibitions, are open to the public with free admission on Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.