Russell and Russell County were a fertile but unorganized art field when in November, 1968, Beverly Caldwell, a young artist of distinct talent, said to a member of the Russell Lions Club that she would like to see one of the local service organizations sponsor an art show for the many amateur artists in the area. Some of these had gained recognition elsewhere, on individual merit, but there was no supporting community movement and the crying need for this step in artistic progress indicated an obvious vacuum.

The Russell Lions Club, less than a year old, was looking for a project which would not duplicate or conflict with other clubs and their projects. Lewis Clancy, a member, advanced the idea of an art show to the board of directors and was asked to look into the possibilities. As far as was known, no service club had sponsored an art display of unit magnitude. A club project is usually two-way, with culture lending to fund-raising for some other benevolence. The art show, as considered by the Lions, was to be a strictly nonprofit cultural concept.

On March 27-28, Clancy and the Lions president-elect, Rev. Roy Harrington of the First Baptist Church, Russell, made a trip to Topeka to attend the Second Annual Conference sponsored by the Kansas Cultural Arts Commission. There they listened to many individuals and group representatives explain how they got their communities interested in the Arts. The conference included all of the Performing as well as the Graphic Arts, and the Cultural Arts Commission indicated the kinds of assistance it was empowered to give. The matter was again back before the Lions of Russell for practical purposes, but now Clancy, an Air Traffic Controller, and Harrington, an amateur artist himself, had acquired a broader range of view at Topeka.

The Lions board of directors appointed an art show committee with Clancy chairman, Derril Castor of the Russell High School art faculty, and Harrington. The board directed its committee to obtain booth space for the art show in conjunction with the Russell County 4-H Fair. Clancy countered with a food booth as substitute for the fair. The committee needed something bigger for the art show!

In action to give shape to forthcoming plans, the Lions Club committee set up a meeting for community artists with speakers Maurice Coats, executive director of the Kansas Cultural Arts Commission, and Mike Williamson, from Kansas State University, Manhattan. Coats addressed about 150 students at the high school that morning. The help of the Russell Public Schools art departments and the professionally trained art faculty of four, Mrs. Trudy Furney, Derril Castor, Art Priddy and Mrs. Sherry Pirotte Brungardt, was indispensable. They saw the shows high future potential. They also saw its value in providing a satisfying cultural level for students returning from college where they are accustomed to a high cultural level.

He said that it was not a matter of whether to bring art, for it is here, in a beautification program and clean streets. He spoke of the creative process happening from within the community as in the individual. He envisioned the ultimate co-production with the annual show of paintings and photographs of a film festival and live performing arts. Williamson went into the different aspects and decisions that must be made to set up such a show. "When you get into the arts with people, you get a socio-economic cross-section that can be a tremendous community nucleus," he said.

Many suggestions were considered pro and con by the two speakers. Mrs. Furney, whose husband operated a studio for picture sales and framing, and who was nominated by the Russell faculty as a candidate for state outstanding teacher of the year, was to prove a mainstay. Her positive encouragement at this time was: "Its not going to flop. Lets think big."

Professional and amateur categories, the more narrow community possibility for entries and how wide an area for admissions, even childrens art without competition, were brought up. The kind of criticism that was wanted was dis-cussed. The meeting was reported in the two local newspapers in a lead spot. The press, radio and television media were recognized as essential to keep the thing alive in the somewhat lengthy gap between first conception and the actual production October 17-18-19.

Money was needed for prizes, and a community coffee was set up the evening of May 16 with invitations sent out to hear Maurice Coats. The response in attendance was disappointing, but it was felt the effort aided future personal solicitations.

On May 16, as a result of previous visits, Mike Williamson and Dr. John Helm, head of the art department at Kansas State University, came to the Deines home in Russell to view the Hubert E. Deines collection of wood engravings. At Dr. Helms request, this unique collection was later given to Kansas State University for its care and display. Deines, as the most famous artist in Russell, who had died about a year earlier was considered for commemoration in the name of the art show.

The new Lions Club president, Rev. Roy Harrington, appointed two new members to the art show committee: Fred Huey and later Dave Roberts. With the dates set, the first committee meeting was held to finalize the rules, entry blanks and contents of a brochure and to work out the awards. The four art instructors were asked to be on the committee and later to act as a screening committee. It was seen that the project was far larger than the Lions Club itself, and optimistically might be now or eventually, one of the top shows in the state.

In a contest held from July 14 through August 8, 121 name suggestions were made by 43 entrants. Announcement of the contest and later the listing of names provided two newspaper stories. Through coordination with Mr. Coats, Beverly Caldwell, who had done an exhaustive outlay of names, was the winner announced on August 20. Coats chose the name which was, without doubt, the most unique and fitting. "Russells Original Art Review" lent itself to the initials ROAR for the Lion Backers and a sketch by Beverly Caldwell of a lion with its mouth open. The name was especially definitive in community rather than club suggestion, and the main requirement of the show was that all pictures must be originals, not copies. Award was a total of $50 in cash and in gift certificates from the Lions Club and from local merchants.

One thousand entry forms, on heavy gold-color stock and utilizing the Caldwell sketch, were worked out by the committee and printed at The Russell Record. These were mailed to artists throughout the state on September 6. This mailing included high school art departments throughout the state, almost all artists in north central Kansas by names from Kansas State University, and most of the art groups in Kansas, with a good saturation of Russell County and adjacent counties. Entries began coming in on October 10 and were stored at the Furney Studio. At the first there was some alarm of perhaps 20 per cent of the entry blank mailings having been lost or not delivered by the post office. This was partly counter-acted with more publicity on the show by a news story. Radio coverage for the show included the Saturday "Coffeetime" hour at 8 :15 a.m. October 11, with the school art faculty, President Harrington and Art Show Chairman Clancy being interviewed.

Harrington and Clancy appeared on the 11:30 am. program at KAYS television station, Hays, on both Monday, September 29, and Thursday, October 16. Outlying newspaper publicity included two large group photos of the faculty and committee members in The Great Bend Daily Tribune, with caption narration of the forthcoming show. These pictures were reprinted in the Russell news-papers.

Jim Bell from the Wichita Art Museum was obtained as the professional juror for the show. He was featured in further local newspaper publicity. Last-minute news stories were obtained as reminders and thank-yous.

The Art Club from the high school was ever helpful with hand lettering of ribbons, posters, and labels to get 100 per cent participation from the public. They aided with setting up the show itself and assisting during the show.

Hours were 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 1.7; 10-12 a.m. and 1-8 p.m. Oct. 18; 10-12 am, and 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 19, with awards presented the last afternoon. By the deadline Oct. 15, 94 artists had entered 264 pictures. A total of 74 pictures were rejected for various reasons, all mechanical, in trying to set the quality of the exhibit. Yet, in this first show, everything was admitted that could be. There were 14 awards totaling $1,200. Approximately 2,000 people attended the show, held at the Russell County 4-H Building. Hostesses were from the Russell Business and Professional Womens Club. The Gingham Girls Extension Homemakers Unit hosted a reception for the artists, sponsors and friends from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, held in the Blue Room at the Russell Elks Club.

The goal achieved was to encourage the amateur artist while having at the same time professional competition to set the standard. Separate classes were set up in this respect.
In 1974 the Lions Club found a need to discontinue the show. Organizations were contacted by individual members with the hope of the continuance of the show. The City Council of Beta Sigma Phi was contacted and the four chapters of Russell accepted the challenge with only two months to work on the show.