Spencer Museum announces 2020 Brosseau Creativity Award recipients

LAWRENCE — The Spencer Museum of Art announces the 2020 recipients of the Jack & Lavon Brosseau Creativity Awards. Established by benefactor Lavon Brosseau in 2011, the awards honor thought-provoking creative work in the categories of writing and diverse media from University of Kansas undergraduate students in any area of study.

This year’s submissions included sculpture, poetry, collage, creative-nonfiction, painting, film, video essays and screenwriting. They represented a range of disciplines, including film and media studies, music theory and education, visual art, art education, English, and African and African American studies.

In the writing category, Kayla Cook of Highland, was recognized for her collection of poetry, “Black Country," which explores her experience as a black woman living in rural Kansas. Her poetic investigation of a small-town Midwestern community defies cultural stereotypes to communicate a deeply felt and complex response to American culture and home. Cook is a senior majoring in English with a focus in creative writing.

In the diverse media category, Nicholas Monroe of Lenexa, was recognized for his multimedia installation, “e-carnage.” His experimental installation combines video and audio inputs from different outdated technologies as a commentary on the wastefulness of planned obsolescence. Monroe is a senior in the School of Music.

An honorable mention in the writing category went to Brad Mathewson of Topeka, for his personal essay “Thoughts on Being.” Mathewson is a freshman majoring in theatre design with a minor in creative writing.

An honorable mention in the diverse media category went to Elizabeth Sundahl of Denver, for her multimedia project “To Be Where One Does Not Belong.” Sundahl is a senior majoring in visual art and economics.

More information about the awards and excerpts from the recipients’ projects are available online.

Image: Video still from “e-carnage” by Nicholas Monroe.