Arts group documents grassroots works

When the drive to create spills into the yard, the Kansas Grassroots Art Center shows up. The group has been documenting art environments, like the T.J. Jenkins’ Bear Head Road in Platte County, since the 1970s. These are bodies of work by self-taught artists who most often use their homes and properties as a means of displaying their art.

No, it’s not just your neighbor, or that unique house you remember from when you were a kid.

It’s a thing. It happens over and over again.

People who, usually late in life, get an urge to create art pieces and can’t seem to stop. They generally don’t do it for money, but rather for personal satisfaction.

Formerly based in Lawrence, the Kansas Grassroots Art Center is now in Lucas, Kan., about an hour west of Salina. The town is known for the Garden of Eden, a home and garden featuring concrete biblical and political characters, which was created by S.P. Dinsmoor in the early 1900s.

Rosslyn Schultz, director of the Grassroots Art Center, says the group has documented about 100 art environments in Kansas. There are some in Missouri, too, but fewer than in Kansas. The group tries to educate about, document and preserve the sites. While each site is unique, there are similarities among the artists.

“They are all very independent thinkers,” Schultz says. “They don’t care what the neighbors think. There is something that is this inner force that drives them to do this. Once they start, they can’t stop.”

In the Kansas City area, one of the best known environments was created by James Perucca in Overland Park. The retired shoe salesman spent 30 years creating garlands from items he picked up at garage sales. He strung them throughout his yard. The art center, with the help of the Kansas City Art Institute, preserved part of that environment after his death in 2001. Three months after Perucca died, the art was gone.

“These environments don’t last very long. The next person who moves into the property sees very little value in it. They could be wonderfully designed. It’s just that the next person sees value in the house but not in what another person has created,” Schultz said.

Schultz says she encourages people to get involved in this kind of art.

“They live longer lives because they have a mission and are mentally engaged and physically active,” she says. “They always have another project and a reason to get out of bed and get up in the morning.”

▪ The Grassroots Arts Center is at 213 S. Main St., Lucas, Kan. Hours are 1-4 p.m. Thursday through Monday. May through September it is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for ages 6-12. For more, call 785-525-6118 or go to grassrootsart.net.

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Arts group documents grassroots works."