Lead Artists

Dave Loewenstein is a muralist, writer, and printmaker based in Lawrence, Kansas. In addition to his more than twenty public works in Kansas, examples of his dynamic and richly colored community-based murals can be found across the United States in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, South Dakota, Iowa, Chicago, New Orleans, New York City and in Northern Ireland and South Korea. Loewenstein’s prints, which focus on current social and political issues, are exhibited nationally and are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Yale University,  and the Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles. He is the co-author of Kansas Murals: A Traveler’s Guide, a 2007 Kansas Notable Book Award Winner, published by the University Press of Kansas; and the co-director of the documentary film Creating Counterparts which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Kansas Filmmakers Jubilee. Loewenstein has been recognized widely for his work, including the 2001 Lighton Prize for Arts Educator of the Year from Kansas City Young Audiences, the 2004 Tom and Anne Moore Peace and Justice Award given by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, a 2006 Phoenix Award from the Lawrence Arts Commission, and a 2007 Kansas Press Association 1st Place Columnist Award for his column “Blank Canvas.” The book from his most recent studio project Give Take Give, funded by the Rocket Grants program, is available here. In 2014, Loewenstein was named one of the founding Cultural Agents for the new US Department of Arts and Culture.


Ashley Jane Laird is a muralist and studio artist based in Lawrence, Kansas. After graduating from Washburn University with a BFA in 2011, Laird has worked on numerous public projects including the Mid-America Mural Project in Joplin, MO, Arkadelphia, AR and Waco, TX, the 2nd Annual Welling Court Mural Project in Queens, NY, a commission by Chadwick Institute in Songdo, South Korea, and the Whittier Neighborhood mural Project in Sioux Falls, SD. She has also completed restorations of community murals in Hutchinson and Lawrence, Kansas. Her most recent public work, “Reanimating the Arts in Topeka,” can be seen at the Great Mural Wall of Topeka. Laird’s latest studio work culminated in a solo exhibition, “Turning Back The C(l)ock,” at the Bourgeois Pig in Lawrence, KS, Drawings from this series have most recently been published in The Waiting Room Projects, “things you should know about”/Speak Loudly booklet series. Printed copies are currently at the University Gallery, Groningen, the Netherlands. In addition to this, one of the drawings was showcased last year in the exhibition, Backlash! at the Soho20 Gallery in New York City. Ashley led women and children in a collaborative painting project for Survivor Art Night at the Topeka YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment for which she was honored with the 2012 Arts Advocate Award. She is one of the founders of Chords and Oil art collective in Topeka, KS, a springboard organization for many unique projects from 2009-2010 including a major installation at the city’s public transit hub. Her next public project will be a collaborative mural about the contributions of and current challenges facing women in Kansas.