FREDONIA — The Fredonia Arts Council is pleased to announce that April Eden’s “Prairie Tails — Fantastic Critters from Kansas to Outer Space” Exhibit is now on display at the Stone House Gallery until Sept. 11. The “Meet the Artist” Open House will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 26, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and will include a chance to learn more about rescue, animal adoption, and the Fredonia Pound Pals. Refreshments will be served along with an opportunity to send a star to Miss Able, located at the Smithsonian NASA institute.
The show represents Eden’s “prairie fruit salad,” showcasing the best and most interesting plants, animals, and experiences found in Kansas. Her former acting teacher tells a story about actors coming into the casting office wanting something from the directors instead of focusing on what they have to offer; it is like showing up to a potluck with an empty dish instead of something to share for others to eat. Her exhibit shares the knowledge she has learned in Kansas and about outer space through multimedia artwork, photography, and jewelry. One room showcases beautiful things on the prairie, another her classroom artwork, and another showcases rescue pets and the famous local monkey, Miss Able, and her contribution to outer space.
The artist plans to donate 20% of any items sold to the Fredonia Arts Council and 10% to the Fredonia Pound Pals.
Eden, born in Michigan, was introduced to performing arts first, through the theater and her love for Star Trek. Moving to L.A., hoping to be an actor in the new Star Trek movie, she found a lot of her life philosophy from her acting teacher, Ted Brunetti. She learned that being true to yourself was important, even if it meant leaving the acting world. Brunetti stated, “Do the work other people are not doing to get the results other people are not getting.” She used this saying as a life motto. Eventually, she left acting to pursue avenues of income that would allow more control of her life, but not before landing interesting roles, as the Chair Model on “The Office” and Miss Pawnee in “Parks and Recreation.” She stepped behind the camera and became a production coordinator and manager in LA for several years. Eventually, she became a museum guide and video editor at the Griffith Observatory, an outer space museum overlooking the Hollywood sign in L.A.
Eden currently lives in Kansas and, during COVID, began working remotely and continues to work for the Observatory with their STEM online school program. She discovered her love for art, the Stone House Gallery Area Artists Contest, summer arts program, rescue dogs, and an excellent and kindhearted art teacher, Joan Allen. Allen teaches art and painting classes at the Independence Museum and Art Center. Eden found she could express herself not only in the performing arts but also in visual multimedia arts through the expression of freedom and the strength to find and face what is true in yourself and the world around you.
She eventually would like to utilize all her diverse experiences by becoming an author and illustrator, to produce educational STEM tools that help other people understand the world around them and the abilities we have to impact the world just by being curious and seeking out what is true, even if it means standing alone.
The Stone House is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
