CONTACT: Leslie Eikleberry, 785-827-5541 ext. 1127

March 23, 2005

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is given new meaning with “Unique Creative Visions: The Art of Jesse Montes,” the next exhibit in The Gallery at Kansas Wesleyan University. Forty works, including portraits, landscapes, non objective design, and sculptural creations using recycled corrugated cardboard are the first of their kind to be exhibited in Salina.

The show is scheduled to open March 30 and will run through April 27.

Montes, a self-trained artist, began making picture frames from cardboard to relieve the worry he was feeling regarding two of his children involved in the Gulf War in 1990. Shortly after working on the frames he began filling the spaces with landscapes, portraits, and other designs. To make the work he bevel cuts the cardboard in narrow strips and glues them in place. Variations in the color and type of cardboard and the angle of the cuts create a wide range of colors, values, and textures. He sometimes uses acrylic paint on and under the cardboard as well.

Montes is a native of Mexico, one of 25 children, and the sole survivor of five sets of twins. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1972 and recently retired as a janitor from Dodge City High School. He currently is battling emphysema from his home in Canon City, Colorado. In his artist statement, Montes said, “I chose corrugated [cardboard] because so much was going to waste. Using discarded boxes was my way of recycling a product that would otherwise go to the landfill.”

The works by Montes are made possible through the energetic efforts of Duane and Orvileta West of Garden City, Kansas. The Wests are sharing 20 works that they purchased from Montes and help with scheduling, transporting and promoting his work all over the United States. The Wests have helped secure gallery representation for Montes in New York, San Antonio, and McLean, Virginia, and they have also traveled with his work to festivals and shows all over the state. The Beach Museum at Kansas State University recently purchased one of Montes’ sculptures for its permanent collection.

“We are thrilled to have Jesse’s work,” said Art Department Chair Brad Anderson. “He is a fine craftsman and has a passion for creation which cannot be denied. Students, faculty, and community members of all ages will enjoy his work.”