The Krupinski Fund was established in 1982 by retired Air Force Colonel Francis Krupinski as a memorial to his wife, Florence, to be used for public education sponsored by the Docents of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

Our  Krupinski speaker for this year is Josh Kempf.  He is currently the General Manager of the Smokebrush Foundation, but will be speaking to us as the Managing Agent of Starr Enterprises.  He is the grandson of renowned Colorado Springs artist Starr Kempf and oversees the estate of his grandfather.  Josh has become the spokesman for the family.  He was quite pleased to be asked to speak to us and has come up with a unique approach to speaking about Starr Kempf’s art.

Josh plans to talk about his grandfather’s character, motivations, ideals - a synopsis of his life and work.  He will also present never–before-seen video footage of Starr Kempf as part of his talk. Josh stresses that his approach to lecturing about Starr originates from his own working class, essentially non-academic viewpoint. He believes that when art becomes too academic and theoretical, it becomes inaccessible to the public, and that many of the arts, including Starr’s work, grew out of trades and crafts.  Josh will also examine the works of some contemporary artists as he ultimately poses the question: What legacy do artists in our society leave, and what does it say about us?

Starr Kempf’s sculpture The Inevitable Hour, 1970 is part of the Fine Art Center’s permanent collection and is currently on view in the exhibition Looking Forward/Looking Back in the FAC’s Dickinson gallery. 

This event is free and open to the public.