KU Law News
KU Law News
April 9, 2009
Professor, artist opines on intersection of law
and the creative process
Sandra Craig McKenzieLawyers could take a lesson from artists when it comes to trusting the process they use to achieve results.
That was one message from Professor Sandra Craig McKenzie during her address, “What Lawyers Can Learn from Artists,” at the 8th annual Paul E. Wilson Friends of the Law Library Lecture and Luncheon on April 8.
McKenzie, who joined the law faculty in 1979, is herself an artist. She works primarily with bright, intense acrylics and paints “in the spirit of mindfulness,” with her attention focused on the brush as it spreads paint on the paper.
“I do not work from a painting or plan, but simply paint whatever asks to be painted,” McKenzie reveals on her Web site. “Thus, I am both participant and observer as the painting unfolds.”
McKenzie showed examples of her art during the lecture, then connected her creative process to the work that lawyers do. She noted that students in her Alternative Dispute Resolution courses are often frustrated by the notion that there is no guaranteed result in mediation, for example.
“All we can guarantee our clients is that we’ll do the best we can and pick the process that makes the most sense,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie also analogized her use of mixed media to create art books to what she sees as a growing need for lawyers to be less specialized and more holistic. This is true in the practice of elder law, for instance, where attorneys need experience in many areas to best serve their clients.
About 40 guests attended the event, including its namesake’s widow, Harriet Wilson. Professor Paul Wilson was an ardent supporter of the law library and an expert in legal history. The library honors his memory each April by hosting a lecture on legal history, law books or law libraries.
McKenzie, who also directs the Elder Law Program, is a highly regarded teacher, known for her accessibility to students. In addition to Alternative Dispute Resolution, she teaches Local Government Law, Property, and Elder Law. Her expertise in Kansas local government law has made her a frequent speaker and a regular participant in programs and publications of the Kansas Bar Association. She is also the proprietor of the Healing Art Studio.