TAC-KC: 04.27.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — KC & Lawrence for April 27-30, 2012:
Final Friday; KCAI Class of 2012 shows continue; Speakeasy

Teal Wilson, Untitled, pencil with embroidery on paper, 2011, is part of her debut solo exhibition, Year of the Horse: Born into a Family of Rabbits, opening as part of Final Fridays in Lawrence, Kansas, at Wonder Fair, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Image: courtesy of the artist via the gallery

It's Final Friday in downtown Lawrence, Kansas, this evening, and, as usual, you can see all that's going on at the organizers' fine and comprehensive site. One space, the quirky, artist-run gallery, shoppe, and event venue, Wonder Fair, hosts one of the many KCAI senior thesis exhibitions that make this time of year exciting for art enthusiasts.

Teal Wilson's work is a response to her upbringing, namely that she, a self-described tsunami of an extrovert, was born into a family of quiet introverts. See how that turned out.

I love running out to the exhibition/sale on campus (next weekend), going to the all-class annual show at H&R Block Artspace (on view through May 12), and seeing the students' work in the various individual or small-group exhibitions around town. New talent! Fresh energy! A chance to note trends and to guess which artist was most influenced by which teacher, and time to nod backwards a little to when, as a graduate, life was nostalgically rosy, and that world was one's oyster.

I have met some fine pearls from recent KCAI classes, and I'm vastly grateful for their allowing an "older person" to hang out and learn things with them.*

Speaking of pearly youngsters' projects ; ) . . . .

The Speakeasy is in its fourth weekend of events; tonight, a gathering of KC literary (non-stuffy) types will be reading from their work. All day Sunday is the Coffee & Toast version of BREAD! KC micro-granting (in which you vote with your tips on three different projects presented via video), and from 2 to 4 p.m. join in the third Speakeasy Exchange discussion, about the non-profit "art business" model, the non-non-profit way of doing things, and, in general, about the various mainstream and alternative models for arts and cultural centers.

You're invited to participate. I hear that I will be there : )

Friday, April 27:

Generation of Warriors
senior exhibition by Marshall Fife (KCAI '12, digital filmmaking)
Leopold Gallery, 324 West 63rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-333-3111
Opening reception: April 27, 6-8 p.m.
Open: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
______

Reach Beyond Death
featuring more than 30 tattoo artists' non-tattoo work from across the country, presented on forearm casts provided by Adam Smith Studios
at Windhorse Tattooing and Art Gallery, 1717 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-283-0500
Closing reception: April 27, 6-10 p.m.
Open: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., through April 29, 2012
______

Reading Night Brouhaha
Celebrate local author Jordan Stempleman's release of his recent book of poetry, No Not Today, and enjoy readings from various writers, including: Pete Cowdin, Marie Dougherty, Gina Kaufmann, Alex Savage, Aaron Storck, and others.
at The Speakeasy (at La Esquina), 1000 West 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-5115
Readings and fun: April 27, 7:30 p.m.
The Speakeasy is open for viewing/visiting/conversing: Friday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. + special events, through May 13, 2012
______

Schema
senior exhibition by Travis D. Williams (KCAI '12, photography)
at The ROOST, 1324 West 12th Street, 2F, Kansas City, Missouri: contact twilliams@kcai.edu
Opening reception: April 27, 6-10 p.m.
______

Trashy, Multicultural, Feminism Exhibition: and Other Late Night Social Justice Issues
a senior "thesis adventure" including video installation pieces, site-specific discussions and performances by Emily Kissner (KCAI '12, digital filmmaking) at three locations; for the full experience, come to the Walnut location at 7:30, 8:30 or 9:30 p.m. to ride along in the Trashy Transit shuttle, room permitting (Info: contact ekissner@kcai.edu)
at Brushcreek Room, 4041 Walnut Street, Apt. 306, Kansas City, Missouri
Showing April 27 & 28, 7 p.m.-midnight;
at Marriott Country Club Plaza, 4445 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri;
Showing April 27 & 28, 7 p.m.-midnight; and
at The Strand Adult Theater, 3544 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
Showing: April 27 and 28, 9 - 11:30 p.m.
______

Year of the Horse: Born into a Family of Rabbits
senior exhibition by Teal Wilson (KCAI '12, printmaking)
at Wonder Fair, 803 1/2 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, Kansas: 785-856-3247
Final Friday opening reception: April 27, 6-9 p.m.
Open: Wednesday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., through May 20, 2012

Sunday, April 29:

Speakeasy Exchange
"A conversational platform designed to draw on the collective knowledge and experience of all participants. Rather than reinforcing the roles of expert panel and attentive audience, invited guests in this series will come prepared with questions to stimulate and guide public discourse. The third Speakeasy Exchange discusses the various mainstream and alternative models for arts and cultural centers. The public is invited to partake in this exchange of dialogue to weigh the pros and cons of such establishments and the roles in today’s art communities."at The Speakeasy (at La Esquina), 1000 West 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-5115Exchange: April 29, 2-4 p.m.
The Speakeasy is open for viewing/visiting/conversing: Friday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. + special events, through May 13, 2012

Monday, April 30:

With Cranes
a short film as part of senior exhibition of Kidjchai Yingsery (KCAI '12, digital filmmaking)
at Screenland Crown Center, 2450 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-545-8034 (artist contact: kyingsery@kcai.edu)

Note:
* (Come on! I certainly had nothing in common with people 15+ years my senior when I graduated from college! Maybe I just didn't know any artists -- or I only ran into smarmy or bitter 30-somethings, or something . . .)


PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this — besides me — so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 04.20.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — Kansas City for April 20-22, 2012

Sarah Taylor, Swamp Fetus, inkjet print, 11.7" x 16.5", 2012, on view as part of her senior thesis exhibition (KCAI, '12, photography) at The Trap Gallery, with an opening reception tonight from 6 to 10 p.m.
Image: courtesy of the artist via the gallery and KCAI

It's that time of year when the upcoming college graduates put their work on view and give us the chance to see the "now." Last Friday, the annual Kansas City Art Institute BFA Exhibition opened at the H&R Block Artspace (16 East 43rd Street), and work from the Class of 2012 is on view there (every gallery, both floors; it's always one of my favorite exhibitions to visit/view) through May 12. The annual closing reception / farewell party is May 11, from 6 to 8 p.m.

A host of individual student exhibitions are scheduled in various galleries in the coming weeks, and I aim to bring you timely notice of those as they happen. Three open tonight: Revenge of the Pixel Blobs by Sarah Taylor (pictured above); a three-person exhibition at For Sale (also in Columbus Park) by Kathy Brown (fiber), Emily Connell (ceramics), and Kaelyn Helmer (painting); and Body Vernacular by Ruben Castillo (printmaking, at Leopold).

Tonight, the Charlotte Street Foundation is marking 15 years with a many-artist, many-faceted Urban Culture Project endeavor, The Frontier, opening tonight at Paragraph and Project Space downtown. It is:

"A SERIES of evolving, collaborative, multi-disciplinary projects. A LIVING ARCHIVE of artist-driven efforts in Kansas City. A SITE for interviews, research, discussions, and public programs. A LAUNCH PAD for excursions, investigations, and propositions. An INVITATION for YOUR participation."

Part of the Living Archive includes long lost issues of Review magazine, dating back to its founding in fall 1998 through its final print issue in Spring 2010. I'm looking forward to remembering my early days in Kansas City, when, indeed, the Crossroads were barely populated, and downtown was more like a ghost-town than the loft-ful, Power & Light District place it is today.

Don't forget about The Speakeasy. There's something new every weekend: today, Jessica Rogers is on site with her CartWheel mobile craft venue; tomorrow, she hosts a "stitch and bitch" at 2 p.m., and later that evening there's a musical performance by Howard Iceberg & The Titanics, along with Grisly Hand; and Sunday, you can come at 3 p.m. to participate in a food swap. All the details are on The Speakeasy blog.

I almost forgot! You can get started early with some of your favorite people at the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City: it's Spring Happy Hour for Now Showing, from 5 to 7 p.m. Featured artists include Cheryl Eve Acosta, José Faus, Adolfo Martinez, and Jason Sierra. Refreshments for all at ArtsKC's offices, on the 10th floor of 906 Grand Boulevard. Mattie Rhodes Art Center will have a folk art installation on the first floor. There's even complimentary valet parking in the UMB garage just to the south. RSVP is requested. Please click here to do that.


Friday, April 20-22:

Body Vernacular

Ruben Castillo

at Leopold Gallery, 324 West 63rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri:816-333-3111
Opening reception: April 20, 6-9 p.m.
Open: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through April 26, 2012
______

CartWheel

Jessica Rogers's mobile craft store, featuring Kansas City artists
at The Speakeasy, located at la Esquina, 1000 West 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-5115
The Speakeasy is a
Artist reception: April 20, 5 p.m.
Stitch & Bitch with the artist: April 21, 2 p.m. Come and learn about sewing from experienced "craftivist" Jessica Rogers and discuss the current state of craft in contemporary art and design
______

Frontier

at Paragraph and Project Space, 21-23 East 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-816-221-5115
Phase I opening: April 20, 6-9 p.m.
Open: Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. through July 7, 2012, with third Friday receptions/performances on May 18 and June 15, 6-9 p.m.
______

Revenge of the Pixel Blobs
Sarah Taylor

at The Trap Gallery, 525 Gillis Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-853-7510 (S. Taylor)

Opening reception: April 20, 6-10 p.m.

Open by appointment through May 13, 2012
______

Senior Exhibition: Kathy Brown, Emily Connell, and Kaelyn Helmer

at For Sale Gallery, 916 East 5th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 510-284-7067 (K. Brown)

Opening reception: April 20, 6-9 p.m.

Open by appointment through April 28, 2012

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this — besides me — so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 04.13.12

Friday the 13th weekend

Stephen T. Johnson, whose work is inspired by language and the Roman alphabet, is on view at both the downtown/main Kansas City Public Library and at Weinberger Fine Art in the Crossroads.
Image: courtesy of the artist; may not be reproduced without permission


The Speakeasy is open now. Rest your eyes or ears and you will miss something. New talks, works, collaborations (and food) happening daily. Read about it here (in The Pitch, by Theresa Bemnister).

On Saturday, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opens a truly fun romp of an exhibition about fancy things from the Worlds Fair shows, 1851 through 1939 (admittedly, I am a 19th century junkie and can't wait to get over to the Titanic exhibit at Union Station … ). I wrote about Inventing the Future here for The Pitch, where I also did a little profile on Judith G. Levy, one of this year's Artopia honorees (party is Saturday at Screenland).

In true Kansas City style, there is plenty of visual arts culture to take in this weekend, even if it's not a First Friday:

Abstractions
Stephen T. Johnson
at Weinberger Fine Art, 1800 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 913-940-0104
Event: April 14, noon-3 p.m., with Reading Reptile and "their famous cupcakes"
Open Tuesday-Friday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: noon-5 p.m., through April 28, 2012
(Johnson's Art, Language & Play is on view at the Kansas City Public Library through April 28, 2012.)
______

Derrick Breidenthal and E. Spencer Schubert: New Work
at Leopold Gallery, 324 West 63rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-333-3111
Opening reception: April 13, 6-9 p.m.
Open Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., through at least April 19 (please contact gallery for more information)
______

Hobbs Open Studios
at Hobbs Building, floors 1-4, 1427 West Ninth Street, West Bottoms, Kansas City, Missouri
Open: April 13, 6-10 p.m. with music by Whiskey for the Lady, and vendors from Good You, Prairie Fire Oven, and CartWheel & April 14, 1-4 p.m.; more than 25 artists work from the Hobbs Building; open studios are twice a year and a great opportunity to see work in progress, to talk about art, and (a-hem), to buy new things : )
______

Pop-Up Store
HalfLetter Press
at The Speakeasy, located at la Esquina, 1000 West 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-5115
Open April 14, noon-6 p.m.
The Speakeasy has something happening (different! and including a BREADKC! microgranting dinner/presentation each Sunday) constantly through May 12, 2012; please see their site for updates . The space is open Friday & Saturday: noon-6 p.m.; Sunday: noon-5 p.m. and special events (so, please check back with Speakeasy and drop in often).
______

Undergraduate College Student Exhibition
at Kansas City Artists Coalition, 201 Wyandotte Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-421-5222
Opening night: April 13, with reception, 7-8:30 p.m.; Executive Director Janet Simpson to give remarks at 6 p.m. (open to all); this annual event shows off juried work by those who are up-and-coming
Open Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. , through April 27, 2012
______

War Is Trauma
by Temporary Services, a portfolio organized by Brooklyn, Justseeds and IVAW
at The Speakeasy, located at la Esquina, 1000 West 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-5115
Talk with Marc Fischer (Temporary Services) and William Stewart (Iraqi Veterans Against the War) is April 13, 6-9 p.m.
The Speakeasy has something happening (different! and including a BREADKC! microgranting dinner/presentation each Sunday) constantly through May 12, 2012; please see their site for updates . The space is open Friday & Saturday: noon-6 p.m.; Sunday: noon-5 p.m. and special events (so, please check back with Speakeasy and drop in often).
______

Wes Janz Presentation
Hear from the first architect in the United States to get a permit for a permanent structure made out of discarded shipping pallets shares his story.

at The Speakeasy, located at la Esquina, 1000 West 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-5115

Talk: April 14, noon-1 p.m.

The Speakeasy has something happening (different! and including a BREADKC! microgranting dinner/presentation each Sunday) constantly through May 12, 2012; please see their site for updates . The space is open Friday & Saturday: noon-6 p.m.; Sunday: noon-5 p.m. and special events (so, please check back with Speakeasy and drop in often).

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this — besides me — so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 03.30.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — Kansas City for March 30, 2012
Whoop Dee Doo, and Lawrence Final Friday, too!

Gemma Correll, United Kingdom, various paintings on canvas for installation, Altar to Mr. Noodles, one of the new works featured at Wonder Fair's Cat People, opening in conjunction with Final Fridays in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. "Cats: they're not just for the Internet anymore."
Image: courtesy of the artist via Wonder Fair for promotional purposes; may not be reproduced without permission

Actually, there are four major visual arts events taking place today, and one starts quite early, should you be available from "two to four in the afternoon." That's the way the publicity people at The American Jazz Museum worded their invitation, and I rather like the old fashioned charm.

Did you know that the legendary Betye Saar is in town? Really!

There are relatively few artists who were "new" to me back when I took on some art history classes (before dropping out, as I do from all graduate programs) whose name and work I remembered without trouble.

The lady behind The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972) makes an impression. I am not sure whether she's come to scope out installing an exhibition in the museum's Changing Gallery* or to give a talk or presentation tomorrow, but I am sorry I can't make it to the reception this afternoon. She happens to be 85 years old, so I understand the early hour; if you can, don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Out in Lawrence, Kansas, before it becomes a basketball bedlam tomorrow, Final Friday means the streets are full of gallery goers instead of mad March hares (pretty sure I can't type Ma___ Ma______® without being swooped upon by the owners of SportBrands™: ) whooping about the chance to have a free day off school while hating on Ohio State.

As usual, the team of Final Friday organizers has put together a comprehensive listing of what's happening on and around Mass. Street tonight, from 5 to 8 p.m. (later in some spots). The Lawrence Arts Center is in full swing with its annual auction, Teller's has work by Jonathan Metzger, Pachimama's is showing Justin Marable, and Wonder Fair is pushing the cat-envelope (see preview below).

Speaking of whooping and hollerin', this evening is the second annual Telebration fundraiser for the faux-public-access TV variety show / arts education group, Whoop Dee Doo. There are plenty of tickets available — Jaimie Warren said that there's room for hundreds — and that's counting gangling costumes, props, open bar, lots of food, large personalities such as that of Ron Megee, and a big pink monster who'll be anchoring the faux phone bank.**

Last, but not least, though certainly much quieter and subdued, a new exhibition of work by Corey Antis and Anna Neighbor opens at the Greenlease Gallery. My initial reaction (see their sites) is that personally I'd prefer viewing this exhibition without a crowd. Don't underestimate the value of hearing from the artists themselves, though.

Make your own way.

Friday's visual art events:

Cat People
at Wonder Fair, 803 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, Kansas: 785-856-3247
Final Friday opening reception: March 30, 6-10 p.m., with original art, 'zines, and installations by Faye Moorhouse, Gemma Correll, Liz Prince, and Nicole Georges, who take on the "ubiquitous and banal subject of cat fancying to unexpected, unsettling, or absurd new places." Featuring a pop-up cantina reconfigured as a gourmet Milk Bar and a YouTube cat video theatre, accessed via a special "Nyan Cat" tunnel.
Open Wednesday-Friday, Sunday: noon-6 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. through April 22, 2012
______

Final Fridays
in Lawrence, Kansas, supported by Lawrence Arts Center, Downtown Lawrence, Inc., and the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission, since 2009
March 30, generally 5-8 p.m.
______

Goo Goo Ga Gala — Whoop Dee Doo's 2nd Annual Telebration
at Lathrop & Gage, LLP, 2345 Grand Boulevard, 22nd Floor, Kansas City, Missouri
March 30, 7-11 p.m., with big show at 8:30 p.m.; a great view of the city, games, prizes, open bar, hors d'oeuvres from 15+ KC restaurants, and special guests
Tickets are $25 in advance (816-582-6395), $30 at the door, and $50 for pairs
______

Plainsight, Plainspoken
Corey Antis and Anna Neighbor
at Greenlease Gallery, Rockhurst University, between Van Ackeren and Sedgwick halls, 54th Street (turn east into the parking lot from Troost)
Opening reception: March 30, 7-9 p.m., with artists' talk at 6:30 p.m.
Open Thursday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m., through May 12, 2012
______

Reception to Welcome and Greet Betye Saar
at Changing Gallery at The American Jazz Museum, 1616 East 18th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-8463
All are welcome: March 30, 2-4 p.m.; wine and hors d'oeurves served

Notes:

* Ella: First Lady of Song, a group exhibition with work by Michelle Beasley, Ned'ra Bonds, Michael Brantley, Myles Cheadle, Kelly Dickens, Clifford Doyle, Reilly Hoffman, Howard Lazarus, Robert Quackenbush, Joseph Smith, and Michael Toombs, is showing there through June 1st.

** Someone you may know was paid to write something about it for the Pitch. Pictured below is WDD's mural on the outside wall of their space at 17th and Walnut, 2011, designed by Rachel Helm.
Image: photo courtesy of WDD volunteer and gala coordinator, Megan Mantila

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this — besides me — so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 03.16.12

Tracy's Art Calendar – Kansas City for March 16, 2012

Plug Project's Fourth Exhibition

Stephanie Snider, Untitled (black French Curve), mixed media on paper, 10"x8", 2011
Image: courtesy of the artist via Plug Projects; may not be reproduced without permission

More thoughts on how we interact with architecture … the five artist/curators at Plug Projects bering together five artists from New York, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kansas City to respond to the term, "superstruct," defined as to put up something new on an existing foundation or part of a building.

(Elizabeth Stevenson's The Girl Who Lived in a Sign ongoing project/narrative would be a perfect fit here, I think.)

At the opening tonight, you can meet out-of-town artists Sonya Blesofsky and Brady Haston (and Juniper Tangpuz*, of course!), and on March 29, Stephanie Snider will be in Kansas City to present at a KCAI Current Perspectives lecture.


Plug on.

Superstruct
site-specific installations and work by five diverse artists "whose diverse practices address ideas of the urban landscape," Sonya Blesofsky, Brady Haston, Kirsten Kindler, Stephanie Snider, and Juniper Tangpuz
at Plug Projects, 1613 Genessee Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-646-7584

Opening: March 16, 6-9 p.m.
Open Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (and by appointment) through May 5, 2012

Note: if you're expecting origami-animals, you're in for a surprise.
PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this, so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 03.02.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — Kansas City for March 2, 2012

First Friday in the Crossroads (and its wings)

Will Preman, Sweetscape, ceramic installation at the new Undergrads Underground gallery, inside Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, opening tonight with its first exhibition.
Image: courtesy of the artist via press materials from Leedy-Voulkos Art Center; may not be reproduced without their permission

This list is long, so my comments are short:

This list is not comprehensive, but it does have some items not mentioned in the Pitch gallery guide (which I helped compile for March), due to deadlines and other factors. It also does not have some shows that Alice Thorson listed in her Kansas City Star First Friday feature.

Yesterday it was 70 degrees; today, it is snowing. Don't let that stop you from going out tonight. There is a lot of very good work to see.

That is all : )

First Friday, March 2:

2012 Annual Faculty Show
University of Kansas, Department of Visual Art
Norman Akers, Jane Asbury, Shawn Bitters, Ruth Bowerman, David Brackett, Vernon Brejcha, Matt Burke, Dwight Burnham, Carol Ann Carter, John Hachmeister, Tanya Hartman, Jon Havener, Mary Anne Jordan, Cima Katz, Michael Krueger, Gerald Lubensky, Marshal Maude, Judith McCrae, Yoonmi Nam, Cynthia Schira, Roger Shimomura, Lin Stanionis, Jon Keith Swindell, Elden C. Tefft, Peter Thompson, Maria Velasco, David Vertacnik, and Gina Westergard
at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, 2012 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-1919

First Friday: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., though March 31, 2012
______

Acid Wash: Playing with Consequences
20-plus works from a seven four-year process of deconstructing denim garments into paintings by Lynn Benson
at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, 2012 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-1919

First Friday Opening: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., though April 27, 2012
______

Alms Matara
offerings of iron and breath by Reilly Hoffman
at Todd Weiner Gallery, 115 West 18th Street, Ground Floor, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-984-8538

First Friday: March 2, 5-10 p.m.
Open Wednesday-Friday: 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
______

Amy Lenharth
new ceramic sculpture
at 10@BNIM, 106 West 16th Street, Suite 200, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-783-1634

First Friday Reception: March 2, 5-7 p.m.
Open by appointment (but viewable through the 10 windows from the street), through March 30, 2012
______

Arachnévolution: Spiders and Stuff
paintings by Keith Russell
at Apex Gallery, 1819 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-841-0206

First Friday: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open during Crossroads Dentisty business hours, though March 30, 2012
______

The Art of Drawing
at Hilliard Gallery, 1820 McGee Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-561-2956

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 5-8 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: noon-4 p.m., through March 24, 2012
______

Bedlam Bath & Beyond
Brett Reif
at Kansas City Artists Coalition, Mallin Gallery, 201 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-421-5222

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 6-8:30 p.m., with artists' talks at 6 p.m.
Open Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., though March 30, 2012
______

But Seriously …
Joe Ramiro Garcia
at Blue Gallery, 118 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-527-0823

First Friday: March 2, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Saturday: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., though March 31, 2012
______

Construction in Structure
inaugural KCAI Career Services Access Alumni Event, juried by Matt Bollinger, Justin Gainan, Erika Hanson, Amelia Ishmael, and Jason Lips, with work by KCAI undergrads Caranne Camerena, Julian Chams, Emily Connell, Madeline Gallucci, Hank Hafkemeyer, Ben Harle, Marianne Laury, Bradley Kyle Lewis, Katy McRoberts, Zachary Miley, Maret Miller, Andrew Ordonez, Ashely Ariel Proski, Molly Ryan, Lauren Sobchak, Julian Stropes, and Fredrick Vorder-Bruegge
at City Arts Project, 2015 Campbell Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-820-4105

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Closing Reception: April 21, 6-9 p.m.
Open Thursday-Saturday: noon-5 p.m., though April 22, 2012
______

Contour
works by Alex Izaguirre
at Stairway Art Space, inside HNTB, 715 Kirk Drive, Kansas City, Missouri

First Friday Reception: March 2, 5-8 p.m., with drinks and featuring a dance performance by Trapdoor Slippers
Open by appointment; contact Jason Lytle
______

Earthbound
mixed media sculpture by Judy Onofrio
at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, 2004 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-2626

First Friday Opening: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., through April 28, 2012
______

Earth: Language and Symbols
Rex Hausmann and Jimmy Greenfield, with "Artists in Resonnance" Gina Adams, TR Ericsson, Matthew Farley, Jane Flanders, John Hachmeister, Elden Tefft, Maria Velasco, Baruch Vergara, and Shannon White; curated by Darin M. White
at Cara and Cabezas Contemporary, 1714 Holmes Street, Kansas City, Missouri

First Friday Final Reception: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., through March 10, 2012
______

Elvis Has Left the Building
new work by Peter Warren
at The Late Show, 1600 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-1300

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 6-10 p.m.
Open Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m., though March 31, 2012
______

Eric Fertman: Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry?
at Kemper in the Crossroads, 33 West 19th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-753-5784

Open Friday: noon-8 p.m., Saturday: noon-6 p.m., thorugh July 28, 2012
______

Girl in Bed
Teri Keegan-Castrop
at at Kansas City Artists Coalition, Underground Gallery, 201 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-421-5222

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 6-8:30 p.m., with artists' talks at 6 p.m.
Open Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., though March 30, 2012
______

Juan Chawuk
in conjucntion with the National Museum of Mexican Art Chicago
at Mattie Rhodes Art Center Gallery, 1740 Jefferson Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-2349

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Closing Reception: April 6, 6-9 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., though April 20, 2012
______

KC Bindle Stick
100 selected prints and a few paintings from Preston Brigham's side project that captures overlooked corners of Kansas City with an iPhone, celebrating its 500th online post
at Gallery at 19 Below, 5 West 19th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-471-1019

First Friday Reception: March 2, 5-9 p.m., with music by Jeffrey Harvey
______

The Mind's Eye: Landscapes from the Belger Collection
2D and 3D work in many media from American aritsts spanning the 1970s to 2010
at the Belger Arts Center, 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-3250

First Friday: March 2, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Open Wednesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday: noon-4 p.m., through April 6, 2012

also:
For Some Must Watch, While Some Must Sleep, So Runs the World Away
Extended through March 2, 2012
______

Momoko Usami
at at Kansas City Artists Coalition, Jacqueline B. Charno Gallery, 201 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-421-5222

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 6-8:30 p.m., with artists' talks at 6 p.m.
Open Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., though March 30, 2012
______

Reach Beyond Death
featuring more than 30 tattoo artists' work from across the country, presented on forearm casts by Adam Smith Studios
at Windhorse Tattooing and Art Gallery, 1717 Wyandotte Street #200, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-283-0500

First Friday Opening Reception: March 2, 6-10 p.m., with DJ set by Sound Sorcerer and live music by Les Ismore and special guests
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 11 a.m.- 7 p.m., through April 29, 2012
______

Replay:
Hysteria Study by Natalie Lammers; Measurement: Cheers by Derek Larson; and Nothing is Wrong Everything is Fine by David Hanes
video works reusing/reassembling pop culture/TV film for a difference message, ie: Diane Keaton, Cheers, and Doctor Who
at Hex Pixel Gallery at t2 + Back Alley Productions, 1906 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-471-6554

First Friday Showings: March 2, 6-10 p.m.
______


Sandi Pierantozzi and Neil Patterson
hand-built pottery
at Red Star Studios, inside Belger Arts Center, 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-7316

First Friday Opening: March 2, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Slideshow Presentation: March 3, 4 p.m.
Workshop with Sandi Pierantozzi: March 3-4 (click to register)
Open Wednesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday: noon-4 p.m., through April 28, 2012
______

Simpler Times
work addressing adult problems by Jason Barr (BARRR) and adult puppet theatre by Spencer Lott
at AFW Gallery, in Art & Frame Warehouse, 2015 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-471-7444

First Friday Reception: March 2, 6-9 p.m., catered by Mandoline Cafe
Open Tuesday-Wednesday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
______

Synaptic Coincidence
eight-piece installation by Shea Gordon
at MLB Designs & Boutique, LLC, 2020 Baltimore Avenue #105, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-531-3133

First Friday Opening: March 2, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Open Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., through April 1, 2012
______

The Sweet Life
Chandra DeBuse, Jana Evans, Jenny Gawronski, and Courtney Murphy
at Red Star Studios, inside Belger Arts Center, 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-7316

First Friday: March 2, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Open Wednesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., through March 24, 2012
______

Traces
photography by Jennifer Onofrio Fornes
at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, 2004 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-2626

First Friday Opening: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., through April 28, 2012
______

Travis Bird
printmaker
at Plenum Space, 504 East 18th Street, Kansas City, Missouri

First Friday Opening: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open by appointment through March 31, 2012
______

Vanguards and Visionaries: Kansas City Women in the Arts
Philomene Bennett, Rita Blitt, Jane Booth, Shea Gordon-Festoff, Jessica Kincaid, Janet Kuemmerlein, Karen McCoy, and Cheryl Toh
at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, 2012 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-1919

First Friday Opening: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., though April 21, 2012
______

What Will Be
work by KCAI senior ceramic majors Emily Connell, Hank Hafkemeyer, Ben Harle, and Will Preman (displayed with including video, photography, and mixed media)
at Undergrads Underground Gallery, in Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, 2012 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-1919

First Friday Opening: March 2, 6-9 p.m.
Open Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., though March 31, 2012
______

XOXO
A salon-style exhibition and benefit including work by the following artists (arranged alphabetically by first name): Aaron Storck, Ah-ram Park, Alexandra Phillips, Alli Litwicki, Amanda Bowles, Amanda Gehin, Amanda Martinez, Andrew Erdrich, Anne Pearce, Annie Woodfill, Anthony Baab, Ashley Lugo, Ayla Rexroth, Blake Sidebottom, Brandon Briscoe, Brett Ginsburg, Brian Henkel, Calder Kamin, Chloe Mann, Chris Thomas, Christian Velasquez, Christina Dostaler, Christopher –Daharsh, Chuong Doan, Clayton Skidmore, Cody Gurley, Colleen Burner, Colleen Lucas, Cory Imig, Craig DeMoss, Cydney Ross, Daniel Reneau, David Rhoads, Dean Roper, Derek Combs, Diane Henk, Dusty Colyer, Emma Green, Eric Persson, Eric Wolever, Erica Mahinay, Erica Peterson, Erika Hanson, Evan Davies, Fred Byrd, Frederick Vorder-Bruegge, Gabrielle Costello, Hannah Lodwick, Heather Day, Jaclyn Senne, James Woodfill, Jane Sheldon, Jason Carron, Jay Canty, Jeff Schwenk, Jessica Dassing, Jonah Criswell, Julia Cole, Julia Icicle, Julie Lehenbauer, Julie Malen, Justin Beachler, Kahlil Irving, Kate Clements, Kate Ford, Kate Smithson, Katherine Novotny, Kelly Clark, Krystal Kuhn, Lee Piechocki, Leila Jean, Leslie Kinsman, Lexi Janezic, Lindsay Fernandez, Lindsay Iliene, Luke Firle, Madeline Gallucci, Marie Dougherty, Mary O’Brien, Matt Jacobs, Matteus Leonhard, Max Crutcher, Micah Lidberg, Misty Gamble, Molly Kaderka, Molly Ryan, Neil Thrun, Nicholas Naughton, Paul Anthony-Smith, Peter Granados, Philip Wilkerson, Rachel Gregor, Rachel Rolon, Rhiannon Birdsall, Ricky Allman, Roberto Lugo, Ronald Slowinski, Ruben Castillo, Ryan Haralson, Ryan Lawrence, Sarah Hazelwood, Sean Blott, Sean M. Starowitz, Stephen Proski, Stuart Scott Smith, Sunny Stanila, Terry L. Campbell, Todd Christiansen, Waseem Touma, Will Meier, and Zoë Pedziwiatr
at Spray Booth Gallery, 130 West Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-471-5555 (inside Volker Bicycles)

First Friday Second Reception: March 2, 6-10 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Friday: noon-6 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., through March 17, 2012

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this, so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 02.29.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — Kansas City for Leap Day, 2012
March into KC Design Week

Public artwork in the UMB Bank downtown headquarters plaza, as seen from near 11th and Walnut Streets in May 2011. Artist unknown … sometimes what you see from afar is all you'll see unless you happen to gain access through employment or an appointment. Public space and how we define it is one topic planners and architects grapple with.
Image: photo by author

A friend was telling me this morning about her little daughter: "She said she 'wanted to build things' when she grows up." First it was "want to be a teacher," then "piano teacher," then "maybe a lawyer," and now—"What do you call people who build things?"

Architects.

When I was a kid, I thought maybe I'd become a veterinarian, but only because one thing I was sure of was that I liked animals. Later, a love of cetaceans gave me hints I'd thrive as a marine biologist, but, of course, my love of writing prevailed.

Besides, my mathematical skills are not strong, and biochemistry would have floored me; likewise, I don't have what it takes to be an architect, but I have a huge attraction to the art and science of creating the built environment. One of my best memories of working with Review magazine was getting to partner with the American Institute of Architects-Kansas City, when they hosted a regional AIA conference here in October 2009.

Starting today is Kansas City Design Week, when all of us can sidle up to the questions of how we deliberately shape our environment or what it means to build "sustainable" homes, workplaces, and structural communities: we get to see what our local architects are doing on the cutting edge of their profession. A list of events is here (most are free, but register ASAP).

Another opportunity the AIA-KC gave me was to present a Pecha Kucha slideshow about public art to their members and later at a public PK-KC event at the former Crosstown Station. If you haven't heard of Pecha Kucha, not to worry. It's an onomatopoeic Japanese phrase that means "chitter chatter," or, the sound of people talking. The talk is generated by presenters who tell stories about something, often related to their profession, using a series of 20 slides.

It's not the usual PowerPoint yawn-fest, though—each slide is up for a mere 20 seconds. The pace is lively, and the atmosphere is fun. (I've only ever seen one PK presentation that felt as if the 6.67 minutes were 30.99 : )

Tomorrow night, as part of KC Design Week, the nine presentations are at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and include the design finalists for the museum's upcoming temporary pavillion being built in conjunction with their World's Fair exhibition.

If you can't get a ticket (free) in time, there are other art-related options March 1st, too.

Thursday:

Artisan Thursdays
Work from three years by Krista Gagelman
at Boozefish Wine Bar, 1511 Westport Road, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-561-5995

Artisan Thursday Reception: March 1, 6-8 p.m., with light hors d'oeuvres and cash bar
Open Tuesday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Friday: until 1:30 a.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m.-1:30 a.m. (artwork changes monthly)
______

Current Perspectives Lecture Series
Hong Chun Zhang, whose work is in Hay Wire, on view at the Lawrence Arts Center through March 8, 2012
at Kansas City Art Institute, Epperson Auditorium in Vanderslice Hall, 
4415 Warwick Boulevard, 
Kansas City, Missouri; usual events contact: 816-802-3423

Thursdays during school semester: March 1, 7 p.m.
Free and open to the public; no tickets required
______

Pecha Kucha Night Kansas City #15
Presenters include: May Tveit (artist and art industrial design professor at University of Kansas); Jack Wagner (urban design professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City); Moltyn Decadence and Tajma Steton (female impersonators); Dawn Taylor (non-proft executive); Phil Gayter (painter); and the finalists in The Nelson-Atkins Museum's World's Fair Pavillion design competition: Ashley Hand; Dan Brown and CJ Armstrong; David Dowell and his KU design studio; and Mike Kress
at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Atkins Auditorium, 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-751-1278

Doors Open for PK: March 1, 7:30 p.m., with presentations beginning promptly at 8:20 p.m.
Admission is free (parking in the garage is $5 unless you are a member), but please register here to reserve your space in the auditorium (you'll get a PDF ticket to print out).
______

Vanguards and Visionaries
Hosted by the UMKC Women's Center, a reception honoring past leadership, including former Women's Center directors, staff, and advisory board members; featuring dance performances by Amanda McMaster and Amy Gardner-Wooddell from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, music by folk rock artist Elaine McMilian, and guest speaker Senator Jolie Justus (Missouri Dist. 10). Other speakers include Dean of UMKC Conservatory of Dance and Music Peter Witte, Co-Chair of the Women's Center's 40th Anniversary Committee Sloane Simmons, and Assistant Director of the Women's Center Arzie Umali; preview artwork in Vanguards and Visionaries: Kansas City Women in the arts, with Philomene Bennett, Rita Blitt, Shea Gordon-Festoff, Janet Kuemmerlein, Jane Booth, Cheryl Toh, Karen McCoy, and Jessica Kincaid

at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, 2012 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-474-1919; for more information about this event, contact the Women's Center at 816-235-1638
Reception: March 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Admission is free and open to all, but please RSVP here

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this, so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 02.24.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — Kansas City for February 24-26, 2012
Downtown Lawrence's Final Friday, Intentions, and Bread!KC

Lee Piechocki, sketch for I've Been Crazy This Week, 2012; part of Chop Chop with Matt Jacobs at Wonder Fair in Lawrence, opening 6-9 p.m. for Final Friday.
Image: courtesy of the artist, via the gallery for press purposes; may not be reproduced without artist's permission

"Intention" is a powerful tool. It's also tricky. We rumble through the week, working on projects that put food on the table, keep the roof over our heads literally from falling in—from mundane housecleaning to major repairs and renovations—or, if blessed with both a creative spirit and time, that fulfill our human need to make things of beauty. In these cases, are we really doing what we intend?

Sometimes what we believe to be our intentions are masking a deeper truth. It's not necessarily deliberate, but we start turning obligations into intentions, as a way to make ourselves more content with carrying them out. "I don't have to, I want to" becomes a little fib. Obligations are things you have to do—they run you. If you call them intentions, then you're in control.

We're quick to abandon "our intentions" when things go wrong, though: "Oh, I didn't intend to offend anyone;" "I didn't intend to spend $100 at Target the other day …."

Well, guess what? You did come off as ridiculously thoughtless, and you did drop a thousand dimes at the, um, dime store.

"The Power of Intention" is also a buzz-word right now; it's in advertising as well as in the spiritual communities' parlance.

For artist Maria Calderon, it's a way of life. Her work is about, in her words, connecting with the individual through ritual and visual experience. She writes in an artist statement on her website:

"My goal is to awaken and heighten universal consciousness within the viewer through various modes of engaging the senses."

Tonight, I'm torn, as usual for a Final Friday, between taking in the array of great offerings in Lawrence or going to Maria's closing ceremony of The Power of Intention, at Mattie Rhodes Art Center.

You are lucky and don't have to make this choice if you happened to be at the opening. I'm sure I had intended to go, but … (you're laughing with me, right now, I hope : )

Rachel Scribner's drawings at Teller's look interesting; I'm not sure if these are single-line contour works, but I'm intrigued. Natale Collar's first solo exhibition—Trash Lion—is at one of my favorite places to spend time sipping wine or getting coffee with my friend, Diane, The Bourgeois Pig.

At the Lawrence Arts Center, a new site-specific installation by Hong Chun Zhang awaits, and Jennifer Crupi's The Articulate Body asks whether we are losing touch of our sensitivity to nonverbal communication, using her hand-crafted aluminum and sterling silver interactive objects for us to contemplate the meanings of our gestures and postures. A bit like intentions:

"An old proverb rightfully claims, 'Actions speak louder than words.' Although our body movements may be mute to the ears, they are inevitably far more revealing than the spoken word which often disguises."

There's more at the LAC, but be sure to get up to the second floor, too, to see Rex Hausmann's painting and the other "left-behind" works that have been made there during the Dannon Art Project living studio (January 23-March 3).

Finally (for me; full list=click below), I know I would be energized to witness Chop Chop at Wonder Fair, where the genuine and talented Matt Jacobs and Lee Piechocki are showing work together. The statement on the Lawrence Final Friday site is a hoot.

Friday, February 24:

Final Fridays in Downtown Lawrence
Exhibits and performing arts
Click above for a full listing, including images
______


The Power of Intention
A series of spatially engaging portraits and interactive sculpture by Maria Calderon; opening night, expect an Energetic Ceremony, Messengers of Light, and full sensory awareness stations: Stephen Bushman (handmade chai), Maria Calderon (root/herbal medicinal tea), Pedro Calderon (improvisational Andean pan flute), Dalton Carter and Jim Button (astrological sash distribution), and Lacey Wozny (Palo Santo smoke immersions), with live music also by Andean Express
at Mattie Rhodes Art Center and Gallery, 919 West 17th Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-2349

Opening Reception and Performances First Friday: February 3, 2012, 6-9 p.m.
Closing Reception Ceremony: February 24, 6-9 p.m., with all the ritual described above (though astrological signs will be noted by loops of yarn in lieu of sashes)
Open: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., through February 24, 2012

Sunday, February 26:

BREAD!
Based on Sunday Soups, "Bread! is a public dinner designed to use community-driven financial support to democratically fund new and emerging projects." In exchange for $10, you receive a meal and the opportunity to choose which of (usually) three presenters' projects you'd like to see the money go to, right then and there. For February, the Bread! KC team has chosen a menu based entirely on aprhodisiacs.
at Cameron Gee Photographee, 2010 Baltimore Avenue, #305, Kansas City, Missouri

Presentations and Dinner: February 26, 5-8 p.m. Reservations are very necessary to ensure the right amount of food is prepared. Please email breadkc@gmail.com or reply on the Facebook event page.

Note: I a defining beauty broadly. I don't care if you think your painting is terrible, for example. At its core, the act of creating something because you wanted to create it or because you felt the fundamental burning of needing to express a thought, feeling, memory, dream, etc., is beautiful.

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this, so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated.

TAC-KC: 02.17.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — Kansas City for February 17 and 18, 2012
West Bottoms Resurgence/Convergence Friday;
KCAC Auction on Saturday

Archie Scott Gobber, I Am Too High, painting, 2012, is part of the group exhibition, I Aim Too High, opening this evening at Dolphin.
Image: courtesy of the artist and gallery and photographed by E.G. Schempf; may not be reproduced without permission

The Green Door, Post Office, Dirt Gallery, and even a bit later, one of the locations of Fahrenheit—these are the spaces* that formed the core of the West Bottoms galleries in the late 1990s and early 2000s during my introduction to the Kansas City art scene.

*(among others that I have either forgotten the names of and/or, admittedly, am not going to spend 40 minutes digging through old postcard to recall; sadly, the Internet traces of them are all but gone)

Back then, the 12th Street Bridge was literally hazardous. Back then, you could feel "quite edgy and cool" going down, down into the "maybe it will flood," "it sure smells of sewage," "isn't there a prison-release center just around the corner?" West Bottoms (Obviously, we all were younger, so, at least for me, everything was fun, fresh, and new.)

Back then, that's where the Valentine's Day Ball and some Mardi Gras events were. Back then, you could buy a Jesse Small bullet-riddled ceramic ship for less than $50.

Granted, in the West Bottoms, there are still a few sort-of raw-type spaces, studios, and shops on the north side of the tracks. I'm being literal again: a trip to the openings then meant fun street parties where the law was absent and where you were playing only a few feet away from the railways, with freight cars churning past that punctuated the conversation or blocked you from crossing. Graffiti art still rolls by on a regular basis.

Tonight, though, when you come down to witness back-from-New-York Bill Brady's inaugural exhibition at his new Kansas City gallery (covered in The Kansas City Star not only just a few days ago on the 15th, but also on February 10th and last October when he announced it); to see the latest two exhibitions at (also white-cube) Dolphin, a deliberate Crossroads gallery transplant in 2009 by one of the Crossroads District's founders, Jim O'Brien; or to see how the younger-set's plucky and relevant Plug Projects's first solo (and transforming) exhibition is coming along, you won't have to cross any rails. All of this is south of 12th Street, close to the Kemper Arena.

You might be at odds to find parking spaces, though, so carpooling is recommended.

And you can even find a very nice restaurant* nearby and visit artists' studios in the Livestock Exchange Building, all within a stone's throw of each other.

*(R Bar; there are at least three nice spots, but the Genessee Royale is not open at night; I have never been to the Golden Ox, though I have met the owner, and he meets my instincts as being quite straightforward and trustworthy.)

Times have changed, and I welcome the solidification of Kansas City's visual artists' community, even if the owners of Art Chicago (who also bought out the NEXT fair) decided to ditch it at the last minute because buyers are (I'm paraphrasing) seemingly only concentrated on the coasts. Let's go, Midwest!

Maybe the actual near-center of the country will be the next and longer-lasting Chicago? We both have institutes of art, after all (though theirs has a graduate program. I'm curious whether anyone has opinions on such, but for now: why we're here or skimmed down to read—the calendar : )

Friday:

Alien Contact and Cultural Imagination
Electromediascope Film Series: Baltimore by Isaac Julien and The Changing Same, Dark Matter 1, The Green Dress, and The Fullness of Time by Cauleen Smith
at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, in Atkins Auditorium, 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-751-1278

Showing: February 17, 7 p.m.
Admission is free, but tickets are required; please click here to sign up
Winter series: February 10, 17, and 24
______

East West Shift to the Middle
Part 1: Donald Beachler, Katherine Bernhardt, Huma Bhabha, Julia Chiang, Anne Eastmen, Brian Fahlstrom, Jason Fox, Tomoo Gokita, Rashawn Griffin, KAWS, Michael Lazarus, Art Miller, Erik Parker, Alexander Ross, Jaimie Warren, Wallace Whitney, and Michael Williams
at Bill Brady / KC, 1505 Gennessee Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-527-0090

Inagural Exhibition Opening Reception: February 16,
Open Wednesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m., through April 7, 2012
______

I Aim Too High
Anthony Baab, Laura Berman, Robert Josiah Bingaman, James Brisfield, Mike Erickson, Archie Scott Gobber, Tom Gregg, Chris Johnason, Wilbur Niewald, Lee Piechocki, Eric Sall, Aaron Storck, Matt Wycoff, and Andrzej Zielinski, curated by John O'Brien and David Collins
at Dolphin, 1600 Liberty Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-842-4415

Opening Reception: February 17, 5-10 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Friday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: noon-5 p.m., through April 17, 2012
______

MULTI-CHANNEL: an exhibition in flux
Andrew Jacob Schell
at Plug Projects, 1613 Genessee Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 646-535-7584

Intermediate Opening: February 17, 6-9 p.m.
Open Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., through March 3, 2012
______

Now Showing: Winter Happy Hour
with featured artists John Freeman and Deborah Drake Huff
at the offices of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City, pARTnership Place, 906 Grand Boulevard, Suite 10B, Kansas City, Missouri

Winter Happy Hour: February 14, 5-7 p.m.
Free and includes refreshments: Please RSVP at this link
Complementary parking available in the 928 UMB garage, south of Arts Council building
______

Open Studios: mariauroraMaria Creyts
in Livestock Exchange Building, 1600 Genessee, #516, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-221-4501

Open February 17, noon-7:30 p.m.
______

Public Domain
Michael Sinclair
at Dolphin, 1600 Liberty Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-842-4415

Opening Reception: February 17, 5-10 p.m.
Open Tuesday-Friday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: noon-5 p.m., through April 17, 2012

Saturday:

2012 Annual Art Auction
at Kansas City Artists Coalition, 201 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-421-5222

Auction Night: February 18, doors open at 6 p.m. and starts the silent auction, which runs through 7:45 p.m.; the live auction begins at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $25; reserve seat tickets can be purchased for an additional $100
______

And, of course, you remember, that Saturday, plenty of other places with exhibitions opened on last First Friday (and others) are open; some galleries, such as the Belger Arts Center (and Red Star Studios on the ground floor), Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, and Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, are open either daily or starting Thursdays into the weekend. Everyone (except, on non-research-recall, the Unity Temple's hall gallery, which, I have lost touch with, sadly, are closed Sunday and Monday as a rule).

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this, so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 02.16.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — KC for February 16-18, 2012

Midtown Thursday; West Bottoms Friday

Promotional image for CEPH love YOU too, provided by UMKC

I have a weakness for cephalopods. I tend to have an unexplained attraction to all mollusks, even the slimy slug, a creature that used to plague me as a child by suddenly getting stuck on my shoes or even skin whenever I would play in piles of oak leaves in the back yard. Found all over the planet, gastropods like slugs and snails are also a gardener's enemy.

But the cephalopods—the shy and lovely octopus, the chambered nautilus of Oliver Wendall Holmes's poem, the squiggly squid (which are also so amazing in the way that certain species can grow so incredibly huge), and, to me, the charming cuttlefish—are attractive for their intelligence, which recent scientific research has started to reveal. They show that they can learn. They also have chromatophores, or thousands of pigment-filled sacs in their skin, which allow them to change colors rapidly. If you have ever watched a public television show about them, you know that this phenomenon is beautiful; it's like a light-show, and the variety of patterns and pulsing colors is remarkable, especially since it functions as a form of communication, not just for the purpose of blending in to the creatures' surroundings.

Ryuta Nakajima's artwork explores the way cuttlefish use color for camouflage. He is in town from Minnesota, where he is an associate professor of art at the University of Minnesota Duluth; his exhibition, CEPH love YOU too, opens at the UMKC Gallery of Art this evening.

From UMKC:

"Ryuta investigates the effect and implication of visual culture through an exploration of cuttlefish camouflage patterns. He substitutes natural elements with digital images of major 20th century paintings, photographs and videos, and records the information provided by the cuttlefish."

My best guess from his website, is that we will be seeing something like these images. If you click around, you will see he has a fascination with mollusks, particularly cephalopods, and he has other styles of work; his training and his teaching is in painting. The reception is from 5 to 8 p.m., and usually, there is an artist's talk about the work around 5:30 or 6 p.m.

Kansas City is lucky to have two high-profile guests in town.

Tonight is also the Thursday Current Perspectives lecture series at KCAI. The presentation at 7 p.m. would be difficult to pass up: David B. Levy is showing a selection of his award-winning animation work, with commentary about what it's like to work in that industry. It sounds like a dream-job, working for companies like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and National Geographic, and I expect his talk to be interesting.

Levy is also an author of three books about the business, and his sixth animated short film, Grandpa Looked Like William Powell, came out last year. Having seen the 2012 Oscar® Nominated Animated Short Films at the Tivoli Cinema last Saturday, I was reminded of how much I respect this form of artwork and of how far the technology has come during my lifetime. (You can still see these through next week.)


Thursday:

CEPH love YOU too
Ryuta Nakajima
at UMKC Gallery of Art, Department of Art and Art History, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 203 Fine Arts Building (between Nichols Library and the main student center), 5100 Rockhill Road / 5015 Holmes Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-235-1502

Opening Reception: February 16, 5-8 p.m.
Open Tuesday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Wednesday: 1-6 p.m.; Thursday: 1-7 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., through March 31, 2012
______

Current Perspectives Lecture Series
David B. Levy
at Kansas City Art Institute, Epperson Auditorium in Vanderslice Hall, 
4415 Warwick Boulevard, 
Kansas City, Missouri; usual events contact: 816-802-3423

Thursdays during school semester: February 16, 7 p.m.
______

The Oscar ® Nominated Short Films 2012
Animated, Live Action Program, and Short Documentaries
at Tivoli Cinemas, 
Westport Manor Square, 
4050 Pennsylvania Avenue, 
Kansas City, Missouri
: 913-383-7756 (showtimes); 816-561-5222 (tickets)

Showing: various times through February 23, 2012; please click to see schedule

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this, so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com

TAC-KC: 02.15.12

Tracy's Art Calendar — Kansas City for February 15-18, 2012

From last year's Kansas City Artists Coalition Art Auction: artists Phil Marak and Philomene Bennett pose with the 2011 Honorary Chairperson Director/CEO of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Julián Zugazagoitia. The 2012 Honorary Chairperson is University of Kansas Hospital Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lee Norman.
Image: courtesy of KCAC for publicity; may not be reproduced without permission

Tonight is the preview, Sweet Art Reception, for the Kansas City Artists Coalition's 29th Annual Art Auction (on Saturday). As with many organizations, it's the largest fund-raising event for KCAC and allows exhibitions, artist residencies, and educational workshops and lectures to continue.

The 2012 auction includes work by Philomene Bennett, Cathy Broski, Tom Corbin, Bowie Croisant, Peregrine Honig, Anne Lindberg, Lou Marak, Jim Sajovic, Mark Southerland, and many more such respected artists. A full list can be seen here.

Thursday, UMKC's gallery opens CEPH love YOU too by visiting artist Ryuta Nakajima, who is a master of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and an Associate Professor of Art at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He holds a master's of fine art degree from the University of California, and his work involves investigating the "effect and implication of visual culture through an exploration of cuttlefish camouflage patterns." Cuttlefish are those cepholapods (related to squid and octopii), which have the remarkable ability to change their colors very rapidly for communication, concealment, and courtship.

Of course, during the school season, Thursday night is also Current Perspectives lecture time at the Kansas City Art Institute: February 16th's guest is David B. Levy, animation director and writer who has produced work for Cartoon Network, Disney, Fox Broadcasting Company, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, and the Sesame Workshop.

Current Perspectives is at 7 p.m., and UMKC's reception is from 5 to 8 p.m., so you can make both.

Friday, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art presents another installment of Electromediascope, and it's a big night for the West Bottoms, where Bill Brady opens his new gallery with East West Shift to the Middle (part #1); the Dolphin opens a group exhibition, I Aim Too High and a solo show by photographer Michael Sinclair, Public Domain; and Plug Projects hosts a mid-exhibition event for the evolving exhibition by Andrew Jacob Schnell, Multi-Channel: An Exhibition in Flux.

Please check back tomorrow for more details, (though you can find out most things with the links provided already).

Thursday & Saturday:

Sweet Art Reception
to honor the contributing artists and patrons of the 2012 Annual Art Auction
Refreshments, desserts and the opportunity to preview and bid on silent auction works or to place absentee bids or buy out works (should you be unable to attend Saturday's main event)
at Kansas City Artists Coalition, 201 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri: 816-421-5222

Artist and Patron Reception: February 15, 7-10 p.m.
Tickets: $12.50 at the door; open to the public

Auction Night: February 18, doors open at 6 p.m. and starts the silent auction, which runs through 7:45 p.m.; the live auction begins at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $25; reserve seat tickets can be purchased for an additional $100

PS, All opinions here are my own, and no one edits this, so any errors are also solely mine. Corrections are appreciated: needsaneditor@gmail.com