UN/TUCK COLLECTIVE Presents TRANS/PORTAL, Saturday, August 17 in Washington Square Park

TRANS/PORTAL is a one time, all-ages, interdisciplinary electronic popup exhibition celebrating LGBTQIA+ electronic music artists and the power of interactive media.

The UN/TUCK COLLECTIVE specializes in merging the magical with the mundane, the technological with the natural. The “PORTAL” in TRANS/PORTAL is a gateway, separating the outside world, the “known” environment of Washington Square Park, and an experience that cannot be captured or expressed with words. Let yourself pass through this gateway into a fantastic realm of radical self-expression and personal liberation. At sundown, a new life will strike down into the very core of Washington Square Park: electronic musicians, DJs, color lighting, projection mapping, live painting, installations, and dance. The music will feature live hardware and DJ sets from top artists on the UN/TUCK roster while the visuals will include projection mapping collaborations with other queer visual artists in the Kansas City community. 

By bringing together artists of various mediums, this event hopes to create an immersive display of queer/trans artistry, while building an engaging, public facing and community-minded event.

This event will take place on Saturday, August 17 at 6 p.m. in Washington Square Park. The rain date for this event will be August 24, same time and place.

Click here to add this event to your calendar

For more information about all the other exciting events this summer, be sure to visit us at artintheloop.com

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Endless Enlivens Washington Square Park

Endless is an outdoor visual art installation designed by emerging architectural designer and artist, Alonso L. Ortega. As part of Art in the Loop 2019 theme: Make/Believe, this work invites viewers into the playful and immersive mirage of transforming reality. The Make/Believe concept challenges artists to consider the ability of art to be transportive and for fantasy to be collective. The 18 reflective, stainless steel planks of this artwork are strategically placed in the grounds of Washington Square Park to give the illusion of mirrors growing, unsupported from Earth. The mirrors vary in size and placement to play with the skyline of downtown Kansas City.  With the 2019 Art in the Loop theme in mind, Alonso Ortega creates an inviting and unique space for viewers to become enthralled in the realm of Make/Believe.

Alonso Ortega’s background as an architect allows him to have immense attention to detail. Coupling this with his visual imagery, his work allows viewers to place themselves in a world which they create, a world of Make/Believe that gives them the opportunity to interact with the public around them and the city they live in. As an artist, Ortega believes strongly in questioning everything one does and believes. His appreciation of Kansas City and its people are interpreted through the conversation his artwork creates. The mirrors that protrude from the ground are all different heights just like how people come in different shapes and sizes. This places viewers in a powerful space as they look ahead to see a city that represents entrepreneurship and civic engagement and look around to see themselves from different angles and perspectives imagining that the mirrors are giving them the opportunity to live in what they deem make-believe. It ultimately gives each viewer a sense of individuality, though they are within a large community setting. 

Similar to Ortega’s belief of questioning everything one does, his artwork challenges viewers and the people of Kansas City to reflect on their own lives and beliefs. With the surroundings of nature of Washington Square Park, Ortega influences people to reflect in a humbling and grounding way. The solitude of meditating with yourself in front of these mirrors accompanied by the view of a spirited city instills a sense of revitalization within one to grow and evolve equivalent to the development of downtown Kansas City. The possibilities of who you will become, what you will create, and where you will go are Endless! 

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KC Streetcar & Art in the Loop Presents: Miki P. | August 1, 5–7 p.m.

Miki P. is a multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter who composes music reflecting her life experiences in a heart wrenching lilt. With her roots in the rock world, Miki P. has blended rock traditions with softer melodies from ukulele and piano to compose her voice as a musician. Miki P. balances a consistent musical vocabulary with a desire to grow and develop her sound. Her music, therefore, delivers precision and confidence with an explorative and emotional curiosity.

This Thursday, August 1, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Miki P. will brighten the murmuring Streetcar with beautiful music and evocative lyrics. Join us onboard the first KC Streetcar leaving Union Station after 5:00 p.m. to witness this exciting, free, public performance.

This is the last Streetcar Summer Sounds Music Series Performance this year, but Art in the Loop isn’t done, yet. There are still many exciting events to come:

August 17—TRANS/PORTAL, UN/TUCK COLLECTIVE
August 24—public², Jane Gotch
September 7—Wonka-riffic Trip, Sheri Purpose Hall
November 6—Closing Reception, Art in the Loop

Click here to add this event to your calendar

For more information about the musicians and when they’ll be performing, along with all the other exciting events this summer, be sure to visit us at artintheloop.com.

This project is supported in part by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund

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KCMO Resident Work Sessions – Attention Artists!

The City of Kansas City, Missouri, is ready to hear what you have to say about the priorities you want set for the future.

The Office of Management and Budget has scheduled three interactive forums for residents to offer their input on how best to update our Citywide Business Plan. Council members will need your feedback as they prepare to dive into the next budget, but you have a better chance of influencing the process if you can show up to participate.

At these sessions, you’ll hear insights from city experts on a variety of topics ranging from economic development to housing to public safety. More importantly, you’ll be able to directly deliver your creative solutions to problems that affect the entire City.

Here’s the schedule:
Saturday, Aug. 3, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at SE Community Center, 4201 E. 63rd St.
Monday, Aug. 5, noon-2 p.m. at National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Dr.
Thursday, Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m. at Briarcliff Church, 800 NE Vivion Rd.
This final update to the current four-year Citywide Business Plan must be adopted by Nov. 1, 2019.

Space is limited so reservations are encouraged. Please RSVP to reserve your seat. For more information, contact Kitty Steffens at 816-513-1308.

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KC Healthy Kids Releases Call for Artists: KC Voices, Due August 7

KC Voices is a collaborative of organizations working with local neighborhoods to build organizing and advocacy capacity around policies that impact food security. Together, UMKC’s Center for Neighborhoods, Community Health Council of Wyandotte County, Historic Northeast-Midtown Association and KC Healthy Kids invite artists to explore specific policies such as SNAP (food stamps), WIC, school food and other programs contained in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization and 2018 Farm Bill.

KCHealthy Kids believes storytelling helps change the way people think and talk about these policies by centering conversations around the experiences and priorities of advocates — in this case, residents of low-wealth, racially diverse neighborhoods. Rather than being passive recipients of policy decisions, residents serve as experts who can educate policymakers about the needs of their communities.

The works will be displayed for an audience of policy decision-makers and after exhibition, will live in, and be owned by, the communities they were created for.

Click here for more information: https://www.kchealthykids.org/artists-invited-to-submit-qualifications-for-kc-voices/

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Streetcar Summer Sounds: Kartez Marcel + Kona Ice, July 25, 5–7 p.m.

Kartez Marcel, a native of Kansas City, Missouri is a recording artist, musician, songwriter and overall creative visionary. Marcel fuses hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and soul. As an artist that challenges the status quo, he seeks to provide the highest quality music, entertainment, and visuals at each performance. Marcel strives to provide lyrical prose and sonically mature material that holds its weight against some of the most respected award-winning artists.

This Thursday, July 25, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Kartez Marcel will perform a powerful yet nuanced musical experience brimming with smart lyrics and energetic rhythm. Join us at the Power and Light NB Stop (Outside the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) to witness this exciting, free, public performance.

Kona Ice will also be available for purchase at the performance.

The schedule of musicians is as follows, with so much to hear and experience this summer, you won’t want to miss any of it:

July 25: Kartez Marcel
August 1: Miki P

Click here to add this event to your calendar

For more information about the musicians and when they’ll be performing, along with all the other exciting events this summer, be sure to visit us at artintheloop.com

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Summer Sounds Music Series Presents: Braulio Bosi | July 18, 5–7 p.m., Onboard the KC Streetcar

Born in Colatina, Espirito Santo, Brazil, Bráulio Bosi has been playing guitar for 18 years, since the age of 13. Bosi demonstrates skillful musicianship and expert technique, playing pieces of classical guitar that vary in musical quality and culture of origin. Bosi constructs these classical pieces with deftness and precision, exemplifying his mastery of the instrument.

This Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Bráulio Bosi’s sumptuous serenades will dazzle the Streetcar and his musical acrobatics will never cease to amaze. Join us onboard the first KC Streetcar leaving Union Station after 5:00 p.m. to witness this exciting, free, public performance.

The schedule of musicians is as follows, with so much to hear and experience this summer, you won’t want to miss any of it:

July 18: Bráulio Bosi
July 25: Kartez Marcel
August 1: Miki P

Click here to add this event to your calendar

For more information about the musicians and when they’ll be performing, along with all the other exciting events this summer, be sure to visit us at artintheloop.com

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The Second Streetcar Art Crawl This Weekend! Saturday, July 13, 2019 2-4 pm

Join us for our second Streetcar Art Stroll as part of the 2019 Art in the Loop Project: Make/Believe on Saturday July 13,  2019. We will view temporary art installations in Downtown Kansas City, visit The Box Gallery for an insider look at their new exhibition “Stories from the Sea”, ride KC Streetcar and then enjoy performances by 2019 Art in the Loop Project: Make/Believe performance artists at Our Daily Nada. Bo Hubbard, 2019 Art Director will lead the tour.

Mervin, the Monarch Streetcar
Image courtesy of Isaiah Jackson, KC Streetcar.

 

The tour will begin at 2:00 pm at the KC Streetcar North Loop South Bound stop with Earth Bound by Amanda Guerra. Then we will ride the Streetcar south to the Library stop to arrive at The Box Gallery and view Stories from the Sea, a unique exhibition of works by more than 20 of Israel’s most prominent professional artists, along with Kansas City artist Heather Loewenstein of StoneLion Puppet Theatre and National Geographic Explorer Ziggy Livnat. The project is launching an international initiative to help stop the flow of single-use plastic into our waters, from the Red Sea of Eilat to the streets of Kansas City. At 3:00 pm we will head to the Streetcar Library Stop North Bound to briefly discuss Public2, then ride the Streetcar to the River Market West stop and arrive at Our Daily Nada where we will also enjoy drink specials and spoken word performances from Sheri Purpose Hall, Mazzy Mann, and a joyful South American music selection from Amado Espinoza.

 

The event will begin at the KC Streetcar North Loop Stop on 7th & Main. Guests may park in the adjacent parking lots marked “City Market Parking”. The event will end at Our Daily Nada, bookstore and coffee shop at 304 Delaware near the River Market West Streetcar Stop.

 

Click here to RSVP. Attendance is limited, please contact with any questions.

To learn more about the artists and the Art in the Loop Foundation, go to artintheloop.com.

For more information about the project, the artists and performance schedule visit www.artintheloop.com, www.facebook.com/artintheloop, or twitter.com/ArtintheLoop.

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KC Streetcar Summer Sounds Music Series Continues with The Newkirks – July 11, 5–7 p.m.

The Newkirks are a husband-and-wife, singer-songwriter duo performing original country songs infused with a contemporary flair. Drawing from their experience of small-town mosey and big-city rush, The Newkirks create music built with simple, yet powerful, ingredients: genuine lyrics that speak of heartbreak, sounds that evoke love and triumph, and stories of struggle and success. 

This Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., The Newkirks will fill the Streetcar with the soft and soulful melodies of bluegrass and country music. Join us onboard the first KC Streetcar leaving Union Station after 5:00 p.m. to witness this exciting free, public performance.

The schedule of musicians is as follows, with so much to hear and experience this summer, you won’t want to miss any of it:

July 11: The Newkirks
July 18: Braulio Bosi
July 25: Kartez Marcel
August 1: Miki P

Click here to add this event to your calendar.

For more information about the musicians and when they’ll be performing, along with all the other exciting events this summer, be sure to visit us at artintheloop.com.

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No Summer Sounds Music Series Thur., July 4 – Streetcar Art Stroll #2 Scheduled for July 13

In lieu of the 4th of July festivities that will no doubt shiver through the city and the surrounding areas of Missouri and Kansas, there will be no Streetcar Summer Sounds Music Series event on the streetcar this Thursday. Though I’m sure this news brings a feeling of utter despair onto you, I urge you not to fret. Next week, the Streetcar Summer Sounds will surge back with tenacity; with The Newkirks.

The Newkirks are a husband-and-wife, singer-songwriter duo performing original contemporary-country songs. Genuine lyrics, evocative sounds, and narrative emphasis are features of The Newkirks artistic language. Their down-to-earth, self-aware music connects to individuals with its humanity and depiction of real life.

To find out more about The Newkirks visit artintheloop.com or The Newkirks’ website, thenewkirksmusic.com.

Streetcar Art Stroll Two: Public Art & Galleries

Moreover, the next Streetcar Art Crawl is next week, on Saturday, July 13. With the success of the first Art Crawl earlier this summer, we are excited about this next tour. For the second edition, we will be focusing on all the amazing performances that have happened or will be happening. Of course, refreshments will be provided at the end of the tour at Our Daily Nada with an included performance (more details to come).

This event highlights not only the streetcar’s support of the arts but allows the public to interact and engage with the artists and artworks/performances that Art in the Loop has been percolating into Kansas City’s downtown area.  

Click here to RSVP. This free and open to the public event has limited attendance so reserve your spot while you can. Please contact with any questions.

 

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Monarch Butterflies in Downtown Kansas City


Mervin the Monarch Streetcar

First comes Mervin and then come the butterflies. Art in the Loop is proud of the continuing work being done with artists Amanda Gehin and Christina Bereolos. The caterpillar streetcar, Mervin, has become an essential part of the Downtown KC family and now he finally has some food.

Thanks to a partnership with  River Market & Downtown Community Improvement Districts, and with donations from Green Thumb Gardens, City Roots and the Missouri Department of Conservation planters bursting with butterfly food have been installed along the KC Streetcar line from 15th Street up into the River Market and beyond into the Central Business District.

An extension of the project Macrocosmos Caterpillar: Monarch Streetcar, these micro-habitats include perennial native plants that will provide food for caterpillars, nectar for butterflies and pollen for bees. Mervin and other monarch caterpillars can only eat the leaves of milkweed, and the presence of this plant in the landscape has diminished significantly—especially in agricultural fields. This is partially why our Eastern Monarch butterfly population has declined by more than 80% since the 1990’s. Current scientific research has shown that cities could be the key to saving the monarch population by embracing the wildness necessary to sustain them. If you observe these planters closely you may spot a monarch caterpillar or even a chrysalis! Please report sightings with #artintheloop and #kcstreetcar.

In other exciting butterfly news, the Lepidopteran Art Group is opening a show,  Caterpillar Waystation / Herbivory Labyrinth, at the Beco Gallery located on 1922 Baltimore Ave. The show is on view through July 27 with an opening reception on July 5 from 6–9 p.m. Featuring work from artists Christina Bereolos, Patricia Bordallo Dibildox, Amanda Gehin, and Andy Ozier, the show hopes to bring attention to the power of our local pollinators and the intrinsic beauty that they hold.

For more information about the projects, like this one, that are percolating in Downtown KC, visit artintheloop.com. For more information about the artists visit Amanda Gehin’s website, amandagehin.com or her Instagram, @dispersedbyants or Christina Bereolos’ Instagram, @waterwatereverybear.

For more information about Beco Gallery visit their website, becoflowers.com/gallery.

For more information about KC Streetcar and their projects visit kcstreetcar.org or @kcstreetcar.

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ArtsKC Calls for Local Artists: 2020 Annual Luncheon & PNC Plaza Mural

Kansas City area artists  – take a look – ArtsKC recently announced 2 opportunities for local artists!  ArtsKC is seeking to commission a Kansas City artist to create 6 works of art and 100 table centerpieces to present to metro-area businesses and individuals in recognition of their leadership in the arts. The event is attended by over 1,000 leaders in the arts, business, and civic community.  Deadline to apply is June 30, 2019.  Click here for more information.

ArtsKC is also partnering with PNC Bank and the Kansas City Power & Light District to commission a mural for the newly named PNC Plaza at the Power & Light District.  Deadline to apply is July 9, 2019.  Click here for more information.

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