Event Details | Sep. 18, 5:30 p.m., Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park
This cozy pocket park will come to life with music by:
Artist Statements
Gracie Caggiano
Disability activist, poet, and speaker Laura Hershey once said, “If you don’t see us, you won’t think about us.” This sentiment permeates my work as a physically disabled artist, as I understand the importance of authentic representation in shaping societal perception. My work addresses disability from multiple angles, whether I am contemplating its meaning, its impact on my personal relationships, or access issues. In addition, the act of creation is fully informed by my disability, as I use alternate guitar tunings to facilitate weakness in my hands and reclaim the aesthetic value of my fragility. Along the same vein, I must enter places that have been built without disabled individuals in mind in order to bring to attention the need for access. While anxiety-inducing, I’m pushed to open myself to a form of vulnerability that many non-disabled people do not experience in shared spaces. I propose to write and perform a half-hour of genre-fluid songs for acoustic guitar and voice, which center my experiences in Kansas City wherein I have struggled with physical access in gathering places. This set will explore the tension between a negative, burdensome view of disability and an accepting, accommodating perspective. While the songs direct focus to disability experience, I call for systems of community care for all people, regardless of identity or background.
Grupo Folklorico Alma Tapatia
Alma Tapatia exists to promote Mexican culture throughout Kansas City and beyond by offering dance classes to anyone interested in dance and by performing in all types of spaces. Our performances showcase a variety of regions and cultures that exist within Mexico. We bring life and color to everything we do!
musicbyskippy
Beatboxing specialist and performer Luke “Skippy” Harbur is a vivacious artist known for his cross-pollinated brand of alternative music touching on hip hop, Broadway, EDM, and singer-songwriter influences. His trailblazing project musicbyskippy features different live performance experiences for multigenerational audiences based on his discography, garnering community, state, and national awards. Past audiences say musicbyskippy shows live between music, theater, and poetry, as if you’re attending live comedy, a musical, or a Ted Talk. Get ready to learn or laugh at life’s bigger, more critical conversations.
The Overland Park, Kansas native is based out of Kansas City, Missouri, constantly developing skills in beatboxing, singing, beat production, rapping, sound looping, & keyboard playing to express his core mission: music and live performances should be safe havens for everyone to express their authenticity. Since November 2021 he’s written, produced, and published over 40 songs, created 8 original productions, and exceeded 300,000 total music streams. Each opportunity to perform is rooted in a deeper story. At 5 months he was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease. 6 months later he received a life-saving liver transplant from an 8-year-old boy named Aaron Drake, who passed away while on a camping trip with his family at The Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Harbur uses his second chance to make performances a testament to sharing his life and near-death experiences, and through his growing discography and show schedule, he hopes you find music and a live experience you love.
My name is Luke “Skippy” Harbur, and musicbyskippy lives among music, spoken word, and theater for multi-generational audiences. Maybe you want to combine counting and diction lessons with me to learn the art of beatboxing. Maybe you’re open to listening to rap songs about sexuality and emotions. Or maybe you’re ready to enter a circus-like dance party with endless audience participation opportunities.
I’m a singer/songwriter, beatboxing specialist, and performer based out of Kansas City, Missouri. Since November of 2021, I’ve grown my discography to more than 40 original alternative tunes influenced by hip hop, EDM, Broadway, and folk music. Song-making processes include beatboxing rhythms to myself, replicating them in beat-making softwares, and pairing them with lyrics or melodies from personal stories. Using my journalism degree combined with my communications and performance background, I use autobiographical storytelling to present different shows for audiences seeking adventure, intelligence, and engagement to meet new people. Drawing influences from comedian Bo Burnham, composer Jonathan Larson, and musician Jon Bellion, my art prioritizes collaboration and variety with intention to reflect humanity’s constant fragile and vulnerable states.
Since 2022 six original shows have sold over 600 tickets featuring productions teams of two to 10. This drive comes from identifying as a 28-year-old liver transplant recipient. Each moment is a second chance with songs embodying universal anecdotes of life and near-death experiences. I offer a hand to anyone ready to witness a genuine presentation, diverse narratives, and wish to be part of life’s bigger, more critical conversations.
