Three of the artist installations included in the 2017 Art in the Loop Cue! project made use of the Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library..  Each artist discussed their research and what they learned from different aspects of the collection in an interview with Laura McCallistser, Digital Content Specialist with KC Public Library.  The full interview and blog post can be found here:  http://www.kclibrary.org/blog/library-life

Collaborators Lauren Thompson and Jeff Evrard used the MVSC search engine, KCHistory.org, to find images and information about cultural icons from Kansas City history.  This information was used in the creation of  Then & Now: Faces of KC.  The optical installation near the River Market North  KC Streetcar stop includes photos of past KC arts and culture icons, as well as new photos by Evrard of current community leaders in similar corresponding roles.  As viewers pass along a section of fencing at the ideal angle, image sections placed on the fence pickets align, such that images of present-day leaders suddenly pop into clear focus.  As they pass, viewers can than look back at that same angle to see the corresponding figures from the past.

Local photographer Chris Dahlquist used both the MVSC’s  Sanborn Maps and  Hargrave Photograph Collection during her research for The History Vendor.  Dahlquist installed three iconic vending machines in City Market Park, at 3rd and Main St., just west of City Market .  The machines dispensed- free of charge- three cards, each featuring a different historic photograph of buildings in the area, along with a map.  Patrons were encouraged to position themselves using the map, so that they could compare the image in the photograph to the present-day appearance of the site.  The cards also included interesting facts about the buildings, people, and cultural activities captured in the photographs.

Illustration by Sonya Andrews

Finally, artist Sarah Star used the MSVC to find images and articles pertaining to the buildings and surroundings along her 4-mile running trail  Run the Town: A Civic Trail  .  The civic trail is marked by signs containing illustrations by fellow artist Sonya Andrews.  The illustrations were inspired by historic photographs found in the MVSC, then executed as a playful visual mix of past and present.   The trail head at The River Market West KC Streetcar stop, on Delaware between 3rd and 5th streets, also contains historical images from the MVSC.

Run the Town: A Civic Trail will be available to the public through October 6th.  Viewers have until October 22nd to enjoy Then & Now:  Faces of KC.

These art installatins are part of the 2017 Art in the Loop Project:  Cue! The projects are made possible through the generous support of KC Streetcar; the City of Kansas City, Missouri; the Missouri Arts Council; Arts KC and our corporate sponsors including Stinson Leonard Street, Henderson Engineers, JE Dunn Construction, McCownGordon Construction, Port KC and UMB Financial Corporation. We appreciate in-kind support and guidance provided by the Downtown Council, the Downtown and River Market Community Improvement Districts, KCMO-Public Works Department, KC Streetcar, the City Market, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City Art Institute, Folk Alliance International and The Bridge 90.9.

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

Annette Hope Billings will present “Places!”, a spoken word performance, at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 13th.  The performance will take place in Kirk Hall, located within the KC Public Library Central Library, 14 W 10th St., Kansas City, MO.

Places! will use poetry and prose presented in theatrical style to illustrate listening for, responding to, and acting on the cues for change present in our lives and communities. The performance will include original poetry and prose written about themes of anxiety, resistance, and hope in the world around us.  Each piece will demonstrate 1) upheaval as an opportunity to cue the best in ourselves and 2) uncertainty as a cue to hold fast to what is known for certain. Some of the pieces will be interactive to promote audience engagement. The goal is to demonstrate how we may begin to/continue to ready ourselves for the times life calls, “Places!”.

This performance is free and open to the public, and is part of the 2017 Art in the Loop Project:  Cue! The project is made possible through the generous support of KC Streetcar; the City of Kansas City, Missouri; the Missouri Arts Council; Arts KC and our corporate sponsors including Stinson Leonard Street, Henderson Engineers, JE Dunn Construction, McCownGordon Construction, Port KC and UMB Financial Corporation. We appreciate in-kind support and guidance provided by the Downtown Council, the Downtown and River Market Community Improvement Districts, KCMO-Public Works Department, KC Streetcar, the City Market, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City Art Institute, Folk Alliance International and The Bridge 90.9.

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

Wait Here by JT Daniels

Keep an eye on emerging Kansas City artist, J.T. Daniels. His signature style, a combination of graffiti and illustration, brings a welcomed energy and authenticity to Art in the Loop’s temporary public art program this summer.

J.T. Daniel’s new public art installation is located in the Power and Light District on the southbound street car stop. The artist hopes his art, which fills the back wall of the shelter, will attract the attention of street car riders, and perhaps spark friendly conversations between strangers.

In his work titled “Wait Here,” a playful mashup of faces, cartoony characters and gestural imagery flows together like a layered graffiti street mural. In a written interview, Daniels describes his artistic approach as “an amalgamation of automatic drawing, surrealism, street art and good hip hop.”

“I spend a lot of time finding the right music, which creates the right vibe… I’ll loosely draw lines on the page that embody the flow or feeling of whatever song I may be listening to and then I begin to pull out characters, stories, emotions or a specific word as the theme,” Daniels stated.

But despite the artist’s reliance on a spontaneous process led by his subconscious, Daniels’ all-over composition is carefully and cleanly crafted. To create his installation, Daniel started by creating a 4’ x 4’ black and white acrylic painting on canvas.  Then the artist took a photo of the painting and manipulated it in Illustrator to create a vector file, which was printed on adhesive vinyl for the large outdoor installation.

The caricature faces and cartoony characters in his artwork represent real people that the artist met or shared space with while riding the streetcar. J.T. Daniels’ work finds success when his lyrical painting guides the viewer’s eye on a ride through his playful painting– an experience that easily connects to people-watching on a busy streetcar in downtown KC.

Click here to watch and listen as Daniels describes his process.

J.T. Daniels is a Kansas City, KS native who earned a BA from Park University in 2012. From 2013 – 2016 he worked as a youth development coordinator at Mattie Rhodes Center and is now an artist assistant at Johnson County Developmental Supports. He enjoys mentoring kids on creative self-expression and community engagement projects like a recent high school mural project.  In 2012 Daniels earned a Young Creative award from the Kauffman Foundation’s Urban Entrepreneur Partnership program.  www.jtdanielsart.com

Robin Trafton

Robin Trafton works as the fine art curator of Commerce Bank and director of The Box Gallery, a community exhibition space at 1000 Walnut. Previously she was director of Art in the Loop Foundation and a freelance critic for the Kansas City Star.

About the 2017 Art in the Loop Project

The 2017 Art in the Loop Project:  Cue! is made possible through the generous support of KC Streetcar; the City of Kansas City, Missouri; the Missouri Arts Council; Arts KC and our corporate sponsors including Stinson Leonard Street, Henderson Engineers, JE Dunn Construction, McCownGordon Construction, Port KC and UMB Financial Corporation. We appreciate in-kind support and guidance provided by the Downtown Council, the Downtown and River Market Community Improvement Districts, KCMO-Public Works Department, KC Streetcar, the City Market, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City Art Institute, Folk Alliance International and The Bridge 90.9.

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

Join us at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, August 23rd for a group run, part of artist Sarah Star’s 2017 Art in the Loop installation, Run the Town.

Illustrations by Sonya Andrews

Get on your running (or walking) shoes!  Sarah Star has organized a group run, co-sponsored by Kansas City Track Club’s Wednesday Night Run.  Experience Run the Town:  A Civic Trail with your fellow Kansas Citians, starting from the trailhead at The River Market West KC Streetcar stop, on Delaware between 3rd and 5th streets.  You will be guided by turn-by-turn signs along the route featuring colorful illustrations that playfully blend the rich history of our city with its exciting present. You will be cued to explore the public art and architecture in the area as well.  After the run, join the group for dinner at Il Lazzarone (approximately 7:00 p.m.).