The 2016 Art in the Loop Project flyer is now available. Click here to download the complete calendar of performances and list of art installations.

The 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect infuses the center of Downtown Kansas City with innovative and engaging temporary art that will refresh, intrigue and surprise Downtown employees, residents, and visitors. The project is a curated outdoor exhibition of 10 temporary artworks and 17 performances presented in four locations Downtown:

1) Ilus Davis Park at 11th and Oak;

2) KC Streetcar stops, located along Main Street between 4th Street and Pershing Road;

3) Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park at 12th and Walnut; and

4) Prairie Logic on the Green Roof, 6th floor above Cosentino’s grocery store at 13th and Main.

Photo, Copyright 2008 Mike Strong www.kcdance.com

The Nritya School of Indian Dance and Music will perform on Friday, July 29, from 11:30-1:30 in Ilus Davis Park at 11th and Oak  as part of the Art in the Park project.

Dance is the universal language of the world. Dance is a way of expression, an identity. As with most traditions, dance is different around the world, in every country that you travel to. Certain genres can identify a particular destination, a way of life. As with music, it is highly emotive.

Hema Sharma is the artistic director of Nritya, founded in 1988. Nritya is a versatile company of dancers who work primarily in the South Indian Classical dance style called Bharatha Natyam, and folk dances. Nritya produces dynamic and captivating programs that appeal to all ages.

Enjoy lunch with food trucks Estrella Azul  and Greg-Co BBQ.

The 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect, a curated outdoor exhibition staged in partnership with the Downtown Council, KC Streetcar and City of Kansas City, Missouri, features 25 temporary artworks and performances in Oppenstein and Ilus Davis parks and at stops along KC’s new streetcar route.  We look forward to providing you with a weekly schedule of performances.  Events and performances for this week include:

Kickoff Program and Reception
Tuesday, July 19, 6:30 pm
Kansas City Public Library-Central Library
14 West 10th Street

As the series ramps up, a number of the participating artists, dancers, musicians, and poets take turns discussing their works. They are introduced by curator Jessica Borusky, an artist and educator who lives and works in Kansas City. A reception immediately follows the program.  Learn more about the event and RSVP here.

Traveling Tunes
performed by Betse & Clark
Thursday, July 21, 11:30am – 1:30pm
Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park

The Art in the Loop Foundation is pleased to announce the schedule of summer art installations and performances by local artists who were selected for “Art in the Loop Project: Connect.”  This year marks the third year for the Art in the Loop Project and includes new partnerships and new Downtown Kansas City, Missouri locations, that provide more opportunities for audiences to interact with and enjoy the work of local artists.

The 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect infuses the center of Downtown Kansas City with innovative and engaging temporary art that will refresh, intrigue and surprise Downtown employees, residents, and visitors. The project also creates opportunities for local emerging and established artists to extend their practice into the Downtown environment with curatorial, professional and logistical support. 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect is a curated outdoor exhibition of temporary artworks and performances presented in four locations Downtown:

1. Ilus Davis Park at 11th and Oak;
2. KC Streetcar stops, located along Main Street between 4th Street and Pershing Road;
3. Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park at 12th and Walnut; and
4. Prairie Logic on the Green Roof, 6th floor above Cosentino’s grocery store at 13th and Main.

Art in Ilus Davis Park:

The Municipal Art Commission of the City of Kansas City, MO, through a competitive selection process, chose eight local artists (see list below) to activate Ilus Davis Park from June through September with temporary artworks and performances. Food trucks will be on site for lunchtime purchases. In the event of rain, performances will take place in the JE Dunn parking garage, 10th and Locust.

Artists and Art Installations

• Chris Dahlquist, Laundry Day

• Matthew Elsom & Garth Britzman, Superfurniture

• Neil Goss, Hempen Support: Vines of Passion

• Kati Toivanen, Hopscotch

Performances (Final Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. )

• Amado Espinoza and the theatrical collective We are the Landscape perform Inti Raymi or “Festival of the Sun” on June 24
• Hema Sharma and The Nritya School of Dance perform Dances & Music of India on July 29
• Matthew Bennett, string quartet performs Then & Now on August 26
• Lauren Thompson, choreographer, Jonathan Robertson, composer and Tom Hipp, videographer create Downtown Replay on September 30

Art on the Line (KC Streetcar stops):

Art in the Loop is partnering with the KC Streetcar Authority to install the following temporary installations and performances at streetcar stops from July through September:

Artist and Art Installations

• Rachelle Gardner-Roe, I See You (Power & Light District Stop – Northbound)
• Andrew Lattner, Alternating Currents (Metro Center Stop/Petticoat Lane)
• m.o.i., minister of information, rail – bike – rail (Library Stop – Southbound)
• Rickey Moss, Imagine That!, Intersections (Kauffman Center Stop)
• Lauren Thompson, Life Turning [Tentative]
• White Art Studio, SOUNDSHAPES (Power & Light District Stop – Southbound)

Performances (Fridays, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p. m.)

• Elizabeth Stehling, dance performance, The Inspired Pedestrians, starts at Union Station, July 15
• Amado Espinoza and Karen Lisondra, Streetcar SoundTracks: Recycled World Duo, Metro Center Stop, August 12
• Jon Johnson directs improvisational theatrical performance, Connections, starts at Union Station, August 19
• Mnemosyne Quartet produces Transient Harmony, a music and sound performance at the Power & Light District and Library Stops, September 2
• Beau Bledsoe and Ensemble Iberica perform Cubanisms, River Market West Stop, September 9
• Stacy Busch, composes and presents Soundtrack for the City, location and date to be announced

Art in the Loop (Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park & Prairie Logic):

Artist performances in Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park and Prairie Logic take place from June through August.  Food trucks will be on site in Oppenstein Park.  

Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park, 12th & Walnut (Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)

• Betse & Clarke perform Traveling Tunes on fiddle and banjo, July 21
• Timothy Amundson, Turkey Creek Institute for Phenomenal Awareness, presents Water Yield, a photo installation and performance lecture, Install: Jul 18- Aug 5, Performance: July 28
• Annette Billings, poet presents A Net Full of Hope, August 11
• Alison Moyna Greene, presents Walking, Eggshells, Mandala, an ephemeral day-long installation and performance, August 18
• Maura Garcia, performs Ahwisgvsgo’i, a multimedia project about indigenous traditions, August 25

Prairie Logic on the Green Roof (a permanent art installation by Janet Zweig and el dorado inc, that serves as a performance space)

• UMKC Conservatory Composition Workshop led by Paul Rudy, performs, Improvisation Illogic, Thursday, June 23, 7:00 pm
• Daniel Morel leads, Kansas City Calling, a musical happening featuring the Jibrish Horn Quartet and members of the UMKC Conservatory Horn Studio, date to be announced.

A presentation by the 25 participating artists, moderated by Jessica Borusky, will be held on Tuesday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library located at 14 West 10th Street.  A reception follows the presentation. This event is co-hosted by the Kansas City Public Library, the Downtown Council of Kansas City, Missouri and the Municipal Art Commission of the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

The 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect is made possible through the generous support of the KCMO – Office of Culture & Creative Services, the KC Streetcar Authority, the KCMO-Neighborhood Tourism Development Fund, the Missouri Arts Council, ArtsKC and the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, as well as our corporate sponsors.

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

The Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) will host an open house on Thursday, May 12 from, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event will showcase KCDC’s Art in the Loop Vision Study, Downtown Recycling System Vision Study and Connecting the Dottes Study.  KCDC architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning students will be on hand to discuss their project.  Brief remarks will be made by the project leaders and sponsors at 6 p.m.

The Art in the Loop Foundation partnered with the Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) and the Downtown Council to develop a vision and master plan for working with artists to activate public spaces in Downtown Kansas City.  One of the goals of the project was to consider how public art (temporary or permanent) can play a role in making the Downtown Loop (Central Business District) more walkable, authentic, safe and connected.

For more information about Art in the Loop contact Ann Holliday, ann@downtownkc.org. For more information about the open house contact Sarah Kraly, sarahkraly@kcdesigncenter.org.

Directions to KCDC
The Kansas City Design Center is located at 1018 Baltimore, a convenient 1 1/2 blocks from the KC Streetcar Metro Center Stop (kcstreetcar.org).  If you are driving on-street and garage parking is available in the vicinity.

Initiated by faculty from the UMKC Conservatory and the Kansas City Art Institute, ArtSounds explores cross-media expression through creative concert-making. Co-directors Mara Gibson and Paul Rudy set the stage for concert events outside the box and inside the mind’s eye and the eye’s ear. In ArtSounds performances, vision informs hearing and hearing guides sight in this essential dialogue at the messy intersections of human experience. ArtSounds performances are free and open to the public.  Entering its 11th year, the Conservatory recently announced two new community partners: Charlotte Street Foundation and Art in the Loop.

There will be two events next year, November 5 at La Esquina as part of a larger Media Fest associated with CSF and May 4 at Prairie Logic associated with Art in the Loop. The Conservatory will co-sponsor all events.  Each event will provide venue, marketing and a $1,000 stipend for the artists.

To apply, please submit a proposal by May 2 to Mara Gibson (gibsonmb@umkc.edu) for review by a panel including Paul Rudy, Mara Gibson, Ann Holliday and Amy Kligman.

Proposals should include:

• Duration of event (no more than 60 minutes)
• Collaborators
• Use of proposed budget
• Short 2-3 sentence description of the event and supply list

Feel free to submit 1-2 examples of past work and short bios for consideration, but submit the complete application in ONE pdf file.

For more information, please contact Dana Self, 816-235-2949, selfdr@umkc.edu