Arts & Entertainment
Grand Place Envisions Role as Major Art Hub for Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Grand Place, the $98 million redevelopment of the historic Kansas City Star building, has gotten creative addressing cost overruns by embracing the arts as a big part of the project’s identity. In a successful bid last week to obtain $2.4 million in sales tax breaks, the developer pledged to commission public art…
Hot Pink T-Mobile Center Will Have Very Chill Debut
By Kevin Collison When what was then called the Sprint Center debuted in 2007, it had a roaring start with Sir Elton John and then a nine-day run by Garth Brooks kicking off its debut. As the newly-renamed T-Mobile Center, the first sounds inside the big glass bowl at 13th and Grand hopefully will be…
Union Station Hitches Covid Rebound Hopes on ‘Dinosaur Road Trip’
By Kevin Collison “Dinosaur Road Trip,” Union Station’s new exhibition, is a fun, kitschy blend of dinosaurs, roadside attractions and corny 1950s Godzilla movies, but before you hit the hokey highway, the ramp was bumpy. Like other Kansas City cultural institutions hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Union Station was in dire straits after being forced…
Crown Center WeekEnder Outdoor Concert Series Begins July 10
People craving live music during these Covid-bound times will be able to satisfy their ears at Crown Center beginning July 10 when the annual WeekEnder series resumes on its sprawling outdoor plaza. “We felt like the square offered a wide space where people can sit in a chair and keep a safe distance from everybody…
Seventh Annual Art in the Loop Blossoms with Poppie-Wrapped Streetcar
This summer’s Art in the Loop program is finally rolling in full thanks to the weekend debut of a streetcar wrapped in poppies, probably the most visible aspect of the annual downtown art event. “Hope & Gratitude” a vivid graphic by artist Ada Koch, who has used poppies as a theme for a variety of…
Backers of Luxury Hotel Project by Kauffman Center Seek Council Approval
By Kevin Collison Backers of a proposed $63 million ultra-luxury hotel project by the Kauffman Center intend to bring their plan before the Kansas City Council within a few weeks saying they “feel really good” about their prospects for winning a supermajority. “We’ve met with all the Council members and they’ve afforded us an open…
Prize Home + Garden Opening Store in Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Steve Rogers is fascinated by “the hunt” for unique and beautiful objects from around the world. A Sprint, now T-Mobile, marketing executive by day, the antique dealer had no training in interior design, but discovered by “happy accident” that people appreciated what he considered was beautiful to his eye and heart. It…
Old Columbus Park Saloon Building to House Art Studio
By Kevin Collison A creative couple who’ve come to love the Columbus Park neighborhood since moving there 20 years ago are planning to renovate a historic building that was once a saloon into a studio and gallery. Fine arts photographer Chris Dahlquist and her husband, musician Kyle Dahlquist, have acquired the old commercial building at…
Pop-Ups OnDelaware Debuts Saturday, Event to Highlight Street
Pop-Ups OnDelaware, a new monthly weekend event, debuts Saturday with the goal of attracting shoppers for unique goods to the historic street in the heart of the River Market. “We were looking for ways to bring excitement and a sense of community to the street,” said Estrella Luttrell, an organizer and participant. “We want to…
Double Tap Virtual Reality Arcade Parlor Opening in River Market
By Kevin Collison Terry Keith and his partner Eddie Reese have come up with a new concept where you can escape with friends to a virtual world and have a real drink or two while you’re at it. Their new Double Tap virtual reality arcade and pub is opening this Saturday at 310 Oak in…