Arts & Entertainment
Crossroads Sculptor Offers Healing Idea for Former Confederate Memorial Site
By Kevin Collison Sculptor Spencer Schubert has his works prominently displayed across the region from Manhattan to Jefferson City, and now wants to do something closer to home as a healing gesture for his community. He’s proposing a soaring sculpture of two hands grasping a knotted rope as a sign of unity to replace a…
Renowned East Crossroads Artist Studio Kicks Off International Sculpture Conference
By Kevin Collison The center of the sculpture world was at Studio Inc in the East Crossroads area of downtown this week for a kickoff event for the 2017 International Sculpture Conference. Three-hundred artists from across the United States and overseas are here through Saturday for the event, which is a celebration and educational program…
Sprint Center Celebrates 10 Years as Downtown Anchor, Result of Bold Mayoral Push with Lessons for KCI Campaign
By Kevin Collison It was a huge gamble when it was first proposed, but 10 years later, the Sprint Center has yielded an equally huge payoff for downtown, drawing 11 million visitors and generating an estimated half-billion dollars in economic benefits to the city. Last week, Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group, the operator of the…
City Picks Renowned Chicago-based Artists to Redevelop Historic School Building in 18th & Vine Jazz District
By Kevin Collison The historic Attucks School building in the 18th & Vine Jazz District won’t be reused as a school afterall. Instead, the city has chosen a proposal by two internationally-renowned artists based in Chicago to convert the old building at 1815 Woodland Ave. into a hub for arts and culture. The Zhou Brothers,…
New Power & Light District Mural a Sky-High Tribute to Kansas City’s African-American Cultural and Sports Heritage
By Kevin Collison Alexander Austin has worked on some big canvasses as one of the city’s preeminent street muralists, but the new assignment he’s executing in the Power & Light District is taking him to an even higher level. As in working up to 80 feet above street level painting a mural over a half-football…
Art in the Loop Caps Season Today with Downtown Kansas City Art Crawl
Art in the Loop, a diverse assortment of public artworks in downtown Kansas City, is winding down the season with a special Downtown KC Art Crawl today. Actually, it’s more a streetcar art crawl because the works will be toured and discussed along the streetcar route. It begins at the Kansas City Artists Coalition office at…
Pair of Downtown Festivals Saturday Promises a Great Day of Beer and Music
By Kevin Collison A pair of fun annual events are overlapping Saturday in downtown Kansas City, promising a day of great live music and a huge selection of craft beers. Beginning at 3 p.m., the Ninth Annual KC Beer Fest will take over Grand Boulevard from 13th to 14th streets and the adjoining Power &…
Irish Fest Brings Lots of Gaelic Fun and Dollars to Downtown Kansas City This Labor Day Weekend
Kansas City Irish Fest 2017 kicks off its traditional Labor Day weekend Friday, and its growing success mirrors the rebound of downtown since the event relocated to Crown Center in 2004 after a soaking debut on the riverfront. “In 2002, downtown was a bit of a ghost town during the week, and a virtual one…
Huge Global Audience Views Dramatic Time-Lapse Video of Downtown Kansas City During Eclipse
By Kevin Collison What started as a brainstorming session at the World War I National Museum and Memorial has been seen by almost 1.3 million people on Facebook, a 48-second time-lapse video of downtown Kansas City during last week’s total eclipse. The dramatic video taken from the top of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas…
‘Bird’ Celebration Takes Wing This Week in Downtown Kansas City, Elsewhere
By Kevin Collison The Fourth Annual Charlie Parker Celebration, an event that honors both the music legend and boosts Kansas City’s current jazz scene, begins today (Thursday) with a reception at the American Jazz Museum at 6 p.m. in the 18th & Vine District. It’s the start of a 12-day festival, described as the largest…