The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College continues its popular program, Third Thursday Visiting Artists’ Presentations, from in the museum’s Hudson Auditorium, with special guest artists James Brinsfield and Maria Velasco and JCCC moderators Anthony Baab, adjunct assistant professor, fine arts, and Brian Hogarth, adjunct assistant professor, art history. The program is free and open to…
Spring doesn’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that fling, and that’s where the Mid America Freedom Band, Kansas City’s LGBT community ensemble, steps in tonight at Unity Temple on the Plaza (707 West 47th Street). The all-volunteer group’s 8 p.m. concert, Spring Fling, is a two-act affair. The first, Spring, takes you through the season’s awakening, from “Winter’s…
Over the past few years, local playwright Bill Rogers has quietly discovered how to get independent, thoughtful productions up and running. Rogers, who has written about the Kansas-Missouri border wars (Broken Strings) and generational strife (Collisions), makes a family-inheritance squabble the center of tonight’s world-premiere comedy, Breaking the Trust. In the past, he has tried out new material at the…
No one knows for sure what Jesus would do, but surely he would endorse the Power to End Stroke initiative, the American Stroke Association’s campaign to raise stroke awareness in the black community. Most likely, he would advise those at risk for strokes (the third leading killer of all Americans) to visit the health fair at the Kansas City Power…
Yeah, yeah, we know there are no class distinctions in America. When the dumps are piled with both discarded Truck Nutz and the rusting husks of castoff Lexus vehicles, it’s apparent that Americans from across the economic spectrum are united in their consumerist approach to civilization. Combining found objects with resin, polyester, crafting supplies and melted plastic, Kansas City Art…
Get high like a plane during today’s first-ever Lawrence Paper Glider Fly-In. This all-ages “non-competitive exposition” features gliders made by locals plus some submitted from around the world. Judges grade gliders according to various categories, including distance flown, “spectacular crash,” elegance and weirdness. The event finishes with a “free for all” flight. The Fly-In is part of the ongoing Out…
In the late ’90s, professional wrestler Jeff Jarrett developed a country-singer persona and switched back and forth three times between World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation. In 2002, “Double J” developed his own faction, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. At 7:30 p.m. tonight, he brings that fan-experience-centered production to the Independence Events Center (19100 East Valley View Parkway,…
An installation of lighted, suspended ceramic sculptures by Linda Lighton titled Luminous is on display in Rockhurst University’s Greenlease Gallery. Lighton, a prolific artist, has shown her work extensively in the United States and around the world. She has had 46 solo shows since 1974 and has participated in more than 117 group exhibitions. Thursdays-Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. Starts: April 16….
Get a warm “mabuhay” (that’s welcome in the Philippines) at Johnson County Community College’s Yardley Hall (12345 College Boulevard in Overland Park, 913-469-4445) at 8 p.m. when the Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Troupe presents “Alamat: A Dance Journey into Philippine Folklore.” The group puts a spin on traditional folk stories, with influence from tribal living, Muslim culture and rural lifestyles. Fun…
Sample the fare of Polynesia, Asia, Europe and other faraway places, but travel no farther than KC’s Northland. The annual Northland Ethnic Festival at Park Hill South High School (4500 Northwest River Park Drive in Riverside) runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The free event features food, exhibits, goods and demonstrations that represent cultures from all over the globe….
J’Adore Burlesque is a new monthly burlesque revue. The debut show features a wide array of local performers as well as headlining troupe, Naughty Pierre’s Burlesque and Comedy Roadshow. Traveling all the way from Denver, Naughty Pierre will bring his cast of burlesque dancers and Vaudeville variety acts to offer up titillation and fun. Local performers include Lucky DeLuxe, Stella…
Vahalla Studios, a gallery and print shop in the Crossroads district owned by 2010 Pitch Masterminds Dan Padavic and Tad Carpenter, presents Sincerely Yours, an exhibition of works by Kansas City Art Institute seniors Jane Sheldon and Zoe Pedziwiatr. The opening reception lasts from 6 to 9 p.m. Fri., April 16, 6-9 p.m., 2010 Tags: Jane Sheldon, Kansas City Art…
It can be a little hard to relate to a kid who attends wizard school. As fictional teenagers endowed with fantastic powers go, Harry Potter is all right, but Jacob Fielding is a little more realistic. The protagonist of Patrick Carman’s novel Thirteen Days to Midnight is an Oregon orphan with a recently acquired secret superpower: He’s indestructible (physically speaking,…
It may seem natural to think of business and the arts as separate pursuits. But serious artists know that creative success involves a certain amount of professional savvy. During Insiders Guide to the Arts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area: A Panel Presentation, six local people with an intimate understanding of where business and art intersect share insights on such…
Kansas City’s Emily Henson shoots photos (sometimes for The Pitch) that are urban and moody, often mysterious and sweetly composed. Take “My Mother,” a shot from her exhibit It’s All Relative at Apartment B, a new experimental art space at 4124 Warwick. In this self-portrait, Henson impersonates her mother sitting in a dining nook, looking over her shoulder at the…
The animals performing this weekend during the Kansas City Pet Expo at the American Royal Center (1701 American Royal Court) would give your dog or cat an inferiority complex. It’s a good thing you’re not allowed to take them. Browse vendors for cool pet gear, then look in on the stage shows to see dogs doing all the tricks that…
Your boyfriend can do a killer Meatwad impression, but he’s still no Dave Willis. A writer and producer for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, Willis provides the voice for that lovable glob of protein, as well as for Carl, the wife-beater-wearing neighbor on the series Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Willis and his colleague Dana Snyder preview the show’s new season and…
Question: What nation was founded 62 years ago on this day? Answer: Israel. To celebrate, the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and Congregation Beth Shalom present a free event of gadgetry and culture. Techno-Israel takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Beth Shalom (9400 Wornall) and blends a showcase of technological wonders developed in Israel — for example,…
For our friends the Germans, putting on a film festival amounts to another excuse to put out a great spread. When the Hannover Committee of the Sister City Association of Kansas City presents its fourth-annual German Film Festival at the Mission Theater (5909 Johnson Drive in Mission), expect to find weisswurst, knackwurst, cheese, fruit, desserts and beverages (including beer and…
In a first-impressions world, Chicago art critic Lori Waxman still wants to get to the point a little sooner. So she invented 60 Wrd/Min Art Critic, an approach to evaluating visual art that’s part performance and part rhetorical mind-fuck (and part admonition of the usual critical suspects). Explanations of her methods and principles require way more than 60 words and…
Katie Gilchrist and Mykel Hill come to terms with family history in Mappa Mundi.The saddest thing about theater in Kansas City is that so many actors who have trained to capture truths of the human condition hardly ever have the opportunity to do so, thanks mostly to those same truths. Actors gotta eat, and steady checks come from the theaters…
As Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, it’s impossible to step into the same river twice. You’re never going to see Tut Tut twice, either. The local band’s members flow in and out of the group like a river’s current. “I don’t think any version has lasted for more than five to six shows,” says Alexander Abnos, the 24-year-old frontman of…
Dear Mexican: I’ve dated a few Mexican girls in the last couple of years and I’ve come to realize one big, important thing: Most of the girls didn’t know how to cook, clean and, you know — bring that ol’-school Mexican flavor from the roots! What’s happening to all our true mexicanas? I know times are changing and all, but…
Studies in Crap: “Local Power,” March 18 Dead Letters Alan Scherstuhl’s recent “Studies In Crap” column, “Muscling into a union bigwig’s old mail” concerned the records and correspondence of Jack Joyce, electrical workers union leader. Jack was my father-in-law’s father. He passed away this past winter, which shouldn’t surprise you since you found the records that you used in your…
