Bottom Line
ONGOING
Some people are never at rest. Such is the case with Comics Creators Network founder Elizabeth Jacobson. She was out for a couple of months with what she calls “a minor bout of meningitis,” but she has bounced back in rare form. And we mean that literally. As a yoga instructor heading up Exhale Studios with Pilates guru Jennifer Barnett, Jacobson is often seen in the form of a tree, a chair or a table. Exhale Studios splits the rent for the space — which once housed Panacea gallery and, before that, the Kelvin — with a painter, a comic-book writer and a fellow who plans on projecting old movies onto one of the expansive white-brick walls come springtime. Right now, these resourceful artists are still settling into their new digs. In the painting studio is an easel; in the writing area are a computer desk and some books. The movie area remains a blank slate; in the yoga studio are mats.
Jacobson knows there are bigger shows in town, and she’s realistic. “We’re just a couple of kids with a dream — and a yoga mat,” she jokes.
There’s no official sign outside the 1317 Union Avenue studio, just hand-scrawled letters inside a frame. As you walk in, you’re more likely to hear the sounds of a Yo La Tengo album than a new-age blend of flutes and rain sticks. If you’ve had it up to here with flutes, this may be a studio to check out. Just try not to be distracted by the occasional whistle of a passing train. For information, call 816-682-1642 or see exhalekc.com.— Gina Kaufmann
Friends in High Places
THU 9/25
Rosamond Bernier has plenty to dish. As founder of the French art magazine L’oeil, she was welcomed into the studios of such icons as Picasso and Matisse. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (4525 Oak) brings her to town September 25 with “I Knew Frida,” in which she recounts her tales of schmoozing with hot dead artist Frida Kahlo. Their friendship took root when Kahlo was known as Diego Rivera’s wife but lasted through the fame that Kahlo finally earned for herself. Recalling past lectures by Bernier, the Nelson’s Kevin Dowd says, “She wears elegant gowns and always has good slides. It’s like a performance piece.” The lecture is at 6 p.m.; admission is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers. Call 816-561-4000 for more information.— Steve Walker
Talking Revolution
WED 10/1
Michael Long describes the weekly gathering of writers, singers and poets at Trago Restaurant & Lounge (1109 Grand) as “political, social, spiritual and cultural — and mostly from the African-American perspective.” Called ULIT 101: The Revolution of the Spoken Word, the 9 p.m. Wednesday performances grew out of the Urban Literature project, organized by Long and G. Damani Weddington. Since the shows started in June, Long says, there’s been no shortage of topics for participants. The war in Iraq? “More about the consequences leading up to it,” he says. He adds that the work is often oriented toward civil rights. “It’s about how the struggle has been waged and continues to be waged.” Call 816-509-0873 for information. — Walker
A Sinking Feeling
FRI 9/26
It’s a testament to media technology that a sunken space capsule, in this day and age, is recovered not by any government agency but by the Discovery Channel. After being restored at the Kansas Cosmosphere, The Lost Spacecraft — a traveling exhibit of the restored Liberty Bell 7 capsule and its waterlogged contents — opens at Union Station (30 West Pershing Road, 816-460-2020). Displays include a centrifuge that spins the willing into two G forces, and a helicopter rescue re-creation piloted by visitors. Steal a few moments in the 1961 living room, with rabbit ears and dated TV broadcasts; the reception alone should convince you that the future is a great place to be. — Christopher Sebela
