Bringin’ Him Back
FRI 8/15
According to the Weekly World News, Elvis Presley broke his leg in a motorcycle crash back in 1992. The esteemed news source described the incident as “a chilling reminder that [Elvis] is, after all, only human and that one silly mistake could be the tragedy that snatches him from our lives forever.” Coincidentally, the grand finale of the 16th Annual KY Elvis Parade features a performance by Bobby Lee, a freestyle motorcyclist who will jump parked cars while dressed as Elvis. Lee, 22, has been riding motorcycles for the past 15 years, but there’s no guarantee that this dangerous stunt won’t end in disaster.
“I doubt you could find a professional motocross rider that hasn’t broken at least one bone. Seriously,” says John Borba of WGAS Motorsports, who helped plan the show. The parade, which includes 25 Elvi, begins at 12th Street and Central at noon Friday. It’s followed by a Best Elvis contest with a $100 prize for the winner. For more information, call Tanna at 913-677-8013.— Theresa Bembnister
Pass It On
FRI 8/15
People who could stand to brush up on their knowledge of African history might consider checking out the collection of African art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (4525 Oak, 816-751-1278). What can you learn from the patterns on the backrest made by the Kuba people? Each Kuba king had to create his own pattern, which the people used in their art. And the reliquary figures made by the Kofa and Fang peoples? They were placed on bundles of bones that these migratory peoples carried to remember their ancestors as they moved from place to place.
This is just a sampling of the knowledge that Assistant Curator of African Art Joyce Youmans has tucked away. Friday night at 7, she shares her insights in African Art as History, an informal talk in Gallery 304. “In African art, there’s a reason why everything is where it is,” she says.— Gina Kaufmann
Story Time
8/14-8/20
Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali spread their aesthetic wealth around with dips into cinema; what might Rembrandt or Goya have done with a camera? The Independent Filmmakers Coalition tweaks that idea with Every Picture Tells a Story. Spokesman Joe Heyen has invited filmmakers to film a painting by a local artist, then slather their own interpretation onto it in a film running no more than three and a half minutes. People crazy enough to think one week is enough time to complete the project (it’s due Wednesday, August 20) can start filming now. Everyone else can plan on seeing the results August 23 at the Fahrenheit Gallery. For information, call 816-753-7243.— Steve Walker
