Coffee Table Bloch

Architect Stephen Holl’s work on the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Bloch Building is examined and celebrated by dozens of area artists, writers and poets in a fancy new book called The Sixth Surface: Stephen Holl Lights the Expanded Nelson-Atkins Museum. The book — which readers may find conveniently sized for coffee tables — gets its launch at tonight’s release party, under a tent in the parking lot outside the H&R Block Artspace gallery (16 East 43rd Street, 816-561-5563). The book includes an architecture-inspired poem called “Hidden Song” by Kansas City author Dennis Weiser. “I wasn’t really thinking about the Bloch Building when I wrote the piece,” he says. “It was kind of generally about architecture. I’m very impressed by the Bloch extension. It’s particularly gorgeous and luminescent at night. And I like the flat Bloch rectangles — visually, it’s a very compelling space.” Meet Weiser and other contributors from 5:30 to 8:30 tonight.

Wed., Nov. 7, 5:30-8:30 p.m., 2007