Former Huck Finn artist now working in a pink, plastic bubble

​As I watched Jamie Burkart and his brave band of fellow artists ship off from Kaw Point in a boat made of recycled materials in July 2007, I admit, I was worried for their safety. Their intent was to sail their bicycle-propelled craft all the way down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers “until the taste of salt.” They had their share of dramatic moments, but, proving that artists and idealists are the most resourceful people on the planet, Burkart and crew made it all the way to the Gulf of Mexico four months after they departed Kansas City.
 
That experience didn’t satiate Burkart’s fascination with the Missouri River and how it shapes Kansas City. On Tuesday his latest artistic endeavor opened at the Paragraph Gallery. But, while the door is open — a revolving entry fashioned from four discarded wooden slabs fastened together — the project is still a work in progress.