Meet Our MasterMinds

The Kansas City area is full of artists, innovators and entrepreneurs who are changing our cultural landscape, often doing so with little recognition — much less financial reward. With our first annual MasterMind Awards, the Pitch set out to change that by identifying and honoring a few of this town’s creative geniuses. And so, on Saturday, April 1, aesthetic adventurers in four fields — visual arts, performing arts, film/video/new media, and design/fashion — will be rewarded for their creative efforts with MasterMind awards of $1,000 each.

In arriving at these selections, we took nominations from the community and went out ourselves in search of cutting-edge work being done right now, right here. We brainstormed with some of the city’s best-known culture creators, masterminds in their own right. (See below for a list of the community members who helped with the selection process.) Our intention was not to make lifetime achievement awards — we hope our recipients continue their creative endeavors for decades to come. This wasn’t a popularity contest. Instead, we wanted to recognize individuals or institutions whose cultural and creative contributions are helping to redesign — and redefine — where we live.

And then give them some cold, hard cash as thanks for their efforts .

Come celebrate their collective contribution at the MasterMind Awards presentation at our first annual Creative Bliss party, 7 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the Screenland, 1656 Washington (816-421-2900). Tickets for a night of fashion, musical entertainment, food and other freebies are just $15. You don’t have to be a genius to see what a great deal that is.

The winners of the 2006 MasterMind Awards®:

MasterMind, Visual Arts:
SIke Style
MasterMind, Film/Video/New Media:
Andrea Flamini
MasterMind, Performing Arts:
Georgianna Londre
MasterMind, Design/Fashion:
Peggy Noland

Visual Arts
Film/Video/New Media
Performing Arts
Design/Fashion
Sponsors

MasterMind Awards selection committee members:/b> Ray T. Barker, Rebecca Braverman, Annie Fischer, C.J. Janovy and Alan Scherstuhl of the Pitch; Patrick Clancy, chairman of the Photography and New Media Department at the Kansas City Art Institute; Debra DiBlasi, multimedia writer and artist; Daven Gee, assistant professor of film and media at the University of Missouri-Kansas City; Hadley Johnson, owner of Spool; Amy Kennedy, managing director of the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center; Cynthia Levin, producing artistic director at the Unicorn Theatre; Tom Mardikes, chair of the UMKC Department of Theatre. Thanks to everyone who nominated anyone. If your nominee didn’t win, try again next year.