Metalomania

FRI 11/19
A few words and phrases invariably make us think of hopelessly gauche fashions. There’s wearable art, usually a creative way of saying “overpriced tie-dye,” and edible clothing, which unpleasantly evokes digestible underwear. Kansas City metalsmith Robyn Nichols displays art we can wear and clothes we can eat at A:MAZE: An Exhibition of Silver, Sugar and Horsepower Friday at the Pearl Gallery (1818 McGee, 816-474-1731), but we won’t find any hippie couture or chocolate panties.

Instead, we’ll be exploring the maze set up inside Nichols’ studio, a labyrinth filled with wedding-themed vignettes starring live models wearing Nichols’ delicate, organically inspired jewelry and edible fashions of SugarVeil confectioner Michele Hester. And the horsepower? That’s in the form of display choppers from Worth Harley-Davidson. “I’ve always been fascinated by motorcycles,” Nichols says. “The machine itself is an art form and is wearable — it is a metal creation that becomes a part of you.” Catch the heavy metal thunder from 5 to 9 p.m. — Rebecca Braverman

Toys B Us
G.I. Joe was no playa hata.

THU 11/18
Any child would be happy to get a Christmas gift from some guy who sports a dog collar and a 3-foot-high mohawk or from a gold-toothed rapper with a penchant for cognac and ganja, according to Mental-E Challyngd Records founder Tony Hart. “Rap has always had a bad image in the community,” Hart says. “I wanted to change that by giving something back.”

Hart is host of the Halfwits for Humanity Charity Ball at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Stray Cat (1319 Grand). It’s a benefit for Toys for Tots, so one new, unopened toy (no stuffed animals or toys with electrical parts) buys a ticket to see nine rap, punk and metal acts. Headliners include solo rappers HyperSniper of KCK and Killjoy of San Diego; also on the bill are punk rockers Fighting for Friday and the Independence metal band Vivisection. Call 816-257-2405. —Todd Broockerd

Recycled Grounds

SUN 11/21
As the Bistate II beatdown proved, plenty of folks are skeptical about spending their tax dollars to maintain sports stadiums or put up performing-arts centers. If only such structures could support themselves and aid the environment at no cost to the community. Perhaps the Chiefs’ playing field could create a photosynthetic surge of oxygen, or the communal urinals could drain into a solar-powered wastewater treatment facility. The local firm BNIM touts that sort of sustainable design, such as wetlands landscaping that scrubs away parking-lot pollutants. In a lecture at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Bishop Hogan library (1221 East Meyer Boulevard), BNIM’s Phaedra Svec sheds some light on the situation. For more information, call 816-561-1866. — Andrew Miller