Night & Day Events
Thursday, December 2
The military draft may be unthinkable to our Republican leaders (so they say), but in Israel every citizen is drafted into the military at age 18. Itzhak Assour was no exception, and in the early ’80s, the army paratrooper found himself reevaluating life as he recovered from being shot out of the sky. Disillusioned by the sad truth that Israel is best known for wars and soldiers, Assour took up sculpting and, in 1985, received government support to take the works of other Israeli artists to foreign countries to promote a positive image of his homeland. Assour’s exhibition and art sale, Expressions, opens today and runs through December 15 at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City (5801 West 115th Street in Overland Park, 913-327-8000). The show, which brings more than 700 artworks by 125 Israeli artists, is open during center hours.
Friday, December 3
As a left-brained photography student in college, we loved how methodical the darkroom process was. To us, the enormous amount of time it required only increased its value. Then we did an independent study in digital imaging, realized that certain software gave us way more time to go out, and thought, Darkroom? Yeah, fucking right. That’s why we have such respect for Doug Zubenel and his Messengers of Light exhibit at the Cube at Beco (1922 Baltimore, 816-582-8997), which opens from 7 to 9 tonight. As gallery director Mike Dalena insists, “Doug doesn’t even do e-mail, so I know he’s never Photoshopped anything.” Dalena says that Zubenel’s celestial reproductions are aided by a large-scale telescope he made himself, “from the grinding of the lenses and mirrors to its assembly.” We even heard that the motor is powered by the battery of his Toyota Corolla. Kick ass, Doug.
Saturday, December 4
To the uncultured, fat American mind, there are two kinds of historical German figures: the guy in jackboots wielding a riding crop, and the guy wearing lederhosen and holding a frothing beer stein. Those of us with degrees in the liberal arts, however, know that there is so much more to German culture — like Goethe and, um, Berlin by Lou Reed. But regardless of how little we know about our Deutch-spraching friends, we are aware that their beer and brats are second only to Southern soul food in terms of transcendental party fuel. So we’re fasting for 24 hours prior to attending the 11th Annual Kristkindl Markt from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ (205 West 65th Street), where vendors, singers, puppets, accordionists and children building gingerbread houses blend together in a merry, mental mustard swirl as we stagger to and from the biergarten. Call 816-523-4813.
Sunday, December 5
While we’ve got our oom-pahs on (and if we’re not completely bombed), we’ll head over to Union Station (30 West Pershing Road, 816-460-2020) at 2 p.m. for Tubachristmas, a 100-tuba-strong, low-brass orgy of Christmas music that traces its origin to New York in 1974, back before the NYPD started putting the beat-down on all renditions of “Jingle Bells” played more than one octave below middle C.
Even the most inveterate atheist can’t deny that something miraculous happens when soul food and gospel music come together — and we’re not talking about munching leftover fried chicken on Sunday morning while listening half-attentively to A Prairie Home Companion. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday at the Phoenix Piano Bar and Grill (302 West Eighth Street, 816-472-0001), soul-stirring, live gospel music meets sinner-redeeming soul food at the Jazz Gospel Brunch. Sources testify that if he were still alive and could attend this Sunday gathering, even Bertrand Russell would be asking for a witness.
Monday, December 6
The Nutcracker might be a favorite holiday tradition for many families, but the part when Clara throws her slipper at the Mouse King, hits him squarely in the head and kills him never seemed very festive to us. We’ll voice our concerns at 7 tonight at the West Wyandotte Library (1737 North 82nd Street in Kansas City, Kansas, 913-596-5800), where Linda Martin from the Kansas City Ballet presents “Nutcracker in a Nutshell,” a program about the beloved ballet that includes discussions of the story, stagecraft, costumes and dancing. Perhaps we’ll feel so relieved that we can enjoy the actual dance performance at the Midland Theatre (1228 Main), showing each weekend through December 24. Call 816-931-2232, ext. 375, or see www.kcballet.org for show times.
Tuesday, December 7
If the syrupy sweet pop act Mulberry Lane didn’t share our four-sister family makeup, we would have forgotten all about it shortly after its 2000 debut single reached No. 25 on the U.S. charts — like we thought everyone else in the country did. Apparently, however, those girls are (somehow) still riding their short brush with fame. They even have a heartland holiday tour, A Very Merry Mulberry Christmas Show, which stops at the Folly Theater (300 West 12th Street) at 7:30 tonight. Tickets start at $22; call 816-931-3330.
Wednesday, December
As part of its Re-imagining the Public Realm lecture series, the Kansas City Design Center brings Lee Bey to give a lecture on urban planning at 6 p.m. (following a reception at 5) at the Central Library (14 West Tenth Street). Before becoming media and government-affairs man at the huge-ass architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), Bey was Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s voice on public housing and also worked on the redevelopment of Soldier Field. In our eyes, however, Bey’s most interesting résumé item is his former job as architecture critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, where he duked it out with The Chicago Tribune‘s Blair Kamin over the changes to the most architecturally interesting, dynamic and innovative urban landscape in America. Call 816-421-1539.
