October art preview: Where to go, what to see in KC this month
Reading as Publishing
Below, your monthly guide to impressing Tinder dates with your knowledge of art happenings in Kansas City. Go on—you got this!
Capsule
Here is a very special opportunity to finally mark up books from the library—albeit not a real library. The arts space Capsule will be transformed into a temporary library and reading room where attendees are encouraged to annotate, highlight, and make notes about the books they read, which will then be uploaded to a website, shared in real time, and later collated for publishing. If you miss this one, mark your calendar for the first Wednesday in December, when it returns for round two.
Event: Wednesday, Oct 2, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. 1664 Broadway Blvd.
“Dream Team,” Fatimah Tuggar
2019 Charlotte Street Visual Artist Awards
Kemper Museum
The three recipients of Charlotte Street’s annual Visual Artist Awards present new work at the Kemper Museum, with each artist “expanding [their] individual presentation methods.” Given that Boi Boy, one of the award winners, has presentation methods that include painting, textiles, drag performance, and immersive party hosting (Alter), I’m excited to see what else he has up his sleeve. (His Instagram story suggests an abundance of mylar might be involved.) The other two recipients of the award are also sure to impress. Fatimah Tuggar uses technology as both a medium and a theme in her work. Megan Pobywajlo is a photographer who creates striking and unusual still lifes.
Open: Thursday, October 3, through Sunday, January 26, 2020. 4420 Warwick.
Capsule
This evening promises a multi-sensory experience, combining visual art, story, and music around the theme of early fatherhood. Lullabies at Dawn is an illustrated songbook by Simon Fink, featuring art by Benjamin Parks. Accompanying the performance is The Wires, a duo performing on violin and cello. Story readings begin at 7 p.m.; the music starts at 8 p.m.
Event: Friday, October 4, 5 p.m.–9 p.m. 1664 Broadway Blvd.
Julia Larberg
Vulpes Bastille
Julia Larberg describes taking the photographs in this exhibit as “a survival tactic that anchored me to the present moment”; they became something like a meditation for her. Given the omnipresence of cameras—you’re very likely reading this on a device that has a super-high-quality camera within it—we all have the opportunity to record moments happening around us all the time. Often, that seems detrimental to our mental health. But maybe for Larberg, it was just the opposite.
Opening reception: Friday, October 4, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. 1737 Locust St.
Rachel Gardner-Roe
Portal: Textiles by Rachel Gardner-Roe
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
Rural-born Rachel Gardner-Roe calls upon imagery of her childhood in flowers and animals, while incorporating wool from her family’s farm. File under: pretty objects that don’t require you to think too hard.
Opening reception: Friday October 4, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. 2012 Baltimore.
Later the Same Sun: Jason Needham
Bunker Center for the Arts
Jason Needham’s landscape paintings are dense and lush, with bold colors dominating the canvas. He paints en plein air (a fancy French way of saying say outdoors), bringing detailed observation to mundane scenes one might otherwise walk past.
Opening reception: Friday, October 4, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. 1014 E 19th St.
Open House
How’d you get here? What made you who you are? Nine artists interpret their own origin stories “to form a house haunted by memory.” Curated by Graham Carroll & Paige Nicole Gordon, featuring David Alpert, 2007 Balquier, Jaime David, Paige Nicole Gordon, Neko, Amy Rosario, Ian Teeple, Will Toney, and Lauren Louvel Louise Whitacre.
Opening reception: Saturday, October 5, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. 4419 State Line Rd.
Then and Now: Photography and the Printed Image
Linda Hall Library
Where my archival nerds at? Current printmaking students at KCAI delved into the collection at the Linda Hall Library for inspiration in the prints, photographs, and books held there. This exhibit will showcase the original artifacts side-by-side with the new art created in response.
Open: Thursday, October 10, through March 14, 2020. Coffee with the curators: Saturday, Oct 12, 11 a.m.
