Brian McTavish

Brian McTavish

Brian McTavish is a freelance writer specializing in the arts and pop culture. He was an arts and entertainment writer for more than 20 years at The Kansas City Star. He regularly shares his “Weekend To-Do List” at KCUR-FM (89.3)/kcur.org.

The Job: Paul Churchill

The Job: Paul Churchill

Art preparator Paul Churchill doesn’t have the easiest job to explain in a jiffy.“ People ask, ‘What do you do?’” Churchill says. “I tell them, ‘Basically, I’m a preparator,’ and they say, ‘What is that?’ I go, ‘Well, it’s actually somebody who installs, packs, stores and ships artwork in a museum setting.

Arts News: Not Your Average Art Course

Appreciating art and accurately putting a golf ball may seem like disparate objectives. Yet “each requires a certain level of discipline and commitment and creativity,” says Casey Claps, manager of strategic initiatives at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. And each will come into symbiotic play at Art Course, the new mini-golf experience open May 24 […]

The Job: Leslie Miller

Nude model Leslie Miller no longer hangs at crowded art galleries on First Fridays in the Crossroads Arts District. But her likeness likely does.“You see an amazing piece that’s selling for hundreds of dollars — and it’s of you,” Miller says. “So I don’t go to First Fridays anymore, because I’m already there. Why go? What’s the point?”

The Job: Mike Horner

The Job: Mike Horner

Since Mike Horner became artistic director of Mesner Puppet Theatre in 2016, he’s tried to build on the successful tradition of the company’s founder and former artistic director, Paul Mesner. But no matter what Horner does, he keeps being mistaken for his now-retired mentor. To say that Horner resembles Mesner might be an understatement.

Veg with Netflix . . . or Get Out and Get Smarter

Veg with Netflix . . . or Get Out and Get Smarter

Cinematic adventure, intrigue, tragedy, romance — and a bit of classic Brando to boot. You won’t find it streaming on Netflix or Hulu, at least not with the kind of expertly curated context and additional live commentary available for free at a variety of winter film series and screenings scheduled at area museums and cultural institutions.

Arts Marketing Goes to the Dogs

Arts Marketing Goes to the Dogs

Have you noticed how pets and other animals are everywhere? In addition to ubiquitous social media postings about silly pets and media stories extolling the latest sweet, brave or otherwise inspirational animal in the news, critters are helping to market all manner of goods and services these days. The art world has taken heed.