Julius Karash

Julius Karash

Julius A. Karash is a freelance writer, editor and public relations person. He formerly was a business reporter for the Kansas City Star and executive editor of KC Business magazine. He devours business and economic news, and is keenly interested in the relationship between arts and economic development in the Kansas City area.

Richard Hunt’s Exuberant ‘Spirit of Freedom Fountain’ Receiving a Much-Needed Restoration

Richard Hunt’s Exuberant ‘Spirit of Freedom Fountain’ Receiving a Much-Needed Restoration

With the restoration of another iconic fountain underway, Kansas City is burnishing its reputation as a city that cares about public art, cultural diversity and its “City of Fountains” bragging rights. The “Spirit of Freedom Fountain,” located at Cleveland Avenue and Brush Creek Boulevard on the city’s historically neglected East Side, was taken down for a long-needed fix-up after a removal ceremony on Dec. 8.

Arts News: Haw Contemporary Expanding to Crossroads

Arts News: Haw Contemporary Expanding to Crossroads

Haw Contemporary, which filled a void when John O’Brien shut down his Dolphin gallery in the West Bottoms, is expanding into a Crossroads building that housed the Dolphin in its early years. Haw Contemporary owner Bill Haw Jr. said in January that he had agreed to lease about 2,500 square feet on the east side […]

Arts News: Johnson County Scales Back Funding for Public Art

With large public construction projects in the pipeline, the Johnson County Commission on Nov. 2 voted to cut funding for public art designed to enhance such projects. The commission’s action reduces the public art funding cap for a new county courthouse from $1 million to $500,000, and caps all funding for future public art projects […]

Lead Bank: A Leader in Supporting KC Arts and Artists

Lead Bank: A Leader in Supporting KC Arts and Artists

Step into the lobby of Lead Bank in the Crossroads Arts District and your eye will no doubt focus on “Woven Shades of Blue with Gold Triptych Art.” Lead Bank commissioned artist Debbie Barrett-Jones to create this artwork in January 2016. “A lot of people have supported me throughout the years, since I graduated 10 […]

Open Spaces: Kansas City’s First Arts Biennial Starts in Swope Park

Open Spaces: Kansas City’s First Arts Biennial Starts in Swope Park

80 Artists to Present Projects and Performances City Wide Kansas City’s arts scene is anticipating a big shot of steroids from this summer’s debut of “Open Spaces 2018: A Kansas City Arts Experience.” Scheduled for Aug. 25 through Oct. 28, Open Spaces is designed to galvanize appreciation for contemporary art and Kansas City’s stature in […]