Festival founder/director Marquez (Quez) Beasley (courtesy Marquez (Quez) Beasley)
The 18th & Vine Arts Festival’s 2025 theme, “A Renaissance on Vine: Celebrating Black Film, Television & Dandyism,” may recall the Met Gala’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme from this past spring, but festival founder/director Marquez (Quez) Beasley and marketing manager Cedric Williams have been planning the festival’s theme for a year. Beasley and Williams have been absorbed in every part of the process in enlisting artists, fashion designers, filmmakers and food trucks galore for the 18th & Vine Arts Festival, which runs Sept. 26-28 on Paseo Blvd. from 18th St. to Truman Rd.
Beasley says the event fills a noticeable gap in arts representation by people of color. “I didn’t see a lot of Black or brown people,” he says. “And there weren’t a lot of spaces provided for our artists.” He made his pitch to Melissa Robinson, City Council member for the 3rd District. “I said, ‘We need one (festival) for 18th & Vine. All the other districts have one and we don’t have one.’”
Now in its third year, the festival represents a full spectrum of support services for its artists. The festival’s values — equity, creativity, holistic support, community and sustainability — anchor the festival’s approach, which is to provide not just festival exposure but the resources to make a viable living as a working artist.
To “create a more equitable ecosystem for the artists,” Williams says participating artists aren’t charged booth fees (though there is one for registration). “We help them get bank accounts, LLCs, EINs, access to grants, and we’re helping them get into affordable housing. So, we want to create a 360 process here for Black and brown artists in Kansas City.”
Beasley says, “Our big thing is making sure artists make money.”
The festival is part of a year-round arts involvement for both men. They hold a series of artist calls in the weeks before the festival to orient the artists. In November’s annual Arts Conference, Beasley and Williams will engage different stakeholders in the ongoing development and funding of the arts in the 18th & Vine district.
What Beasley and Williams plan for is artists and attendees connecting to and celebrating every aspect of dandyism to “embody” this year’s theme.
Fashion, then, will take center stage on the festival’s opening night with a show featuring 100 models wearing looks by eight designers. Following will be a Local Black Film Showcase, which will be held at the Gem Theater.
Saturday’s highlights include the Live on the Vine Music Competition, in which the 12 acts who won slots in the July 23 auditions are judged by Grammy-nominated artists from Kansas City to compete for a prize of studio time.
Sunday, the final day of the family-friendly event, rouses attendees with a Gospel Brunch, and a Culinary Arts Exhibition with what Beasley describes as a Food Network approach.
“When people come to the festival,” says Williams, “they find a table, break out the dominos. It’s like a big family reunion. People come and stay the whole day and enjoy the vibe.”
Williams also speaks warmly of the support the festival, a 501(c)(3), has received from the Kansas City arts community, including ArtsKC, PBS KC, corporate sponsors and individual donors.
“We want to make sure we represent all arts in Kansas City. We want to be very intentional in what that investment looks like. We need to make sure we don’t get left behind, and also that we’re part of the forefront. That’s why 18th & Vine, that area, is so special.”
What keeps both Beasley and Williams going is the challenge to keep going. “With art, we’re able to express ourselves and what we want to do. That’s it,” says Beasley. “That’s what art is; it embodies all your struggles and everything you go through in life. We represent that with the 18th & Vine Arts Festival.”
Williams looks at the current administration, the looming threat of AI, and the fate of the 18th & Vine neighborhood as the impetus to keep pushing. “In 2025, art is definitely at a disadvantage,” he says. “The challenge, the trouble, is right there. That actually gives us energy and lets us know we’re on the right path and we’re not the only people thinking this. Power’s in the numbers. With all this change going on it just gives us more energy.”
For more information on festival hours, tickets (pre-sale weekend pass, $20; day pass, $10), and how to donate or volunteer, visit www.18thandvineartsfestival.com.
