Artist Julia Morris wrapped KC Streetcar #806 with her artwork “EPH 4:2” as part of the 2024 Art in the Loop outdoor display, a collaboration with the KC Streetcar Authority. (Art in the Loop)
Urban adventurers and KC Streetcar commuters will encounter Art in the Loop productions along the streetcar line through November 2024. The KC Streetcar Authority collaborated with Art in the Loop to present the annual outdoor display, which includes artwork on a streetcar, art installations at several stops and live performances.
“This year’s theme is ‘Convivencia,’ which can be translated as living with differences in space between harmony and conflict, where friction is a warm energy that can lead to creative solutions,” said Art in the Loop Foundation director Ann Holliday. “We knew our local artist community would be uniquely positioned to interpret the ideas of coexistence in their art.”
Art in the Loop visual arts director Marissa Starke said the theme “seemed to deeply resonate with the Kansas City arts community, resulting in nearly 100 applications from visual artists.” “The artists’ work represents a wide range of artistic styles, mediums and topics,” she added.
KC Streetcar #806 is wrapped with the artwork “EPH 4:2” by KC artist Julia Morris, depicting vibrant illustrations of people in acrobatic-like motion and at rest. According to her project statement, Morris’ digital design explores themes of grace, compassion and the challenges of human relationships. “Fluid movement and overlapping colors in the design emphasize harmonious relationships,” she explains, “while rigid forms invite viewers to consider how to engage with the people in their own communities who are adversarial, needy, or marginalized.”
The KC Streetcar route also shuttles riders past the 2024 Art in the Loop commissioned artworks.
They include Bei Hu’s multimedia design and video installation “Our Sky Project,” exploring languages, cultures, time and space, located at the Kauffman Center Southbound Streetcar Stop. Award-winning muralists and sisters Maggie and Ellie Newlin created “K. See. The Good.” Their colorful oversized sunglasses at the Crossroads Northbound Streetcar Stop invite viewers “to interact and celebrate the ‘other side,’ encouraging a sense of ‘connection and positivity.’
Meranda McDermott’s installation “Threads of Convivencia: Embracing Diversity through Fiber Art” adorns the River Market West KC Streetcar Stop. McDermott added work to the installation in live sewing sessions at designated times, “transforming the space into a hub of creativity and conversation.” Final elements will be applied from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 6 as an interactive community project.
The artists brought a “sense of Convivencia to the curatorial perspective which seemed like exactly the right direction for us to go,” said Starke. “It has been an absolute joy to watch the artists’ excitement of seeing their work larger-than-life and, in turn, seeing the community explore and be curious about the new art displayed along the KC Streetcar route.”
Multiple performance artists, including poet-composer, vocalist and guitarist Gracie Caggiano, Grupo Folklórico Alma Tapatia and musicbyskippy will perform at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park. The closing reception at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library will feature Olivia Emert and Company, Fenom D. Poet and Sheri Purpose Hall.
For more details about the artwork and live performances, artintheloop.com.
