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Arts Alive at the Unicorn

Friday, January 28th
The Unicorn Theatre presents
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
& The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opens Pattern ID!
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6:00 PM Arts Alive Pre-Event
Kemper Museum of Contemporary ArtOpening Reception of Pattern ID!
6:30 PM Conversation with artist Willie Cole and curator Ellen Rudolph

Over the last two decades, artists have increasingly turned to pattern and dress as a language with which to communicate who they are and where they come from. The experiences of culture clash, immigration, and multi-ethnicity in our globalized world have driven artists to use this visual language to chart their personal and communal histories. This exhibition, organized by the Akron Art Museum, Ohio, includes works by Mark Bradford, iona rozeal brown, Nick Cave, Willie Cole, Lalla Essaydi, Samuel Fosso, James Gobel, Brian Jungen, Bharti Kher, Takashi Murakami, Grace Ndiritu, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Mickalene Thomas, Aya Uekawa, and Kehinde Wiley.

From the exhibition Pattern ID, on view January 28-May 8, 2011, at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.  The exhibition opens with a free public reception, Friday, January 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2009; metal flowers and armature, fabric with appliquéd beading, sequins and embroidery, 111 1/2 x 42 x 32 inches; Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, Image: Courtesy James Prinz

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
4420 Warwick Blvd.
Kansas City, Missouri  64111

Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served.

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8:00 PM Main Event
The Unicorn Theatre presents
In the Next Room or the vibrator play

Private Arts Alive Reception at the Unicorn
*details to follow in next email*

Set at the dawn of the age of electricity in a well-to-do 1880s Victorian home, proper gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary device for treating “hysteria” in women (and, occasionally, men): the vibrator. His young wife tends to their newborn daughter and wonders exactly what is going on in the next room. This 2010 Tony Nominee for Best Play is based on actual bizarre history.

The playwright, SARAH RUHL has written numerous award-winning plays. Her plays have been performed major theatres nationally. Her plays have been translated into German, Polish, Korean, Russian and Spanish and have been produced internationally in London, Canada, Germany, Latvia and Poland. She is the recipient of a Helen Merrill award, Whiting Writers’ Award and a Macarthur Fellowship.

The Unicorn Theatre
3828 Main Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111

Tickets are just $25 and include food & drink
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More about Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Mission Statement
Founded in 1994, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art presents modern and contemporary art of the highest quality and significance.  It collects, preserves, documents, interprets, and exhibits a growing permanent collection; develops and presents special exhibitions; and offers a variety of educational programs.  Admission is always free and the Museum serves a diverse and inclusive public population.

Objectives
The primary objectives of the Museum are to stimulate dialogue, to foster understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art, and to present significant works of art as educational resources. In shaping its permanent collection it strives to reflect the vitality, complexity, and unfolding patterns within modern and contemporary art.  In selecting its exhibitions it strives to represent national and international aesthetic and cultural diversity.  In its educational programs (which include lectures, workshops with visiting artists, tours, family days, demonstrations, and performances in a variety of media) it strives to provide opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

The Museum’s audience consists of the public and students of the greater Kansas City area and region, visitors to the area, national and international communities of scholars and art-interested persons, families, children, and those with special needs.  In all of these efforts the Museum, its Trustees, and its staff seek to achieve a high standard of scholarship and excellence in keeping with the most current standards of the Museum profession.

For more information, please visit www.kemperart.org
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More about The Unicorn Theatre
The Unicorn Theatre exists to enhance the cultural life of Kansas City by producing professional contemporary, thought-provoking theater, which inspires emotional response and stimulates discussion.

From the Producing Artistic Director:
There is nothing like Unicorn Theatre. We contribute to a unique theatrical experience in Kansas City.  We excel in professional, contemporary productions. We produce shows before they go to New York or we are one of the first theatres to obtain the rights following a Broadway or Off-Broadway run. Whether on our Mainstage or on our smaller, Jerome Stage, you will see shows you have never seen before in Kansas City.

We have produced nearly 300 plays in the last 36 years with over 20% of them being produced for the first time, anywhere.

We have produced 7 out of the last 11 Pulitzer Prize Winners and 9 of the Finalists, 6 Tony Award Winners and 11 of the nominees in the last 11 years!

For more information, please visit unicorntheatre.org

KC Studio

KC Studio covers the performing, visual, cinematic and literary arts, and the artists, organizations and patrons that make Kansas City a vibrant center for arts and culture.

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