Nothing keeps a city’s arts scene more vibrant than a constant infusion of new talent — but it must be attracted and supported.
One program that does an exemplary job on both scores is the Charlotte Street Foundation Studio Residency program, which annually selects roughly 30 artists from varied disciplines, backgrounds and geographic locations to receive a free studio space on the sixth floor of Town Pavilion downtown.
For 2017-18, the program chose 32 artists, including painters, poets, novelists, musicians, composers, filmmakers, a break dancer, a quilter and many artists who work in multiple disciplines. The cross-pollination between residents makes for a lively, creative atmosphere that lends itself to collaboration and reciprocal interactions.
KC Studio’s initial visit to the studios with photographer Jim Barcus had some magical moments, as Matthew Krawcheck demonstrated his unique, hand-built projection contraption and Jason Zeh ran a film featuring an array of wind-up chattering teeth skittering across a tabletop. In the following weeks, Barcus returned multiple times to capture the artists at work and the spaces they inhabit — his photo essay is featured in this issue’s Artist Pages. (See page 82.)
The studio residents range in age from their 20s to their 60s. Some, like ceramic artist Melanie Sherman (featured in our expanded online photo essay), and poet Sheri “Purpose” Hall, have a long career of accomplishments. Others, like performance and multidisciplinary artist Boi Boy and painter Glyneisha Johnson, are just beginning to make their mark in the art world. In “Places and Projects: Emerging Artists in the Spotlight,” page 56, we take a closer look at Johnson’s recent show at The Writer’s Place and Boi Boy’s Alter: Art Space project, which he founded in the West Bottoms with fellow artist Bo Hubbard. The trio of stories also highlights another roost for emerging artists: Vulpes Bastille, founded in the East Crossroads by Kansas City Art Institute alum Caranne Camarena.
This issue’s Artist to Watch column also highlights a Charlotte Street studio resident: Jillian Youngbird, whose environmentally conscious works drawing on her American Indian heritage have been selected for a growing number of exhibits and venues.
The upshot of all these projects is an infusion of fresh energy and new ideas into the Kansas City arts scene, heightening the city’s reputation as a hotbed of artistic talent, while also enlarging its appeal for artist transplants, like renowned scenic and costume designer, Robert Fletcher, creator of the Star Trek Klingons. (See page 66.)
For a while, it looked like KC’s music community would benefit from the catalytic effects of a new downtown UMKC Conservatory. But the plan to integrate roughly 1,000 students and faculty members into the existing creative community of the Crossroads suffered a huge setback when Missouri Governor Eric Greitens vetoed $48 million in state funding for the $96 million project, resulting in a loss of more than $20 million in pledges based on the promised $48 million state match.
When former “Kansas City Star” reporter Kevin Collison broke the story of the loss in pledges in his online news publication, “CityScene KC,” he opened with a shot of a UMKC billboard proclaiming, “Arts and Culture add 1.1 billion to Missouri’s economy.”
People like to talk about the economic benefits of the arts. Far more important are what they contribute to the life of the mind and the heart: Artists lift the spirits, beautify our surroundings, open minds, mend the social fabric and tend our moral compass. They help us cope with the new, envision the future and — they rock the status quo and ask tough questions.
Now that’s the part some politicians don’t like.
