Despite the snow and cold — and a growing list of threats to the nation’s cultural infrastructure from the present administration — the past winter has seen the fruition of an impressive list of local projects spearheaded by leading philanthropists, visionaries and artists.
Topping the list: The performing arts have long benefited from the support of Mark Edelman, founder of the Theater League in 1977, and, more recently, the prime mover behind the Mark Edelman Theater Fund, established to support professional theater in Kansas City and throughout the United States and Canada and administered by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
With an initial grant of $20 million from Theater League, Inc., the fund will have a transformational impact on local theater organizations and the fulfillment of Edelman’s wish to “enhance the quality of life in the communities they serve with the thrill of live theater.”
Other visionaries in the news this winter are Vine Street Collaborative leaders Tim Duggan, Jason Parson and Shomari Benton, whose latest contribution to the revitalization of the 18th and Vine District is the Boone Theater Redevelopment, which will provide a permanent home to several organizations, including the highly respected Black Repertory Theater of Kansas City. (See story, page 56.)
There are also several notable expansions afoot, foremost among them at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which in April was expected to announce the winner of a design competition for a 61,000-square-foot expansion that attracted leading architectural firms from around the world. (For details, see Steve Paul’s “See Hear” column, page 10.
Founded in 1988, the venerable KC Clay Guild is also in the process of adding more room with the recent purchase of a building in Westport. Following renovations, the guild plans to open the expanded facility in early 2026.
On the presenting side, early February saw the opening of 100,000,000 Gallery in Waldo. A collaborative venture of artists Noelle Choy, Cooper Siegel, Merry Sun, Adams Puryear, Yuxiao Mu and David Alpert, the gallery is dedicated to mounting experimental shows by local and out-of-town artists.
It’s a new name in KC’s gallery roster, but The Waiting Room is a reinvention of the longtime Beco Gallery, founded in 1999 by Rebecca Ederer and Collette Keenan as part of their Beco Flowers business in the Crossroads Art District. Located in the basement of the old Holsum Warehouse building at 1106 Santa Fe St. in the West Bottoms, the new 5,000-square-foot The Waiting Room, housing a gallery and five studios, is a project of designer/fabricator David Lieffring and artist SK Reed, with artist Lily Erb also serving on the curatorial team. The grand opening was held Feb. 21 with a group show celebrating Beco Gallery’s 25-year legacy.
Another noteworthy addition to the local cultural landscape is the Moth StorySLAM, an open-mic storytelling competition, familiar to many from the Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour on NPR. As of last fall, and thanks to sponsor and partner KCUR, Kansas City has been added to the StorySLAM’s host cities, with live monthly storytelling events at Knuckleheads.
Now back to those threats.
DEI would seem to be the elephant in the room when it comes to attacks on cultural funding. Yet around the nation, the arts bear testimony to the vitality, energy and discovery that comes from the cultivation of diverse talents and perspectives. Clearly, in Kansas City, the will to preserve this diversity continues to be strong.
