It’s the last weekend of January and time one again for some calendar picks from our editor, Alice Thorson. For more ideas this weekend, visit Kansas City’s most comprehensive arts calendar at kcstudio.org/events.
Made in America: Opera, Love and Art
January 29 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Inspired by the regional artists Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love celebrates the heartland. Hear Lyric Opera apprentice artists and chorus members perform excerpts from The Elixir of Love paired with its classic music theatre cousin, The Music Man. Get a sneak peek of the set design, then visit works from the artists who inspired it by viewing paintings in the American galleries. FREE to attend but seating is limited, guarantee your seat via RSVP.
Arkansas Artist Presents Mixed-Media Art – Opening
January 29 @ 7:00 pm
Rockhurst University – Greenlease Gallery
Arkansas-based artist Chris Weaver will open an exhibition of his mixed-media sculpture in the Greenlease Gallery at Rockhurst University with an artist talk and a reception on Friday, Jan. 29.
Weaver, a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, is the owner-operator of the Wilson Farm Studio in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, where he and his wife Carmen live and work. The daily work of raising cattle and maintaining a garden at Wilson Farm Studio is integrated and intertwined with Weaver’s art practice, with tools and materials from the farm often used for making his artwork.
Weaver opens his exhibition with a 6:30 p.m. artist talk followed by a reception from 7-9 p.m. in the Greenlease Gallery. His works will be on display through March 19.
Kansas City Symphony Classical Series: Beethoven’s “Emperor” with Sibelius’ Seventh
January 29 @ 8:00 pm
January 30 @ 8:00 pm
January 31 @ 2:00 pm
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
American pianist Jeremy Denk is the soloist in these Kansas City Symphony concerts with Beethoven’s final piano concerto, the “Emperor.” The nickname refers not to any particular member of royalty but to the Concerto’s grand and noble music. In the span of one movement lasting 20 minutes, Sibelius’ Seventh and final symphony explores a universe of emotions. Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy, a virtuosic romantic work for large orchestral forces, depicts “the spirit that creates sorrow in doubt, (giving) itself to the torment of love.” Tickets start at $25.
Meet the Experts: Pedal Cars and American Car Culture
January 31 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
National Museum of Toys and Miniatures
Get to know the experts at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures through this four-week exploration of special topics. On January 31, guest curator Matt Reeves puts the pedal to the metal with a talk on pedal cars. The program includes a lecture and gallery visit. Included with museum admission.
