KC Studio is proud to announce our 40 featured artists.
KC+ Connect is well underway and Ashley Anders, KC Studio’s curator and events coordinator, hopes others will find her excitement catching. Anders has chosen group of 40 artists and creative entrepreneurs out of 65 submissions and matched the artists with five galleries.
“First, the call for artists was a great response for this inaugural effort,” she says. “Then studio visits were conducted which proved very rewarding. I have been fortunate that some of these artists were already in my network. Now my network has expanded and I have met even more. That is what we are aiming for with KC Connect. It was such a positive networking venture and I find that satisfying. It was a tough task to select and group the artists. There are so many great artists. I decided to coordinate groups based on the space within the galleries and how the artists unite.”
Anders made the decisions to bring the artists together and put their works together in a complementary way. “I am matching the artists together rather than the art work as I know many of the artists will be creating throughout the year. I am looking forward to unifying the 40 artists together as well as separating artists into the smaller gallery groups to work on each exhibition. We want to see what happens when we put these artists in the same room.”
The first show will be May 2 at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center. “The May show will be full of high energy and vibrant colors in a space with lots of action. This is a great way to kick off the series,” Anders says. “When I was a student at the Kansas City Art Institute, I had an internship with them and I really feel that Leedy-Voulkos is a natural selection. I know the space and I am familiar with the people that work there.
For me, it’s a great opportunity to come full circle, plus it’s a great space and they have a well-known reputation.”
The Weinberger show is June 6 and includes a great line-up of artists, Anders says. Strong artists such as Joe Bussell, Shel Asher and Molly Kaderka will be interesting and exciting to show together. At Weinberger Fine Art, gallery owner Kim Weinberger believes art is not an exclusive privilege, but rather should be a source of community and friendship. “The growth of Kansas City’s art community is an integral part of everyone’s success in this thriving city.”
Anders also got a couple of unique vendors. Boulevard Brewing Co., the beverage company, sponsors the events as does Mood Food, a small up and coming catering company founded by Jaimie Ward. “She uses local and organic food with her own recipes. People will be excited to experience her lively taste,” Anders says.
Now the final addition to this colorful mix comes from art fans. “We want to invite KC Studio’s readers to come and meet these artists. Come and enjoy the event series as we network. It’s going to solidify these 40 artists into one cohesive project. We planned these five shows with the intent to connect the galleries, the community and the KC Studio readers to help further these emerging artists’ careers. We encourage the community to come out and meet them. In smaller group settings, we will have critiques, lectures, workshops and more so look out for these events on kcstudio.org/artscalendar. Almost an entire year will be dedicated to uniting and networking out these artists and in the end, I want to see each artist walk away with a connection that is a worthwhile opportunity, which is individual and propels them into their next career steps.”
KC+ Connect Featured Galleries & Artists
Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
■ Nathan Alexander Bunch
■ Kevin Deen
■ Joelle Ford
■ Laedan Galicia
■ Max Archimedes Levitt
■ 2014 Absurdist Calendar – Liz Mather, Autumn Randell and contributors
■ Sarah Faye McPherson
■ Live Screen Printing Project – Dan Trott
■ The Simone & Felix Show – Hannah Carr and Brittany Ficken
Weinberger Fine Art
■ Shel Asher
■ Liz Black
■ Stephanie Bloss
■ Joe Bussell
■ Ruben Castillo
■ Emma Jennings
■ Molly Kaderka
Hilliard Gallery
■ Colin Joseph Burke
■ Lydia Boehr DeMonte
■ Brandon Frederick
■ Cory Hinesley
■ Adam McBride
■ Diana Shattuck
■ Taylor Wallace
Outpost Worldwide
■ Cheryl Eve Acosta
■ Siara Berry
■ Derek Dobbins
■ Dustin Downey
■ Bobby Howsare
■ Katrina Revenaugh
Mid-America Arts Alliance
Sponsored by Johnson County Public library
■ Jaclyn Dalbey
■ Allegra Foley
■ Matthew Garcia
■ Noor Higley
■ Jordan Hocker
■ Calder Kamin
■ Annie Raab
■ Nika Winn
■ Kelsey Wroten
Beverage Sponsored by Boulevard Brewery • Featured Artist: Wayne Wilkes
Food Sponsored by Mood Food Catering from Jamie Ward
