The Belger Arts Center will mark its 10th Anniversary with Beneath the Surface – Excavating the Belger Collection. This exhibition will attempt to give the public some perspective on the wide-ranging collection. Beneath the Surface will feature multiple works from all seven artists who comprise the foundation of the Belger Collection – Terry Allen, William Christenberry, Jasper Johns, Robert Stackhouse, Renee Stout, William T. Wiley, and Terry Winters. The exhibit will open on Friday, March 5 and will run until August 6, 2010. The galleries of the Belger Arts Center will be closed until March 5.
Evelyn Craft, Executive Director of the Belger Arts Center, says Beneath the Surface will be “one of our most ambitious exhibitions. This will be a chance for the public in Kansas City to see the depth of the collection.” Ms. Craft also notes that facilities manager Al Sells and his installation crew will utilize all their skills and talents to install and display some of the larger works from the collection. The galleries will undergo a radical transformation from past exhibitions as we accommodate some hefty iron, wood and ceramic sculptures.
This exhibit will mark the beginning of the second decade of existence for the Belger Arts Center in the headquarters of the Belger Cartage Service at 2100 Walnut St. in Kansas City, MO. During the first 10 years, the Belger Arts Center hosted more than 40 exhibitions by artists from North America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia. More than 60,000 visitors attended these exhibitions and performances. All seven of the core artists in the collection have been featured with solo exhibitions at the Belger, but Beneath the Surface marks the first time they have all been shown together. The first exhibit at the Belger Arts Center was William Christenberry’s The Early Years and Beyond, which opened on March 10, 2000. Since that time both Christenberry and William T. Wiley have been honored with major retrospectives at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Artworks from the Belger Collection were loaned for both of those exhibits. Works from the Belger Collection have also been displayed in more than 25 arts venues in North America and Europe in the last decade.
The galleries of the Belger Arts Center are open to the public from 10 am until 4 pm, Wednesday through Friday, and noon to 4 pm on Saturdays. On the First Friday of every month the galleries are open from 10 am until 9 pm (unless we are closed for installation). All exhibits are free. To schedule a tour for a group of 10 more people please call Gallery Assistant Mo Dickens at 816-474-3250.
