First KC 'Open Spaces' art event draws artists from across the world
A premiere arts festival conceived as a vehicle to showcase Kansas City has recruited artists from around the globe.
Organizers of the first "Open Spaces" on Friday announced the initial lineup of exhibition artists for the event that will be anchored in Swope Park from Aug. 25 to Oct. 28.
"This is going to be a nine-week, citywide experience celebrating diversity, community, artistic expression and creative innovation," said Mayor Sly James. "It will also celebrate and, I think, highlight quite aptly Kansas City's increasingly deep commitment to arts and culture in our community."
Organizers also launched a website for the event, OpenSpacesKC.com.
Open Spaces will encompass painters, sculptors, dancers, filmmakers, musicians and conceptual artists.
Kansas City area artists will include Shawn Bitters, Jacob Burmood, Martin Cail, Jill Downen, Rashawn Griffin, Tanya Hartman, Sike Style Industries, Trey Hock and Brent Jackson, Karen McCoy, Dylan Mortimer, Sarah Nguyen, Anthony Marcos Rea, Michael Schonhoff and Jillian Youngbird.
An "arts village" in Swope Park will be the focus of free weekend events. Some performances and exhibitions throughout the city will be ticketed.
Open Spaces is the result of a recommendation from an arts task force James convened in 2013. The city has committed $500,000 and $1.2 million in private funds has been raised so far.
Artists announced Friday include Anila Quayyam Agha of Indianapolis, Nevin Aladag of Berlin, Alexandre Arrechea of Miami, Rina Banerjee of New York, Sanford Biggers of New York, Kathy Butterly of New York, Nick Cave of Chicago, Flavio Cerqueira of Sao Paulo, Dawn DeDeaux of New Orleans, Dario Escobar of Guatemala City, Nikita Gale of Los Angeles, Matthew Jensen of New York, Brad Kahlhamer of Brooklyn, Kimsooja of New York and Seoul, Domenico Lancellotti and Lucia Koch of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Ebony G. Patterson of Lexington, Ky., and Kingston, Jamaica, Lee Quinones of Brooklyn, Randy Regier of Wichita, Never Records/Ted Riederer of New York, Joyce J. Scott of Baltimore, Paul Anthony Smith of Brooklyn, Shinque Smith of Brooklyn, Federico Solmi of New York, Jennifer Steinkamp of Los Angeles, Carlie Trosclair of St. Louis and Nari Ward of New York.
This story was originally published April 13, 2018 at 3:32 PM with the headline "First KC 'Open Spaces' art event draws artists from across the world."