‘By artists, for artists:’ Weekly Northeast KC neighborhood festival opens for the season
Bethany Alzanadi and six of her neighbors who lived in the same building in Pendelton Heights came together last March to create a space for them to, well, create.
They’re all artists, and because of the pandemic, they couldn’t get out in the community and show off their work.
What started with a group of seven making art outside now hosts as many as hundreds of visitors every Sunday at Art Garden KC, a free community art fair under the umbrella of The Arts Asylum.
Visitors from all over the metro took a gander at the unique art on display last year.
The weekly neighborhood festival is returning for 2022. Starting on Sunday April 3, art lovers can get their fill from an ever-growing and rotating list of local artists in Kansas City.
WHAT IS THE ART GARDEN KC?
It’s a free art showcase celebrating local makers every Sunday from April to October in Pendelton Heights. The organizers are also looking to run events on other days during the season and partner with local organizations like Vegan Events KC and the Latinx Education Collaborative, but no dates are confirmed yet.
Margarita Friedman, another of the seven artist co-founders, came up with the idea when she attended an art festival called “Jardin de Arte” in Mexico, which translates to “art garden.”
It’s free for artists to set up shop, and the organizers provide canopies for artists that can’t bring their own. You’ll email hello@artgardenkc.org to register and be a part of the festival.
They won’t turn anyone away because their mission is to create a safe and fun outdoor space where artists can easily come, set up their work and sell it.
“We want to support artists because we’re artists,” Alzanadi said.
WHAT CAN YOU SEE AT THE ART GARDEN?
Anything and everything. Below is just a selection of what can be on display at The Art Garden:
Pottery
Jewelry
Large-scale oil and acrylic paintings
Comic books
Clothing
Chakra healing and spirit cleaners
Caricature artists
Massage therapists
Yoga
Art therapy
Live art demonstrations and art classes for kids
New for 2022 is an open mic area for anyone interested in performing their work. You will need to sign up to do that from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays when The Art Garden is open.
There will also be a beer garden hosted by their partner, PH Coffee, and food trucks.
WHERE IS IT?
Art Garden KC is located at 2233 Lexington Ave. You can follow their Facebook and Instagram for more information on what artists will be on display every Sunday.
“This is completely artist-led and artist-managed, so Art Garden KC is truly created by artists, for artists,” Alzanadi said. “All of their help and all of their support means the world to us.”
Do you have more questions, ideas or suggestions about the arts in Kansas City? Let us know at kcq@kcstar.com or with the form below.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
