Organizers of Troostival, a Black-owned and ‑operated festival that celebrates the diversity of Black music in Kansas City, and the KC Streetcar are hosting a pop-up show at Union Station on Friday, June 4.

The free show is open to all ages and will take place outside the Union Station Streetcar stop at 7 p.m.

The Troostival Street Tour pop-up show will feature energetic music performances from Brass and Boujee and The Black Creatures from 7 – 9 p.m. Brass and Boujee is a chart-topping, 18-piece, hip-hop big band that also serves as the hip-hop unit of the Marcus Lewis Big Band. The Black Creatures are a dynamic duo representing Center Cut Records.

Local musician Kemet Coleman launched Troostival in 2020 with the mission to unmute Black musicians, celebrate Black creativity, and challenge racial injustice. “Growing up as a musician along the street that racially divided KC really had an impact on me,” said Coleman. “As a longtime community member I felt as though it was time to use music to bring our community together by showcasing the talent that shares a legacy with the rich musical heritage Kansas City is known for internationally.”

The inaugural Troostival was a socially distanced and virtual experience that took place in October 2020. Friday’s popup show is the first of many activations and events Troostival has planned for this year. Another pop-up show is planned for Juneteenth at Buck O’Neil Tribute Park and the second annual Troostival will take place on Saturday, October 2.

Attendees are encouraged to ride the streetcar to the pop-up show and to bring their own chair to watch the performance outside the streetcar stop this Friday. 

June Art Show

Open 6 days a week, 10 till 6pm.

June First Friday Artist Reception: June 4th. 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Show Dates: Wednesday, June 2nd to Thursday, June 24th

Jones Gallery, 1717 Walnut, KCMO. 64108
816 – 421-2111.
https://jonesgallerykc.com/

The Belger Crane Yard Studios Gallery presents After Hours: Belger Arts Employee Exhibition, which opens Friday, March 5, and remains on view through June 5, 2021.

After Hours showcases the artistic talents of the artists who are members of the Belger Arts staff. While Belger Arts (comprised of Belger Arts Center, Belger Crane Yard Studios and Crane Yard Clay) is known for its ceramics exhibitions and programs, the artists who work here represent a range of media, including glass, wood, mixed media and ceramics. The works on view also reflect a diversity of approaches, techniques and themes.

Executive Director Evelyn Craft Belger said, “The artists in After Hours not only creatively problem-solve on a daily basis as Belger Arts employees, they are dynamic artists, as well. The exhibition provides the public an opportunity to see work by a new generation of contemporary artists who also contribute to a thriving arts community.”

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“This is and always will be where my heart is. It is what I care about.” – William Christenberry

Over the course of many decades contemporary art icon William Christenberry made annual pilgrimages to Hale County, Alabama, documenting the landscape, its architecture and its transformation. Tracing Time offers an examination of Christenberry’s relationship to Hale County, where he spent his summers as a child, its influence on his conceptual approach and artistic vision, and the psychology of place and memory.

The exhibition includes photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures from the Belger Collection, some never before seen in Kansas City. The evolution of Christenberry’s experimental, creative process is also presented in displays of source material pages from his sketchbooks, photographs that served as foundations for drawings and structures, and rare early constructions from the early 1960s. The artist’s father, a woodworker and a strong early influence on the artist, would create models of buildings that were important to him out of simple, sometimes unrefined materials. One of these buildings is included in the exhibition.

Christenberry’s deep affection for Hale County, his curiosity about the effects of mankind and nature on the landscape, reveal a poignant perspective on the passage of time and chronicle the life cycle of place. Although profoundly personal and geographically specific, the themes of William Christenberry’s work are universal and remain relevant.

The artists of Studio Above invite everyone to visit the studio to view all the artwork produced over the past year.