Mark Housel a Kansas native, currently in Parsons KS, has always drawn. He cannot recall a time he did not. Painting followed in his teens. Pottery came late for some reason, despite an interest in ceramics, it was only in 2022 that he began learning about clay. From the first there was a connection. The wheel, that took time.

Mark’s work is functional, everyday pottery. Working in porcelain and stoneware he is exploring the form along with the firing. Woodfiring, soda firing, and oxidation. What can each bring to the table. The community it takes to even make it possible is just as important. Mark has taken classes and workshops at the KC Clay Guild, and recently began participating in the woodfiring’s at Big Magic Anagama in Spring Hill Kansas. Mark has been minimizing glaze application to show off the clay body and environmental
reactions. There is so much to discover in each and Mark is excited to keep learning more.

Nicholas Clark’s work is a direct reflection of his optimistic personality. From vivid oranges to metallic silvers and golds highlighted by passionate reds, his art displays a mastery of color that cannot be taught. His mediums vary from acrylics to oils and focus on creating depth through layering and application of rich texture. As Clark notes, “I pull my inspiration from fashion family, friends and music and I love working with figures because they are always so challenging — the detail of a hand, the curves of a body and the capturing of natural movement and expression.

“My journey as an artist began with the simplest of mediums; blank paper, pencil, and pen. I quickly discovered my attraction to something I consider both cathartic and magical; the transformation of a blank sheet of paper into something aesthetically pleasing, a work of art, an 8 x 11” window of beauty in our oftentimes mundane world. Over time, the introduction of acrylics, oils, and watercolors into my work only further enhanced this process, and resultantly began my chromatic passion. Color is now the key to my creative process, and is something that remains constant throughout the continuous variance of my subject matter. Through the manipulation of color, both in its’ absence and abundance, I am able to most purely express myself and establish an authentic, personal connection with all of my artwork.”

Union Station’s Newest History Exhibit, “Connecting Kansas City – Past and Future,” Highlights One Hundred Fifty-Five Years of Kansas City Transportation, Culminating with the New Streetcar Extension
Free and open to the Public, filling more than 1,100 square feet, “Connecting Kansas City – Past and Future” is the newest installment to Union Station’s Stories History Exhibit.

Remarks and public dedication of the newest installment of Union Station Stories history exhibit, “Connecting Kansas City – Past and Future.” The exhibit is free and open to the public and highlights 155 years of Kansas City transportation history, beginning with the horse car in 1870 to today’s newest addition of the streetcar with the extension of the line to Westport, the Country Club Plaza, and UMKC.

Kansas City is experiencing a public transit renaissance. What began as a modest downtown streetcar line – from River Market to Union Station – is growing again. Extensions are underway, stretching south to Westport and the Country Club Plaza, and north beyond River Market to Berkeley Park. Once again, the streetcar is helping connect neighborhoods, people, and places across the city.

Union Station wishes to thank our sponsors, The City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, Missouri Humanities with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund and the National Endowment for Humanities, Victor E. and Caroline E. Schutte Foundation Trust E, David W. Frantze and Bank of America, N.A., Trustees.

Location: “Building a Monument” Hallway – leading to LINK and just inside East Transit Terminal doors that welcome guests from the Union Station Streetcar Stop.

Join us for a FREE Artist Talk and glassblowing demonstration this September with Glass Annex Program Coordinator, Emily Potter!

Growing up amidst the vast, rolling fields of Northwest Ohio, Emily Clair Potter developed a deep appreciation for the natural world. The rhythmic repetition of organic forms has profoundly shaped her exploration of the intimate connections that exist within the shared structures of living beings. Potter began working with glass in 2018. She was drawn to the material’s fluidity and transformative nature. She continues to explore the way glass moves, shifts, and connects, reflecting the continuous and interconnected cycle of life. The inherent fluidity of glass allows Potter to investigate how organic forms can morph and flow into one another, creating a dynamic, evolving relationship between form and structure. Her work has been recognized with accolades, including a research grant through Bowling Green State University, her alma mater where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Learn about Potter’s process and inspirations during her Artist Talk and watch her in action on First Friday as she leads the glassblowing demo to make a floral piece of art.

This programming is in conjunction with Potter’s special topic class Fire to Finish

Luminous skies, rolling plains, and the vast hush of open country: Jeff Aeling captured it all. Ephemeral Nature: Celebrating Jeff Aeling brings together sweeping vistas and intimate, contemplative panels from the beloved painter, presented in tribute following his passing earlier this year. These works, alive with atmosphere and light, remind us why Aeling remains one of the great interpreters of the American landscape.