Opening reception: Friday, November 1 from 6 to 8 pm; 6:30 Holiday toast with artists in attendance

Belger Crane Yard Studios
2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64108

‘Tis the season to dream of wintery weather and get an early start on holiday shopping at Belger Arts!

Holidays at the Belger Crane Yard Gallery is an annual exhibition that opens November 1, 2024. Over 80 artists from across the country have created artwork for the holiday season that make the perfect gifts for family and friends. Shoppers can choose from an array of unique artworks in a range of mediums: ceramics, glass, metal, textiles, wood, and more.

Artworks will be available for purchase from November 1 through December 31, 2024.

One of the underlying premises in assembling the Belger Collection is the importance of collecting multiple works over time by the same artist. Collecting in depth provides a glimpse through the artwork into how the artist approaches life, love, loss, and the other inevitable changes over the course of time. The viewer brings a perspective through unique memories and personal experiences that leave a mark and inform identity.

The artists in Whispers and Screams explore their memories and perceptions of people, places, and moments in time. Some of those memories are loud and jarring while others are more reflective and have softened with the passage of time. There are examples of stereotypes, idealized love, lust, romance, excitement, loss, and regret. There are glimpses into the complexity of communities at all levels, the commonalities and the differences.

The works selected for this exhibition focus on people, histories, and relationships. Human beings are pack animals. People look for their communities and how to understand their place in them. In the course of that exploration, an understanding develops of the past, present, and future.

Artists included in the exhibition: Terry Allen, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Nick Bubash, Clayton Bailey, William Christenberry, Robert Cottingham, John De Andrea, Viola Frey, Michael Hannon, Jasper Johns, Guy Johnson, Kate Kretz, Wes Lyle, Ed Massey, Jack Mendenhall, Jerry Ott, Joey Quiñones, Mel Ramos,Robert Rauschenberg, Don Reitz, Larry Rivers,Alex Siburney, Herb Snitzer, Robert Stackhouse, Renée Stout, Akio Takamori, William T. Wiley, and Winter & Williams.

Please join us for a solo exhibit of work from artist, musician, and writer Jeffrey Hakes.

In Undying Love: Illustrations of Faith and Courage from the lives of Christian Martyrs, Hakes invites viewers to meditate upon powerful stories of martyrs from the first century to the present day. These martyrs are from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, but with their lives they sent a single message: there is nothing in this world that is worth giving up their faith in Christ.

This moving collection of paintings will not only prompt viewers to enter into these extraordinary stories of faith, but to examine the way that their own faith is displayed in their everyday lives.

First Friday Receptions:
- November 1: 5:30 – 9pm
 — December 6: 5:30 – 9pm
- Our gallery will be closed on Friday, January 3.
 — February 7: 5:30 – 9pm, with an artist talk at 6:30pm.

Open Hours:
- Saturdays, 2 – 4pm
- Our gallery will be closed on the following Saturdays: November 30, December 28, and February 22.

Studios Inc and Harold Smith present Dr. Blackenstein’s Black Shack of Arts and Sciences, a multidisciplinary exhibition opening on November 1st, 2024. Studios Inc will host an opening reception on Friday, November 1st from 5 – 8 pm with an Artist Talk the following week on November 9th. The artist will host special programming throughout the exhibition: Stay tuned to the Studios Inc and Harold Smith instagram, facebook, and websites for details.

From the Artist:

I came of age as a black kid from a blue collar home in the 70’s.

It was an incredible and unforgettable ride.

I recall the sizzling sound of the hot comb from the kitchen on Saturday nights.

I remember chilly Saturday afternoons bicycling down 13th, turning left at Holmes Market, speeding by Salem Baptist and Morning Star Baptist Churches, turning right at 10th Street and skipping into Johnny’s Fish Market at 10th and Walker for some of that legendary fried fish.

Whether it was whiting or catfish, it was still hot, crispy, seasoned to perfection and wrapped in brown paper.

Don’t forget the sides.

I recall the sweet smell of Afro Sheen wafting in the air at Johnson’s Barber Shop on 13th and Quindaro.

Who can forget the mingled aromas of Old Spice, English Leather, and Skin Bracer when dad finally left the bathroom on his way out?

Or dancing in front of the mirror in the basement, trying out the dances we saw on Soul Train?

Remember the Cameo theater on Minnesota Avenue?

I remember taking a few dollars up there and staying all Saturday afternoon to watch Cleopatra Jones, Willie Dynamite, Foxy Brown, Superfly and so many other classics.

And, yes, I sure did have a pair of bell bottom pants and Florsheim shoes from KG’s Men’s store at Indian Springs Mall.

Leon Lincoln and his crew took me to a handful of house parties (with the blue light of course).

I was a wallflower so I didn’t dance but I did enjoy listening to Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, and Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes.

Then again, I listened to Parliament Funkadelic every single day.

I still do.

That being said, I invite you to join us at Dr. Blackenstein’s Blacktacular Black Shack of Arts and Sciences from Nov-December at Studios Inc. 

“You can bet your last money, it’s all gonna be a stone gas honey.” — Don Cornelius (host of Soul Train)

Launched to serve mid-career artists, Studios Inc is Kansas City’s only nonprofit arts organization offering pivotal three-year residencies to mid-career artists who are poised to significantly expand their careers. Studios Inc offers a unique immersion experience for resident artists, who use their studio and exhibition space to produce and exhibit work, network and learn from one another, and attract and cultivate relationships with art patrons, collectors, and arts professionals.

Dr. Blackenstein’s Black Shack of Arts and Sciences will be on view in the Studios Inc Exhibition Hall through December 21st, 2024. Exhibition hours are Wednesday thru Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday 12 – 4pm.

The Studios Inc Residency Program presents Riding the Rail, over 200 posters, ephemera and album covers by Peregrine Honig. Curated by Sean Kelly and assistant curator Emily Loubser, Riding the Rails displays bodies of work borrowed from New Discretions ( New York, NY ), prints produced by Landfall Press

( 1970- 2020 ) and Other Criteria ( London, UK ) and The Nelson- Atkins Museum of Art archive. This historical timeline spans twenty seven years of innovative mark-making, intuitive design and accessible editions. From band shirts and bumper stickers to reality television and museum collections, Honig’s career rides the rail between fine art and public discourse, museums and dive bars.

Riding the Rail will be on view at Studios.gallery from November 1 — December 21, 2024. Exhibition hours are Wednesday thru Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday 12 – 4pm.