Café Corazón’s April First Fridays fiesta in the corazón of KC is here! Enjoy the Black Queer Archive art show by Nasir Montalvo in our Galleria room, and don’t miss out on supporting 5 local vendors. Plus, indulge in mouthwatering empanadas, tamales, burritos, and a delightful selection of cocktails, beer, wine, and coffee. It’s a night of endless fun for everyone!

Opening reception for TWO oil painters! Join us First Friday for the opening of two exhibitions by two of Kansas City’s most collected and celebrated visual artists.

Allen Halsey: “And She Was” 

Kansas City is both the birthplace and the nurturing ground for Allen’s lifelong artistic journey. An innate desire for self-expression led him down various creative paths, with art studies at MU and UMKC enriching his skills. Allen’s professional endeavors flourished at Illusions Unlimited Productions, where he lent his artistic prowess to designing theater scenery, murals, and custom decor for parties and trade shows. His artistic legacy extends far and wide, with an abundance of paintings, art projects, and installations adorning the city and its surroundings. Currently, Allen delves into uncharted artistic terrain, intricately carving linework into the substrate, which he then transforms with masterful brushstrokes. Residing in Independence with his wife and two dogs, he continues to inspire and captivate with his ever-evolving artistic vision.

Jana Duca: “The Story so Far”

Jana Duca is a figurative painter who paints the connections between people and the world. She paints the psychological space between people, and the space between words. She enjoys the push and pull of the paint that causes the background to encroach upon the figures and take away pieces of them, or that causes the figure to dissolve and scatter into the environment describes the figures’ psychological state.
Her painting process is intuitive, and while she experiments with many mediums, she primarily works in oil paint. She is influenced by artists such as Ann Gale and Stanka Kordic, and finds kinship with the artists who paint in the “Disrupted Realism” style.

“I can’t not make art – it is just something I have to do to describe how I see the world and to reflect what is going through my head. For me, painting is more expressive and easier than words. My art is how I connect with people and the world.” — Jana Duca

Madelynne Jones | IN BETWEEN

April 5, 2024 | 6 – 9 pm

Jason Harrington, known as Rif Raf Giraffe, is a native Kansas Citian who has called the East Crossroads home ever since returning to KC after a decade spent in Chicago where he studied Painting and Film at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since being back in his hometown he has not only become a full time muralist and studio painter, but also founded the SpraySeeMO Mural Festival and travelled across the country and beyond painting and uplifting others through mural projects in places like Los Angeles and Miami. Marking ten years since his first solo show in Kansas City, this exhibition reflects his latest interests in the multilayered planes of existence that we each experience on a daily basis, mixed with the cosmic connectedness that extends itself through all things.

Of the exhibition, Harrington says it “is an exploration in planes of existence, and a deeper dive into the worlds beyond our five senses. Imagining how these worlds intersect, and how they impact our lives in ways we may not understand. We are all just atoms held together and guided by gravity. We are impacted by the electromagnetic radiation produced by light, and subjected to the energetic pulls of the sun, moon, and stars. As we carry on in our daily lives we may only have a flash of deja-vu, or the feeling of chills down our spine to remind us of these things, but I believe these sensations are the guiding forces that dictate our experience”.

Part of Me is centered around a discovery of self and an exploration of internal struggles. All too often I find it hard to articulate my true feelings when dealing with intense emotions and experiences, so for this exhibition I decided to address this issue. I chose to use watercolor and charcoal as the mediums to best represent the complexity of this subject matter. The fluidity of watercolor juxtaposed by the rough texture of charcoal is used to draw a parallel to the contrasting thoughts and feelings I experience in an almost cyclical nature. I also chose to experiment with fibers to convey a more tactile investigation of my inner discord. This collection of artwork was created to not only explore and communicate my struggles, but to confront them. I hope that this exhibition inspires others to do the same.

Artist Bio

Joseph Sciacca is an artist living and working in Chicago, IL. He enjoys working with a variety of mediums, but his current focuses are watercolor, charcoal, and experimenting with fibers. Joseph is a passionate creative that enjoys exploring the world, and his interaction with it, through artistic means. Although Joseph has been involved in the arts since a young child, his creativity flourished when attending the University of Kansas in 2015 and then graduating in 2019 with BFA in Visual Arts. Since graduating he has displayed his work in numerous galleries across the Midwest, namely Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. Joseph’s work is ever evolving as his art is a constant reflection of his struggles, triumphs, and everything in-between.