Art Event 
WE WERE SYNAESTHETIC!(1)
August 2, 2010 —
The “We Are Synaesthetic” event, July 16, 2010, was a great success! With 16 artists and three bands, Review Publishing and Midwest Music Foundation managed to pull off a show that benefited both organizations and provided an evening of great art and entertainment for those in attendance. Whether or not you missed the event, please read on to see images of artists’ works and from the event itself.
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CREATIVITY FROM THE CUBE IN ITS 4TH YEAR
The 4th annual “Art/Work: Creativity from the Cube” corporate arts festival is this week, kicking off with a visual arts reception August 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Union Station, where winning work selected through arts competitions at 26 participating companies is on display through August 9 (visual and literary). The Performing Arts Showcase and “Best in Show” awards presentation is First Friday, August 6 at 7 p.m. at Copaken Stage.
A “FAIR” REPORT
Bigger is not always better, and “Artropolis” in Chicago earlier this month provided some proof that the Midwest is an art frontier with a rising profile on the national and international scene. Kansas City artists, galleries, and curators featured there included Cara and Cabezas Contemporary, Jan Schall, Barry Anderson, and Andrzej Zielinski.
Art is a Thing with Feathers: Anne Gagel
Art which engages the brain as well as the eyes and heart is always a good thing … and depending on your repertoire of allusions, Anne Gagel’s current show of paintings, drawings and mixed media works should keep the mind hopping. Or, perhaps, “flitting” is a better word, given Gagel’s penchant for depicting birds of all sorts of feathers — or, more accurately, depicting herself as all sorts of birds.
Mind Matters: Logan Smith
The issue has come up in this space before: Whenever someone is dealing that well with serious medical issues, there’s a natural tendency for the inspirational nature of his or her story to overflow into too-effusive praise. Smith’s art needs no helping hand to stand on its own, however. Were he in perfect health, he would still be a promising young photographer with a bright future.
BATIKS OF FAME
The batik collection of President Barack Obama’s mother, the late Ann Dunham, is on display at the Regnier Center at Johnson County Community College through the end of the week as part of a national tour. Learn more at a free lecture there on Tuesday, March 9, at 3:30 p.m.
IMAGES FIRST FRIDAY PREVIEW
Selected submitted images for exhibitions opening or hosting events February 4 through 6, 2010.
TEACHERS’ ART
North Kansas City School District teachers show off their credentials in the form of their own art work (as opposed to their students’ achievements and grades), a main mogul behind the Obama image speaks at the Plaza Library, and events, including Kansas City Design Week, continue Thursday. Check back tomorrow for First Friday calendar listings for February 5th.
(ARTKC365) Tales Told in Paint: Jenna Tomlin
Tomlin’s art is worth the drive. It’s introspective and expressive, heartfelt and thoughtful, calming and challenging all at once. And Amanda Martin, Gas Light’s owner and director, has used one of Tomlin’s painting to pull off one of the best presentations I’ve seen in a while.
TEA, STARS, GRAVITY, STONES
Join Samantha Persons for a tea party discussion tonight at the Urban Culture Project Space, a gallery supported by the Charlotte Street Foundation. Besides galleries and studio space, CSF is well-known for its awards. Review is anxiously awaiting the 2010 Visual Artist Award Fellows to be announced tonight. Other current events …
(ARTKC365) Forging Nature: George Rousis
Given freedom and guidance, metal takes all sorts of fanciful shapes under Rousis’ ministrations: from jewelry to sculpture, wall hangings to home furnishings.
(ARTKC365) Reading Into the Lines: Richard Van Cleave
Where others might have seen nothing more than an assortment of cut marks, Van Cleave saw connections: concrete shapes, perhaps, or the frameworks upon which to hang abstract explorations. As a result, things that might have been discarded were reborn as art. Some, like the painting above, are purely visual in their impact. Others amuse (in the good way) … or, in the case of one particularly post-apocalyptic work, haunt (also in the good way).
(ARTKC365) Exposing a World We Often Miss: J.C. Cirese
Taking stock and looking ahead are both good things. But even if you’re not feeling particularly introspective, Cirese’s art is worth a look or several. The Surrealist element is only part of the attraction; Cirese’s skills in composition, and in working with light and dark, provide plenty of other reasons.
(ARTKC365) A Colorful Debut: Doug Whitney at OneVillage a Community Church
Doug Whitney spent the bulk of his working life looking at leaky faucets, clogged drains and rusty pipes. Small wonder that he sought out the beauty of nature when he got time away from the job.
(ARTKC365) A Good Day for Frieze-ing: mariaurora Open Studio at the Livestock Exchange Building
Creyts describes the effect as “sumptuous”, and she’s right. Thanks to the use of a special high-definition lens, a viewer could put out a hand to touch the frieze and almost expect to feel something soft.