Alright, I’m blogging again. And I mean it this time!
Since the last blog post some things have happened:
1. My roommate Pamela Merwin decided to move to Boston
2. I moved to Midtown KC (34th and Baltimore) to a rather large turn-of-the-century home inhabited by 4 other ladies. (How charming does GoogleMaps make my home look?)
3. I graciously accepted the offer to become a full-time, salaried STUDIO MANAGER of Blue Bouquet
4. I have decided not to go to Regent College next Fall
5. I have enrolled in JCCC Art History classes in order to be prepared for next year’s admission process
Through all of this, I am still interning at a wonderful not-for-profit arts organization called the Charlotte Street Foundation. I have been working a few days a week at CSF for the past 7ish months and it has been an incredibly fruitful, informative experience. CSF was created 13 years ago to cultivate and foster a place for artists in Kansas City. Since the organization’s inception, KC has become and educated population that values her arts community and supports artists on many levels. I cannot say enough about the incredible impact CSF’s efforts have had on Kansas City’s cultural climate. KC is becoming a city of note in the nationwide arts community primarily due to the amazing work that CSF has encouraged.
Some of the projects:
Two fully functioning art spaces located in the heart of downtown Kansas City that feature continually-rotating exhibits year-round.
A fully-equipped performing arts space that can be used in for many different medias and forms.
These three spaces are part of Urban Culture Project, which is a CSF incentive to generate cultural activities in areas of the city that were once void of community engagement. The properties acquired with a mission to restore vitality to the area surrounding them. So far, the experiment is working! La Esquina, the performing arts space, has become the base for an annual Westside block party, that includes vendors/artists unique to the locality of the space. Other businesses have moved close to our galleries as well, generating a greater presence in the community.
Annually, CSF recognizes a few spectacular visual and performing artists through their fellowship awards programs. Past recipients have used this award to springboard their careers into nationwide recognition and acclaim. In fact, three such recepients will be in dialouge with a freelance curator/art critic from NY on March 28th at the Nelson. I would HIGHLY suggest attending this!
Peregrine Honig
David Ford
Elijah Gowin
All GREAT.
This past semester, my work focused on the Art Through Architecture program, which links Architects, businesses looking to build, and local artists to facilitate integration of artworks into future building projects, as well as stimulate a collecting business community. Great stuff.
We also have ample studio space that is awarded to visual and generative performing artists annually. I actually helped this past month to build a stage for three dance companies that share our performing space.
All in all, there are some really exciting things happening in the KC arts community and I am overjoyed to be a part of it. Hopefully I will continue to share the work of great local artists on this blog in the future.
christinacarnes
