Arts Archives

Reflections on high school

Brian Ellison, Matthew Long-Middleton and Claire McInerny — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:01 +0000

Watching the teenage experience

In 2008, High School Confidential, a documentary-type show that followed 12 high school girls at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park through their four years of high school, aired on WE tv. Sharon Liese is the filmmaker who created this show, and conceived the idea to create a documentary about the high school experience when her own daughter was going through high school.

Audio test

jwilliamson@npr.org — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:54:14 +0000

Topeka Hosts Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:16:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture is slated to open in Washington DC in 2015. And although the ground has yet to be broken, the museum's staff is already collecting historical objects and running education programs around the county.

Political Quilts on Display at National Archives at Kansas City

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:38:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – "Partisan Pieces: Quilts of Political and Patriotic Persuasion" at the National Archives show the politics of their 19th century creators. But can quilts really tell us the political leanings of their makers?

Rhythms of Cuba Shake Up Loose Park

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:39:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – The Mariel boatlift provided Kansas City musicians with a rhythmic maestro.

Kansas City Art Institute Students Create Murals for Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:05:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – As the shell-like concrete curves take shape on the $413 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the building is about 75 percent complete. The most noticeable change last week - installation started on the first pieces of exterior glass for the grand lobby.

New Commemorative Negro Leagues Stamps Unveiled

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:31:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – The stamps honor the all-black baseball leagues once based in Kansas City.

The KC Fringe Festival Returns With Musicals Tackling Tough Subjects

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:48:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – When the KC Fringe Festival unfolds next week, it will mark the sixth summer that performers of all stripes have exhibited their talents at venues all over the metro. Broken up into such categories as visual art, dance, and fashion, the festival has always had theater at its core, and this year debuts over 40 new plays and musicals. Among the latter are two musicals written by Kansas City natives that, as KCUR's Steve Walker discovered, delved into such tough subjects as murder and mental illness.

Day Trips and Summertime Activities in Kansas City

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:04:00 +0000

What do you do when you want to get out of the house, but don't have the time or the money for a full-fledged vacation? Never fear, the Walt Bodine Show is here.

Modern Day Renaissance Man Terry Allen's "Tables and Angels" at the Belger

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:17:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – An exhibition at the Belger Arts Center called "Beneath the Surface - Excavating the Belger Collection" focuses on works by 10 of the artists in the collection, including Terry Allen. Allen was born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in the West Texas town of Lubbock. He's been described as a Renaissance man, working in a variety of media, including sculpture, painting, drawing, video, and installations.

"Frozen Assets" Named One of Best Public Artworks

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:31:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – Americans for the Arts recently announced its 2010 Public Art Year in Review, recognizing 40 of the best public artworks in the United States and Canada. On the list: only one Midwest artist, based in Lawrence, who highlights global water issues sculpting with plastic water bottles. KCUR's Laura Spencer reports.

Paul Mesner Puppets Takes on Shakespeare

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:02:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – Since 1993, the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival has presented a free outdoor performance of the works of William Shakespeare, from the first year's production of "The Tempest" to this year's "King Richard III."

Steichen's Fashion Photography from the 1920s and '30s on Display at the Nelson

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:08:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – Photographer Edward Steichen has been described as "the Annie Leibovitz of his day, in overdrive." In the early 1920s and '30s, Steichen created more than 1000 celebrity portraits as chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair.

Classically Trained Vocalist Takes on Challenging Role: Worst Singer Ever Recorded

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Kansas City, MO – In recording studios across the globe, even the most tone-deaf singers are achieving something close to perfect pitch, thanks to a computer program known as Autotune. Such was not the case in the early 20th century, when singers were rarely miked and either had a voice or didn't. Florence Foster Jenkins notoriously did not.

Exhibition at the Nerman Explores Issues of Race, Culture and Identity through Discarded Objects

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:39:00 +0000

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Kansas City, MO – New York-based artist Nari Ward has been described as a "modern archaeologist," using salvaged materials in his works, like television sets, discarded clothes, liquor signs and grocery carts.