Arts Archives

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.

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?

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.