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Ivan McClellan's new photobook, “Eight Seconds,” documents the Black riders, ropers and rodeo queens encountered in dusty arenas around the United States. McClellan's love for the sport and subculture led him to start his own rodeo in Portland, Oregon, where he lives.
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Taylor Swift isn’t in town, but her connections will make a local impact at Travis Kelce’s music festival and Jack Antonoff’s show at Grinders. Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, revenge song expert Ashley McBryde, and blues slinger Gary Clark Jr. round out the concert calendar.
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For young Kansas City actors with autism, a new play creates space to "connect with others." Vanessa Severo’s “Rubik" tells the story of neurodivergent teens on the cusp of a new phase of life.
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Vanessa Severo’s play “Rubik" tells the story of neurodivergent teens on the cusp of a new phase of life. It’s part of Spinning Tree Theatre’s push to bring more diverse voices to the stage and create new opportunities for artists with disabilities.
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A pair of noisy upstarts are out-hustling the establishment to create a space for themselves in Kansas City's jazz scene. Plus: A Platte City man with Down syndrome has built a life with a job he loves and a place of his own to call home.
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Alana Washington knows how much trauma her middle school students in southeast Kansas City students can go through on a daily basis. She started the Save a Life Mentorship program to give students the tools they need to get through it. Plus: The Medical Arts Symphony of Kansas City community orchestra has helped Kansas City doctors and nurses reduce stress for more than 60 years.
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Artist-run spaces are a key part of the artistic ecosystem, beyond traditional galleries and museums. Around the Kansas City metro, these spaces create opportunities for emerging and less-established artists to create, showcase, and network — and often provide more than just a blank wall to foster a diverse range of creators.
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The Medical Arts Symphony of Kansas City community orchestra has given amateur musicians in the health care profession a place to perform since 1959. For the doctors, nurses, dentists, medical students, and more who take part, the music can be therapeutic.
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Seth Andrew Davis and Evan Verploegh know their music of choice will never be mainstream, so the pair have cobbled together a set of spaces where their Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society can thrive.
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A pair of exhibits at the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence are inspired by the life and death of Emmett Till, which helped launch the civil rights movement. The work of area textile artists helps connect the 1955 killing to contemporary violence against Black people.
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While Englewood Arts offers classes in drawing, ceramics, and glass blowing, it isn't your typical arts center. It's also leading the way for affordable housing in Independence.
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Each year, arts groups from across the state gather in Jefferson City to lobby Missouri lawmakers during their legislative session. For six students from the Kansas City Art Institute, the February trip to Missouri's state Capitol was a chance to leave the art supplies at home and become lobbyists.