On Saturday March 29, Arts Alive offers a unique insiders’ event: a private presentation about the six Architectural Competition Exhibition finalists for the museum’s upcoming expansion, led by Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.  All this plus lunch and a docent-led collections highlights tour.

• Saturday, March 29

  11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

  Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Tickets for the day’s activities are $40 each. The event is limited to 90 participants and is expected to sell out quickly. As usual, tickets are not refundable.

Our Arts Alive exclusive sneak peek will look like this:

11 am – Meet in Lens 2, grab a boxed lunch (food and drink are included in your ticket) and hear CEO Julián Zugazagoitia talk about the architectural competition process and the museum's future expansion plans.

12 pm - Visit the architectural competition exhibition. Take your time. Leave your personal feedback on comment cards or use a QR code to submit feedback digitally. 

1 pm - Meet in Kirkwood Hall where our group will be broken into smaller groups of 20 to join a small group for a personal docent-led collection highlights tour.

2 pm - Program ends

In October 2024, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art announced an international design competition to undertake a major expansion of the museum’s campus with the goal to attract new audiences by creating a vibrant space to host more art and offer new creative, immersive and energizing experiences. 

The competition attracted submissions from 182 teams in 30 countries on six continents. Six finalist teams were chosen to proceed to stage two of the competition. From this shortlist, a winner will be chosen by the museum’s Architect Selection Committee (ASC) in spring 2025. We will learn about submissions from these finalists (by team lead and in alphabetical order):

Kengo Kuma & Associates (Tokyo)
Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Genoa)
Selldorf Architects (New York)
Studio Gang (Chicago)
Weiss/Manfredi Architecture (New York)
WHY Architecture (Los Angeles)

A reminder that tickets are not refundable. Should your schedule change you are welcome to sell or give your tickets to others. Our Facebook group might be helpful in finding someone to use unwanted tickets.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is located at 45th and Oak Streets, Kansas City, MO

• Saturday, March 1

• Bunker Center for the Arts  4:30 - 6:15 PM

• Kauffman Center: Stanislav & Friends: Echoes of Spain  

• Presented by Park University International Center for Music 7:00 – 9 PM

 The Arts Alive March event takes us downtown and around the world at the same time with a Crossroads gallery visit and a concert at the Kauffman Center.  Your $45 ticket includes art, appetizers, drinks and a concert ticket.

Everything starts at 4:30 PM at the Bunker Center for the Arts in the east Crossroads. This artist-run space showcases the work of 30 contemporary artists. Enjoy beer, wine, soft drinks and hearty appetizers from Cupini’s as you tour the gallery and 10 artist studios.

The Bunker’s current featured artist is Mauricio Zuniga. Originally from Mexico, he is a well-known presence in the Kansas City art scene. Zuniga has built a thriving art career in the US, creating works that bridge cultures and offer a unique dual perspective on life. His vibrant, large-scale canvases blend elements of cubism and surrealism to tell engaging, universally relatable stories.

Next up: Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center.  At 7 PM we’ll take in Stanislav & Friends, an annual event of Park University’s International Center for Music.  This year’s theme, Echoes of Spain, celebrates Spain’s rich cultural heritage and musical traditions.  The concert features the extraordinary talent of Park ICM’s alumni, faculty, students and special guests.

 We’ll be immersed in a night of passion as Spanish melodies and rhythms come to life, according to Stanislav Ioudenitch, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist, founder and artistic director of Park International Center for Music

 Tickets are not refundable. Should your schedule change you are welcome to sell or give your tickets to others. Our Facebook group might be helpful in finding someone to use unwanted tickets. 

 Bunker Center for the Arts

1014 East 19th Street (19th St. and Troost Ave)

 Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

1601 Broadway

January 23; 5:30 pm

Kansas City Automotive Museum

5095 West 116 th Street.

Olathe, KS 66062

You’re invited to join fellow Arts Alive participants to celebrate the ART OF THE CAR on Thursday, January 25 at the Kansas City Automotive Museum in Olathe, KS. Knowledgeable docents, music, and dinner will make this an evening to remember. The Kansas City Automotive Museum is widely recognized in the car community and has grown since its founding in 2014 to become a popular meeting place for historians, club meetings, special events, in addition to car enthusiasts. Its current home has room to display 30 autos and highlights significant Kansas City automotive history such as 1965 Le Mans winner Masten Gregory (the “Kansas City Flash”), the Ford Winchester Plant, and Greenlease Cadillac, with a special exhibit that changes monthly. Expert staff will open eyes and hearts to the aesthetics and vision of these rolling sculptures. They will also explore the history behind auto design, with a focus on Kansas City’s role in it.

There’s plenty of free parking, so arrive at 5:30 p.m. and check in

When you’re not touring the exhibits and the other informative displays, enjoy drinks and barbecue catered by The Rub, all to an acoustic set from Legerdemain (Marus Rattler, Daniel Yung, and Imani Mason), a steel pan led multi-genre fusion band with a jazz and funk backbone, second place winner in the Blues Foundation’s 2023 International Blues Challenge held in Kansas City.

Tickets for the evening’s activities are $45 each. This event is limited to 60 participants, so make your decision to participate as soon as you can. As usual, tickets are not refundable. Should your schedule change you are welcome to give your tickets to others. Our Facebook group might be helpful in finding someone to use unwanted tickets.

Directions and helpful landmarks can be found on their website.

https://kansascityautomuseum.com/plan-your-visit/

Arts Alive Event

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

“Christmas Ain’t a Drag”

The Black Box, 8 PM

1060 Union Avenue

For 25 years Arts Alive KC has introduced unique arts experiences to thousands of people.  Now it’s time to party!

 Join us on Wednesday, December 11 at 8 PM for a holiday event destined to be talked about for the next 25 years.

 Your ticket gets you into the musical production of “Christmas Ain’t a Drag” at the The Black Box in the West Bottoms. Arts Alive is adding some holiday desserts to the mix and a cash bar awaits. 

 This rockin’ show is certain to get you into the holiday spirit.  This musical, written by local legend David George, was inspired by the Big Band era and has played to a sold-out crowd in New York City.  Now it returns to Kansas City with a fresh cast and direction by the inimitable Katie Gilchrist.  Original rock, blues and jazz music features the Christmas Ain’t a Drag Orchestra.

 The musical tells the tale of four lonely people whose lives intersect at Club Deveaux on Christmas Eve. They discover love and the magic of the holidays, proving that Christmas should never be a drag.  In a cabaret setting filled with fellow Arts Alive patrons, we’ll celebrate the love, romance and acceptance people find during the holidays. 

 We’ve bought out the house (only 80 tickets available) and will turn the theater into an Arts Alive party.  Get into the act by sporting some vintage big band era attire. Wear some sparkle or even an ugly Christmas sweater.  Or come as you are. Whatever puts you in the spirit.

 Sign up by November 29 to assure a seat. Tickets are $40 each and, as always, are nonrefundable. If your schedule changes, you can sell or give your tickets to friends. Our Facebook page might help you out.

 The Black Box

1060 Union Street (in the West Bottoms)

Parking lot and street parking available

Be among the first visitors to the newly opened Zhou B Art Center in the 18th and Vine Jazz District.  The renovated building in the historic Crispus Attucks School will be our first stop on

Thursday, June 13, followed by a private jazz concert in the American Jazz Museum’s Blue Room.

5:00 PM Zhou B Art Center

1801 E 18th St.

Includes guided tours of the building and artist studios as well as cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with the artists in the Zhou B Spirit Room. Cash bar.

 7:00 PM American Jazz Museum, Blue Room

1600 E 18th St

Private concert by the Jazz Academy with Stan Kessler conducting. Cash Bar.

Arrive at 5: 00 PM to enjoy the recently opened Zhou B Art Center, a new hub for visual and performing arts in Kansas City lovingly renovated in the former Crispus Attucks School and nestled in the culturally significant 18th and Vine District. The Zhou B Center’s grand opening is in early June, so you’ll be among the first to enjoy this grand new space dedicated to serving as “a vibrant hub where artistic expression flourishes…tailored for individuals of all ages and backgrounds.”

Founders of the center are Shanzuo Zhoushi and Dahuang Zhoushi, renowned painters born in Guangxi, China and now based in Chicago.  They have achieved international acclaim for their abstract art. Their philosophy known as "Feelingism" emphasizes the symbiosis of eastern and western influences, encouraging self-belief and following one's heart in the creative process.  Some of their work graces the building we will tour. We will also enjoy the center’s inaugural exhibition called “Benediction from the Rubble.” which features four artists with local and national recognition: Tony Ramos, Robert Hale, Michael Brantley and Harold Smith.

Join the artists in the Spirit Room for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and take guided tours of the building which also 22 artist studios.

Leave the center by 6:30 pm for a short walk to the American Jazz Museum to enjoy a private concert in the Blue Room starting at 7 PM. Stan Kessler, renowned KC jazz trumpeter, will conduct the Jazz Academy musicians, introducing you to artists who been hand-picked to become the future of jazz music in our community.

Space is limited to 70 guests, so sign up right away, bring your friends, and enjoy another special Arts Alive event.

  Tickets are $45 each and, as always, nonrefundable. They are, however, transferrable, so if your schedule changes, you are welcome to give (or sell) them to friends . Our Facebook page should be helpful with this.

5:30 pm Art Exhibit: Threshold II: Migration Patterns

Gallery Bogart *1400 Union Avenue

6:30 Hors d’oeuvres at the Black Box (and cash bar)

Black Box * 1060 Union Avenue

7:30 pm Private Concert by Ensemble Iberica

Black Box

Tickets are $45 each

Head down to the West Bottoms for an evening outing curated especially for Arts Alive participants. This event is limited to 80 lucky participants so sign up soon.

Start at Gallery Bogart at 5:30 p.m. where gallery owner Miller Bogart will tell you about his newly opened exhibit: Threshold II: Migration Patterns - An Exhibit Featuring Kevin Demery & Andrew Mcilvaine. Kevin Demery is a recipient of the Charlotte Street 2024 Visual Artist Award and will be featured in the upcoming exhibitions at the Nelson Atkins and at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Andrew Mcilvaine is coming off his recent solo exhibition, Resilience Story, at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. This exhibition is an exciting opportunity to see their work in dialogue with one another.

Then meander a couple blocks away to the Black Box for a private concert by Ensemble Iberica. Arrive there any time after 6:15 p.m. to pick up a charcuterie box and get a drink at the cash bar.

At 7:30 pm Esemble Iberica will take the stage and transport you through the rich and diverse cultures of Turkey, Spain, Argentina, and Macedonia. Experience the unique sounds and rhythms of each region with the talented Ensemble Iberica artists Beau Bledsoe (guitar), Ezgi Karakus (cello), and Christine Grossman (viola) as they guide you on an enchanting musical expedition that will weave together an unforgettable concert.

Ensemble Iberica is a local nonprofit arts organization that creates music and programming that enlightens, heals, and connects audiences and artists globally.

At any time during the evening, no one would blame you for stopping off The Ship to peek inside this historic venue that has origins in 1950s downtown Kansas City.

As always, tickets are nonrefundable. They are, however, transferrable, so if your schedule changes you are welcome to give (or sell) them to friends. Our Facebook page should be helpful with this.

Join Arts Alive on January 26 for our first event of 2024. 

 5:30 PM “Realize Your Dreams” art exhibit plus drinks and a charcuterie supper at Buttonwood Art Space (inside Buttonwood Financial Group)

3013 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108
7:30 PM “Gaslight (Angel Street)” at Kansas City Actors Theatre

City Stage (lower level of Union Station)

30 W Pershing Rd, KCMO 64108

We gather in Buttonwood Art Space at 5:30 PM to view “Realize Your Dreams.” The exhibit features 170 artworks of varied styles, subject matters, and mediums, including abstracts, landscapes, beaches, vistas, and more. All art is for sale, plus you can do good while you add to your collection. This is because 50% of each purchase benefits Connections to Success, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring families to realize their dreams and achieve economic independence.  The remaining half of any purchase goes directly to the artist and is tax deductible to the purchaser.

 Next stop is City Stage at Union Station to enjoy the Kansas City Actors Theatre’s 7:30 PM performance of “Gaslight (Angel Street).” This 1938 Victorian thriller tells the dark tale of a marriage based on deceit, and a husband committed to driving his wife to the brink of insanity. The play is well known for its Academy Award-winning adaptation to the big screen. According to Theater Guide, “Gaslight (Angel Street) is a roller coaster ride of emotions and second-guessing, as we peel back the onion to uncover the layers of deception and twists.”  Fans of Agatha Christie won’t want to miss this edge-of-your-seat drama.

The entire evening is $45 per person and includes food, drink and theater ticket. The event is limited to 80 guests so put your group together quickly and join us. 

 As always, tickets are nonrefundable. If your schedule changes you are welcome to give or sell your tickets to someone else.

Te Deum performance and the Hoffman’s private art collection

 As Arts Alive closes out its 24th year we’ve planned a holiday event you won’t want to miss. The outing includes a concert and our first private collection tour in quite a while. Only 80 tickets are available.

We’ll gather at 5:00 pm to enjoy the extensive art collection of Arts Alive President John Hoffman and his wife Sharon while enjoying cocktails and a light supper in their lovely home.

The Hoffmans began collecting over 50 years ago and you’ll see examples of photo realism and the pop artists Rauschenberg and Frankenthaler represented alongside major ceramic pieces and diverse period furniture.  In addition, the work of African and African American artists Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Mickelene Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Nick Cave and Vaughn Span, Theaster Gates and Titus Kaphar are represented throughout the home.

At the Hoffman’s you also enjoy food prepared by Thelma’s Kitchen (a healthy communities initiative of Reconciliation Services) along with wine, beer and soft drinks, all included in the ticket price.

We leave in time to arrive at Village Presbyterian Church and find our reserved seating for Te Deum’s 7:00 PM concert.  Entitled Lessons and Carols for Today, the performance offers a modern twist on the Anglican tradition of interspersing biblical passages with choral and congregational singing.

Collaborating with Te Deum is Kansas City poet Natasha Ria El-Scari. She has written and will perform new poetry to replace the traditional biblical lessons, delivering modern reflections on the Nativity story through an African American feminist lens.

Following the 70-minute concert we are invited to a reception in the church’s Welcome Center featuring cookies and holiday punch. A Lessons book, featuring the poetry Natasha Ria El-Scari wrote for the concert will be available for purchase for $10.00 at the reception.  

The entire event is only $45 per person and includes food, drink and concert ticket.  Put your group together and join us. This event is limited to 80 guests, so sign up quickly.

As always, tickets are nonrefundable.

If your schedule changes you are welcome to give or sell your tickets to someone else.

Join Arts Alive on December 19 for our final event of 2023

Corbin Bronze + KC Rep

• Saturday, October 28, 2023

• Noon - 4:00 PM

• 12:00 PM Corbin Bronze, 1166 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66103

• 2:00 PM What the Constitution Means to Me, 1 H & R Block Way, Kansas City, MO 64105 

Join Arts Alive on the afternoon of Saturday, October 28th, when we visit Corbin Bronze for a tour of Tom Corbin’s current work and a light lunch followed by a two o’clock performance of What the Constitution Means to Me at the Kansas City Rep’s Copaken Stage.

Tom Corbin turned to bronze sculpture in 1986 after an early career in advertising. Over nearly 40 years he has created a body of work that is now represented in more than 20 museums, corporate collections, private collections, and now, most recently, in the United States Capitol featuring the likeness of former President Harry S. Truman.

We arrive at Corbin Studio (located in a former fire house) at noon and tour the studio and sculpture garden.

After a light lunch and drinks at the studio, we leave in time for the 2:00 PM curtain at Copaken Stage for What the Constitution Means to Me.  

Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. Critics have hailed this Tony-nominated play as hilarious. hopeful, and achingly human.

The entire event is still only $45 per person including the light lunch so put your group together and join us. Space is limited to 100 people at both the studio and the theater.

As always, tickets are nonrefundable. If your schedule changes you are welcome to give or sell your tickets to someone else.

Join Arts Alive on October 28 for a great afternoon exploring the cultural arts in our city.

Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

The September Arts Alive Adventure takes us to Lawrence, KS, just a 40-minute from Kansas City. We’ll enjoy three private tours: the newly refurbished Spencer Museum of Art and the Lawrence Arts Center, ending with a private studio visit with artist May Tveit.

The day begins at the Spencer Museum of Art at 10:00 AM. Saralyn Reece Hardy, Museum Director and several of her staff will greet us and provide private guided tours of the collection’s highlights.  

With a diverse collection of more than 48,000 art objects and works of cultural significance, the Spencer Museum is the only comprehensive art museum in the state of Kansas and serves more than 100,000 visitors annually. Its vision is to present its collection as a living archive that motivates object-centered research and teaching, creative work, and transformative public dialogue. We will enjoy work by contemporary artists Dread Scott and Paul Stephen Benjamin in Black Writing, among others.

At 11:45 AM we’ll take a five-minute drive to Marceli's Arterra event gallery for lunch (cost is included in your ticket).
At 1:15 PM, we’ll visit the Lawrence Arts Center where three new exhibits began in June. In addition to 12 artist studios and the current exhibits, there are performance spaces with rehearsals underway for upcoming shows. The director and his staff will show us the facility.

If time and energy allow, you can take a self-guided tour of the 2023 Lawrence Annual Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition that opened June 30. A tour map will be provided with your event reminder.

At 3:00 PM our last stop is the private studio of May Tveit, an industrial design professor at the University of Kansas and an artist whose large-scale works you may have seen at a solo show at the Nerman Museum in 2018. May is looking forward to greeting us to talk about her work and show us around her studio. Her current sculpture and monoprint work explore geometric configurations of cardboard boxes and physical/metaphysical aspects of the self and being. Other exhibitions include (Fields, Planes, Systems: Self) Farmprojects, (Drop Unit) Greenlease Gallery (Template Days) UK Art Museum and (Art on Paper) at the Weatherspoon Museum. May’s work has been featured in Art in America, Art Papers, National Public Radio, Bad at Sports, among other periodicals. Tveit is a Charlotte Street Foundation Fellow and has participated in the Anderson Ranch, Haystack, Art Omi, Frans Masereel Centrum residency programs.

The entire day is priced at $35 and includes all visits and lunch. As always, tickets are nonrefundable. If your schedule changes you are welcome to give or sell your tickets to someone else.

Because of venue capacity, only 65 tickets are available, so sign up quickly so you won't miss out on this very special Lawrence Arts Adventure. A map, detailed directions and parking instructions will be provided to participants the week prior to the event. Guests will provide their own transportation

Spencer Museum 

1301 Mississippi St, Lawrence, KS 66045

Lawrence Arts Center 

940 New Hampshire St, Lawrence, KS 66044

Lunch at Marceli’s Arterra, 

1031 New Hampshire St Lawrence, KS 66044

Private studio tour with artist May Tveit 

725 N 2nd Street, Suite O (the letter), Lawrence, KS 66044

June 17 Arts Alive

11 AM Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art with Guided tours and lunch

2 PM “Prejudice and Pride,” a musical comedy at the Arts Asylum

Now into our 24th year, our board is determined to find unique cultural opportunities and discover the many facets of cultural arts in the greater Kansas City community. On Saturday, June 17th we'll enjoy guided tours of art exhibits, lunch and a new musical comedy in a new venue. Activities begin at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art at 11 am with guided tours of current exhibits led by Director of Curatorial Affairs Erin Dziedzic and her staff. You’ll see and learn about work by Virginia Jaramillo, Pepe Mar and Reginald Sylvester, a young Brooklyn-based artist who is making a name for himself in the U.S. and Europe. Lunch will be provided at the museum in two shifts due to available space.

Then we'll drive a short distance to the new home of the Arts Asylum in east Brookside for the 2 p.m. show of “Prejudice and Pride.” The gender-swapped musical comedy set at Hoedown Jane’s Bar, Brill & Shootin’ Range offers a new take on Jane Austen’s classic novel. Banjo-picker Bennett Longborn sings the tale of how he and his brothers must find love (or at least empathy) with their millionaire neighbors before they lose the family farm in Tennessee. Critics say, "It's hilarious, fantastic and sheer joy," featuring folk music at its best.

How does a show make its way in the theater industry? In 2022 this new musical won the Musical Theater Heritage Residency Award in KC. Later that year it traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it won a #1 Best of Fest award. After the June Arts Asylum run, the show heads to New York City to play at the 59E59 Theaters. If the show makes it even further, you’ll have been a part of its success.

The entire event is still only $45 per person so put your group together and join us.

As always, tickets are nonrefundable. Should your schedule change you are welcome to give or sell your tickets to a friend.

This will be our last event until September as most arts groups will be on vacation. We're already planning interesting fall outings, including a trip to Lawrence to visit the newly refurbished Spencer Museum, several artist studios and private collections.

Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd.

Arts Asylum 824 East Meyer Blvd. (entrance on east side near parking lot)

Now entering our 24th year, Arts Alive KC just finished a successful and record-setting April event at Hotel Kansas City, richly restored and full of Kansas City history. The food was delicious and the music rocked.

Our next event takes place on the evening of Saturday, May 13th.   

At 5 p.m. we’ll begin at the historic 21c Museum Hotel with a tour of the newest installation of internationally recognized artists including Nick Cave, Mickelene Thomas, Kehinde Wiley, and Deborah Roberts along with work by several local and regional artists. Curator Jori Cheville will discuss the new installation and walk us through two floors of artwork.

We'll leave the hotel at 6 p.m. and drive the short distance to The Farmhouse in the River Market where dinner will be served exclusively to our group. Cash bar. The restaurant can be found at the corner of 4th and Delaware.

We'll leave the River Market in time for the 7:30 p.m. curtain of Bliss Point, the spring Kansas City Ballet performance at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Bliss Point offers three contemporary dance pieces never seen before in Kansas City and choreographed by internationally known artists.

The entire evening is $45.00 per person. Put your group together and join us for a special evening as you enjoy and support the best of Kansas City culture.

As always, tickets are non-refundable. Should your plans change, you are welcome to sell or give your tickets to friends.

21c Museum Hotel           219 West 9th (9th and Central Street)

The Farmhouse               300 Delaware Street (4th and Delaware, River Market)

Kauffman Center             1601 Broadway

1228 Baltimore Downtown KCMO

Visit one of Kansas City’s newest hotels and step into history at the same time on April 12 with Arts Alive KC’s first architecture-themed event.  You’ll be intimately introduced to Hotel Kansas City where art and architecture meet in a grand, classic—and classy— way.  Here, in the former Kansas City Club, you will learn about architecture as a high art, explore public rooms holding more than 100 years of memories and search out all the art and unique touches that have preserved this building for modern use. Top off the evening in Nighthawk, the hotel’s popular speakeasy, with live music by Martin Farrell, Jr. and the Blue Station Drifters from Lawrence, KS.

Arrive at 5:00 pm and you’ll be guided to our meeting room in this National Register of Historic Places landmark. Hotel-prepared hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be ready for you to enjoy as Amanda Loughlin of Rosin Preservation chats with us about architecture as high art and the challenges of saving and transforming a building like this one.  Rosin Preservation was involved in the hotel’s recent transformation and Loughlin will share her experiences with the process and her convictions about architecture as a unique and valuable fine art.   

Then you’ll have time for a leisurely tour of the hotel’s fully renovated spaces to check it out for yourself. Take in the Grille Room with its tiled walls and floors plus a mural hand-painted a century ago by a Kansas City Club member. Don’t miss the Tudor Ballroom and its two-story stained-glass windows. Visit the library, the only room women could enter (via a special elevator) until the 1970s. You’ll want some photos of the breathtaking six-story staircase chandelier and the ceramic busts in the lobby of former club members Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Tom Pendergast and Omar Bradley.

Head down to the Nighthawk after 7 pm for live music by Martin Farrell, Jr. and the Blue Station Drifters from Lawrence, KS.  They will give us the full speakeasy experience with their “Cosmic Western” music, described as a classic country sound with bluegrass techniques, gospel harmonies and rock rhythms. After 9 pm the club offers a DJ and you’re invited to stay.

In Nighthawk (the Kansas City Club’s former bowling alley) set up your own tab at the bar and, if you’re still hungry, order from Nighthawk’s small plate menu. 

Cost is $45 per person.  As always, tickets are non-refundable. If your schedule changes you are welcome to give away (or sell) your tickets.

Kansas City welcomes back the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Saturday, March 25th after a four-year hiatus. As the second home of the New York-based Ailey Company, Kansas City has built a program of dance in the public schools and a summer camp program that works with children throughout the Kansas City area. Ailey is renowned worldwide, performing to over 25 million people in 48 states and 71 countries since its founding in 1958. Our performance begins at 1 p.m. at the Kauffman Center.

Begin our KC Arts Alive event at 10:30 a.m. at the Lyon Art Ltd at 2026 Broadway where we'll visit three floors of large-scale drawings, paintings and wood block prints. Mike Lyon has developed a unique process using hand-built equipment and he'll be there to discuss his work. NOTE:  The entrance to his studio is from the alley at the back of the building.

We'll then go a short distance to Los Tules at 1656 Broadway where we'll enjoy a variety of Mexican food and margaritas. The Kauffman Center is just across the street and we'll arrive just in time for the performance.

The entire experience is still priced at an attractive $45.00. We are limited to 100 tickets due to the space at the studio and restaurant so purchase your tickets as soon as you put you group together.  Ticket sales will end March 9th at the request of the Kauffman Center. 

As always, tickets are non-refundable.  If your schedule changes after purchasing tickets, you are welcome to give (or sell them) to someone else.

·       Lyon Art Studio                                                  2026 Broadway

Parking and entrance from the alley behind the building

·       Lunch at Los Tules                                            1656 Broadway

·       Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts            1601 Broadway

Park in Arts District Garage for $10 ($18-20 for valet) or find street parking.

The February Arts Alive KC outing takes us to three Crossroads art galleries plus a live concert at the Folly Theater featuring the internally known but locally grown jazz trumpeter Hermon Mehari in his only 2023 concert in Kansas City.

Start the evening at 5 PM at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art where you will enjoy works by two of our favorite artists, Anne Austin Pearce and Patty Carroll. Anne, who once ran the Greenlease Gallery at Rockhurst University, returns to Kansas City to exhibit her newest work called Midwestern Green/Western Blue. Patty Carroll returns from Chicago where she has worked and lived since the fall of 2022 when she and her husband (former head of the Kansas City Art Institute) moved after his retirement. Walk next door to the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center and Habitat Contemporary to see an exhibit

sponsored by the Society for Contemporary Photography. Also, don’t miss the landscape series by Dillen Peace entitled Navajo Nation.

Dinner by Banksia, one of our favorite caterers, will be available after 6 PM at Leedy-Voulkos. After dinner and drinks, view more art or head to the Folly Theater for a concert by the incomparable Hermon Mahari Quartet beginning at 8 PM. Arrive early if you want to participate in an optional 7 PM pre-show Jazz Talk featuring Steve Kraske and Hermon Mehari. The Hermon Mehari Quartet is currently headquartered in Paris and has spent the last two years touring Europe. An amazing trumpeter with an international reputation, Mehari graduated from the UMKC Conservatory in 2010 and was the winner of the 2015 Carmine Caruso International Trumpet Competition. He was a semifinalist in the 2014 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. He won the 2008 National Trumpet Competition and placed second in the 2010 International Trumpet Guild competition in Sydney, Australia.

Cost is $45/pp for the entire evening and includes food, drinks and concert. Tickets are limited, so get your group together and reserve tickets at the newly restored Folly Theater now. This will be an evening you don’t want to miss!

As always, tickets are nonrefundable. Should you find it impossible to attend you are welcome to give or sell tickets to friends. Folly Theater  300 West 12th Street

Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art 2004 Baltimore

Leedy-Voulkos Art Center and Habitat Contemporary 2012 Baltimore

The galleries are steps away from each other, so you only need to park once in the Crossroads.

As we kick off our Arts Alive events for 2023, we take a moment to appreciate our loyal members and especially our board who have steered us through COVID, inflation, the Ukraine conflict and the uncertainties we face every day, and who have worked diligently to present programs that our members have enjoyed over the past 23 years. Our arts community needs us now more than ever to support their efforts and help them as artists to sustain their careers.

We begin Friday, January 13th with a visit to The Studios Inc followed by an evening of jazz at the American Jazz Museum and the Blue Room. We start off at The Studios Inc at 5:00 pm where upon arrival we'll be treated to refreshments and beverages as we enter the exhibit hall to view Mind the Gap, a solo exhibition of new work by Kathy Liao who will be there to greet us and discuss her new body of work. Kathy Liao just received the national Artadia Award and is the only local artist to be so honored. She also just completed a new work installed at the new KCI. In addition to Kathy Liao's studio, the studios of Harold Smith, Judith G. Levy, and Hong Chun Zhang will be open and these artists will also be present to discuss their work.

We leave The Studios Inc in the East Crossroads at 6:15 and drive the short distance to the American Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine to enjoy the Blue Room "All-Stars" led by pianist Charles Williams and vocalist Lisa Henry.  Stake out seats in the Atrium then wander through the museum before returning to the Atrium to enjoy supper provided by our favorite caterer, Michael Wyatt. Water and soda will be available with dinner or you can purchase other drinks at the Blue Room. We’ll head back to the Blue Room between 7:00 and 7:30 to enjoy the "All-Stars" concert starting at 7:30.  The band will play two sets and two bartenders will be available to serve drinks from the cash bar throughout the concert.

Get your group together for a little hot jazz on a cold winter night and join us. The entire evening is only $40 per person.

Studios Inc. 1708 Campbell

Blue Room 18th and Vine

On Thursday, December 8th, Arts Alive takes you to the West Bottoms for a three-part holiday event you won't want to miss.

We'll begin at Haw Contemporary where Bill Haw and Emily Eddins will introduce you to Julie Blackmon and her new work, Metaverse, based on photographs representing her large family growing up in the Springfield, MO area. In addition, the gallery highlights work by Alex Katz, new ceramic works by some gallery favorites and several rooms devoted to a wide range of other artists represented by Haw Contemporary Gallery. We'll arrive at 5PM and spend an hour wandering through two floors of art.

Around 6PM, we’ll drive five minutes to the historic Pabst Brewery building (circa 1911), now operating as 9th & State, a bar and music venue. There we’ll enjoy a private happy hour with a cash bar and complimentary supper for our group. This block has experienced amazing history and during prohibition featured saloons, jazz clubs, burlesque shows and casinos. After experiencing a taste of early Kansas City history, we'll drive the five minutes to the Black Box Theatre.  Doors open at 7:30PM.

At 8PM the curtain goes up on "Milking Christmas," an annual musical extravaganza presented by The Living Room. Macey Maid-a-Milkin’ aims to keep the holiday alive but soon finds herself in big trouble, with the future of Christmas hanging in the balance. The show, guaranteed to put you in a great holiday mood, is directed by Vanessa Severo and Rusty Sneary and stars some of Kansas City's best actors. The Black Box also offers a cash bar.

We are limited to 70 of our patrons so respond quickly as this event will sell out. The price is just $40/pp for the entire evening. Get a group together and join us for our Christmas season event.

Haw Contemporary Gallery, 1600 Liberty Street

9th & State, 1717 West 9th Street

Black Box Theatre, 1060 Union Ave.

Street parking and some lots can be found near all three venues.

The November Arts Alive event on Thursday, November 17 th includes a tour of one of the most interesting art collections in the Midwest and a play that will tickle your fancy.

Meet us at 5:00 pm in the lobby of the beautiful Congregation Temple B’nai Jehudah at 12320 Nall for a tour of the Klein Collection. After a one-hour tour we will reassemble to enjoy supper catered by the Mixx. Then we’ll take a five-minute drive to the Lewis & Shirley White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center campus for a 7:30 pm curtain of The Addams Family, part of the 2022-2023 theater series.

The Klein Collection has been assembled over many years by Michael Klein and it is now housed and presented in a special gallery within the Temple. The collection contains historic Judaica spanning centuries and continents and is among the largest and most diverse collections in the United States. Each object has a history and docents will share the stories that illustrate the rich history of Jewish life through the centuries. Abby Magariel is the Education/Curator of the collection and she will speak to our group before breaking us into smaller groups for a full tour.

The Addams Family is a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess has fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family-a man her parents have never met. Everything changes as they arrange a dinner party to meet the families and get acquainted. Touring the collection, supper and a ticket to the play is only $45/pp, so let your friends know about this opportunity and sign up on our website for tickets.

Now in our 23rd year, the mission of Arts Alive is to discover and present cultural events throughout our community that our membership will enjoy and return to once they are exposed to the programs and entertainers we feature.

5:00 pm Congregation B’nai Jehudah 12320 Nall 7:30 pm White Theatre 5801 W. 115th St at the Jewish Community Center.

Join Arts Alive at two exciting cultural events in Johnson County this October! On the afternoon

of Saturday, October 15 th , we’ll see the new exhibit at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary

Art then continue on to the Johnson County Arts & amp; Heritage Center for the 2PM curtain of the

musical Always...Patsy Cline.

We’ll assemble on the ground floor of the Nerman at 11:30 to tour Adorned, an exhibit of over

80 works by local and nationally known artists. In times of political, social and economic strife,

adornment becomes our balm of choice. As we invest in objects to further our personal style,

we begin to feel confident and find comfort in this chaotic world. Adorned will excite you like

few other exhibits have and the new director, JoAnn Northrup, will lead us through the

collection of these amazing artworks.

After the tour, we’ll have lunch prepared by the JCCC Culinary School, then head to the Johnson

County Arts and Heritage Center at 88th and Metcalf for the matinee performance of

Always...Patsy Cline, a musical about the life and songs of singer Patsy Cline, one of the most

influential vocalists of the 20th century and one of the first country music artists to cross over

into pop. This is down home country humor at its finest and we’ll enjoy an afternoon of music

as we relive the story of this legendary country singer who died tragically in a 1963 plane crash.

Cost of the entire day including lunch is only $35 per person, so sign up quickly as the theater is

small to join us for another memorable Arts Alive event.

Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art: Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd,

Overland Park, KS

Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center: 8788 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS

In the 23 years since Arts Alive began presenting monthly events, we've never been to Independence but now there's a very interesting venue to offer our membership!

Saturday afternoon, September 17th we'll meet at noon at the newly restored Englewood Arts Center. This area of Independence houses many small shops, an historic movie theater and a fabulous restaurant, Vivilore, which you might want to check out for a future visit. Englewood will eventually become the centerpiece for artists to work, present their work and live in the "arts" neighborhood.

We'll assemble in the lobby of the Englewood Arts Center and upon arrival have a locally catered lunch of shrimp and sausage gumbo, rice, cornbread, and a wonderful dessert.

After touring the building with the director, Michael Baxley, there will be a glassblowing demonstration as well as music provided by local live music group.

For those of you with extra time, the Truman Home is close by as is the newly re-opened Truman Library and you may want to proceed on your own to visit these venues.

The entire afternoon is only $35.00 per person and includes lunch, drinks, music, and tour of the facility. Get your friends together and join us for another unique Arts Alive cultural event.

Englewood Arts Center

10901 E. Winner Road, Independence, MO 64052

Arts Alive, now in its 23rd year of presenting monthly cultural events, begins the late summer with another wonderful evening of visual and performing arts. We'll meet at the Historic 21c Museum Hotel at 5pm on Saturday, August 27th, where we'll tour the current exhibit of contemporary art. This national hotel chain fully restored the original 1888 hotel in 2017 to include a museum and chef-driven restaurant. The museum changes exhibitions every 10 months bringing artwork of leading contemporary artists to each of their hotels. Jori Cheville is the Museum Manager and she will discuss the current works and lead us through the hotel's exhibition titled Labor&Materials.

We'll leave the hotel at 6pm and walk one block to Banksia, where a box supper awaits us. We've loved their food in the past and they'll open their restaurant especially for us. They have plenty of seating for our group and they'll have water and a full cash bar ready for us.

We then proceed to the City Stage Theater on the ground floor of Union Station for the 7:30 curtain of the Kansas City Actors Theatre presentation of About Alice, an award-winning play written by Calvin Trillin. Mr. Trillin grew up in Kansas City and graduated from Southwest High School. He careered in New York City and wrote for the New York Magazine for many years. In About Alice, Calvin Trillin looks back at their time together and beautifully details what made Alice special, and what made their time together so great.

Get your friends together and join us. Get your reservation in quickly as we are limited to 80 guests. The entire evening is specially priced at $35 and will sell out fast. We look forward to welcoming you to another exceptional Arts Alive evening.