2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect Artists Announced

The Art in the Loop Foundation is pleased to announce the schedule of summer art installations and performances by local artists who were selected for “Art in the Loop Project: Connect.”  This year marks the third year for the Art in the Loop Project and includes new partnerships and new Downtown Kansas City, Missouri locations, that provide more opportunities for audiences to interact with and enjoy the work of local artists.

The 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect infuses the center of Downtown Kansas City with innovative and engaging temporary art that will refresh, intrigue and surprise Downtown employees, residents, and visitors. The project also creates opportunities for local emerging and established artists to extend their practice into the Downtown environment with curatorial, professional and logistical support. 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect is a curated outdoor exhibition of temporary artworks and performances presented in four locations Downtown:

1. Ilus Davis Park at 11th and Oak;
2. KC Streetcar stops, located along Main Street between 4th Street and Pershing Road;
3. Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park at 12th and Walnut; and
4. Prairie Logic on the Green Roof, 6th floor above Cosentino’s grocery store at 13th and Main.

Art in Ilus Davis Park:

The Municipal Art Commission of the City of Kansas City, MO, through a competitive selection process, chose eight local artists (see list below) to activate Ilus Davis Park from June through September with temporary artworks and performances. Food trucks will be on site for lunchtime purchases. In the event of rain, performances will take place in the JE Dunn parking garage, 10th and Locust.

Artists and Art Installations

• Chris Dahlquist, Laundry Day

• Matthew Elsom & Garth Britzman, Superfurniture

• Neil Goss, Hempen Support: Vines of Passion

• Kati Toivanen, Hopscotch

Performances (Final Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. )

• Amado Espinoza and the theatrical collective We are the Landscape perform Inti Raymi or “Festival of the Sun” on June 24
• Hema Sharma and The Nritya School of Dance perform Dances & Music of India on July 29
• Matthew Bennett, string quartet performs Then & Now on August 26
• Lauren Thompson, choreographer, Jonathan Robertson, composer and Tom Hipp, videographer create Downtown Replay on September 30

Art on the Line (KC Streetcar stops):

Art in the Loop is partnering with the KC Streetcar Authority to install the following temporary installations and performances at streetcar stops from July through September:

Artist and Art Installations

• Rachelle Gardner-Roe, I See You (Power & Light District Stop – Northbound)
• Andrew Lattner, Alternating Currents (Metro Center Stop/Petticoat Lane)
• m.o.i., minister of information, rail – bike – rail (Library Stop – Southbound)
• Rickey Moss, Imagine That!, Intersections (Kauffman Center Stop)
• Lauren Thompson, Life Turning [Tentative]
• White Art Studio, SOUNDSHAPES (Power & Light District Stop – Southbound)

Performances (Fridays, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p. m.)

• Elizabeth Stehling, dance performance, The Inspired Pedestrians, starts at Union Station, July 15
• Amado Espinoza and Karen Lisondra, Streetcar SoundTracks: Recycled World Duo, Metro Center Stop, August 12
• Jon Johnson directs improvisational theatrical performance, Connections, starts at Union Station, August 19
• Mnemosyne Quartet produces Transient Harmony, a music and sound performance at the Power & Light District and Library Stops, September 2
• Beau Bledsoe and Ensemble Iberica perform Cubanisms, River Market West Stop, September 9
• Stacy Busch, composes and presents Soundtrack for the City, location and date to be announced

Art in the Loop (Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park & Prairie Logic):

Artist performances in Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park and Prairie Logic take place from June through August.  Food trucks will be on site in Oppenstein Park.  

Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park, 12th & Walnut (Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)

• Betse & Clarke perform Traveling Tunes on fiddle and banjo, July 21
• Timothy Amundson, Turkey Creek Institute for Phenomenal Awareness, presents Water Yield, a photo installation and performance lecture, Install: Jul 18- Aug 5, Performance: July 28
• Annette Billings, poet presents A Net Full of Hope, August 11
• Alison Moyna Greene, presents Walking, Eggshells, Mandala, an ephemeral day-long installation and performance, August 18
• Maura Garcia, performs Ahwisgvsgo’i, a multimedia project about indigenous traditions, August 25

Prairie Logic on the Green Roof (a permanent art installation by Janet Zweig and el dorado inc, that serves as a performance space)

• UMKC Conservatory Composition Workshop led by Paul Rudy, performs, Improvisation Illogic, Thursday, June 23, 7:00 pm
• Daniel Morel leads, Kansas City Calling, a musical happening featuring the Jibrish Horn Quartet and members of the UMKC Conservatory Horn Studio, date to be announced.

A presentation by the 25 participating artists, moderated by Jessica Borusky, will be held on Tuesday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library located at 14 West 10th Street.  A reception follows the presentation. This event is co-hosted by the Kansas City Public Library, the Downtown Council of Kansas City, Missouri and the Municipal Art Commission of the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

The 2016 Art in the Loop Project: Connect is made possible through the generous support of the KCMO – Office of Culture & Creative Services, the KC Streetcar Authority, the KCMO-Neighborhood Tourism Development Fund, the Missouri Arts Council, ArtsKC and the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, as well as our corporate sponsors.

For more information about the project, the artists and performance schedule visit www.artintheloop.com, www.facebook.com/artintheloop, or twitter.com/ArtintheLoop.