Art in the Loop Announces 2023 Visual Artists

(Kansas City, Missouri) – The Art in the Loop Foundation is pleased to announce the 2023 Art in the Loop artists and art installations.

This year marks the tenth year for the Art in the Loop Project, which includes artwork based on photography, painting, digitized illustrations, paintings, and more. The Art in the Loop Project is a curated outdoor exhibition of temporary artworks presented in partnership with the KC Streetcar.  Artists responded to the 2023 theme of “Celebrate” by addressing questions about how one defines celebration, what are the intersections between art and celebration, and what celebrating Downtown Kansas City looks like.  

Artists are selected for the annual program through an online application process open to artists in the greater Kansas City area. A selection panel consisting of local artists, curators, educators, and community members reviewed over 100 applications and selected 8 artist teams.

The following artists’ works will be displayed at KC Streetcar stops and on one KC Streetcar vehicle between June and November 2023. You can find images of each installation online at www.artintheloop.com. 

Artist and Art Installations:

• Arin Yoon, Here, with you, at the River Market North Streetcar Stop
• Adrianne Clayton, The Little Princess, at the ARTwall at 13th and Grand
• Bubblegum Kurt, Party Balloons, at the Crossroads Northbound Streetcar Stop 
• Fred Trease, Disco Cloud, on the KC Streetcar #804
• Isaiah Lee, Demonstrations 3, at the Metro Center Northbound Streetcar Stop
• Kaitlyn B. Jones, How to Build an Altar for the Living, at the Library Southbound Streetcar Stop  
• Khyneesha Edwards, Black Boy Joy, at the Union Station Streetcar Stop 
• Madeline Marak, Flower Garden, at the River Market West Streetcar Stop  

The Art in the Loop Foundation will hold a Kick-Off event for the 2023 Art in the Loop Project: Celebrate, on Wednesday, June 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library Central Branch. This will be an evening of art and music as we introduce the 2023 visual and performance artists. The event will start at 5:30 p.m. with a reception followed by a program at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Attendees can RSVP for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023.com.

The Art in the Loop Foundation is very excited to have a guest speaker at our Kick-Off Event this year. Michael Toombs is an accomplished artist and art activist. He is the CEO and founder of Storytellers Inc. Toombs is a leader and aid to artists throughout Kansas City. He specializes in interactive community based art works to bring people together through art.

The 2023 Art in the Loop Project is provided artistic guidance by Marissa Starke, who is serving in her first year as the visual art director for Art in the Loop. Marissa Starke is a non-profit executive with a distinguished, 13-year history of success in non-profit management, corporate and community relations, and team leadership. A visionary leader with a demonstrated history of working in the fine art industry, Marissa has pioneered and led dozens of arts initiatives and programs across Missouri and Kansas, offering expertise in curation, community engagement and arts advocacy.

The 2023 Art in the Loop Project is provided artistic guidance by Jade Osborne, who is serving in her first year as performance art director for Art in the Loop. Jade Osborne is an international performance artist, arts activist, facilitator, mentor, and speaker. She has worked in non-profit education, served in AmeriCorps, and has been a Poet and Artist in Residence (Capoeira & Aerial Acrobatics). She was the first female Capoeira performer in both the U.S. and Hong Kong. She helped pioneer aerial acrobatics in Kansas City with Voler – Thieves of Flight Performance Ensemble. 

Art in the Loop is proud to partner with AI Hub this year. AI Hub is a creative coworking space that caters to artists, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. They have been a great help making this year’s Art in the Loop project possible by giving our artists the technical tools to bring their art to life on the KC Streetcar shelters.

The 2023 Art in the Loop Project is made possible through the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Henderson Engineers, Stinson LLP, and other corporate partners. This project is funded in part by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, as well as by awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Missouri Arts Council, ArtsKC, and the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts – Commerce Bank Trustee.

Project partners include the Downtown Council, Downtown Community Improvement Districts, KC Streetcar, and the Kansas City Art Institute.

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

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Contacts:

Art in the Loop
Ann Holliday, Program Director, ann@downtownkc.org, (c) 816-718-1355

Marissa Starke, Visual Arts Director, marissastarke@gmail.com, (c) 816-519-4236

Jade Osborne, Performing Arts Director, jademuse@gmail.com 

KC Streetcar

Donna Mandelbaum, Communications & Marketing Director, dmandelbaum@kcstreetcar.org,  (c) 816-877-3219