Make sure to stop by our many events happening this July including our KC Streetcar Celebration and Ride, various Streetcar Stop Installations, and more!

(Kansas City, Missouri) – The Art in the Loop Foundation is pleased to announce the 2024 Art in the Loop visual and performing artists.

The Art in the Loop Project is a curated outdoor exhibition of temporary artworks and performance series presented in partnership with the KC Streetcar. This year marks the eleventh year for the Art in the Loop Project and includes visual artwork based on photography, painting, digitized illustrations, and performance artwork based in dance, experimental jazz, hip hop, aerial acrobatics, and more. 

This year, we asked artists to respond to the Spanish word Convivencia and express their interpretation through their artwork. Convivencia is a shared life with others that is a constant practice, effort, negotiation, and joint achievement while recognizing friction or opposing energy. We recognize that artists and creatives are familiar with navigating space, energy, and time amongst one another and within their communities.   

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 22 visual and performing artists.

The following visual artists’ works will be displayed at KC Streetcar stops and on one KC Streetcar vehicle between June and November 2024: 

Visual Artists and Art Installations:

• Bei Hu, Our Sky Project, Kauffman Center Southbound Streetcar Stop 
• Meranda McDermott, Threads of Convivencia: Embracing Diversity through Fiber Art, River Market West KC Streetcar Stop 
  • • This progress installation will occur on the following dates:
      • June 9, 12 – 2 pm
      • July 14, 9 -11 am
      • Aug. 25, 9 – 11 am
      • Oct. 6, 12 – 2 pm
• Susan Moreno, Living Together, Union Station Streetcar Stop
  • • This progress live painting will occur on the following dates
      • June 10, 12 – 2 pm
      • June 29, 12 – 2 pm
      • July 19, 5 – 7 pm
      • Oct. 4, 5 – 7 pm

• Julia Morris, Eph 4:2, KC Streetcar Vehicle

• Maggie Newlin & Ellie Newlin, K. See. The Good, Crossroads Northbound Streetcar Stop, 

• Katrina Revenaugh, How Do You Bloom?, North Loop Southbound Streetcar Stop

• Zach Frazier & Nasir Montalvo, Welcome to Soakie’s — a {B/qKC} installation, Power & Light Northbound Streetcar Stop, 

The following performing artists will present an incredible summer revue of free performances. For fans of music, dance, and acrobatics, we are certain that there will be something engaging for everyone.

Performance Artists & Schedule:

• Kick-Off Event | June 12, 5:30 p.m. at Kansas City Public Library Central Library
  • Alber
  • Kat King
  • Viva La Tinta
  • Glenn North
• KC Streetcar Celebration & Ride | July 17, 5:30 p.m. Starting at Union Station Streetcar Stop
  • Jamogi and the Jammers
  • Amado Espinoza and Pedro Calderon
• 816 Day | August 16, 5:30 p.m., City Market
  • 45° Flamenco with Jose Faus
  • Danielle Ate the Sandwich
  • Kadesh Flow
• Oppenstein Park | September 18, 5:30 p.m., Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park
  • Gracie Caggiano
  • Grupo Folklórico Alma Tapatia
  • Musicbyskippy
• Art Walk | October 12, 2 p.m.
  • Liney Blu
• Closing Reception | November 6, 5:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library
  • Olivia Emert and Company
  • Fenom D. Poet
  • Sheri Purpose Hall

 

The Art in the Loop Foundation will hold a Kick-Off event for the 2024 Art in the Loop Project: Convivencia, on Wednesday, June 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library. Guests will enjoy an evening of art and music as they are invited to meet the 2024 visual and performance artists. The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with musical performances by Alber and Kat King and an interactive art creation activation with Viva La Tinta KC occurring throughout the evening. Guests are invited to meet with visual and performing artists for a chance to learn about the work the artists are creating for this year’s project. Please join us for this event which is free and open to the public. 

The 2024 Art in the Loop Project is provided visual artistic guidance by Marissa Starke, who is serving in her second year as Visual Art Director for Art in the Loop. Marissa Starke is a non-profit executive with a distinguished, 13-year history of success in nonprofit 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 2024 Art in the Loop Project is provided performance artistic guidance by Jade Osborne, who is serving in her second 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 the U.S. and in Hong Kong and helped pioneer aerial acrobatics in Kansas City with Voler – Thieves of Flight Performance Ensemble. 

Community, Sponsors & Supporters

Artists have played a key role in the revitalization of Downtown Kansas City over the past few decades and through programs like Art in the Loop, this will continue. In the words of renowned local artist Michael Toombs,  “Through projects like Art in the Loop, Downtown KC is becoming part of a highly visible cultural landscape that reminds us of who we are, as well as inspires us in who we are yet to become.” We have unique opportunities for your organization to connect with the community and support local artists through sponsorships and charitable donations. 

We appreciate the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Henderson Engineers, JE Dunn Construction, Stinson LLP, Copaken Brooks, UMB Bank, and the Kansas City Art Institute. This project is funded in part by ArtsKC, the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, with public support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, as well as corporate sponsorships and philanthropic contributions. 

For more information contact Ann Holliday, ann@downtownkc.org, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Downtown Council and Executive Director of the Art in the Loop Foundation.

Special recognition and gratitude are due to the Kansas City Public Library and the foresight in bringing Tommi Laitio to Kansas City! We appreciate the support and participation of all our project partners including the Downtown Council, Downtown Community Improvement Districts, KC Streetcar, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City Art Institute, City Market and Union Station.

For more information about the project and the artists, visit www.artintheloop.com, www.facebook.com/artintheloop, or https://www.instagram.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,  816-877-3219

Deadline for submissions: Monday, March 18, 2024, 11:59 p.m.

The Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) is in search of artists to bring their creativity to Downtown Kansas City for the 2024 Summer Public Art program (11th Annual).

Through a competitive, open-call process, AILF selects local artists to create temporary, site-specific work along and near the KC Streetcar route in Downtown Kansas City. Your artwork will be viewed by thousands of KC Streetcar riders and Downtowners daily! Selected artists will receive funds and project support to bring their big ideas alive for a 6-month outdoor program. 

2024 Theme/Prompt: Convivencia

This year’s theme is convivencia (Spanish: to coexist with others through practicing the way we share space and resources despite our differences. To be “at ease” with difference.)

Convivencia is a space between harmony and conflict. It expresses a shared life with others that is a constant practice, effort, negotiation, and joint achievement while recognizing friction or opposing energy. We recognize that artists and creatives are very familiar with navigating space, energy, and time amongst one another and within their communities. 

Throughout Downtown Kansas City and on board the KC Streetcar, we observe moments of Convivencia through the interactions of visitors, residents, workers, and commuters. 

This year we invite artists to share how they practice or observe convivencia. We challenge artists to explore moments that demonstrate the act of joint achievement and negotiation, whether that be in an abstract or a representational sense. 

We ask artists to consider the following prompts: Can we be at ease with difference? How do we share space with our community while balancing both harmony and conflict? How does this tension inform our work and practice? 

We are looking for artists to respond to this word, feeling and experience and to explore their vision of convivencia.

Eligibility, Requirements & Schedule:
Professional visual artists, or artist teams, art students, at least 18 years of age residing within 50 miles of Kansas City are eligible. Click here to learn more about the selection process, requirements, and schedule.

Art in the Loop Mission:
The mission of the Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) is to contribute to the visual identity, enrichment, and revitalization of Downtown Kansas City, create new opportunities for artistic development, and expand public interaction with new art of excellence. AILF values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive art community.

To be considered, artists may submit a proposal for ANY of the FOUR following categories: 

Please review the details below. You may submit artwork for multiple categories; however, if you are selected, it will be for only one location.

• KC Streetcar Wrap 
• KC Streetcar Shelter (Within the Frame)
• KC Streetcar Shelter (Live Painting)
• KC Streetcar Sculpture + Shelter

To see examples of previous projects, please visit our website.

A. KC STREETCAR WRAP (Art Car)

Artists are invited to wrap one KC Streetcar vehicle with their artwork. If accepted you will be asked to provide a print-ready file at the appropriate dimensions. Click HERE for a downloadable pdf template and helpful tips to wrap the KC Streetcar. Please superimpose your idea on the streetcar digital file. This helps the selection committee see your artwork as you envision it on the streetcar.

One artist/artist team will be selected to wrap one streetcar.

The selected artist will be paid a fee of $2,500 to create the print-ready artwork. Art in the Loop will pay for printing, installing, and removing the artwork.

Click HERE for a downloadable pdf template and helpful tips on how to design a KC Streetcar.

B. KC STREETCAR SHELTER (Within the Frame)

Artists are invited to propose a 2-dimensional work to be displayed on a KC Streetcar Stop. Two artists/artist teams will be selected to install their works at a KC Streetcar Shelter. 

If accepted, you will be asked to provide a print-ready file at the appropriate dimensions. The display area dimensions are 61.25” x 166.75” for the larger streetcar stop shelters and 58.63” x 83.44” for the smaller streetcar stop shelters. The area for artwork on KC Streetcar shelters is on the back panel glass. The printed graphic may take an organic shape, or fit within the standard dimensions. Artwork does not need to take up the entire back-panel glass. The artwork is not to encroach on the blue frame.

We suggest considering the ambient light at the stops. Please note the artwork will be viewed from both sides of the shelter and should be visually interesting from either view. (Hint: check out previous artwork at KC Streetcar stops to get ideas HERE.)

Selected artists will be paid a fee of $1,000. Art in the Loop will pay for printing, installing and removing the artwork. Art in the Loop will also manage the installation process with the printing and installation company.

C. KC STREETCAR SHELTER (Live Painting)

One KC Streetcar stop will include a Live Painting installation. Artwork may be applied directly to the glass of the shelter. Artwork may also be installed in the area around a KC Streetcar stop; however, provisions must be made for accessibility and safety as well as permission granted by the KC Streetcar Authority and/or property owner. Additionally, all artwork must be able to be removed from the streetcar stop or adjacent area.

Proposals based in social practice and/or community engagement are encouraged. Social practice includes any artform that directly engages the community in collaboration and social interaction. Social practice works are often co-created with the public, with that collaborative aspect holding equal importance as the artwork itself. (Hint: check out previous artwork at KC Streetcar stops to get ideas HERE.)

Selected artists will be paid a fee of $1,500 (includes artist’s time, materials, installation, and removal costs).

D. KC STREETCAR SCULPTURE + SHELTER

One KC Streetcar stop will include a 3-dimensional installation/artwork. Artwork will be installed in the area around a KC Streetcar stop; however, provisions must be made for accessibility and safety as well as permission granted by the property owner. Additionally, all artwork must be able to be removed from the installation area and the streetcar stop. In addition to the Sculpture, we are asking artists to include an artwork or written artwork proposal for a KC Streetcar Shelter that amplifies their design and connects the audience with the artist and their artwork. (Hint: check out previous artwork at KC Streetcar stops to get ideas HERE.)

Selected artists will be paid a fee of $2,500 (includes artist’s time, materials, installation, and removal costs).

Deadline for application is March 18, 2024 Click here to apply 

Learn more at artintheloop.com

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2024 ART IN THE LOOP APPLICATION GUIDELINES

DEADLINE: March 18 11:59 pm, CST

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY: 

Professional visual artists, or artist teams, art students, at least 18 years of age residing within 50 miles of Kansas City are eligible. Selection panelists and their immediate family members are not eligible for participation. Eligible artists with a strong interest in working in the public realm are invited to submit qualifications to be considered.

SELECTION PROCESS:

A selection panel (arts professionals, community representatives and business leaders) will review materials received from qualified artists in response to this call for concepts. The final selection of proposals will also be dictated by availability of funding and final property owner approval.  

ART IN THE LOOP ENVISIONS THE ART WILL (BE):

• Temporary (hours or few days) or semi-permanent (3-6 months)
• Surprising, unconventional, thoughtful and fun
• Engaging to the public and activating the environment
• Encourage community engagement and interaction
• Appropriate for all ages
• Not polemic or polarizing
• Does not depict the likeness of specific individuals within the public realm

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Criteria will vary depending on skills required for project, but could include:

• Originality of concept and aesthetic strength of proposal
• Demonstration of experience in technique/materials to complete project
• Education, training, awards, fellowships, or other evidence of creative practice

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS AND DETAILS:

• The Artist must be willing to collaborate with property owners.
• Installation and removal will be scheduled with Art in the Loop.
• Selected artists will be asked to adhere to the requirements described below

IMPORTANT DATES:

• March 18, 2024 – Application deadline
• March – Selection Panel Meeting
• April – Artists notified of status in early April
• April – Sign Contracts in mid April
• May – Install Artworks in late May
• June 12, 2024  – Kick Off Event at Kansas City Public Library – Central
• July 17, 2024 – Art Car Reveal/Ride
• September  – Prepare and print catalog
• October 12, 2024  – Art Walk
• November 6, 2024 – Closing Reception at Kansas City Public Library – Central
• Nov 15-Nov 31  – Remove Artworks*

*Some artwork may remain in place longer at the discretion of the property owner.

ARTIST REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECTED ARTISTS 

• Descriptive material and photo for website – Artists will provide a brief written description of their work and provide a photo for the project website.
• PR and marketing materials – Artists will provide written material to assist in developing press releases, programs and other materials.
• Impact Statement – Artists will write a 500-word max statement about the impact of the project on their practice due no later than September 1.
• Kick-Off Event – Scheduled for June 12, 2024, from 5-7 pm. at the Kansas City Public Library Central Library. Artists are asked to attend.
• Artwalk – Scheduled for October 12, 2024, from 2 – 4 pm. Artists are asked to participate in the annual Artwalk and speak about their work. 
• Closing Reception – Scheduled for November 6, 2024, from 5 – 7 pm. Artists will attend and make a 2-minute presentation about their work for the project.
• Artwork Removal: Artists working in 3-D will be responsible for removing their artwork in coordination with Art in the Loop and adjacent property owners. Art in the Loop will remove 2-D vinyl artwork.

ART IN THE LOOP WILL PROVIDE:

• Web presence for each project on artintheloop.com
• Social media, PR, and other marketing
• Signage for each project
• Logistical support and coordination with property owners and partners
• Curatorial support
• Documentation of projects (still photography and video as available)
• Printed summary catalog of entire project

Contact Visual Art Director, Marissa Starke, marissastarke@gmail.com or Program Director, Ann Holliday, ann@downtownkc.org with any questions.

The Lawrence Arts Center, in collaboration with LiveWell Douglas County and the City of Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture, is seeking a professional artist or artist teams to develop a long-lasting, innovative, original work of art to honor the Mexican American community of La Yarda, a housing unit created by the Santa Fe Railroad to house workers from 1920-51. The artwork will be installed on the Lawrence Lawrence Loop trail system in East Lawrence within a few blocks proximity of where the La Yarda neighborhood once stood. Emerging artists are encouraged to apply in collaboration with more established artists and/or fabricators. Community engagement will be an important part of this project and artists with cultural connections to history are especially welcome.

The total anticipated public art project budget is $35,000. This not-to-exceed total must cover all costs associated with the design, fabrication, installation, infrastructure, site preparation, site visits, and other related expenses.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Interested artists should enter and submit their application materials, listed below by 11:59 p.m. Central Time, March 15, 2024.

For more information visit https://www.findinglayarda.com/publicart or contact Marlo Angell, marlo@lawrenceartscenter.org or
785-843-2787 ext. 132

‘Demonstration 3’ Interview with Isaiah Lee

Isaiah Lee’s artwork is displayed at the Metro Center Northbound Streetcar Stop. It comes from a set of paintings displayed at AI Hub. We interviewed Isaiah to talk more about the work that formed the basis for the Streetcar Stop Art. Isaiah’s work will be featured at the Artwalk on September 13th.  

Can you describe your artwork and what it means to you?
The piece, in the most basic words, is a look forward to what I would like to experience like with my own child. It’s reflecting on my own childhood and seeing what I missed out on and what other people missed out on, but at the same time, still giving some praise to fathers who are present. This piece is part of a set. These pieces are all following a narrative. The paintings have to do with Black life in America and the Black experience. I completed another series called the Homestead paintings. As a whole, they illustrate the spread of Black people and the spread of our influence post-slavery. The artwork from the Demonstration series, which the streetcar stop artwork comes from, are more specific situations. 

What was the process of deciding the color palette and the specific imagery that you chose?
I’m a really big color theorist. I’m big on things being really colorful. I don’t pick colors at random. I make sure to choose colors that go together. I use the color wheel and aesthetics a lot to go through and determine the shape of everything. The eye is most attracted to squares and circles. I’m manipulating a kind of system but it’s mainly based on what’s appealing to me. That’s first and foremost. It’s really easy to communicate emotions with squares and colors. I wanted people to feel warm with the colors that I used to contrast with the background. It was deliberate, but it was also intuitive. The background is blank because I wanted the focus to be on the two people. The warm background iss important because it fills your entire peripheral vision. You’re supposed to stand really close to those paintings and look at them almost like you’re looking at a map. My intention is for the audience to feel so close to the people in the painting that it almost feels like you’re also hugging the child.

How did you choose which of the Demonstration pieces to send in with your application?
There are three pieces in the set; I chose Demonstration 3 because it fits the celebration theme the best. All of the pieces are celebrating Black people, but I feel like this piece celebrated something really personal to me. I felt the strongest connection to this piece, more so than most of my other work.

How is Demonstration 3 different from the other projects that you’ve done?
This painting is different from the art that came before it because it’s so specific. A lot of the other pieces I’ve done are pretty broad and they don’t really touch on an individual issue. There are also figures with it. I normally don’t do faces or people. Demonstration 3 is fairly religious. Demonstration 3 in particular uses a reference to the religious painting of Mary holding Jesus. It was kind of hard to find actual images of a man holding a baby so my reference came from paintings of Mary and Jesus, then I created my own narrative around it. In a lot of the pieces that I’m working on now, the faces are much more specific. In Demonstration 3, the face was pretty nondescript and I did that deliberately because I wanted more people to be able to connect to it. A lot of what I’m working on now is much more specific to me. Demonstration 3 is very specific to me, but it is also more relatable to more people. Now, I’m looking more inward and reflecting on the religious issues I had in the past.

How long have you lived in Kansas City?
I grew up in Lee’s Summit and then I went to college in Warrensburg when I was 19. After I moved to Warrensburg, I came back to Lee’s Summit. I’ve been in Missouri my entire life and I’ve lived in Kansas City for probably 18 years. 

How did you find out about Art in the Loop?
I didn’t recently start getting involved with galleries or any public art until I moved back home. I found out about Art and the Loop when I saw the call for artists this year. A bunch of people were telling me, ”Oh, you should apply” or “you should submit for this.” It’s been a really cool opportunity.

Thank you, Isaiah Lee, for sharing more about your art and story!

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For more information about Isaiah’s artwork and the other artists featured this year, visit www.artintheloop.com

The 2023 Art in the Loop Project is made possible through the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, JE Dunn, 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 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 or www.facebook.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