The 2023 Call for Performing Artists for the summer series is open! Musicians, dancers, spoken-word and perfomance artists are encourged to apply by May 22. Performances will take place monthly in Downtown Kansas City. An information session was held on May 15, 2023. Click here to learn more and view the slide presentation.
Deadline for submissions: Monday, May 22, 2023, 11:59 p.m.
The Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) is in search of performing artists to bring their creativity to Downtown Kansas City for the 2023 Art in the Loop Performance Series.
Through a competitive, open-call process, AILF selects local artists to perform along and near the KC Streetcar route as well as at other sites in Downtown Kansas City. This performance series will feature multi-sensory performances such as spoken word, dance, music, improv, etc., while also highlighting the visual artworks installed along the KC Streetcar route.
Artists will receive a stipend for their work and selected artists will perform at one of five Art in the Loop events:
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June 21st: Kick-off Ceremony at the Central Library
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July 12th: Summer evening concert on July 12th
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August 16th: 816 Day at City Market
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September 13th: Outdoor Performances at Streetcar Stops
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November 8th: Closing Reception at the Central Library
2023 Theme/Prompt: Celebrate
How do you celebrate? This year we are asking artists to show us how/what they celebrate in their lives. This could be the celebration of art, identity, culture, community and more. How do you reflect celebration in your artwork and art practice, your community, and your city?
For the 2023 Art in the Loop Performances, we are looking for artists to respond to these questions and to explore their vision of celebration. Proposed performances should reflect these questions and ideas in ways that engage and stimulate Kansas City audiences through public performances.
Eligibility:
Professional artists, musicians, spoken-word artists, dance artists, and other performers, at least 18 years of age residing within 50 miles of Kansas City are eligible.
For more information or to apply, visit: www.artintheloop.com or contact Jade Osborne, Performance Art Director, jademuse@gmail.com.
The Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) is seeking visual artists to engage the community through an exhibition of public artwork along the KC Streetcar route in Downtown Kansas City from May 31 through November 31, 2023. This is our 10th annual summer public art program. 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 artwork alive for a 6-month outdoor program.
Our 2023 theme is “Celebrate.”
How do you celebrate? This year we are asking artists to show us how/what they celebrate in their lives. This could be the celebration of art, identity, culture, community, and more. How do you reflect celebration in your artwork and art practice, your community, and your city?
For the 2023 Art in the Loop Project, we are looking for artists to respond to these questions and to explore their vision of celebration. Proposed projects should reflect these questions and ideas in ways that engage and stimulate Kansas City audiences through public art installations.
This year artists may submit proposals in 5 categories:
- KC Streetcar Wrap + Shelter
- KC Streetcar Shelter (Within the Frame)
- KC Streetcar Shelter (Live Painting)
- KC Streetcar Shelter + Sculpture
- ARTwall Installation + Shelter
The application requires a written description of your proposal, a visual concept, and a short narrative about your goals for public engagement. Stipends will range from $1,000-$2,500 depending on the category. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 17, 11:59 CST. Applications must be made online via the application portal.
For information about eligibility, the selection process, evaluation criteria, and important dates, review the application guidelines. Applicants are also encouraged to learn about artist projects from previous years. Annual catalogs from past years’ programs can be found here.
Important Links:
- Call for Artists
- Application Guidelines and Requirements
- Examples from previous years (annual catalogs)
- Online Application
Learn more about the call at an information session:
- Thursday, February 23rd from 11 – 12 pm at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, in person and via zoom – Click here to register
- Wednesday, March 1st from 6 – 7:30 pm, Information Session and Workshop at AI Hub 511 Delaware Street Suite 50 KCMO – Click here to register
- Saturday, March 11th from 10 – 11 am, Information Session Mix and Mingle at KCAC 3200 Gillham Road KCMO – Click here to register
Performance artists and musicians, stay tuned for our second call for artists in which we will have opportunities for performances along the KC Streetcar route and more.
Questions may be directed to Art in the Loop Visual Art Director, Marissa Starke, marissastarke@gmail.com, or Program Director, Ann Holliday, ann@downtownkc.org.
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.
The City of Lawrence is excited to announce that the 33rd annual Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition is coming back in 2023 after a period of hibernation due to Covid-19.
The Lawrence Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition (ODSE) is in its 33rd year! The ODSE was founded by local sculptor and executive director of the Kansas Sculptors Association Jim Patti in 1988 to provide an opportunity for area sculptors to showcase their work in various locations in downtown Lawrence.
The ODSE is now sponsored by the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission (LCAC) and receives financial and staff support from the City of Lawrence. To see what the most recent Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition looked like, see our 2019 event brochure here.
The LCAC is seeking artists and/or teams wishing to be considered to develop work for this temporary, one-year public art exhibition program.
Works that explore an expanded, ephemeral notion of art in the public realm are strongly encouraged. This might include:
- Performance, Music, Spoken Word
- Interactive
- Socially Inspired
- Temporary Installations
- Dance
- Video Projections
- or other Innovative Approaches
For more information, see the 2023 Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition Call for Artists.
If you’re interested in applying, we encourage you: Don’t wait! The application window closes at midnight on Saturday, December 17th.
Fill out the online application here.
Celebrate what made Kansas City’s 2022 Art in the Loop Project: Sustainable great. The curated outdoor exhibition, staged in partnership with the KC Streetcar Authority, wraps up with a reception, illustrated review, and reflection on this year’s entries.
Art in the Loop organizers and participants look back on the artistic works and performances featured from June to September. Art director Kyle Mullins will lead a presentation highlighting all the offerings, and selected artists present their works and discuss their experiences. Among them:
- Devin Edwards, Darrius’s Garden, on KC Streetcar 806
- DINKC Galicia, Generations, at the Power & Light Southbound Streetcar Stop
- David Wayne Reed, Mother, at the Kauffman Center Southbound Streetcar Stop
- Jennifer Lapka with A.P. Visual, The Dieynaba Dress, at the Metro Center Northbound Streetcar Stop
- Raffaela Malazarte, Mahalaga, at the Library Northbound Streetcar Stop
- Dave Lowenstein, You Are Here, at the Union Station Streetcar Stop
- Sol Anzorena, Take Care of Who Cares For You, at the River Market West Streetcar Stop
The event includes performances by the flamenco trio FlamenKCMO and poet Natasha Ria El-Scari with jazz musician Kevin “Church” Johnson.
Art in the Loop is designed to make cultural experiences available to downtown residents, visitors, and workers. The closing event is co-presented by the Art in the Loop Foundation, the Downtown Council and KC Streetcar Authority.
A reception and live performance will start at 5:30 p.m. followed by the program at 6:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Click here to register and learn more.
The Kansas City Streetcar is looking for talented, local musicians to entertain riders during the holiday season.
Do you want to perform in front of an audience in a uniquely different way? Do you want to engage with the riders on board the Kansas City Streetcar and at streetcar stops?
With more than 10.7 million passenger trips in 6 years of service, you will reach many ears and hearts with your music.
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to perform your music (both original and covers allowed) on board the KC Streetcar or at a streetcar stop.
Inclusion of holiday music in sets is encouraged but not mandatory.
Performances are anticipated to take place during weekday evenings, but a schedule will not be finalized until mid-November.
Application deadline is Oct. 23.
Selected musicians will be notified by Nov. 4.
The 2022 Art in the Loop Art Walk will take place on Wednesday, September 14, from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. The public is invited to join the project artists, planners and others as we ride KC Streetcar and walk to 6 different streetcar stops. At each stop the artists will talk about their work. Artists include:
- Dave Loewenstein
- David Wayne Reed
- Jennifer Lapka
- DINKC
- Raffaela Malazarte
- Sol Anzorena
We will be joined on the walk by a group of improvisational dancers “Dancers of a Certain Age” led by Jeramy Zimmerman. The event will end with a performance by Jass.
Learn more about the event and RSVP here.
The 2022 Art in the Loop Project is provided artistic guidance by Kyle Mullins, who is serving in his second year as art director for Art in the Loop. Mullins is a dance artist living and creating in Kansas City, MO. He is the artistic director of his company Cerca Trova, where he creates works of dance theater, and producer of Making Moves, a monthly dance performance series he founded in 2019. He also works as an Artists Services Program Officer at Mid-America Arts Alliance. He is a former Charlotte Street Foundation Studio Resident. Mullins danced in NYC for ten years before relocating home to Kansas City. He holds an MFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
The 2022 Art in the Loop Project is made possible through the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Stinson LLP, UMB Bank, JE Dunn Construction, Academy Bank, 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, Kansas City Public Library 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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Join us on Friday, September 2nd, as Art in the Loop presents a live painting event by visual artist Sol Anzorena.
Using sustainable materials, Anzorena will create “Sacred Spaces”, a temporary art installation at the KC Streetcar City Market stop (5th and Walnut). The work reminds us of Nature’s persistence through time, “patiently waiting for us to peel back the veil of our busy lives and step onto sacred land once more.” The painting highlights plants native to our region and is designed to gently dissolve over time through exposure to the elements, a nod to natural cycles.
Anzorena’s live painting event will accompany City Market’s Fresh Fridays, with KC Chalk and Walk Festival and Art Garden KC. The event takes place from 5:00 pm-8:30 pm. The artist will be painting throughout the evening and will be accompanied by live acoustic music with Tom Grotewohl playing the traditional Indian flute and folk violin.
Click here to RSVP and learn more!
Join Art in the Loop, the Downtown Council and our other partners as we celebrate all things local on Tuesday, August 16, at the City Market. The event will feature live entertainment, branded events, and fun activities. On this day, community connectedness is strengthened by local business and resident pride.
Since 2018, the downtown community has been celebrating all things 816! This year we are partnering with Art in the Loop and Art Garden KC to bring a celebration worthy of our area code to the Historic City Market.
Celebrate 816 Day between August 5 – 16, 2022 with a friendly game of Scavenger Hunt Bingo. Discover new destinations and revisit old stomping grounds around downtown Kansas City and along the KC Streetcar route. Complete your Bingo card by snapping a QR Code or picking up a sticker at the select downtown businesses, restaurants, artworks, landmarks, and the KC Streetcar.
Your completed Bingo card is your ticket to be eligible to win raffle prizes during the Art in the Loop Performance at City Market on Tuesday, August 16, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. featuring:
- The Black Creatures: A musical duo whose inspirations range from Robert Glasper toDa Brat.
- Circus Scorpius: A dynamic display of breathtaking physical acrobatics.
- Kyle Jones: A jazz saxophonist concerned with righting social injustices through music.
Come early and shop unique creations from diverse Kansas City artists and makers curated by Art Garden KC from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Click here to RSVP for the event.
Bingo cards can be downloaded on the Downtown Neighborhood Association website or picked up at participating businesses. Riding the KC Streetcar is a great way to visit most of the shops and restaurants. You must be present to win the 816 Day Bingo prizes.
For questions, contact Jared Campbell with the Downtown Council at jared@downtownkc.org or Donna Mandelbaum with the KC Streetcar Authority at dmandelbaum@kcstreetcar.org.
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The 2022 Art in the Loop Project is provided artistic guidance by Kyle Mullins, who is serving in his second year as art director for Art in the Loop. Mullins is a dance artist living and creating in Kansas City, MO. He is the artistic director of his company Cerca Trova, where he creates works of dance theater, and producer of Making Moves, a monthly dance performance series he founded in 2019. He also works as an Artists Services Program Officer at Mid-America Arts Alliance. He is a former Charlotte Street Foundation Studio Resident. Mullins danced in NYC for ten years before relocating home to Kansas City. He holds an MFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
The 2022 Art in the Loop Project is made possible through the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Stinson LLP, UMB Bank, JE Dunn Construction, Academy Bank, 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, Kansas City Public Library 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.
Artworks have appeared at KC Streetcar stops and bloomed across the sides of a streetcar vehicle; a sense of vibrancy has been infused into Downtown KC, and beginning in July, the excitement continues with a series of public performances taking place all across Downtown. The Art in the Loop Foundation is pleased to present an incredible summer revue of performances. For fans of music, dance, acrobatics, and poetry, we are certain that there will be something engaging for everyone.
For nine years and nine summers, Art in the Loop has been committed to the project of enriching the Downtown KC area. Each year, a question, idea, or context provides parameters to work within. This year, artists and performers responded to the theme “Sustainable” by questioning the various definitions of sustainability, investigating the intersections between art and sustainability, and imagining the ways we can work together to create a more sustainable Downtown.
There will be three different performance days, all free and open to the public, and each with its own variety of artists and styles. A closing reception will commemorate the summer festivities this fall.
On July 20th at Oppenstein Park, expect live theatre, electronica jazz fusion, and puppetry. On 816 Day, aerial acrobatics, jazz saxophone, and a genre-bending musical duo will be an exciting spectacle for anyone walking through the City Market. And September 14th, join our guided Art Walk and prepare to break into improvisational dance or enjoy a multi-instrumental one-person band.
The following is a list of this summer’s performance artists and days. More information about each can be found at our website: www.artintheloop.com.
Art in the Loop Performance
Wed., July 20, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. in Oppenstein Park, 12th & Walnut, Kansas City, MO
- Alber: A musician that fuses the styles of synth-heavy electronica and down-tempo modal jazz to create rich soundscapes that describe the multifaceted industrial and musical culture of Kansas City.
- b.hive theatre: A theatre troop specializing in Playback Theatre, a kind of improvised storytelling technique that reenacts real-life events as told by audience members. Incorporating song, dance, and thoughtful performances to reimagine these stories and to give a platform to express their emotional content.
- Pollinators Parade: A puppet show of hand-made puppets from playwright, educator, puppeteer, and artist Lavinia Roberts. This specific performance will focus on the loss of managed honey bee populations over the past decade and how, as stewards of our environment, we can help protect our local pollinators.
816 Day Celebration
Tues., August 16, 5:30–8:00 p.m. at the City Market, 20 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO
- The Black Creatures: A musical duo whose inspirations range from Robert Glasper to Da Brat. Their blending of genre creates soundscapes as engaging as they are harmonious, and the complex lyrics narrate stories of science fiction as often as they comment on everyday life.
- Circus Scorpius: A dynamic display of breathtaking physical acrobatics, Kelsey Aicher is an aerial acrobat whose background in screenwriting is expressed in the rich narratives she infuses into her performances.
- Kyle Jones: A jazz saxophonist who will be performing two compositions by musicians whose artistic ethe are concerned with righting social injustices through music.
Art Walk + Performances
Wed., September 14, 5:30–8:00 p.m. along the KC Streetcar Route in Downtown KC
- Dancers of a Certain Age by Jeramy Zimmerman: A spontaneous series of dance performances all across the Streetcar stops. Jeramy Zimmerman will be breaking into improvisational dance in response to the different artworks at the different stops before rebounding the Streetcar to do it all over again at the next stop.
- Jass: A singer, multi-instrumentalist, and poet who has been writing, producing, and performing her own music since 2019. Creating a distinct musical sound that is sometimes retro, sometimes contemporary, but always impactful.
- This event will include a tour of the artwork installed at KC Streetcar shelters and on vehicle #806 by the 2022 Art in the Loop visual artists.
All this art and performance will end with our closing reception on November 3rd at the Kansas City Public Library – Central Library. This event will include two more performances:
- FlamenKCMO will delight and entertain with both traditional and cutting-edge flamenco.
- Natasha Ria El-Scari will present a spoken word performance with drummer Kevin Church Johnson.
Click here to register for the events. For more information about our first performance day at Oppenstein Park and to register visit www.artintheloop.com.
The performing artists are selected for the annual program through an online application process open to artists in the Kansas City metropolitan area. A selection panel consisting of local artists, producers, performers, and community members reviewed over 30 applications and selected 11 artist teams.
The 2022 Art in the Loop Project is provided artistic guidance by Kyle Mullins, who is serving in his second year as art director for Art in the Loop. Mullins is a dance artist living and creating in Kansas City, MO. He is the artistic director of his company Cerca Trova, where he creates works of dance theater, and producer of Making Moves, a monthly dance performance series he founded in 2019. He also works as an Artists Services Program Officer at Mid-America Arts Alliance. He is a former Charlotte Street Foundation Studio Resident. Mullins danced in NYC for ten years before relocating home to Kansas City. He holds an MFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
The 2022 Art in the Loop Project is made possible through the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Stinson LLP, UMB Bank, JE Dunn Construction, Academy Bank, 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, Kansas City Public Library 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
Kyle Mullins, Art Director, kylewmullins@gmail.com, (c) 913-230-0311
KC Streetcar
Donna Mandelbaum, Communications & Marketing Director, dmandelbaum@kcstreetcar.org, 816-877-3219
There is a new way to support Art in the Loop! Thanks to KC Streetcar, we have a new online swag shop. Check out the t-shirts, mugs, beanies and bags. A portion of every purchase goes to Art in the Loop, which means we can support more local KC area artists.
If swag isn’t your thing, you can also make a donation directly to Art in the Loop by clicking here. (And we still have sponsor opportunities – click here for more info.)
We’re pleased to support 19 visual and performing a
rtist teams this year with artwork on the KC Streetcar line and a monthly performance series. Visit artinthloop.com to learn more.
Our next event is Wednesday, July 20, 5:30 p.m. in Oppenstein Park, 12th & Walnut where we will jazz from Alber, engage in feedback theatre with b.hive theatre and be entertained by the Pollinator Puppet Parade with Lavinia Roberts. Be sure to wear your new Art in the Loop gear! Click here to learn more and RSVP for the event.
You may have noticed something if you’ve been traveling around Downtown KC today!
The KC Streetcar stops have been ignited with images of the world, the city, a bouquet, and other incredible artworks. An entire KC Streetcar has bloomed, thanks to a young crusader’s green thumb, and a series of public performances are slated for the rest of the year—it is summertime in Kansas City, and Art in the Loop has once again transformed Downtown into a public gallery of art and performance. For nine years, Art in the Loop has been engaged in a mission to “infuse the center of Downtown KC with innovative and engaging temporary art that will refresh, intrigue and entertain our audience of Downtown workers, residents, and visitors.” And this year is no different.
Last night, 150 guests attended the 2022 Kick-Off Event at the Kansas City Public Library – Central Library, and Ann Holliday, the director of Art in the Loop, spoke about the organization’s mission in detail. Art in the Loop creates “an opportunity for local emerging and established artists to increase their audiences and extend their practices.”
Many such artists were in attendance that night, and two of them gave riveting performances. Amado Espinoza and his Junkyard Orchestra gave us a musical tour around the world, both stylistically and with the instruments he used: a classical Arabic flute made out of a broom, an Andean pan-flute made from dried-up markers, a Bolivian guitar made from a cookie tin, and a didgeridoo made out of a vacuum tube. The other performance was by poet Vanessa Aricco, who read from her manuscript On the Cusp of Air and Water, written during her studio residency at the Charlotte Street Foundation. A compelling selection of poetry exerted the necessity for a more conscientious relationship to our natural world. These performances bookended the program, which detailed the new works of art at the streetcar stops, the newly wrapped 806 Streetcar, the public performances this year, and this year’s theme: “Sustainability.” We hope everyone that made it enjoyed the evening, and we hope that everyone will be able to attend the other performances this year.
Continue to check the Art in the Loop website for more details about this year’s upcoming events, as well as information about all of our artists and performers.
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The 2022 Art in the Loop Project is made possible through the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Stinson LLP, UMB Bank, Copaken Brooks, JE Dunn Construction 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.