Press Release for Byron Cohen Gallery

The Byron C. Cohen Gallery will continue the exhibition Lesley Dill : The Strange Experience of Beauty during First Friday, March 5th from 7 - 9 pm. The show will be on view through March 26th.

Lesley Dill's Artist Statement:

Radiance is a fierce word for me, not a soft one. When we breathe and when we speak we divide light. Speech is given out of our mouths and off of our bodies as a kind of radiance. These human rays of targeted meaning reach out and allow for a separation of the physical luminous heat. Radiance implies a concentration of energy in an object, or person, that by nature of its intensity must fling out, must expand so it is discernible as deserving this word. I find I think or say this to myself a few times a day. Repetitive use of language can be obsessive and nervous (Kafka "I am a hesitation before birth, my life is a hesitation before birth"), explanatory ("I have given my whole life to words, chewed this dog hunger into a long meal"), mantra like in a soothing indecipherable way, or a linguistic touchstone – a word or words that locate you regardless of setting. Or more – inner word(s) as song. The power of language to affect as private murmur is so varied and complex. I find I often use the same language over and over, and for me, it always seems to mean something different, and something is learned.

Please see the attached image.

Image info is as follows:

Lesley Dill

Poem Voice #2, 1995

oil stick, paint, tea and wire on muslin

152 x 45 inches

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Byron C. Cohen Gallery for Contemporary Art
2020 Baltimore, Suite 1N
Kansas City, MO  64108
(t) 816.421.5665  (f) 816.421.5775
http://byroncohengallery.com
http://artnet.com/cohen.html
byroncohengallery@gmail.com

Join us February 18th as we visit the 'Vine'...

TOUR OF THE AMERICAN JAZZ MUSEUM
Experience Kansas City's storied past & gain access to the newly opened John Baker Jazz Film Collection

PERFORMANCE BY CHRIS CLARKE & CONNECT @ THE BLUE ROOM
Enjoy live jazz while we partake of light appetizers and a free drink

___________________________
 

The American Jazz Museum   1616 East 18th Street KCMO 64108 Click here for driving directions **Museum tour begins @  6pm** Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, MO, the American Jazz Museum showcases the sights and sounds of jazz through interactive exhibits and films, the Changing Gallery exhibit space, Horace M. Peterson III Visitors Center, Blue Room jazz club and Gem Theater. Since its inception in 1997, the Museum has hosted thousands of students, scholars, musicians fans for over 200 performances, education programs, special exhibitions, community events and more each year, providing an opportunity to learn about the legends, honor their legacy, or simply enjoy the sounds of Kansas City jazz.  Our mission is to celebrate and exhibit the experience of jazz as an original American art form through research, exhibition, education and performance at one of the country's greatest jazz crossroads - 18th & Vine.  As the only museum in the world solely focused on the preservation, exhibition and advancement of jazz, the American Jazz Museum is dedicated to public service and collaborative efforts to expand the influence, awareness and appreciation of jazz within Kansas City and to audiences worldwide.   About the John Baker Jazz Film Collection Exhibit   The culmination of nearly 10 years of careful collection, inspection, restoration and digitization of 16 and 35-mm film, a significant portion of the American Jazz Museum's John Baker Film Collection is finally ready for public viewing.  The JBFC exhibit focuses on the first three areas of a planned series of rotating thematic content: "Big Bands," "Women in Jazz," and "African-American Dance and Jazz," with commentary from renowned African-American film expert Pearl Bowser.   Click here to learn more about the American Jazz Museum

The Blue Room @ the American Jazz Museum **Live Performance begins at 7pm** While enjoying the performance by Chris Clarke & Connect we'll partake in light appetizers and a free drink! Designed to resemble a nightclub from the 1930s, the Blue Room is not only a jazz club featuring live music four nights a week, but also a part of the permanent exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.  Each of the nine tables on the lower level are display cases of rare artifacts of Kansas City jazz, including photos, ticket stubs and musicians contracts.  On the upper level, a "wall of fame" showcases images of dozens of musicians who helped craft the "Kansas City sound," and shadow boxes display guitars, saxophones, clarinets, sheet music, records, programs and other artifacts. The Massenburg Mural celebrates the history of jazz and the African-American experience through compelling interpretations of jazz legends and inspiring quotes.

: ABOUT THE KANSAS CITY ARTISTS COALITION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Belger press contact - Mo Dickens, mdickens@belgerartscenter.org

Exploration of Belger Collection Opens in March

KANSAS CITY, MO - The Belger Arts Center will mark its 10th Anniversary with Beneath the Surface - Excavating the Belger Collection. This exhibition will attempt to give the public some perspective on the wide-ranging collection. Beneath the Surface will feature multiple works from all seven artists who comprise the foundation of the Belger Collection - Terry Allen, William Christenberry, Jasper Johns, Robert Stackhouse, Renee Stout, William T. Wiley, and Terry Winters. The exhibit will open on Friday, March 5 and will run until August 6, 2010. The galleries of the Belger Arts Center will be closed until March 5.

Evelyn Craft, Executive Director of the Belger Arts Center, says Beneath the Surface will be "one of our most ambitious exhibitions. This will be a chance for the public in Kansas City to see the depth of the collection." Ms. Craft also notes that facilities manager Al Sells and his installation crew will utilize all their skills and talents to install and display some of the larger works from the collection. The galleries will undergo a radical transformation from past exhibitions as we accommodate some hefty iron, wood and ceramic sculptures.

This exhibit will mark the beginning of the second decade of existence for the Belger Arts Center in the headquarters of the Belger Cartage Service at 2100 Walnut St. in Kansas City, MO. During the first 10 years, the Belger Arts Center hosted more than 40 exhibitions by artists from North America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia. More than 60,000 visitors attended these exhibitions and performances. All seven of the core artists in the collection have been featured with solo exhibitions at the Belger, but Beneath the Surface marks the first time they have all been shown together. The first exhibit at the Belger Arts Center was William Christenberry’s The Early Years and Beyond, which opened on March 10, 2000. Since that time both Christenberry and William T. Wiley have been honored with major retrospectives at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Artworks from the Belger Collection were loaned for both of those exhibits. Works from the Belger Collection have also been displayed in more than 25 arts venues in North America and Europe in the last decade.

The galleries of the Belger Arts Center are open to the public from 10 am until 4 pm, Wednesday through Friday, and noon to 4 pm on Saturdays. On the First Friday of every month the galleries are open from 10 am until 9 pm (unless we are closed for installation). All exhibits are free. To schedule a tour for a group of 10 more people please call Gallery Assistant Mo Dickens at 816-474-3250.

                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kansas City Ballet Announces 2010-2011 Season

A Mix of Masterworks, a World Premiere, a Kansas City Premiere,

and the Legendary Classic Giselle

KANSAS CITY, MO (February 1, 2010) — Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director William Whitener today announced the 53^rd season.  Whitener stated, “This season features the works of American choreographers and covers a plethora of styles, techniques, and genres.  Two of the ballets are new to the repertory and will be danced alongside audience favorites and the enduring classic, Giselle.”

Fall Performances

October 14-17, 2010 | Lyric Theatre | Featuring the Kansas City Symphony

Three masterworks of Balanchine – Mozartiana, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and Slaughter on 10^th Avenue – plus the return of audience favorite Lark Ascending by Bruce Marks. 

The Nutcracker

December 11-24, 2010 | Music Hall | Featuring the Kansas City Symphony

Kansas City’s favorite holiday tradition continues with the presentation of Todd Bolender’s delightful family classic The Nutcracker in the beautifully restored Music Hall.  

Winter Performances 

March 10-13, 2011 | Lyric Theatre | Featuring the Kansas City Symphony

Giselle is considered the supreme achievement of the Romantic Age of Ballet.  Performed in two acts, the ballet tells a story of innocence, betrayal, madness and redemption. 

Spring Performances 

May 5-8, 2011 | Lyric Theatre

American dance is highlighted with the Kansas City Premiere of Jerome Robbins’ Moves, the World Premiere Mercy of the Elements by William Whitener, and the return of The Catherine Wheel Suite by Twyla Tharp.

newEar invites you to participate in Current Conversations with newEar

Two courses offered through the University of Missouri Kansas City's Communiversity will serve as pre-concert conversations for newEar's two remaining performances of our 17th season. newEar's mission, for the two courses, is to provide a forum for music enthusiasts to learn and converse about contemporary composers and their music while placing the music in a larger social context.

Want to know what a zheng sounds like? Come to Section A, held on Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM, University Center, Alumni Room, 50th and Rockhill Road. This section will focus on a discussion around Concert 3: China Rising-Saturday, March 13, 2010.

Want to know how much of an influence a composer's mentor has on their creative process? Come to section B, held on Thursday, April 29, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM, Grant Hall, Room 333, 52nd and Holmes.  In section B we will focus the discussion around Concert 4: Regenerations-Saturday, May 1, 2010.

A recommended reading list will be posted on the newEar website one month prior to each class. To signup for the class, please visit the UMKC website. There is a small fee for the class but each class participant will be provided a FREE ticket to the concert being discussed. Come take part in this dynamic conversation that will aid you in your concert going experience!

Spotlight on Ingrid Stölzel

Ingrid Stölzel, President of the newEar Board of Directors is a composer whose music is being performed across the United States, Canada and Europe.  Ingrid is the winner of the 2010 NewMusic@ECU Festival Orchestra Composition Competition for her orchestral work Genius Loci-Spirit of Place (2009) and has been invited to the IC[CM] 2010 International Conference on Contemporary Music in A Coruña, Spain, where her piano trio The Road is All (2007) will be performed in April.  Her piano trio will also be featured on the NACUSA National Conference in Portland, Oregon. In addition, Ingrid will be a featured composer on the Boston New Music Initiative Concert in February of this year.

Stölzel received her doctorate in composition at the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music and Dance in Kansas City, where she studied with James Mobberley, Chen Yi and Zhou Long and holds a Master of Music in Composition from the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut.

Ingrid has written for ensembles including newEar, NOISE/San Diego New Music, California E.A.R. Unit, Adaskin String Trio, Erato Chamber Orchestra, Allegresse Trio and Synchronia. She is a frequent guest composer and her music has been heard at numerous music festivals around the country including the soundOn 2008 Festival of Modern Music, 30th Sacramento State Festival of New American Music, Oregon Bach Festivals, Ernest Bloch Festivals, 2007 Women in New Music Festival, Chamber Music Conference of the East, Otterbein Contemporary Music Festival, and Indiana State Contemporary Music Festival, among others.

Tickets for the China Rising on March 13th

$20 and $8 for students with ID. For ticket information call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or toll-free at 1-888-286-4849. newEar

Donate Now

With your continued support, we look forward to bringing even more new music to Kansas City audiences. newEar is a registered 501(c)3. Please consider making a tax-exempt contribution in any amount by clicking on our secure webpage through the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. It's quick and simple. Our EARS thank you!

Financial assistance for newEar has been provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Carolyn L. Hart Memorial Trust, DST Inc., Francis Families Foundation, the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Art Teachers Share Works

By Kellie Houx

Art educators in the North Kansas City School District opened an exhibition of their work Feb. 2 at the Gladstone Community Center, 6901 N. Holmes. For many years, according to District Visual Art Coordinator Mark Anderson, a primary goal of the district has been to seek out and hire candidates who are not only great art teachers but also great artists. “Today North Kansas City Schools employs 44 visual art educators, many of whom continue to produce a diverse range of artworks while sharing their expertise with students,” Anderson says.

Most of the art teachers attended the opening reception. Husband and wife teachers Heather and Matt Sulzen brought in three pieces of art for the display. Heather, a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, teaches at Winnetonka High School. Matt, a graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia, teaches at Eastgate Middle School.

“We are showing artists. We put our work out there too,” Heather says. “I have had my work on exhibit too. It’s not always easy to put your work out there. However, it is something we do in my classes. When we finish projects, we critique them. Being part of an exhibit, I do open up my own work for critique.”

Heather’s works on display are titled “Till Death Do Us Part” and “My Sky Is Falling.” “It was about a month before I married when I was working on the pieces. The common theme in most of my work is nature. I majored in print making so it’s common to see a sort of mixed media approach to my work. I experiment with different materials. In my classroom, I talk with the students all the time that you can work with whatever you can find. Art doesn’t have to require expensive supplies.” As a first-year teacher, Heather says her students inspire her too. She is even working on mixed media paintings that she says are inspired by her students.

Heather’s husband, Matt, is in seventh year of teaching. “It’s important for art to be viewed. A community center is a far more accessible place than a museum or gallery. After the initial reception, many galleries are tough to get into. Here there is a chance for the community to see the art.”

Matt says the students and the community can see the pride they as teachers take in their work. His work, “Frank’s Farm,” incorporates metal and wood found on a relative’s farm. “I like when found and recycled materials come together. I also like how wood and metal represent the opposite ends. It’s the natural world taking on the industrial one.”

Matt has been building furniture, including new works for the Sulzen home. He has also worked on commissions for others. “It has been several years since I have had work in a public space,” he says. “It’s a fun space to have our work.”

The Gladstone Community Center exhibition of teacher art will entertain another artist reception March 5 for fellow Missouri art educators in conjunction with the Missouri Art Education Association annual state conference and Kansas City's First Friday Art Walk event in the Crossroads District. The MAEA, the state affiliate of the National Art Education Association, boasts a membership in excess of 600 art educators and is the fifth largest state organization in the country.