20 Feb 2009 to 4 Apr 2009
Hours: Thursday & Saturday, 12-5 pm
Opening THIRD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 6-9 pm
Urban Culture Project at PARAGRAPH
23 E 12TH STREET
MO 64108
Kansas City, MO
Missouri
North America
p: 1 816 221 5115
m:
f:
w: www.urbancultureproject.org
EYES OF THE WORLD features selected work by current artists working within the Urban Culture Project Studio Residency Program, which awards free studios for one year terms to promising and accomplished Kansas City area artists in need of dedicated space in which to work among a community of artist peers. UCP’s Studio Residency Program currently provides space for 13 artists, who share space in two facilities: Bonfils (125 East 12th Street) and pARTnership Place (906 Grand, 13th floor).
This exhibition aims to examine and reveal aspects of the myriad practices and processes alive in these studios. The artists’ work, their impulses and influences, and their creative processes are at the heart of this project. Offering a glimpse into the thought processes and actions occurring within an artist’s studio, the exhibition will function as both an immersive, cohesive installation, and a site for creative transformation, performance, and demonstration.
Within a communal studio environment, the divergent views and approaches of its residents readily emerge. This unique conglomeration of separate, but shared space can seem, and often is, disjointed. But within the chaos of varying ideologies, methods and materials – at times of hindrance or muse to the artists – are links to our current culture. Diverse creative approaches and visions collide while remaining separate, and often unwittingly weave themselves together as communities do in cities and towns of all sizes, throughout the country and the world. The diverse uniqueness of each individual is what ultimately creates a dynamic and healthy collective in any number of or type of community. The goal of this project is to examine this dynamic within the studios of UCP.
The exhibition seeks to at once bring elements of the studio into the gallery, while also presenting well-realized, complete works. Works selected for the exhibition – installations, video, performance, and discreet objects – may be part of a progression, but also demonstrative of a conceptually strong foundation. Fluidity of thought and works in process are part of studio practice. With this in mind, the exhibition will encourage the idea of static and changing environments, allowing artists the opportunity to present a work, alter it, conduct performances, and also discuss their work at given times throughout the course of the project.
Participating artists include: Audra Brandt, Heather Brown, Brent Cox, Justin Farkas, Rachelle Gardner, Robert Hieshman, Erica Leohner, Jessica Owings, Lee Piechocki, Julie Potratz, Allan Winkler, and Graham Zuelke.
Heather Lustfeldt is an independent curator and writer based in Kansas City. Lustfeldt has served as a member of the curatorial advisory committee for Urban Culture Project since 2004, and worked as Assistant Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute from 1999-2008. Lustfeldt has contributed curatorial, critical, and art historical writing for individual artists, organizations and institutions including UMKC, The Kansas City Art Institute, The Charlotte Street Foundation, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Review, The Kansas City Star and Art Papers Magazine based in Atlanta.
Public Programs Third Friday, Feb. 20, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Opening reception
Saturday, Feb. 28, noon: The Exchange Participating artists will engage in a lively discussion and critique about their individual processes and the work in the show. Audience participation will be encouraged.
Third Friday, March 20, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – An evening of performance An exciting evening of live performance, music and a few surprises by participating artists and others.
An initiative of the Charlotte Street Foundation, Urban Culture Project creates new opportunities for artists of all disciplines and contributes to urban revitalization by transforming spaces in downtown Kansas City into new venues for multi-disciplinary contemporary arts programming. For more information, visit charlottestreet.org or e-mail info@charlottestreet.org.
