pARTnership place Artist Studios / 906 Grand Ave., 13th Floor, KCMO
In January 2003, the Urban Culture Project (UCP) debuted Downtown, a window gallery at the corner of Petticoat Lane and Main Street. Featuring a curated exhibition of new work by four local contemporary artists, this premier offered the public its first glimpse of the Urban Culture Project's mission: to transform empty storefronts in the core of downtown Kansas City into dynamic new venues for visual art and performance. Of that exhibition, the Kansas City Star wrote, "The exhibit teems with a feel for the hip and modern ¬-- terms rarely associated with our middling downtown -- and makes for an unexpected treasure chest for the unsuspecting passer-by.” Several months after the premier of Downtown, the site was leased to a paying tenant, providing tangible evidence of the soundness of UCP’s underlying premise, that grassroots cultural activity not only enriches lives, but also fuels economic development and urban renewal.
Bridging the interests of the arts and business communities in a manner that benefits both simultaneously, the Urban Culture Project is a pragmatic response to downtown Kansas City's current needs, as well as an innovative model with far-ranging potential applications. UCP obtains temporary no-cost leases from the landlords of presently vacant storefront spaces in the center of the city, then pairs a local artist and architect to collaborate on the concept and design of each space. Replacing absence with presence, UCP turns these spaces into newly active venues hosting high-quality exhibitions of contemporary art, artists studios, and music and theatrical performances. In this way, UCP supports and increases exposure for Kansas City's exceptional arts community AND infuses the downtown area with exactly the sort of locally-driven street-level activity that attracts new business and residents, builds successful cities, and distinguishes urban life.
The Urban Culture Project has established a precedent of Third Friday Art Downtown events, and recently First Friday events in KC's Westside, which consistently draw large, enthusiastic crowds. They include exhibition openings, live music, performances, video screenings, panel discussions, and other public programming. The Urban Culture Project sites are also open during scheduled daytime hours each week.
The Urban Culture Project presently encompasses five spaces between the Westside and Downtown proximities: The Paragraph in the Chambers Building at 23 East 12th Street; Urban Culture Project Space adjacent to Paragraph at 21 E. 12th Street; Jenkins, a venue in the historic Jenkins Music Building’s storefront facade at 1217 Walnut; and la Esquina at 1000 W. 25th St, in the Westside.
Another component of the Urban Culture Project is its Artist Studio Residency Program, which provides free studios to dedicated artists with an expressed need for space in which to work. SInce January 2004, over fifty local artists have been awarded free studios in the Bank (now closed), Bonfils and pARTnership place sites. Selected by a panel of arts professionals from an open call for submissions, these artists have 24-hour access to the studios, which they will open to the public on Third Fridays. Generating around-the-clock activity and engaging the public in the artists’ working processes, the studio residency program is conceived of a critical and ongoing aspect of UCP. Bonfils Studios are located at 125 E. 12th Street, and the newest Studio Residency Program site at pARTnership place occupies the 13th Floor of the Missouri Bank Building at 906 Grand.
The Urban Culture Project is designed to morph and evolve in relation to its own success. As current sites are rented or sold, UCP will move into other available spaces. As each new opportunity presents itself, UCP evaluates its viability based on the suitability of the space and costs involved in preparing it for programming. Having captured the interests of a large pool of artists, architects, businesses, and community leaders who believe in our mission, UCP is able to draw in huge part on volunteer efforts in order to keep costs low while making things happen. The Urban Culture Project also builds alliances with other organizations sharing commitment to the arts and the urban environment.
we're celebrating the spring equinox, pagan rituals, riot-inducing stravinsky ballets, and guy piccioti's career pre-fugazi all in one special night. free, as always, but if you can help us pay the electric bill that would be great.
Thanks for the add. Check out the far west-North window at Goodden Jewelers this month. 1004 Baltimore. I've got work in their Gallery space which you can see from street level. We're planning an end-of-the-month event on Saturday afternoon, May 31. Stop by.
