Finding Your Place
The past year was the source of so many incredible adventures for me—taking the first flight out of the new KCI single-terminal airport; my unbelievable access to the NFL Draft weekend; my inaugural ride on the new Zambezi Zinger—I periodically have to pause and pinch myself. Rounding out 2024, though, I had one more extra special experience in store.
I’ve written previously about the Race, Place, and Diversity event, held annually by the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey. Each year, the organization brings together the community in honoring one (rockstar) national individual and one local organization that each exemplifies a commitment to visibly advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. This year’s community award recipient was the Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy (KCGPA), an organization that became near and dear to my heart when I attended their inaugural gala this past summer. KCGPA is the city’s first and only open-enrollment, single-gender, public charter school, and it is proudly situated on the east side of Kansas City. The secondary school is led by a mission to prepare young women—particularly black and brown women—to use their voices, to succeed in college, and to lead impactful, meaningful lives. Dr. Chaurice Jacobson accepted the award on behalf of KCGPA and offered a vivid and moving account of what it’s like inside the institution’s embracing halls.
This year’s National Award and Hoffman Legacy Honoree was Nick Cave. Nick is an artist, sculptor, educator, and foremost, a messenger. Though you may have passed underneath his 500-foot-long (!) The Air Up There sculpture encompassing the entire ceiling of the new KCI check-in hall, Cave is perhaps most well-known for his Soundsuit sculptural forms. The almost-living sculptures (which now number more than 500) serve as a visual embodiment of social justice representing both brutality and empowerment. Cave is an artist with a very clear sense of his civic responsibility—and he’s not been shy about seizing it.
I’ve traveled on multiple occasions to other cities just to see his exhibitions, including last year’s career-spanning retrospective, Nick Cave: Forothermore, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, just before it moved to the Guggenheim in New York. The visit forced me to reckon with subjects and feelings in a way that only the most powerful art can coerce, and it remains one of the most memorable and moving art experiences of my life.
Nick was born of humble, but loving, beginnings in Fulton, Missouri. He shared some of what his childhood was like in conversation with Dr. Stephanie Fox Knappe, senior curator of modern and contemporary art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Nick discussed the unassuming origin of his famous Soundsuits, and I wish I had the space to regale all that here. It’s worth noting, though, that Stephanie did an incredible job of revealing, through thoughtful questions, the essence of what makes this soft-spoken and gentle human being the modest community servant that he is—in addition to being, arguably, one of the most important living artists on the planet.
Whitney Manney designed and created the one-of-a-kind, wearable award that was presented to Cave by the award’s endowers, Sharon and John Hoffman. Prior to the event—and truly one of the highlights of my year—I was able to meet and talk with Nick. Out of that conversation came some interesting ideas involving a recent documentary film, in which he is the feature subject. He proposed a future Zoom date with Sharon and me to discuss all this. Hopefully that story and outcome will make it on my 2024 “exceptional experiences list.” You can be certain I’ll share it all here.
Spotted: Event Cochairs Peg VanWagoner and Calvin Ricks, Bunni & Paul Copaken, Christy & Bill Gautreaux, Sue & Lewis Nerman, Dianne Cleaver, Hilda Fuentes & Allan Gray II, Erica & Lorin Crenshaw, Lynn & Lance Carlton, Sean Kelly, Kelly Murphy, Jamila Weaver, McClain Bryant Macklin & Joseph Macklin, JoAnn Northrup, Toma & Andy Wolff, Debby & Gary Ballard, Kim Klein & Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, Tammy & James Edwards, Gina Hull, Jane & Keith Gard, Melanie & Skip Miller, Susan Stanton, Tyrone Aiken, Tamara Weaver, Ratana & Oscar Tshibanda, Suzanne Shank, Linda & Topper Johntz, Zach Rose-Heim, Dr. Karen Curls, Darrell Curls, Marshall & Kathleen Miller, Michael Brantley, Mark Allen Alford, Jr., Eric Negrete, Niki Donawa, Will Brown, Lorece Chanelle, Cory Imig
Overheard: “Could you please airbrush my belly away?”
Sleepy Heads
Despite being the 12th annual Bingo & Brews event for Sleepyhead Beds, this was my first year attending. Sleepyhead Beds is a nonprofit organization that, in short, accepts and distributes gently used, donated beds and bedding to Kansas City-area children in need—free of charge. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for children and their families by getting children off floors and sofas (a startling reality for many) and into a bed of their own for restful, nourishing sleep. Mattresses and sheets are donated by individuals and businesses, sanitized, and delivered to children who have been identified by partner advocates, including social workers, school counselors and administrators, teachers, pastors, and healthcare professionals.
What I especially love about Sleepyhead Beds is that, if the powerful but simple act of giving children the vehicle for critical sleep weren’t enough—there’s more. Not only has Sleepyhead distributed more than 30,000 mattresses since 2010, but it has also simultaneously diverted more than 1,000 tons of waste from local landfills. Though roughly one in 40 Kansas City children do not have a bed, Kansas Citians discard more than 30,000 mattresses annually. Imagine if more mattresses could make their way to a restless child instead of a landfill.
Hot Gossip: What splashy couple just moved back from Chicago to take over a beloved retail shop?
But back to Bingo & Brews. The event was held at the beautiful Abbot event space in the East Crossroads. Each ticket holder received a bingo card, with additional cards available for purchase. There were eight rounds of bingo, with each round’s winner receiving an incredible prize. Some of this year’s prizes included a Country Club Plaza sleepover with various Plaza Gift Cards for a day of shopping and dinner at The Capital Grille. There was also a luxe day with the Royals and diamond earrings from Helzberg. Perhaps the most fun was the Backyard Band Bash, including a personal concert in your backyard by Mikey Needleman, topped off with food from Fareway Market and beer from Boulevard Brewing Company.
In addition to each round’s major prize, the winner’s entire table also received a round of swag bags related to the signature prize. Sprinkled throughout the evening, attendees also got to bid on an array of live auction items, such as faraway golfing trips and eye-popping wine collections. Throughout the evening, we also visited scattered food stations created by Inspired Occasions, with the Thai chile shrimp and apple cranberry bread pudding being the highlights. Oh—and there was the cutest photo op where you could jump into a bed with all your friends. Stuffed animals included.
Tucked halfway through the bingo rounds, we also got to pay tribute to a tireless Sleepyheads volunteer, Scott Burnett. He was honored with the Michael Vennard Sweet Dreams Award, honoring his years of service to the organization. Sleepyheads board member (and former bed recipient) Jermaine Jamison was featured in a short film that offered a first-person account of what childhood is like without a bed and how getting one can create the foundation for success in learning and achieving in the future.
If you’re interested in attending Bingo & Brews, keep an eye out on Sleepyhead’s social media. The tickets for this hyper-popular event typically go on sale right after Labor Day and sell out almost instantly. Finally, if you have a mattress or sheets that you’d like to see (sustainably) disappear, go online and complete the form for donation/pickup. You’ll rest better knowing someone else is, too.
Spotted: Katherine Holland, Lee Page, Angie Jeffries, Heidi Markle, Margaret Keough, Matt Schulte, Rhonda Burnett, Kara & Pat Lowe, Mary Jane Judy, Marla Svoboda & Michael Dean, Paul Hubbard, Dr. Tiffany Simpson, Josh Hollingsworth, Gayle Holmes
Hot Gossip: Who is super pumped about her backyard cold-plunge barrel?
The Greatest Show on Earth
I hadn’t been to the circus since I was roughly the age of my three nephews, who are between 3 and 10 years old. Upon receiving an invitation to see The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey at the T-Mobile Center, I scheduled a Saturday afternoon date with the kiddos, and we were set for another adventure.
First, toss aside any nostalgic or preconceived notions associated with the idea of a circus. Improving on the past, there’s no tent and no live animals. Instead, the show is brought to life as a massively scaled arena spectacle, far beyond what could fit beneath any tent. And in terms of what you’ll see—stunning feats of real human achievement, musical performances blended with aerial artistry, comedy, acrobatics, dance, and acts on highwire, trapeze, and bicycles. It’s a multi-platform, 360-degree experience that somehow draws the arena-sized audience into the vast and fast-paced show.
In reflecting on the experience, what stands out most is the sheer amount of ongoing action. At any given moment, there were multiple acts occurring on different areas of the stage, which occupied the entire T-Mobile floor area. There’s also a strong and thoughtful international aspect to the show. Ringling conducted global auditions last year for its retooled circus. More than 1,000 acts applied, with on-site auditions held from Mongolia to Las Vegas. The result is an around-the-world buffet of the most impressive performance arts and stunts smashed into one thrilling show—75 performers from 18 countries.
For instance, there was Argendance, a bombastic folk-dance troupe from Argentina that introduces a fusion of Boleadoras, choreographed movement using cords with weighted stones, and Malambo, a traditional folk dance featuring percussive footwork. There was the impressive Black Diamond Trio, an all-female acrobatic hand-to-hand balance act hailing from Ethiopia. There were also the Gemini Twins from Ukraine, who specialize in duo aerial hoops, loops, hand balancing, and acrobatics. And what’s a circus without a flying trapeze act? The Flying Caceres feature nine featherlike performers from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and France. And finally—my favorite—the YAB Brothers, Sisay and Yabu, a two-man Ethiopian floor acrobatics performance act that is virtually impossible to describe, but jaw-dropping to watch. Literally—people’s jaws were visibly wide open, up and down our aisle.
Scattered throughout, there were even more spectacular moments, like the world-record tallest unicycle rider (34.6 ft.) and a human cannon, all blended with live music, fire, and pyrotechnics. In sum, it was the big-top American icon reimagined for contemporary times. Perhaps, though, you should consider 8-year-old Alexander’s review, who exclaimed upon our exit “That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!” And there you have it.
Overheard “I would like you to leave.”