ArtSmash
This year’s annual Kemper Gala supporting the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art was designed around the collision of light and layers, art and ideas, people and places, and philanthropy and fashion—an ArtSmash, if you will. With a slightly pared-down aesthetic, the focus was shifted to guests and their ensembles. Supporters were encouraged to dress in a restricted (though hardly restrictive) black-and-white palette. I’ve likely said this before—and if so, it’s worth repeating—but a fantastic and simple way to elevate a party’s look and feel is to give people a clear, interesting, and achievable assignment for wardrobe. Guests provide an eye-catching, ever-present (and free) fourth dimension to the event. Kemper guests certainly got the memo and obliged, wearing black-and-white in unison. Well done, cochairs Katrina Revenaugh and Jasmine Thompson.
We were greeted with glasses of welcome champagne and passed hors d’oeuvres against the backdrop of the latest addition to the annually rotating atrium project, which was established in 2016 as a series of commissioned works by emerging and mid-career Hispanic and Latinx artists. The soaring atrium space provides an opportunity for artists to push their work into ambitious areas of exploration in subject and/or scale.
This year’s atrium project iteration is So the roots be known by New York-based artist Sarah Zapata. It combines sculptural and textile techniques using familiar materials, such as acrylic yarn and natural fibers, and traditional art forms, including weaving, coiling, sewing, and latch hooking. The work articulates the intersections of Zapata’s plural identities: the daughter of a Peruvian immigrant; a first generation American born in Texas; and a queer woman raised in an evangelical household. In part, this installation pays homage to Womontown, a group of primarily queer women who established a revolutionary community in the Longfellow neighborhood of Kansas City in the late 1980s. Zapata’s use of abstracted tulip forms and shades of lavender draw inspiration from the Womontown banner while simultaneously evoking histories of queer resistance, as the color lavender came to be associated with gay and lesbian communities in the mid-20th century. Textile pieces are draped, suspended, and slumped along the wall, suggesting the many flags, banners, and quilts collaboratively constructed with the ambition of shaping better futures through solidarity.
Following lively conversation in the museum atrium, we made our way to the grand outdoor tent. Live music surrounded us as dinner was served. Instead of the buffets of years’ past, organizers opted for a food station setup by Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions. Proving that old habits die hard, guests lined up in orderly fashion to reimagine the stations into a winding, staggered buffet. The dinner at the gala is always excellent, and the sliders and farrow dish were standouts this year.
Following dinner, I returned to the museum for a quick tour of the latest featured exhibition, Julie Blackmon: A Life in Frame. It is a survey, focusing on the last decade of the artist’s photography. Julie Blackmon’s subject is the conflation of art and life—particularly everyday life in Springfield, Missouri, where she is based. The works on view show scenes depicting family, community, and landscape deeply rooted in her Midwestern heritage.
Blackmon uses her surroundings to engage broader ideas of social and political issues, gender issues, family dynamics, and art historical references. While Blackmon’s work celebrates the visual vernacular of an area of the country that many dismiss as culturally unremarkable, she positions it in conversation with a wide range of artistic references—including 17th-century Dutch painters. The result is a uniquely playful and critical examination of the modern family, feminism, and other social and political issues. Her work was recently acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and is on view at the Kemper through January 7. Do yourself a favor and check it out. It is one of my favorite photography exhibitions in memory.
Nearby, and inspired by Blackmon’s works, gala guests were posing for photos in a living room scene designed to invoke a Blackmon setting. The results were clever and inspiring. Additionally, photographer Jeff Evrard was capturing guests in portraits that took on color, based on subjects’ movement. Check out my spectacular version above.
Per tradition, the evening capped off with dancing—though this time hosted in the Café Sebastienne courtyard. With the glass ceiling offering a view of the stars and reflecting the massive light-up dance floor below, it was the perfect space for a late-night dance party. Andre’s Confiserie Suisse provided a chocolate sculpture of the museum’s logo, with staff on hand to chip away and offer to hungry dancers. Local entertainer Lana Luxxe dazzled guests with her Taylor Swift-inspired performances. Finally, the lucky raffle winner, Rachel Sexton, took home a Dale Chihuly glass piece donated by museum cofounder, BeBe Hunt. Talk about a score!
Spotted: Honorary Chairs Erica & Lorin Crenshaw and Andrea & David Feinberg, Mary Kemper Wolf, Georgia Wolf, Karen & Jack Holland, Bunni & Paul Copaken, Ann Baum, Ursula Terrasi & Jim Miller, Emily & Wesley Fehsenfeld, Lauren Blazer, Ada & Dr. Kevin Koch, Lynn Carlton, Anna Marie Tutera, Jan Kyle & Dr. Wayne Hunthausen, Dan Meiners & Dave Brinkerhoff, Dan Nilsen, Amy Embry, Julie Anderson Clark & Vince Clark, Paetra & Gino Serra, Geri Higgins, Kat McDaniel & John Ditch, Katherine Holland, Jess Blubaugh, Betsy Lummis, Phoebe Lummis, Scott Heidmann, Ken Petti, Qiana Thomason, Hilda Fuentes & Allan Gray II, Melanie & Chip Miller, Tammy & James Edwards, Richard Lara & John Rufenacht, Dia Wall, Darron Story, Alicia & John Beck, Will Gregory, Ryan Hiser & David Tran, Joni & Jordan Johnson, Paul Gutiérrez, Crissy Dastrup, Shanita McAfee-Bryant, Courtney González, Annalene Caruso, Stephen Albanese, Taylor Gozia, Kellen Whaley, John Schreiner & John Escalada
Overheard: “What color? I know ALL the colors.”
Art + Food = ArtFare
Among the more inventive and unique events on the busy autumn social calendar is ArtFare, a benefit for the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), organized by the Vanderslice Committee. Each year, the event committee pairs KCAI artists and local chefs to collaborate in awakening and thrilling the senses via the combination of culinary and visual arts.
Local restaurants represented this year included The Restaurant at 1900, Affäre, Room 39, J Rieger & Co., and Taco Naco. My unofficial top award for bites went to Ted Liberda of Buck Tui. His Thai smoked pork belly with a seasoned jasmine rice, panang curry barbecue sauce, and pickled vegetables was dynamite. It was inspired by the equally stunning ceramic works of Nathan Neufeld.
My runner-up prize would surely go to Pam Liberda, of Waldo Thai. Her Thai-inspired “Thai-quitos”—fried pork spring roll, pico de gallo, tiger cry salsa verde, cojita cheese, and crema—were an inventive fusion dish, and I’m told, a preview of her forthcoming restaurant concept. I can say no more! Pam was paired with artist and KCAI assistant professor Andrew Mcilvaine, whose blue-and-white paintings offered a sense of serenity.
Finally, a hat tip to Cody Hogan at Lidia’s whose gnudi with brown-butter sage sauce (embellished with gold leaf) knocked the socks off my previous attempts at this difficult-to-nail pasta. And my most-beautiful-dish award recipient? Easily, Celina Tio of The Belfry, whose pistachio cake with katsura, vanilla, and pistachio creams was layered to mimic a landscape, which was inspired by the Debbie Barrett-Jones ombre textile artwork.
In addition to the food/art fusion, a silent auction offered numerous items that caught my attention. I let my bids go on both the Harold Smith pair of paintings and the Linda Lighton banana peel ceramic sculpture, but I won the pool house stay-cation donated by friends Cori & Matt Culp—a super fun idea, and one I’m looking forward to cashing in next summer. Another novel auction item was a dinner hosted at the home of Pam & Gary Gradinger, replicating the dinner Pam served to James Beard (!) in her home in 1974. Bon appétit!
Spotted: Cochairs Bunni Glasberg & Robb Gann, Sue & Lewis Nerman, Sharon & John Hoffman, Helen & Frank Wewers, Linda & Topper Johntz, Judy & Don Culp, Karen Jungmeyer, Frances Baszta, Lee Page, Kim Weinberger, Katie Van Luchene & Jerry Foulds, Katrina Revenaugh, Amina Hood, Sara Noble, Lorene Chanel, Keith Goldman, Crista Cavanaugh, Chris Sumner, Chadwick Brooks
Hot Gossip: Who (in good spirits) broke his back during pre-gala prep?
Dada Fun House
For reasons I can’t seem to unravel, I had not yet attended the annual and much-talked-about gala benefiting Charlotte Street. Charlotte Street is an organization that provides annual cash awards, project-based grants, special commissions, and studio space to visual and generative performing artists, with the objective of cementing Kansas City as a dynamic home for artists in various career stages. For this year’s gala, the event’s 10th anniversary, I finally made my move, due to the early invitation from gala chairs Kim Klein and David Wayne Reed. The Dada Funhouse theme was inspired by Luna Luna—a little-known, functional amusement park inhabited by rides (works of art themselves) designed by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, and others in Hamburg, Germany, in the late 1980s. Charlotte Street described its version as an “absurdist creative carnival for the ages” —and indeed it was.
Like a traditional carnival, there were eye-popping attractions at every turn. The evening began with a VIP pre-party in a space thoughtfully imagined by Lisa Schmitz Interior Design. The experience was made complete with drinks, bites, and the fantastic opportunity to be costumed and styled by designers and makeup artists. Charlotte Street artists provided masks and other surreal costume accessories that patrons could wear and keep, face painting, and there was even an airbrush tattoo artist on hand.
As the party revved up, the space quickly filled with guests who clearly understood the attire assignment. Many—like the carnival rides that served as inspiration—were walking works of art. I can definitively say that I’ve never witnessed such creativity on the part of gala guests. One reason, perhaps, is Charlotte Street’s aggressively accessible working artist ticket, available for just $35, which broadens the umbrella of who might otherwise attend. Brilliant.
Inside the carnival tent, there were cuisine and cocktails from Baba’s Pantry, The Bite, Devoured Pizza, Julita’s, Learn Your ABVs, Lucky Boys, The Prospect KC, Room 39, Succotash, and Swoon Cookie Crafters. I grabbed some snacks before trying my hand at some of the carnival games for which we were provided tickets upon entry. On my final spin of the prize wheel, I scored a beautiful Assouline book donated by Pam DiCappo at Jorjy. Occurring simultaneously, were captivating cabaret performances by Stephonne, Stephanie Roberts, and Johanna Winters on a stage creation by Luke Rocha.
The party continued with surprise experiences scattered throughout Charlotte Street’s incredible (still-new) space. Fortuneteller Vanessa Aricco provided readings for those willing to wait in the very popular line. There was a weird and wonderful cabinet of curiosities, designed by Renee Cinderhouse, that was ripe for exploring and selfie-taking. Virtual carnival rides provided the full amusement park experience without the physical coasters. The brave and willing participated in a cabaret karaoke showcase, followed by a dance party in the main gallery (complete with a very surreal eyeball balloon drop) guided by Dr. Violet Dream. And the best way to arrive at the downstairs dance party? By slide, of course—designed by Hufft. If this event is not on your regular rotation, pencil it in for next year.
Spotted: Honorary Chairs Jesse & Matthew Hufft and Jean-Paul Wong, Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, Amy Klingman, Ellen & Jamie Copaken, Linda & Brad Nicholson, Dr. Regina Nouhan & John Eck, Katie Kwo Gerson, Peregrine Honig, Toma & Andy Wolff, Gretchen Calhoun, Cathy Beaham Smith, Ingrid & Jay Sidie, Josue Montes, Holly Post, Rashawn Griffin, Lisa Lala, Debra Smith, Matt Schulte, Holly Bawden, Cory Imig
Overheard: “I don’t even know who this Patrick Malone is.”
So, KC—where do you want to go? XO
email: dlair@inkansascity.com | Instagram: @damianlair #OurManINKC