?
The Alure of art by Liz Beggs, Jayplay write
The Crossroads District of Kansas City Offers First Friday
Hands gently glide over the finished surface of a wooden armoire, caress the soft fabric of a loveseat and carefully pick up a barbell salt and pepper shaker resting between a sculpted fist. Couples huddle, whispering, pointing and gaping with half-open mouths as they stare intently at a picture called "Emily's Mystery." Young women can stop and admire clothes in boutiques such as Tomboy, Spool or birdie', and they make their way over to the beer garden sponsored by Boulevard Brewing Company for a cold wheat draft.
Photos by Kit Leffler
Thousands of people gather on the first Friday of every month in the Crossroads Art District surrounding Baltimore and 20th Street in Kansas City, Mo to admire the work of local and national artists and to cherish
what was once a decaying industrial district. The event, properly named First Friday, officially started in January of 2002, years after artist's studios began
to dot the district.
What began as an event to showcase artists' paintings, sculptures and photographs has blossomed into quite the social affair. Along with the art galleries, local shops have also kept their doors open until at least 9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month, adding yet another attraction to the event. Emily Eddins of the Dolphin gallery, 1901 Baltimore Avenue, believes that the boutiques and restaurants bring a diversity the neighborhood needs. Now, visitors can walk from gallery to gallery, shop to shop, and take in dinner at one of the near-by restaurants. Jeff Becker, director of the Arts Incubator, a facility in which artists come together to share expenses and showcase art, says that he really enjoys the artistic community uniting. "First Friday has created an environment where the arts have woven themselves into the fabric of the community," he says.
says.
Only industries and small businesses used to inhabit the community to which Becker refers. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the district would be deserted. It wasn't until Jim Leedy moved his studio into the area that things began to change. Soon after he started his studio, Leedy purchased three more buildings in the area, and dedicated his space on 2012 Baltimore to a non-profit contemporary arts center to help aspiring artists procure space in which to work. John Hachmeister, University of Kansas professor of sculpture, says that First Friday is all that it is because of "the love and devotion of people like Jim Leedy and John O'Brien, who took many chances, financial and otherwise, to create the 'scene'." This is a neighborhood nourished by artists for art lovers.
nourished by artists for art exhibitions. Galleries dot the neighborhood, and the past and present of the place can be seen in the beauty of a colorful contemporary piece contrasting with a brick wall as it hangs above a cement floor. Although the Crossroads District supports the artists in the neighborhood, the area transforms itself on First Friday. As you stroll from gallery to shop, the sound of a three-piece band floats through the air, coffee shops have turned into make-shift galleries, and visitors carry around plastic cups of Sangria.
gria.
In the eyes of Hachmeister, First Friday is a celebration. It is a time for artists to come together after being locked in their studios or struggling to make a living. It's a time to have fun and celebrate the creative spirit, he says.
9.9.04 Jayplay