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Photo by Dalton Gomez
Art Nouveau: If you're craving some culture and a night in the city, First Fridays is an exciting chance to visit Kansas City galleries and immerse yourself in the art scene every month.
On a sunny Thursday afternoon in September,
The Blue Gallery in the Crossroads District of
downtown Kansas City is quiet. The owner,
Kelly Kohn, sits at her desk, while her dog Starle
But Oct. 1, this gallery, located at 118 Southwest Boulevard, along with the rest of the neighborhood, will be bustling with the thousands of people First Fridays draws to the district since it first began 10 years ago.
Kohn, who has participated in over 130 First Fridays, says the event started when all of the galleries in the district got together and decided, as a group, to have openings, or at least be open, on the same night. The idea was to give people an overview of what the galleries offer.
First Fridays is an event that is held on the first Friday of every month and happens rain or shine. Kohn says it attracts people from all over the country and offers visitors a unique experience, not just in the different galleries and venues that participate, but on the sidewalks as well. She says there are street performers, local artists and food vendors.
Over the years, the idea has snowballed and gained popularity. Kohn says roughly 10 commercial art galleries participate but other groups in the neighborhood — ones that wouldn't be considered to be a typical art
gallery — have started opening their doors to visitors as well.
Hannah Flemming, daughter of Dan Flemming, D.D.S., says her father features an artist each month in an art gallery, Apex, within his dental practice, Crossroads Dentistry, 1819 Wyandotte St. She says he has been participating in First Fridays for almost seven years. Flemming says when her father first moved his practice into its current location it was more of a warehouse. He designed the office himself and renovated it to create a space that could double as an art gallery.
Mildred's Coffee shop, located next door to Crossroads Dentistry at 1821 Wyandotte St. displays a different artist's work each month and First Fridays serves as their first public showcase. Josh Carch, a cook at Mildred's, says they have been participating for five years. He also says the coffee shop always stays open late for the event and sometimes have live music playing in their parking lot.
Matt McNary, a designer at Hammerpress, says that for First Fridays the store will occasionally have musicians and sales of their products, such as stationary, posters, and a variety of other items, all made from letterpresses inside their store. McNary also says that Hammerpress also sometimes features Fresher Than Fresh, a local snow cone
stand that offers unique flavors such as lemon prickly pear, watermelon basil, and blackberry lavender.
Grinders, 417 E. 18th St., has been open for five years and Libby Henderson, the restaurant's manager, says they love First Fridays. She describes it as a really fun experience and says it's a great atmosphere for the artists and the crowd. She says Grinders features a specific artist and has the work on display throughout the restaurant.
Grinder's owner, who goes by 'Stretch', is an artist himself — a sculptor — and says the Crossroads District is great because "there are more artists per capita than any other city in the country."
Kohn says the Crossroads covers one square mile and that it's difficult for people to see everything in one night. She says people generally go to their favorite spots but all of the groups participating "act as one entity."
Some may think that these establishments are in competition with one another, but Kohn says this is not the case. She says it makes sense for galleries to be in the same area because they feature different artists.
Kohn suggests visitors make a night of First Fridays and arrive early, as parking tends to be a hassle. She says on a beautiful fall evening, it's not surprising if more than 7,000 people
show up.
Although students who wish to participate must travel to Kansas City, Zoe Horn, Prairie Village senior, says it's completely worth it. "I love First Fridays," Horn says. "The whole city gets together in a small proximity and get to enjoy one another in the presence of art."
SECOND SATURDAYS
If you don't want to wait until November for an experience in the Crossroads, you can still head down for a Second Saturdays. This monthly event is more of an educational experience and functions as a field trip. The cost is $10 for adults, two people for $15, and children are free. Reservations are required. This month the tour of the Crossroads begins at Mildred's Coffeehouse, located at 1821 Wyandotte. To make reservations call 913-638634 and for additional information kccrossroads.org.
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`\d by Abby Davenport
Many college students think they are too young to worry about breast cancer. But Jenny McKee, a health educator at the Wellness Resource Center in Watkins Memorial Health Center, said breast cancer doesn't only affect moms, aunts and grandmas — college students are at risk too.
"One in four women are affected by breast cancer at some point in their lives," McKee said. "When we look at that depiction and how many females are on campus, it's quite alarming how many students are going to be affected by breast cancer."
But there is good news as well. According to the American Cancer Society, death rates from breast cancer have declined significantly among women younger than 50 since 1990.
In order to continue this trend Patty Quinlan, the nursing supervisor at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said women needed to
Quintin said while women are doing breast self-exams, there are a few red flags they should be on the lookout for, such as lumps.
breast health.
Quinlan said one of the main steps young women can take is to pencil a breast self-exam into their schedules once a month. Quinlan said women should have started doing monthly breast self-exams when their breasts started to develop, which is about age 13. Exams need to be done on a regular basis to be effective.
Heather Steinle, a senior from Olathe, said although she knows how to do a breast self-exam, she has never done them on a regular basis.
"It's so easy to do preventative measures that you would have to ask yourself, 'Why not?' Quinlan said.
"Things get busy, and it just doesn't happen." Steinle said.
Breast self-exams are easy to learn how to do, and only take about five minutes to complete.
Discharge from the nipple or any discolorations on the breast are two other signs that something could be wrong. While these symptoms do not always mean breast cancer, Quinlan said students should still check in with their doctors to make sure everything is OK.
ibly noticeable, which is why it's important to do monthly breast exams so women know what their normal tissue feels like, Quinlan said.
"If anything has appeared that wasn't there before, it needs to be checked out by your physician right away," Quinian said. "Then, if the physicians tell them that it's normal, then they've learned something."
Quinlan said the rest of the steps college-aged women could take to protect themselves from breast cancer included the basics: a good night's sleep, less stress, regular exercise and good nutrition.
Edited by Lisa Curran
A sign marking the annual fundraising event "Greek in Pink" hangs on a tree outside Wescoe Hall. The event is organized by all 45 chapters in all four greek councils. They participate by donating a ribbon. This ribbon represents Sigma Kappa sorority. Proceeds from the event benefit Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
Ben Pirotte/KANSAN
VOLLEYBALL|10A
Proceeds from the match against Iowa State will go to breast cancer research. The match is part of Jayhawks for a Cure, a series of Kansas sporting events that aims to raise money and awareness.
Saturday's game about more than volleyball
Listening to the bells toll on campus
ARTS|3A
Elizabeth Berghout, resident carilonneur, has decided to play at the Campanile twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of once on Sundays, as she did last year.
PARKING | 3A
Parking permit rules frustrate some faculty
Switching near-campus lots from yellow to blue leaves students with fewer options. But it also closes parking lots to certain faculty and staff.
INDEX
Classifieds...8B
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
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