Modern Disease Discovered in Mummies Cardiovascular diseases affect about one in three adults. The high prevalence, especially in places like the Midwest, is largely attributed to modern diets and lifestyles. But turns out, Egyptians also suffered from heart problems more than 3,000 years ago. Local Cardiologist Randall Thompson discovered this when he and his colleagues ran several mummies through a cat scan in Cairo earlier this year.
Taking Stock: The Animal Health Corridor Is Moving Forward Officials broke ground in Olathe for the first building of the Animal Health Corridor, a region from Kansas City to Manhattan to Columbia and that already creates a third of the sales from the 19 billion dollar animal health industry.
Many Manufacturers Cut Jobs Fast, Others Cling to Workforce
For decades, advancing technology and globalization chipped away at American manufacturing jobs. Until recently, though exports were up. US industry was doing OK. No more.
Recession Hurts Midwestern Economic Staple
NEWTON, IOWA (kcur) - Maytag and Amana, once two of the largest appliance companies on Earth, sprang from little Iowa towns. Now those communities are scrambling to deal with that industry's sharp decline.
Cooking with the Deen Brothers
Jamie and Bobby Deen (sons of celebrity chef Paula Deen) recently rolled through Kansas City with a new cookbook. They joined Up to Date in a live broadcast from Starker's Restaurant.
On the Fringe: From Kansas City to Edinburgh and Back Again The roots of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, can be traced to 1947, when eight theater companies showed up uninvited to another theater festival, hoping to capitalize on the crowds. Over sixty years later, the Fringe has become the biggest arts festival in the world, with groups from all over the planet.
The KC Fringe Festival Returns With Musicals Tackling Tough Subjects When the KC Fringe Festival unfolds, it will mark the sixth summer that performers of all stripes have exhibited their talents at venues all over the metro. Broken up into such categories as visual art, dance, and fashion, the festival has always had theater at its core, and this year debuts over 40 new plays and musicals. Among the latter are two musicals written by Kansas City natives that, as KCUR's Steve Walker discovered, delved into such tough subjects as murder and mental illness.
"American Idol" Meets" Ugly Duckling" in "Lucky Duck" Since Hans Christian Anderson put plume to paper for the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling," many creative artists- from Disney to Prokofiev - have been inspired to put their own spin on it. The latest version is “Lucky Duck,” a Coterie Theatre musical for young audiences.
New York-based artist Nari Ward has been
described as a “modern archaeologist,” using salvaged materials in his
works, like television sets, discarded clothes, liquor signs and grocery
carts.
The Oil Boiler: A Multimedia Multi-Sensory Experience Like the crack of a champagne bottle against the bow of a ship, a menagerie of actors, artists and musicians are launching a new performance space within the skeleton of a an old car showroom.
"Beaded Heritage" Explores Traditions and Identity
The art of bead work has a long tradition in the Native American culture, passed down from one generation to the next. An exhibition at the Spencer Museum in Lawrence, Beaded Heritage, pairs beaded bags and moccasins from the collection with contemporary pow wow regalia worn by two Haskell Indians Nations University students.
TYA Production Pays Tribute to Kansas City Monarchs
The Theatre for Young America is revisiting plays and the players of the Negro Leagues in a musical fable called “The Monarchs of KC.” The show proposes what might happen if the team were to reappear on the old field to a contemporary Kansas City family.
"Madame White Snake" Marks First Opera by UMKC Composer Zhou Long
The thousand-year-old Chinese folk tale,
"Madame White Snake," is the story of a white snake demon who longs for
love. And there are tragic consequences. It’s the subject of the first
opera for composer and UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance professor
Zhou Long. In the production, elements of traditional Chinese opera
meet the style of the West. Learn more and listen to the story
Special Thanks
Funding for multimedia arts on KCUR is provided by the Missouri Arts Council
Arts Multimedia
Chinese New Year Celebrations Begin in Kansas City
KCUR's Laura Spencer caught up with members of the Kansas City Chinese Music Ensemble and Colin Mackenzie, Senior Curator of Early Chinese Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to talk about traditional instruments, and this year's animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac: the Tiger.
Actors Prepare for "Grey Gardens" Transformation With the Unicorn Theatre’s mounting of the Tony Award-winning musical “Grey Gardens,” the cast and production team faced a formidable task. The lead actresses are recreating two of the most beloved and iconic figures in the history of documentary filmmaking and it’s their notoriety that has called forth a platoon of hair and make-up artists to ensure that the actors’ transformations ring true.
Kansas City Ballet Dancer Blogs about "The Nutcracker" and Retiring This marks dancer Matthew Donnell's 10th and last season with the Kansas City Ballet and he’s documenting it along the way in a blog. This includes writing about what’s likely to be his last year in the fairy-tale ballet, "The Nutcracker."
New Installation of American Indian Art at JCCC
Across the campus of Johnson County Community College, there are 450 works of art on display. This includes 50 works of American Indian art from the Pacific Northwest to the Southwest and Plains now in a permanent installation in the Regnier Center, adjacent to the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
Renovations at Quality Hill Change Experience for Actors and Audience
Earlier this year, the second of three phases of renovations and upgrades at the Quality Hill Playhouse was completed, resulting in changes that are affecting both the physical and artistic dimensions of what audiences will experience.
The Skirt: Splendid Isolation III
Choreographer Jessica Lang spent a month in Kansas City, creating a new work for the Kansas City Ballet Here, Lang describes the challenges of dancing in the tent-like skirt.
Prairie Acre
Lawrence, Kansas old-time band Prairie Acre performs on the midway at the 38th annual Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield.
View the video
Winfield, 2009
KCUR's Steve Bell has been attending the annual Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas for many years. This time, he took along not only his banjo, but his microphone, camera and camcorder too.
Curator Gaylord Torrence on Search, Discovery, and Surprise of American Indian Art Collection
On November 11th, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opened its new galleries dedicated to American Indian art.
First Session for the Black House Improvisors' Collective
Each week ten musicians gather for an afternoon rehearsal session on a vacant floor of a downtown office building. It's a new year-long initiative sponsored by the Charlotte Street Foundation.
Zombies Return to Kansas City at the Off Center Theatre
A new production in the Coterie at Night series called "Maul of the Dead" is an homage to zombie horror films - and the 1970s.
Moisés Kaufman Tackles "Into the Woods" at the Rep
MoisésKaufman sat down with KCUR's Steve
Walker to talk about how a director puts his own stamp on a musical,
and his own venture into the woods.
"The Unusual Dreams of Juniper & T.J. Tangpuz"
For artist Juniper Tangpuz, play is at the center of his work. An exhibition of his paintings and sculptures at the Thornhill Gallery explores two sides of his persona: the private and the public.
New Home for the Kansas City Ballet
The Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity, slated to open in 2011, will be located in the historic Union Station Power House building.
"Deep Time + Rapid Time" For a recent project called “Deep Time + Rapid
Time," the collective known as "spurse" turned Grand Arts into a
laboratory environment with maps, diagrams, books, and technology.
Prairie Acre
