By Laura Spencer
Kansas City, MO – Six artists were selected recently for the ninth annual Avenue of the Arts, a summer exhibition of temporary public artwork in downtown Kansas City. This year's installations will explore themes of fantasy, symmetry, decoration, and environmental issues, as KCUR's Laura Spencer reports.
Each year a panel of arts professionals, business and community leaders select artists to create temporary site-specific art installations at six intersections along Central Street. Six artists, living within 50 miles of Kansas City, were chosen this year and awarded $5000 to create their work. Some of the installations include Sarah Kephart's map of Kansas City as polished steel metal bling and the whimsical combination of animal and instrument, from serpent clarinet to sting ray lute, in the sculptures of Juniper Tangpuz. The program is administered by the Avenue of the Arts Foundation (360 Architecture and DST Systems Inc.), in partnership with the City of Kansas City, Mo. Municipal Art Commission. The six outdoor artworks are expected to be installed in May and remain on display through September. Laura Spencer, KCUR News.
2008 Avenue of the Arts artists:
Brian Zimmerman
Angela Lopez
Colin Leipelt
Juniper/T.J. Tangpuz
Sarah Kephart
Matthew Burke