Julie Denesha
Reporter, PhotographerJulie Denesha is a freelance multimedia journalist based in Kansas City. Contact her at julie@kcur.org.
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In the turbulent years following the Civil War, around 27,000 former slaves migrated to Kansas. They called themselves "exodusters" and they were fleeing Jim Crow laws. Some of them are remembered in a portrait exhibition of an African-American community in Leavenworth, Kansas. -
In late 1955, a private club hired painter Thomas Hart Benton to create a small mural for its Kansas City meeting space. A photographer spent several months photographing Benton at work. Most of the negatives stayed out of sight -- until now.
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In one corner of the historic West Bottoms, an old industrial food processing warehouse is undergoing a revival. It’s being converted into artist studios where, even during a pandemic, artists are creating art.
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As the year 2020 comes to a close, several area artists and performers talk about the highlights and setbacks of creating and surviving during a pandemic.
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Disease and conflict shadowed frontier life during the heydey of many historic homes in the metro. Visitors have a chance to view today's events through the lens of history at places like the John Wornall House and the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm.
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The Kansas City Ballet's first performance of "The Nutcracker" was in 1972. And for many families across the metro, the production is a holiday tradition. But for the first time in nearly 50 years a pandemic has put the show on hold.
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Strawberry Swing is an indie craft festival that usually features 150 vendors and attracts more than 20,000 people to Kansas City’s Union Station. With COVID-19 restrictions, there are fewer makers and the market has been moved outdoors.
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Artists deal with isolation during long stretches of time as a part of their regular practice. But for some, the forced isolation brought on by COVID-19 has gotten in the way of creativity.
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A local chainsaw sculptor usually spends a lot of time on the road traveling to national and international carving competitions. But coronavirus restrictions put those events on pause. So Steven Higgins put his talents to work closer to home.
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The Topeka Symphony Orchestra had big plans for its 75th anniversary season, but coronavirus interrupted. Still, the musicians are determined to perform.
