Julie Denesha
Arts ReporterAs KCUR’s arts reporter, I use words, sounds and images to take readers on a journey behind the scenes and into the creative process. I want to introduce listeners to the local creators who enrich our thriving arts communities. I hope to strengthen the Kansas City scene and encourage a deeper appreciation for the arts. Contact me at julie@kcur.org.
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George C. Hale served as the Chief of the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department, for 31 years. At the end of the 19th century, he revolutionized firefighting with his more than 60 patented inventions, including the Hale Water Tower and the telephone fire alarm, and helped bring the country's fire departments into the modern era. -
Kansas City had one of the largest garment districts in the nation, and the industry was the second-largest employer in the metro. An institution that tells the story of the downtown Garment District will close this month. -
The American dance craze known as 'the cakewalk' began as a form of resistance by enslaved Black people — a showy promenade that concealed a mockery of slave owners. Now, modern devotees are marking the life of its most charismatic and famous champion, Kansas City’s own Doc Brown. -
The 19th-century American dance craze "the cakewalk" began as a form of resistance by enslaved Black people — a showy promenade concealing a mockery of slave owners. One of the most charismatic and famous cakewalking champions was Kansas City’s own Doc Brown. KCUR’s Julie Denesha reports on a modern movement to recognize Brown’s stamp on history.
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Kansas City bagpiper extraordinaire Griffin Hall has been nerding out on Scotland’s national instrument since he was 12. This month, he’ll have a chance to play and compete with a world-class pipe and drum band there. -
Venus flytraps, purple monsters and giant hippos torment trucks in a new set of murals that have taken shape on Kansas City's most infamous span. -
Harris-Kearney Museum to reopen after renovations to tell the 'full story' of Kansas City's foundingAfter 18 months of renovations, the historic Westport home will serve again as a center for stories from the old western frontier. 'We need to tell the story of enslavement and the Native American tribes that were affected by the settlement,' one historian says. -
Got an old instrument collecting dust in your basement? One Kansas City fundraiser enlists regional artists to turn them into reclaimed works of art. -
The Kansas City business leader and rancher left a lasting legacy in the Flint Hills and helped redevelop Kansas City’s West Bottoms. He died on Thursday. -
Megan Karson is heading out on the open road this summer. She’ll spend the next three months making dreamy tintype images of the people she meets at pop up events in Montana and the Pacific Northwest.
