The Celebrate AMERI’KANA Music & Arts Festival is an annual celebration of the diversity of Kansas City’s music and art scene. The festival brings Black, Indigenous, immigrant and Latino musicians together to perform in the city’s Historic Northeast — a diverse neighborhood that speaks an estimated 55 languages.
The festival also serves as a "graduation" for young artists participating in the local program Art As Mentorship, where professional musicians work to help underrepresented artists make music rooted in their cultures and experiences.
The program also weaves therapy techniques into its music curriculum, and found evidence of reduced anxiety and stress related brain activity after students took part in their Rebel Song Academy.
Enrique Chi, the guitarist and lead vocalist for Kansas City band Making Movies and the founder of Art as Mentorship, says the benefits don’t stop at mental health.
“If you participate in artistic expression in your community, participating in that can be as beneficial for your physical health as fitness,” Chi said.
The Celebrate AMERI’KANA festival will be held from 1-8 p.m. on July 27 at the Concourse Park. Making Movies is headining the concert, along with Kevin Morby and more local bands.
- Enrique Chi, founder of Art as Mentorship
- J Buch, Art as Mentorship fellow
