Charlotte Street Foundation

Charlotte Street Foundation is pleased to present High Seas, Low Planes, a multi-media installation by Kansas City based artist and Charlotte Street Visual Artist Award Fellow Ari Fish.  High Seas Low Planes is intended to serve as a “temporary temple,” a sacred space for people of all kinds to congregate. Groups and individuals are invited and encouraged to use the space as they wish, including for such activities as a class, performance, sermon, meditation, spiritual practice, ritual, or conversation. Learn how to reserve time for your event!

Opening Reception: Friday, February 3, 6-9pm
Location: La Esquina / 1000 West 25th St. KCMO 64108
Exhibition Runs: February 3 – March 10
Gallery Hours: 12-6pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, or by appointment
Exhibition Website: highseaslowplanes.blogspot.com find reservation information, tenets, and events
Special Events: (see the installation’s complete calendar of events at highseaslowplanes.blogspot.com)
Paul Rudy + Heidi Svoboda: Sounds of Neptune’s Homecoming – February 22, 6pm, High Seas Low Plans @ La Esquina

The installation will be comprised of multiple projections of computer generated color light schemes, projected from the four cardinal directions onto large swaths of poly-filament “clouds” and sewn vinyl forms suspended from the ceiling. Drawing on theories of color therapy and color psychology, the color projections will work together to induce energy, vitality, calmness, and relaxation. These effects will be furthered through white noise, subtle bell tones and low hums presented in surround sound.  Visitors will be able to experience the installation from reclining positions on mobile scooters upholstered with comfort foam and fabric, or by resting on large, stationary boulder-shaped pillows.

The installation will be open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 12-6pm and by appointment. Individuals and groups may reserve use of this space for activities and events during these hours, or may request use of the space at other times, to be accommodated whenever possible. More information, a calendar of activities, information about requesting use, and the tenets for the use of the space may be found at highseaslowplanes.blogspot.com.

Read the press release or learn how to make a reservation for your event.

On two cold nights in December and January, Charlotte Street Foundation will host WINTER MUSIC presented by The Secret Commonwealth of E.F.&F.

Date:  January 14 featuring AARON MARTIN, SHAWN E. HANSEN, + MATT HILL
Time: Doors open at 9pm; show at 10pm
Venue: La Esquina / 1000 W. 25th St. KCMO 64108
Tickets: $5 suggested donation

WINTER MUSIC is two nights of new music from local artists more well known internationally than in their home town; artists who deal in sounds not suited to rock bars or jazz clubs; artists of melodies buried in the hiss of silence, that draw on the history of European film music, 20th century classical, and the shimmering roots of the psychedelic tradition.

Find out more about WINTER MUSIC and the featured performers.

See a clip from the show in the online video.

Charlotte Street Foundation presents a KcEMA concert featuring Cheryl Melfi: Digital Reeds. Cheryl brings with her a program of new music including two world premiers of electro-acoutsic music for clarinet.

Date: Saturday, January 14
Time: Doors open at 7:30pm; concert begins at 8pm
Venue: City Center Square / 1100 Main 5th Floor KCMO
Tickets: $10; $5 students

The evening will feature live music performances by Brad Cox, Paul Rudy, and Mark Southerland, followed by the premier of the video documentary of WE!. See what you missed, or relive what you loved. The evening will conclude with a forum to meet the artists and discuss your experience of the project.

Date: Wednesday, December 14, 7pm
Venue: La Esquina, 1000 W. 25th St. KCMO 64108
Cost: $5 – $10 suggested donation

More details are in the press release!

Charlotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project is excited to announce its first ever Biannual Open Studios Weekend, showcasing the work of artists in its Studio Residency Program for visual and performing artists. The 2-day event will include live music, dance, comedy improv, and cross-disciplinary performances, special sales, temporary installations, workshops, participatory activities, artist talks, and more, highlighting the work of 30 visual artists and 6 performing artists/ensembles awarded free studios for year-long terms through Charlotte Street’s competitive Urban Culture Project Studio Residency Program. All events are free and open to the public.

Dates: Friday, December 9, 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Saturday, December 10, 11:00am – 3:00pm

Studio Residency Venues:
Partnership Place / 906 Grand, 13th Floor
City Center Square / 1100 Main, 5th Floor
Town Pavilion / 1100 Walnut, 6th Floor

Visit theOpen Studios page for more information and a downloadable Open Studios program, including a map, brief descriptions of each artist’s studio, and a complete schedule of events and activities!

Charlotte Street Foundation is pleased to present the world premiere of STRANGER FRIEND. This multi-media production weaves together choreography and video by Leralee Whittle, music compositions by Paul Sprawl, and performance by Whittle, Sprawl and Stephanie Fellner, all currently based in Minneapolis.

Performance Dates: November 10, 11, 12, and 13
Curtain: 8 pm
Tickets: $15 at the door or $12 in advance through http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/203510
Venue: La Esquina, 1000 W. 25th St KCMO 64108

“In our dreams we are free to befriend strangers in a kaleidoscopic fantasy world, while in our waking lives we keep most strangers at a distance,” writes Whittle. “There are exceptions. The troubadour, the messenger, the bard, the lone cowboy or the outsider may be allowed to inspire our everyday lives with stories of the great beyond, whether distant land, or psychic depth. These iconic strangers inadvertently disrupt the status quo, causing us to think in new ways and broaden our horizons. This kind of stranger is, in fact, a friend. On the other hand, a person we regard as a friend may be excessively self important and obsessed with the task of belonging. She is actually a stranger.”

In STRANGER FRIEND, dancers, activated by music, excavate memories about union and separation, and re-contextualize standards of friendship and intimacy. The piece includes dances about female identity and the social dynamics between two “friends,” in which a female subconscious is contrasted with superficial identity induced by mass marketing’s homogenizing influence.  The ultra-material world here exists as a force of modern animism, revealing its power through trappings in “dances of possession.”

Ultimately, STRANGER FRIEND challenges imposed standards for intimacy by activating and entering a world of strangers, where truth is told and the imagination thrives.

Read all the details!

Charlotte Street Foundation and The Pistol are pleased to present Wham City Comedy Tour. Having made their mark on the DIY music and art scene, Baltimore’s Wham City collective is heading back out on the road this fall to change the face of comedy. Their two-hour variety show covers experimental theater, performance art, video, and stand-up.

Venue: Paragraph Gallery, 23 E. 12th St, KCMO 64105
Date: Wednesday, Nov.9; Door open 7pm, Show 8pm
Cost: $10 suggested donation

Since their inception in 2004, a sense of humor has always been important to the art of Wham City. But they only began tackling comedy head-on in 2010 when they mounted the first ever Wham City Comedy Tour which earned coverage in Spin Magazine, and it got them an invitation to perform on stage with Second City in October. It also spawned the immensely popular Wham City Comedy Night, an off-the-wall amateur comedy night hosted each month by Ben O’Brien and Mason Ross at the Zodiac in Baltimore.

For more information go to the Wham City website.

This event honors the work of playwright/director Kyle Hatley and composer James Mobberley, who received Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Awards of $7,500 each earlier this year. Hatley and Mobberley were selected for the Awards by a panel of regional and national performing arts professionals through a highly competitive, two-phase process. The event will feature live performances of work by both fellows.

Performance Date: October 22nd, Curtain at 8pm
Venue: H&R Block City Stage at Union Station
Tickets: FREE and open to the public; however, ticket reservation required. Reserve tickets at www.unionstation.org
After-Party: Pierpont’s at Union Station!  Plus, if you have dinner at Pierpont’s the evening of the performance, 10% of your food check will be donated to Charlotte Street! Dinner reservations are recommended.

For full details, including performance descriptions, read the press release!

Charlotte Street Foundation’s Urban Culture Project presents a joint presentation by the Kansas City Max Users Group and the Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance.

Date: Friday, October 21, 8pm
Venue: La Esquina, 1000 W. 25th St KCMO 64108
Donation: $10 donation is suggested

A Cup of Jamoma: A Collage of Music, Video, and Discussion featuring the artists and programmers behind Jamoma.

If you are a Live Music or Live Video Artist who uses or is interested in using Max/MSP/Jitter, you need to see what Jamoma is capable of.  Jamoma is a series of easy-to-use modules for use in Max/MSP/Jitter. They were designed around the principle that you want to spend more time creating you art and less time programming, debugging, and documenting.

A Cup of Jamoma features Jamoma contributors Nathan Wolek, Trond Lossius, and Cycling ‘74 Research Engineer Timothy Place. Come hear, see, and discuss what Jamoma can do and why it should be part of your creative process.

Find out more at www.kcema.net and www.jamoma.org

Charlotte Street Foundation is pleased present a free First Friday show by Sir Threadius Mongus as part of their Threads EP release celebration, including the debut of new music and a new lineup featuring Jeff Davis (guitar and composition), Matt Otto (saxophones), Andrew McGhie (saxophone), Stanton Kessler (trumpet), Mike Stover (bass), and Jonathan Taylor (drums).

Performance: Friday, October 7, 8pm-10pm, Free
Venue: La Esquina, 1000 W. 25th St. KCMO 64108

For all the details, read the press release!