In This Issue

ArtsKC Week Updates

Staff Picks: Kathleen Daily

We're Moving!

Beginning June 30th our new address will be 106 SW Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.

Stay Connected

June 2014

Arts{INSIGHT}

This past Wednesday, June 4th, was ArtsKC's second annual #timetogive, a digital fundraiser for the ArtsKC Fund, where we asked residents throughout the 5-counties to make a gift to support the arts in our region. As a vote of confidence, Mayor Sly James made the first $10 contribution just after reading his proclamation for the initiative. While we were disappointed not to meet our goal, we did raise well over $15,000 in a single day and our commitment to the ideal of all residents partnering to create a vibrant artistic life remains strong. City, county, and state lines should only matter when you're making maps, not when you're making art. We hope you'll join us in spreading the word:

We can all be philanthropists. If our two million residents gave just $10 each, we could revolutionize the region and provide $20 million in truly sustainable arts funding.

All artists who bring excellence to their work should have access to funding. You shouldn't have to know a donor to launch an artistic vision. If we were known as a city where artists of excellence could live affordably and have access to significant funding, we would become a destination for creative professionals.

All residents should have access to the arts. Everyone from working families to single parents, urban core to rural teens, and 20-somethings to seniors on a fixed income should be able to enjoy the arts they love. Your paycheck shouldn't determine your participation.

There is still #timetogive! The 2014 ArtsKC Fund campaign ends on June 30th and if you haven't given, I would like to ask you to consider making that gift today at http://razmobile.com/artskc.

Donors who contribute just $10/month or $120 total, are invited to our fabulous new ArtsKC Encounter program, a donor benefit that includes four arts outings per year. You can learn more about ArtsKC Encounters at www.artskc.org/artskcencounter and make your donation now.

All for Art. Art for All.

Six words-together we all give, so that together we all benefit.

Connect with me on Twitter!

Photo credit: Tom Styrkowicz, 53Tom.com

A Question for Blue KC

What do the arts mean to your business?

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is a long time and proud supporter of the arts in Kansas City. The health and wellness of our community is of utmost importance to Blue KC. Healthy people create healthy communities! An active arts community plays a big role in our health. The arts provide opportunities for Kansas Citians to get out and experience our city in a physically active way. You can walk to/through a museum, stroll the Crossroads Arts District on a First Friday, or dance to the tunes of a great local band!

Blue KC participates in the ArtsKC Fund Workplace Giving Campaign, ArtsKC At Work, and ArtsKC Now Showing. During our giving campaign our employees have the opportunity to participate in various events to raise money for the ArtsKC Fund. The bake sale, in particular, is VERY popular! During this week our artists on staff also have the opportunity to show their talents. Painters, photographers, jewelry makers, musicians, etc., all get the chance to display their works and share their talent with co-workers.

Throughout our offices there is always art on display. Through the Now Showing program employees have a chance to see local works from local artists. It gives us all a chance to see what some local artists are doing and get a perspective of the different types of work that is going on throughout our community. Employees also have the unique opportunity to purchase the artwork from that artist and take a piece home.

As a local Kansas City company we understand how important the arts are to an overall thriving community. It helps to attract and retain talented employees, gives opportunities for the people of our city to connect in meaningful ways, and provides citizens with a chance to get out and explore our city with their friends and families! From a small dance company to the Kansas City Ballet and a one room art studio to the Nelson-Atkins Museum there is something for everyone in our community and it is exciting to be a part of that.

The first-ever ArtsKC Week, aimed at raising awareness and financial support of the ArtsKC Fund, was held this month with events taking place through out the region. ArtsKC Week highlighted the diverse arts opportunities and activities beginning with arts Open Houses, May 31st and June 1st, #timetogive, the ArtsKC Fund's digital day of giving, and ending this evening with a Celebration in the Crossroads Arts and Design District during the June First Friday.

There is still time to get involved!

We'll be selling All for Art t-shirts tonight from 5-9pm outside of our new office (opening at the end of this month!) located at 106 SW Blvd., KCMO, 64108. Stop by to purchase your shirt or order now online for quick pick up. Bring your receipt to grab your shirt!

Donate! While the sun has set on #timetogive, it is never too late to contribute to the ArtsKC Fund. Donate now at http://razmobile.com/artskc.

Share! Check out the great coverage of ArtsKC Week below and share the links with your networks. Help us spread the word that the ArtsKC Fund stands All for Art and Art for All.

Read the editorial in the Kansas City Star.

Watch KMBC's coverage of the ArtsKC Week Press Conference.

Staff Picks - Kathleen Daily

Adventure has always been my favorite consequence of art. Stepping outside my day-to-day rituals is how I find my sanctuary, especially in a culture that values "more." As we step into the summer this month I recommend you take an adventure through the Arabian Peninsula and visit the Roads of Arabia exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art did an exceptional job capturing the mystery history of the Arab culture during the trade of precious frankincense and myrrh to the Mesopotamian and Greco-Roman world. After absorbing the sacred burial gravestones of Saudi Princes you can stroll a few feet to a compass used by people of Islamic faith making their pilgrimage to Mecca (known as a qibla). If you need a break, you can relax and read in the palm jungle themed seating area filled with books telling stories of traveling through the Arab Peninsula.

The Roads of Arabia exhibit examines the ways civilizations use art and travel to share ideas, values and express the most intimate moments that define a culture. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art did a great job showcasing the love affair between art and adventure and how the two open all eyes.

After you are finished walking through a journey of the past, take a more contemporary journey through the Nelson's new outdoor glass maze installation titled "Glass Labyrinth." This installation continues the celebration of the relationship between art, architecture and nature in the Nelson's sculpture park, encouraging a personal experience and examination. Both the Roads of Arabia exhibition and Glass Labyrinth are journeys worth taking. It's a great time to visit the Nelson! The Roads of Arabia is at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art till July 6th, 2014. Tickets are available at www.nelson-atkins.org.

Photo by: Tom Styrkowicz, 53Tom.com

ArtsKC - Regional Arts Council | 816-221-1777 | www.artskc.org

906 Grand, Suite 10B, Kansas City, MO 64106