Art in the District
Local Art Sheds Light on Downtown's Colorful Streets
Art In The District is an art exhibition, developed by SD2 Consulting, that features the creations of ten local artists on forty 7x3 foot vinyl boulevard banners hanging on street posts throughout the Power and Light District. These heavy-duty, weather-resistant vinyl banners were printed in full color with six passes of ink to best reproduce the images of artwork in various media.
The 3-month exhibition began in August and continues through October 2008. "The banners look amazing in person and the artists all carry interesting life stories," says Chandler Simpson, director of business and new media at SD2 Consulting. Simpson and Aaron Darling of SD2 Consulting designed the website for Art in the District.
Simpson has a creative streak in him with a longstanding interest in the arts and a multicultural background. "I am a third-culture kid as a product of my father, a black educator and polymath from Milwaukee; and my mother, a sharp-witted “turk” from Hong Kong," says Simpson. "I am a zealous art lover, collector and critic, but a less-accomplished creator; and as such, possibly Kansas City's most invidious character towards the real creatives of the world."
Art in the Disrict is a demonstration of Simpson's, and by extension SD2's, belief in the importance of public art in a community. "Lest we seek to cultivate future generations of dull bores, then art is essential to keeping life interesting. And local art is often the most accessible art," says Simpson. "Art, to me, is a two-sided affair."
Simpson elaborates, "First, art is an expressive interpretation and creative 'regurgitation' of the artists' life experiences. Art is 'to say,' often without speaking a single word. Which makes me wonder whether our freedom of speech would even exist without eras of creative expression as a preface. As a second facet, art is a tool; a functional stimulus. Where art is displayed, art is seen. When art is seen, art is interpreted. Interpretations shared are spirited conversations. Cause and effect. Art in the District is our way of expressing our appreciation for the arts. As a gift to the public, we are excited to learn how they will interpret our program’s Featured Artists."
SD2's client list includes the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art where they are finishing a long-term video installation for Nelson-Atkins’ next featured exhibition, Art in the Age of Steam. For Art in the District, the firm faciliated the Call for Entries, coordinated the jury process of evaluating hundreds of entries to select a dozen works from ten artists, and developed the program's website. The public can vote for their favorite featured artist at www.artinthedistrict.com. The top three creators, as determined by public vote, will receive a total of $1,500 in prize money.
PresentMagazine.com chats with some of the participating artists to learn more about their work.
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