Day 2: KC (NCECA)

Day 2: Kansas City

Lauren Mabry sewer pipe

Today was a very long, intense day, on a bit too little sleep. The chances of THB getting it even closer to non-fiction are slim.

Even the weather was odd: in the low 60s dropping to high 50s at night, clear skies and a cooling breeze, along with a rainstorm in the late afternoon.

The Ambassador offers a free pass to a local fitness center less than 2 blocks away, so THB and DB head over since we're both up way too early. The place is huge and there's a pre-work crowd, with seven large TVs up on the wall; the closest one to THB is showing some sci-fi show with women with fireballing throwing powers.

We share a Starbucks small flat white: creamy and not that unlike what we had in New Zealand years ago; with NYT, $7....which seems pretty expensive for what looks to be a 10 ounce serving. These guys are marketing geniuses.

Breakfast at Reserve: today there are 4 others dining with us. THB goes for granola with lowfat milk and farm-to-market sourdough toast (today it seemed like it was griddled rather than toasted, and excellent, and DB has oatmeal again. $27.

Hustle to meet the group at 9am for a long stop at the Belger Craneyard Studios. Once again the size of the tour has expanded, THB thinks we have crested 40 and seem on our way to needing another bus.

Large work by Christa Assad (cone and gas mask)

Don Reitz sewer pipe, NFS

At the Belger, we see lots of work on exhibit including some pieces on sewer pipes from Mission Clay (for those with short memories, that's where THB and DB got to paint pipes in Phoenix a few weeks ago, and for those with really short memories, in the pics from yesterday there is one of the pipe sculptures).

A plate, hangs on the wall, could go outside

Individual small sections (like THB and DB painted at Mission Clay a few weeks ago)

The one that THB and DB like is part of the Belger's collection; there is one other tall pipe and some odds and ends by an up and coming artist, Lauren Mabry. They do have one by Mabry that can be stacked...THB and DB see the stackable pieces unstacked and decide to buy it! It will end up in the front yard of the beach house (that's the plan, though it could of course look great in the loft).

A pic of the pic of the piece assembled

Back?

Front? Assembled on a steel plate (to be arranged by Belger) and then a layer of "tape" put in between the sections

And, later in our day, more work by Lauren (we didn't buy another piece):

There are familiar pieces by lots of artists in the various shows at Belger:

Our group getting the lowdown

An artist we found at U of Washington a number of years ago, now doing large work

These are versions of the work originally seen at UW

Lunch is upstairs in the "hosting" area: a buffet for 40 (or are we now 50?) put on by the Belgers, who take a few moments to relate their interest in art and how they have a lot of work stored away (true collectors!).

As part of NCECA, they peruse the host city (and up to 100 miles away) to find exhibition space, and our first non-gallery site today is in a room in the front of the intersection of the Jazz Museum and the of the Negro Baseball League. THB buys another piece here as well:

Note the name of the stadium on the shirt!

The exhibit is work by women, and of course THB and DB own some pieces by several of the artists:

We don't own Patsy's work, she is on our tour!

The rest of the afternoon is given over to gallery visits or temporary exhibition spaces, in and around the Crossroads District (which is right near the Rieger Hotel restaurant).

Russell Wrankle

One of the stops includes a show curated by one of the tour members, LR.

That also includes meeting Michael Rees, the artist that THB and DB found around the corner from the Marriott. He also produces videos that show how his work looks when animation is used!

More work from around town (and, we were around town a lot):

We saw Jonah's work a few weeks ago when touring the ASU grad students studios. The work is really the video pieces showing the original ceramics piece dissolving in water.

Late in the afternoon, we stop at the Hoffmans, who live in a loft near downtown and where the OMCA tour of three years ago had a fried chicken dinner and a jazz pianist playing. They are both in fine shape (Sharon had been ill when we visited before and she and DB bonded over a gluten free diet). They have a lot of work by African-American artists (among a very large collection in a pretty small loft space) , which they started collecting in the early 80s. No pictures, you'll just have to take THB's word for it: awesome!

Hoffman's entrance (sorry, thought this pic was rotated)

We're late to the early Collector's VIP preview of the NCECA on-site galleries, so late that THB won't get close due to the displays because the butt-brush factor is too high.

So, we walk back to the hotel to drop off our miscellani and then walk to the $50pp dinner at Tom's Tavern in an event where seven chefs are preparing dishes. We're too late for everything except one rationed short rib, rice and bit of risotto (at an unmanned space), and they are down to draft wheat beer as the only brewski left (THB does not like wheat beer). DB has a gimlet, so it looks like we made a nice donation to the Heartland Table to Studio Potter Magazine and did a driveby of the ceramics on display.

The event is not  a total loss: we find LA, our neighbor at the beach and catch up on winter storm damage. Our place is okay, we're on the top of the dunes, LA had rainwater damage, her unit needs to be dried out before she'll know if her new carpet is okay

And, as we're deciding to dine en suite with a bottle of wine from the market, we run into K and the two students she's brought to NCECA. K is a prof at USC and lifelong friend of THB's sis, she remembers sleepovers at our place, DB and  THB made a donation to  USC arts department and that enabled K to bring the two students to the show. We had arranged a meet and greet for Thursday, now we adjust the location in person.  We also own a very handsome ensemblage of  K's, she's very talented!

And, another ceramic necklace by Karen Massaro to match DB's (and not E's, she's back in the Bay Area):