KC Creates

KANSAS CITY FRINGE, ANNUAL COMMUNITY BASED FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTING PERFORMING ARTS. In its 17th year, the Fringe is an 11-day explosion of performing and visual arts. It is the single largest celebration of arts and culture in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Since its inception, total attendance at the Festival is estimated at more than 250,000. In 2019, there were more than 400 individual performances and events featuring 75 artists or groups in nearly every artistic genre. The Festival provides a platform for performing artists to test new work. It fosters innovation, experimentation, and collaboration among artists and genres. In addition to the main Festival program, there are youth and teen events;YOUth and Teen Fringe provide free, family-friendly events for children, teens and families. Fringe Presents is a curated theatrical event that brings original, challenging, contemporary theater to area audiences, from both US and international artists. This event features thought-provoking, timely, relevant subjects that often address social issues such as race, mental health, and poverty, that can be hard to discuss.

WATERFIRE, A FREE OUTDOOR FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS ON THE WATER. ACCOUNTING FOR THE 2019 EVENT WAS MOVED TO KC WATERFIRE. The event is a celebration of art with over 50 sparkling bonfires that float in Brush Creek through the Country Club Plaza, sintered by the award-winning art installation by Barnaby Evans. The fragrant wood smoke, the flickering firelight on the arched bridges, and the enchanting music from around the world engage all the senses of those who stroll the banks of Brush Creek. The urban landscape becomes a living work of art, and integrates live music, dance, and fire performances in the Dark. For many attendees, WaterFire is their first experience of "art." Kansas City is one of only three cities in the world where this inspirational art installation can be experienced. Over 100,000 people have participated in this free event since it started in Kansas City in 2009.

OPEN SPACES, CITY-WIDE ARTS FESTIVAL HELD IN AUGUST-OCTOBER 2018. Activities for 2019-20 included finishing off the financial activities. Built on the model of Prospect New Orleans and many European biennales, Open Spaces is a new and unique public-philanthropic partnership between KC Creates and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and private donors and foundations. The inaugural event consisted of multiple large-scale visual art installations by regional, national, and internationally recognized artists. Envisioned by Mayor Sly James, the Festival was geared towards addressing some of the geographic and cultural divides in our community. For nine weeks, in paces both familiar and new, in parks and urban spaces, in galleries, performance halls, and outdoor stages, Open Spaces transformed Kansas City into a living cultural tapestry into which the best of the world's collective imagination was woven. Nearly 100,000 Kansas Citians took part in the 2018 events.