ArtsKC – Regional Arts Council and Sporting KC will continue their art and soccer themed partnership with a special “Art in the Park” event held at Sporting Park during the May 14 game against the Philadelphia Union. A continuation of First Friday’s “Beautiful Game” art exhibition which took place at the Sporting offices in the Crossroads Arts District this past week, “Art in the Park” will feature a gallery of the 24 soccer inspired original works on the Ivy Funds Executive Level and “Shades of Jade,” a Jazz / Neo Soul / Hip Hop quartet, which will be playing on the Sprint Plaza. Beautiful Game gallery artists will be recognized at halftime and signed, numbered posters created especially for the event by local artist Nicholas Naughton of La Cucaracha Press will be for sale.
Featured artists were selected to exhibit at the “Beautiful Game Exhibition” and “Art in the Park” by a jury which included Sporting KC representatives and local arts leaders. Artists were challenged to create pieces that were inspired by the Sporting KC brand or the game of soccer. All work is available for purchase by the general public and a portion of all ticket and art sale proceeds will benefit the Victory Project, Sporting KC’s charitable organization, and the ArtsKC Fund, which provides grants to local artists and arts organization throughout the five-county metropolitan area.
The “Beautiful Game Exhibition,” the first event in the two-part partnership, hosted 200 guests at the Sporting KC offices, totaling $8,500 raised for the two sponsoring charities.
“ArtsKC is thrilled to partner with Sporting KC to continue to highlight the unique intersection of arts and athletics,” said Harlan Brownlee, ArtsKC President and CEO. “Both Sporting KC and ArtsKC believe that whether it happens on the pitch or on a canvas, innovation and creativity are key to making Kansas City a great place to live and work.”
Tickets for “Art in the Park” are available online at http://artskc.org/events/artinthepark/ through Friday, May 10. For ticket sales after May 10, please contact Deanna Repollet at drepollet@sportingkc.com or 609-240-5495.
