Enjoy the Arts in Your Backyard
In the past several years, downtown Kansas City has made great strides in all things arts. From the picturesque Kauffman Center to the new home for the Kansas City Ballet at the Todd Bolender Center, Kansas City offers so many new and exciting ways to enjoy all forms of art. But did you realize that just a few miles outside of downtown, in Overland Park, lies an arts community that is equally as vibrant and diverse? Johnson County Community College (JCCC) not only is the largest undergraduate institution of higher education in Kansas, but is also home to the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and the Performing Arts Series at JCCC. This fall, try exploring the arts outside the city center.
The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
Did you know that the largest contemporary art museum in a four-state region is the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, housed on the JCCC campus? The 41,000-square-foot museum, which opened its doors in 2007, hosts 16 temporary exhibitions annually and showcases the museum’s Oppenheimer Collection.
The museum gets its name from local residents Jerry and Margaret Nerman (along with their son, Lewis), who are among the area’s most prominent collectors of contemporary art. The building was designed by architect Kyu Sung Woo and is made of Kansas limestone. The museum welcomes visitors with two lobbies: the Cantilever Entrance and the glass and metal Atrium Lobby. Throughout the museum’s two levels are 10 galleries for temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection. In addition, the museum houses the Hudson Auditorium, Café Tempo, two classrooms and a museum store.
The museum’s hours are Tue.-Sat., 10:00-5:00; Fri., 10:00-9:00; and Sun., Noon- 5:00 (closed Mondays and all JCCC holidays). Admission is free, and self-guided tours are available anytime the museum is open. The visitor’s orientation guide is helpful and allows you to tour the museum at your own pace. If you prefer something more structured, visit the website for information on guided tours. After your tour of the museum, enjoy a picnic lunch on the campus grounds or grab a bite in the museum restaurant, Café Tempo.
In addition to touring the museum, your family can enjoy one of the many classes offered there throughout the year. The Early Explorations (for ages 5-7) and the Contemporary Creations (for ages 8-11) classes combine interactive museum tours with hands-on studio projects. During each session, students explore and discuss selected works of art, developing critical thinking skills while expanding cultural awareness. After viewing and discussing the artwork, students create their own original works of art. The instructors demonstrate basic techniques, teach principles of design and guide students as they express their own ideas through a variety of media. Classes are offered on Saturdays throughout the academic year and weekdays in the summer. Visit the website for a list of upcoming topics.
The Performing Arts Series at JCCC
The mission of the Performing Arts Series (PAS) at Johnson County Community College is three-fold. It serves to present professional performing arts programming with a variety of high quality artists, both familiar and new. It serves as a comprehensive arts education resource for the community, and it leads, partners and collaborates on campus, in the community and across the country. Each year the series presents shows appealing to a wide variety of ages. “We pride ourselves on offering a variety of performers to the community, so the target audience has broadened considerably over the past few years and has become more diverse,” Emily Berhmann, general manager for the PAS, says.
Variety is certainly the theme of this year’s series. Orchestra Jakobsplatz Munich performs on Oct. 20 in their first U.S. tour! They are an exquisite chamber orchestra that performs works by composers who were victims of the Holocaust. On an entirely different note, Ballet Memphis will perform The Wizard of Oz on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, in a new production they premiered in Memphis just two years ago. The story is familiar, but the presentation is fresh and beautiful. If your little ballerinas like The Nutcracker, this is a perfect fit for them. This performance also will feature several local young dancers as munchkins and Emerald City townspeople. For a complete listing of all 2013-14 series events, visit www.JCCC.edu/Performing-Arts-Series.
Commenting on what makes the PAS series unique, Berhmann says,” Our uniqueness lies in the wide variety of events we present each year. From Broadway, to rock, pop, blues, bluegrass, dance, family shows, comedy and theater, we have something for everyone! We’re also the only comprehensive performing arts center in Johnson County, so I think we present a suburban alternative for those who appreciate being only minutes from home at the end of the evening.”
Lenexa mom Margaret Sarver loves that such wonderful art opportunities are available in both downtown Kansas City and in the suburbs.