Fun idea?

I just saw these on an architect friend's Facebook page today. He's into design, rather naturally.

 

Wouldn't it be great if we organized a great number of people across the metropolitan area, at least, to buy one of these and then pitch them around our new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts one night?

I'm thinking maybe for some fundraiser or something.

I'd photograph it like crazy.

Thanks, Sven.

One last reminder for today's open house at the Kauffman

Here's your chance, then:

Holiday Open House    

Happy Holidays!

The Kauffman Center wishes you and your family a warm and festive holiday season. Since many Kansas Citians have guests in town we are offering a great opportunity to bring your friends and family to see the Center.

Join us for a free holiday open house today, Wednesday, December 26th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

• Both performance venues will be available for the public to view.
• Tour Ambassadors will be on hand to answer your questions.
• The Kauffman Center Gift Shop and Box Office will be open until 4:00 pm.
• Street parking can often be found and the Arts District garage is also available.
• No reservations are necessary.

Link: http://www.kauffmancenter.org/

The Kauffman

A friend of mine put this picture up on his Facebook page of the Kauffman. I haven't verified but I think he took it with his cell phone, maybe last evening.

I just liked it too much and wanted to share it. I think it pretty outstanding. (Kudos, Barry).

We're so fortunate to have the Kauffman Center.

To see Kansas City's own Joyce DiDonato

It's one thing to hear of Ms. DiDonato's different successes--singing at the Met in New York, for instance--and another to see or hear that she's won a Grammy. I think it's quite another to be able to see here, if even only on a YouTube video, an actual performance and her talent. Great stuff. She performs in March at the Kauffman Center, too, in case you care to see her. Get tickets here: http://www.kauffmancenter.org/

World AIDS Day--two local events tomorrow

The United Nations has proclaimed “Getting to Zero” as the campaign theme of World AIDS Day 2011. To mark the occasion, the AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City will host two public events. The first event is a Community Luncheon on Thursday, December 1, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center, 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Missouri. Limited seats remain at the Luncheon and Reservations are required to attend. To inquire on remaining seats, please email michael@lintecumgroup.com or call 816-931-0959. The second event is a World AIDS Day Reception at the Burstert Studio, 122 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri from 5:30 pm to 7:30 p.m. A donation of $50 at the door is requested. You may purchase tickets to the Reception on event night at the door. More than 1.1 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. In Kansas City alone over 5,700 people living with HIV/AIDS — 700 of them young people between the ages 13 and 24. Financial support of the World AIDS Day events will help provide prevention, treatment, shelter and the message of empowerment for those that need it most in Kansas City. Link: http://www.asfkc.org/

The Denver Post on our Kauffman Center

If you haven't seen it, the Denver Post newspaper did a story on our new Kauffman Center (link below). Just one of the things they had to say: "Holy cow, it makes us look cheap in Denver. While the Colorado Symphony Orchestra is scrambling just to stay alive, and has so far failed to raise $30 million in matching funds to make Boettcher Concert Hall a better place to hear music...the folks in K.C. were able to go ahead with a gleaming new concert hall to the tune of $413 million. Suck on that, all you naysayers. For the rest of us, let's just enjoy. Link: http://blogs.denverpost.com/artmosphere/2011/10/03/architecture-kansas-citys-new-kauffman-center-gives-denver-something-to-envy/2410/#disqus_thread

Attention for Kansas City and thanks to the Kauffmans

Yes, indeed, just as I said, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and its opening is getting Kansas City great national attention. Yeehaw. Very cool. It's great to have this venue and jewel for the city but the added, national attention, if even temporary is just one more great, great thing to come out of this. Considering the Kansas City Royals, the Kauffman Foundation, all the work its done, all the other ancillary things the Kauffmans have done for Kansas City and now this, I'll always be forever grateful to them--all three, Ewing, Muriel and Julie--for bringing Major League Baseball, education opportunities and now the arts, all, to the area. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/us/kauffman-center-for-the-performing-arts-set-to-open-in-kansas-city.html?_r=4&scp=1&sq=kauffman&st=cse

KCMO School Board Interim Superintendent

What was that all about, anyway? How is it that, two days ago, word came out that one seemingly very young (and white) Derek Richey was going to be the Interim Superintendent. Then, all of a sudden, yesterday it's announced that, no, no, Dr. R. Stephen Green, President and CEO of the Kauffman Scholars program is, after all. What the heck happened there? Anyone for bad and hasty communication? And I thought they also declared publicly that they wanted someone from inside the District that was on the previous superintendent's "team", so they had continuity. Where did that go? In the meantime, we still have that nagging question, too, about why Airick West stepped down and--most importantly--if he did anything illegal while in his position. Answers, please? Russ Ptacek? Can you get us anything here? Links: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/blog/morning_call/2011/08/kc-school-board-president-west-resigns.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_kansascity+%28Kansas+City+Business+Journal%29; http://www.kmbc.com/news/29041546/detail.html; http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/us/31missouri.html?_r=1

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts: closer and closer

I got this email, this morning:

Grand Opening Tickets On Sale

Be a part of this historic and memorable occasion when Kansas City's cultural life is transformed.

As Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts prepares to open our doors to Kansas City for the first time, you are invited to be part of the celebration. Tickets are on sale now for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Proceeds from both evenings will support future Kauffman Center programming, including education and outreach activities. Tickets start at $500 and a variety of ticket packages are available. Details are available on our website. For more information, view the Grand Opening ticket brochure or contact grandopening@kauffmancenter.org.

To purchase tickets, please download the ticket order form and mail your completed order form to:

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
c/o: Estela Fennel
Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation
4801 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, Missouri 64110-2046

Go get 'em, folks.  (At 500 clams a pop, I'll have to pass on this one.  Just saying).

And have a great day.

What's that saying? "Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while"?

Well, whaddya' know?  Not only do I think I agree with Mayor Mark Funkhouser but I think he's dead right for both Missouri and Kansas on this one.  And I have a 3rd source to back it up.

Here's the Funk's position:

Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser is launching more criticism at the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, this time for its support of a Kansas development program.

Funkhouser said the chamber’s stated support of Kansas’ Promoting Employment Across Kansas (PEAK) incentive program in its 2011 public policy agenda is detrimental to the interests of Kansas City, Mo., and further inflames the job battle between Kansas and Missouri.

That’s a battle he said is fueled by the liberal use of tax incentives to the long-term damage of both states.

“This is a program that is absolutely raiding jobs from Kansas City to no benefit to the region,” Funkhouser said Wednesday.

And in support of the Funk, for once, there's a local study saying he's right:

Missouri and Kansas rank among the bottom half of states when it comes to transitioning toward a global, innovation-based “new economy,” according to a new study.

Kansas ranked 26th and Missouri 33rd in the 2010 State New Economy Index, released Thursday by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

The report suggests that states set up policies that decrease competition within states, that pursue win-win economic results and that look for “new state-federal, innovation-based economic development partnerships.”

“In today’s highly competitive environment, states must work together and with the federal government to overhaul their economic development policies,” Dr. Robert Atkinson, ITIF president and index co-author, said in the release. “Too often, states still view their economic competitors as next door, rather than halfway around the world. If, instead, they used incentives to expand broadband, support entrepreneurial assistance programs, or invest in research and technology transfer, they — and the nation as a whole — would be far more globally competitive.”

We've seen this before and we'll keep seeing it--Kansas and Missouri just tearing at each other, taking jobs back and forth across the state line.

It ought to stop.

The mayors of all these towns along the Missouri and Kansas borders ought to get together and pressure the 2 governors to do the same so we call a truce on this kind of border war skirmishing for companies and make a plan to work together instead.  We'd be ahead as two states, separately and together, both,  but we'd also be strengthened regionally.  This information suggests we could be stronger as a country, too, if it were done nationwide.

What a concept.  Imagine that--working together for everyone's benefit. 

Remember the old song?  "Wouldn't it be nice?"

Links:  http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/11/24/funkhouser-says-chamber-fuels-job-battle.html?ed=2010-11-24&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2010/11/18/missouri-kansas-not-ready-new-economy.html?ed=2010-11-18&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

A coming, fantastic addition to the city

Not enough is being said about and for the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts that's going up here in town.

It's going to be fantastic.

This is long overdue in town and will be a huge benefit and centerpiece for the city and region.

Besides being an incredibly beautiful building by Moshe Safdie, the renowned architect, it's also going to be intricately adjusted within so it has phenomenal acoustics, I understand.

Personally, I can hardly wait for its opening in the Fall of 2011.

It can't come soon enough.

Right now, I think more needs to be said of and for it so we all get behind it, as a city, so it's terrifically successful.

This should be of great benefit to nearly all of us--all socio-economic classes, everyone.

So at this moment, while you can, you might go to their website and learn more about it, sign up for their newsletters and possibly even volunteer to further their work. While you're at it, if you can, you might even donate to the cause.

I never want to forget Ewing, Muriel and now their daughter, Julia Irene Kauffman, since, without any of the three of them, we wouldn't have this magnificent jewel.

An exciting Kansas City development

 

I have to tell you, I've been so looking forward to this new Performing Arts Center here in town, I can barely wait until it opens.

When the new Bloch Gallery of Contemporary Art opened at the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery, that was incredibly exciting itself. It's such a beautiful building, even if it is just at night. For everything from its position on the site to the same lighting at night, the views from within the gallery, the natural light inside the gallery and so much more, it's been a stunner since it opened.

Since that opening, I've looked forward to this additional addition to the Kansas City landscape. With the Moshe Safdie design--which is going to be brilliant both figuratively and literally--and what it will mean to Kansas City in terms of live art performances, it will be a huge, historic and important addition to the city and, really, the region.

We're a lucky, lucky people here in Kansas City.

(In spite of what Tony says on his blog).

(Just having fun, Tony).

I'd like to start thanking the Kauffman Foundation and all the people who have contributed to this facility we will have soon, now.