Charlotte Street

Charlotte Street Charlotte Street is an artist-centric nonprofit, providing grants and awards, residencies, and free programs/events
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Charlotte Street centers Kansas City’s most forward-thinking visual artists, writers, and performers—acting as the primary incubator, provocateur, and connector for the region’s contemporary arts community, and its leading advocate on the national stage. Since 1997, Charlotte Street has distributed over $1.85 million in awards and grants to artists and their innovative projects, and connected individual artists to each other and to the greater Kansas City community.

Charlotte Street is excited to announce eight artists have been selected to participate in the 2026–2027 Crossroads Artb...
06/12/2026

Charlotte Street is excited to announce eight artists have been selected to participate in the 2026–2027 Crossroads Artboards program. Located in the heart of Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District at 125 Southwest Blvd, the Artboards will feature eight commissioned works every three months on the exterior, double-sided billboards. The artists selected for the 2026–2027 cycle are Simon Angel, Summer Brooks, Aimee Fresia, Caroline Honas, Laura Kozak, Jay Malik, Jean McGuire, and Arin Yoon.

The works featured traverse intersections of identity, environment, and collective memory, from Simon Angel’s stark self-portraiture, where the transgender body is set against Kansas City’s industrial desolation, to Summer Brooks and Jay Malik’s luminous celebrations of Black femininity, reframing narratives of beauty, strength, and self-definition. Aimee Fresia captures the tension between permanence and transience through layered landscapes in motion, while Caroline Honas reflects on the fragile ecology of the tallgrass prairie, where cycles of growth and burn reveal both threat and renewal. Laura Kozak confronts the ubiquity of waste, juxtaposing intimate refuse with expansive post-landfill landscapes, as Jean McGuire channels the enduring joy of Kansas City’s jazz and dance heritage. Arin Yoon’s deeply personal images trace the lingering impacts of war across family and generations, illuminating how trauma is carried and inherited.

Congratulations to this year’s artists!

April-June 2026
West: Summer Brooks
East: Jean McGuire

July–September 2026
West: Aimee Fresia
East: Jay Malik

October-December 2026
West: Caroline Honas
East: Arin Yoon

January-March 2027
West: Simon Angel
East: Laura Kozak

Charlotte Street is excited to announce the selection of 17 artists for the two-year Studio Residency Program. The group...
06/05/2026

Charlotte Street is excited to announce the selection of 17 artists for the two-year Studio Residency Program. The group of 9 visual artists, 5 performers, and 3 writers were selected from a highly competitive pool of 167 applicants, by a jury of regarded arts industry experts. The incoming residents will join the 2025-2027 cohort of 14 artists in studio spaces on the Charlotte Street Campus in June and will publicly commence their residency at the annual Slide Slam event on Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 PM in Charlotte Street’s Stern Theater (3333 Wyoming Street, Kansas City, MO).

With support from the Windgate Foundation, Charlotte Street’s Studio Residency Program provides visual artists, writers, and performing artists with a rich creative environment that promotes community-building, creative production, artistic experimentation, learning, and cross-disciplinary work. Approximately 30 artists each year receive free studio space (accessible 24/7), rehearsal space, professional development, exhibition and performance opportunities, and mentorships. Artists receive Residency for two-year terms, on a rotating basis, with a new cohort of approximately 15 joining each June.

The 2026-2028 Studio Residency cohort includes:

VISUAL ARTISTS
Dora Agbas
Poppy DeltaDawn
Adrienne Walker Hoard
Justin Korver
Lisa Maione
Gaylin Eugene Nicholson
Hunter Silvey
Harold Smith Jr
Chaneryna Thach

PERFORMANCE ARTISTS
Winston Dynamite Brown (The DynamitExperience)
Nick Hmeljak
Moo Contemporary (Kaitlyn Gardner Scahdë & Troy Gardner)
Silvee (Hannah Kelly)
Austin Manuel Williamson

WRITERS
Leslie VonHolten
Lindsay Kennedy
Tasjha Dixon

Artist applications were submitted and scored through the online submission platform. This year’s jury reviewed and rated 167 applications individually and then as an in-person group. Charlotte Street administers the selection process, but staff are not voting panelists.

The jury panel included:
Victor Antillanca, VA-Films; Director & Producer, Documentary Filmmaker
Ann Dean, Lawrence Arts Center; photographer/instructor
Michael Schonhoff, Art + Design Labs and KCAI Gallery at the Kansas City Art Institute; Director

Learn more about of the artists in Charlotte Street’s Studio Residency program at the Slide Slam on Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 PM. The annual Slide Slam event allows each artist to share a 3-minute presentation about their practice and goals with the audience.

Join us next Thursday for ProdoLAB: through dim light featuring a collaborative performance between CLOUDS Dance Company...
06/04/2026

Join us next Thursday for ProdoLAB: through dim light featuring a collaborative performance between CLOUDS Dance Company and Christina Silvius; choreographed by Olivia Emert.

ProdoLAB is a bimonthly experimental platform in partnership with musician/composer Eddie Moore that pairs Kansas City time-based artists, producers, and musicians to collaborate on a new piece for a one-night-only showcase at Charlotte Street. Each performance is followed by a Q&A session with the artists which provides insight into the creative process and background on the making of the production.

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Founded by choreographer and dancer (and former Charlotte Street resident) Olivia Emert, CLOUDS Dance Company is a project-based contemporary dance company focused on visceral and kinesthetic experiences through performance, improvisation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and film. Emert’s choreographic work centers emotional awareness, tactile partnerwork, and the creation of immersive environments, and has been presented and commissioned by organizations across Kansas City and beyond. CLOUDS performers Joliana Canaan, Christopher Pismarov, Elliott Rogers, and Troy Levin join the collaboration as company dancers for this production.

Christina Silvius is a violist, improvisor, and multidisciplinary artist whose work combines viola, vocals, looping, and live electronics to create layered and responsive soundscapes. Influenced by Deep Listening, sound healing, and the natural environment, her practice draws inspiration from the sounds and rhythms of the spaces she inhabits. A current studio resident at Charlotte Street, Silvius has performed at institutions including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and released her album Solstice at Sunset for Manheim Gardens in 2025.

Are you looking for help on how to set goals for your arts practice? Maybe you need help writing about your work for you...
06/04/2026

Are you looking for help on how to set goals for your arts practice? Maybe you need help writing about your work for your artist statement or to pursue a grant or residency?

Artist INC helps artists, of any discipline, develop the building blocks for a thriving and enduring arts career. Led by a team of experienced, working artists, this program helps artists like you address specific challenges, so that your career can grow.

Apply by June 10 at www.artistinc.art/apply!

Artist INC Mid-America Arts Alliance

This year's Sea Street Block Party features two opportunities to swap and share:⛵ Barter Boat invites you to exchange a ...
06/03/2026

This year's Sea Street Block Party features two opportunities to swap and share:

⛵ Barter Boat invites you to exchange a meaningful object for a one-of-a-kind treasure assembled from items collected on the boat's journey. No money needed—just bring something with a story, memory, or special meaning to you.

📖 Our Book Swap is also setting sail! Bring gently used books for readers of all ages, from children's books and picture books to young adult and adult titles, and discover something new to take home.

Every trade comes with a story. What will you bring aboard?
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Block Party is this Saturday, regardless of calm seas or stormy skies, from 1-4 PM! In addition to Barter Boat and the Book Swap, we’ll have live music from Dub Vendors and Soul Activators, the Midwest Swang exhibition on view, plus community partners African American Artist Collective, City in Motion, KC Clay Guild, Magpie Creative, Small Works Art Gallery, Viva La Tinta, and seedlings to take home for your garden. Test your art handling skills at our Art Drop competition, make zines and buttons, swap books, play yard games, and grab free food from Taco Cacao plus popsicles from Palacana.

Charlotte Street’s Block Party is supported in part by the Kansas City Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund (NTDF).

Our Rocket Grant call for proposals is open!Rocket Grants award $6,000 to individuals and groups of artists for projects...
06/02/2026

Our Rocket Grant call for proposals is open!

Rocket Grants award $6,000 to individuals and groups of artists for projects that exist outside of established institutions. Artists are encouraged to address the community at large or to choose a smaller, targeted audience. Rocket Grants will also support proposals from artists or groups who are interested in expanding their studio practice in new ways, and developing new audiences.

Awards are provided to artists living within an 80-mile radius of metropolitan Kansas City.

Learn more and submit a Letter of Interest by Wednesday, June 17 11:59 PM CST → bit.ly/rocket-grants

Have questions? Join us for an info session on Wednesday, June 10 from 6-7 PM @ Charlotte Street Kemper Library

Can’t make it to the info session? Watch a recorded session! → rocketgrants.org/resources/faq-sessions
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Rocket Grants were launched by Charlotte Street in Kansas City, MO and the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS, with funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Each year around ten projects are selected to receive up to $6,000.

Spencer Museum of Art The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

Dive into SEA STREET 🐠⚓🌊 Charlotte Street’s free annual Block Party is on dock next Saturday, 6/6 from 1-4 PM for an aft...
05/28/2026

Dive into SEA STREET 🐠⚓🌊 Charlotte Street’s free annual Block Party is on dock next Saturday, 6/6 from 1-4 PM for an afternoon of art, music, games, and community! Barter Boat is sailing in from Minneapolis, so bring something to trade at this interactive installation! We’ll have live music from Dub Vendors and Soul Activators, the Midwest Swang exhibition on view, plus community partners African American Artist Collective, KC Clay Guild, Magpie Creative, Small Works Art Gallery, Viva La Tinta, and seedlings to take home for your garden. Test your art handling skills at our Art Drop competition, make zines and buttons, swap books, play yard games, and grab free food from Taco Cacao plus popsicles from Palacana. Come make waves with us! 🌊

Come out for a free community movie night at Charlotte Street! We’re showing a family-friendly film for the whole neigh...
05/14/2026

Come out for a free community movie night at Charlotte Street! We’re showing a family-friendly film for the whole neighborhood — kids, adults, everyone welcome. 🍿 Sat, May 16 | 5–7 PM | Black Box Theater.

And don’t miss our Block Party on June 6!

Are you willing to share your voice? Join the conversation this May as we welcome Eric Avery into the Charlotte Street S...
05/13/2026

Are you willing to share your voice? Join the conversation this May as we welcome Eric Avery into the Charlotte Street Stern Theater for a series of engagement surrounding his interactive performance, The Pla[y/n] for Reparation$.

→ Swipe to learn more about the opportunities to engage with this project throughout the month of may!

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The Pla[y/n] for Reparation$ invites audiences to learn about, discuss, envision, and practice individual and collective healing. Upon entering, participants answer a series of Yes/No questions that guide them down branching paths, sorting them into groups based on identity, opinions, and willingness to engage. This consent-forward approach gives audiences agency in shaping their experience while exploring reparations. Informed by the California Reparations Report, the project uses its findings to guide both the content and structure of the performance.

It all starts this Saturday, May 16 from 1–4 PM with an introductory event to meet and greet with Eric and learn more about this developing interactive performance.

Then on May 23 from 1–4 PM, May 28 & 29 from 6:30–8:30 PM there will be open rehearsals; which will begin with Eric Avery introducing the session and guiding participants through a warm-up activity. Throughout the rehearsal, attendees may be invited to answer questions, complete simple activities, or share their perspectives. As this experimental work continues to evolve, these informal sessions help shape the project through community feedback while offering a chance to engage with the creative process, connect with the artist, and explore ideas around reparations. RSVP for open rehearsals by going to bit.ly/cst-theplayn.

A workshop will be held on May 30 from 11 AM–2 PM. This free public workshop will build community and consciousness around the concept of reparations by exploring embodied engagement frameworks. Participants will decide how they want to make decisions together; activate excerpts from the CA Reparations Report or other sources, and redistribute a sum of money to a beneficiary the group chooses. Register for the workshop by going to bit.ly/cst-playn-workshop.

Address

3333
Kansas City, MO
64111

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 5pm
Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+18162215115

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