Charotte Street Foundation Presents IT'S ALL YOURS

It's All Yours is a collaborative, event-based exhibition that explores the community within and around la Esquina on Kansas City's Westside, celebrating a spectrum of creative interests among neighbors and businesses. The exhibition stretches beyond the walls of la Esquina by including artists and neighbors into the programming of the event series, solidifying the contributors and their endeavors as integral to the fabric of the neighborhood. The exhibition will take participants to new places in the area, introduce them to local residents, and highlight a number of interesting things that are happening in the neighborhood.

EVENT SCHEDULE
(All events are free and open to all!)

Celebrate Mom!
Saturday, May 14, 2-5pm
La Esquina / 1000 West 25th Street KCMO
Celebrate Mother's Day with Mattie Rhodes at la Esquina! If Mother's Day flew by, take the afternoon of Saturday, May 14th from 2-5 pm to spend time with your mom enjoying free snacks and refreshments and making fun take-home crafts for the whole family. Moms, come sit back and relax with a movie and other pampering surprises. Enter in a raffle for a chance to win special prizes that will make mom smile!

Game & Workshop Night Led by Alta Vista Charter Middle School Students
Friday, May 20, 6-9pm
La Esquina /. 1000 West 25th Street KCMO
The students of the Art and Culture classes of Alta Vista Charter Middle School will be hosting a series of workshops on Friday, May 20th from 6-9 pm. Come learn from the experts how to do a variety of activities from nail art to video games and soccer moves. Be the student for the night and let the students do the teaching. Enjoy free snacks and refreshments and maybe a movie too!

Gardening Day at Switzer Neighborhood Farm and Westside Community Garden
Saturday, May 28, 12-4pm
Meet at la Esquina / 1000 West 25th Street
Got a green thumb or an interest in local gardens? On Saturday, May 28th meet us at la Esquina and we will all walk together to the Switzer Neighborhood Farm and Westside Community Garden for a day of helping out in the garden. Learn about the basics of growing edible gardens, raising chickens, and how to collect rainwater to use for the garden. Dress to be outside in the dirt. A few sets of extra gloves to use will be provided, along with beverages and a light snack. For those who want to meet at the garden, it is at the corner of 20th and West Pennway, just across from the Public Library.

Westside Boulevard Brew Night!
Friday, June 3, 5-8pm
La Esquina /1000 West 25th Street
The brewers and volunteers at Boulevard Brewing have created a small batch of beer that reflects the people and experiences of the Westside neighborhood. First Friday on June 3rd marks the first public appearance of the beer, served for free to gallery visitors for this night only. A wall drawing will highlight the relation of the beer to the neighborhood.

Generation Ginger
Friday, June 10, 8pm-midnight
La Esquina / 1000 West 25th Street
Generation ginger's launch celebrates the integration Indian heritage into today's world. Ritu Nanos, Cultural education consultant, explores a question that gets to the root of cultural identity: "Where are you from?" The evening's journey beings with a brief lecture introducing the topic and further illustrates the beauty of cultural integration by using music, dance and visual imagery in a collaborative story-telling of the Indian mythological story, Prahalad, while also inviting guests to participate in hands-on activities related to Indian culture.

About the organizers:
Elysia Contreras earned her BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in 2009, in Interdisciplinary Arts and Art History, and attended the New York Studio Program in 2008. She is currently working on her MA in Early Childhood Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She is organizer/creator of collaborative group art projects including "ExChange," "Let's Knit Together," and "Meet, Make, Share." Formerly head teacher at Hand in Hand school in Portland and an instructor at Portland Art Museum, she currently teaches classes for Alta Vista Charter Middle School on Kansas City's Westside.

Zach Springer received his MFA from Portland State University in Art and Social Practice in 2010, and received his BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in 2008. His work has been exhibited at Smackmellon, NY; Apex Art, NY; Belger Art Center, Kansas City; Project Row Houses, Houston, TX; Mattie Rhodes Art Center, Kansas City; Public Space One, Iowa City, and elsewhere. Previously an instructor of Sculpture at Portland State University, he currently works at 3Axis Design in Kansas City. Springer founded "Build Something Together," a project where anyone can ask for help building something, with Springer working alongside of them.

Eric Steen received his MFA in Art and Social Practice from Portland State University and his BFA from Oregon State University. He has taught at Portland State University, Oregon State University, and Oxbow School of the Arts, and presented work and projects at museums and galleries including the Glasgow Festival of Visual Art, Glasgow, Scotland; Apexart, NY; MK Gallery, Portland; Southern Exposure, San Francisco; Klondike Institute, Yukon, Canada, among many others. Eric is also a homebrewer and the creator of focuonthebeer.com.

Charlotte Street Foundation is dedicated to making Kansas City a place where artists and art thrive. Through its Urban Culture Project initiative, Charlotte Street supports artists of all disciplines and contributes to city's vitality by transforming previously vacant spaces into dynamic venues for multi-disciplinary contemporary arts programming. For more information, visit www.charlottestreet.org.

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