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August 2009 News
This is the quiet season around Chameleon. After a very busy summer of running a wonderful summer camp for homeless youth, working with the Fringe Festival, and StoneLion’s Picnic for the Planet at the Nelson, we are glad to have a little down time. This is the season that Cheryl Kimmi, Tina Gipson, Amanda Rehagen and Hugh Merrill work on fall grants, the Kansas City Community Foundation Donor Edge profile and complete the audit for 2008. We will begin programming soon with the Office of Homeless Liaison, the 21st Century Grant Kansas City Missouri School District, providing after school programs at Richardson, Whittier, Pinkerton and King elementary schools, and Rose Brooks Domestic Shelter. Chameleon has exciting plans for community arts projects and youth development programs starting this fall. Details to follow in the September Newsletter.
Chameleon’s board will be meeting in September and is excited to direct the company in a new season of arts and youth development programming. We are looking to bringing new members on the board this fall and hope to make an announcement in the September newsletter.
Chameleon held two youth arts exhibition this summer, one at the Youth Fringe, Fringe Festival 2009 and one for the 2009 Kansas Housing Conference held in Overland Park earlier this August.
A PICNIC FOR THE PLANET
What happens when the planet throws a picnic? Over 2000 of our friends joined us to find out!
This puppet show of absurd proportions took place July 19, 2009 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art under amazingly cool weather (we must have good Karma). The ants arrived with their 16’ tall picnic basket, had a food fight, invited their bug friends, chased off the evil bug spray and were visited by a 75’ long Mother Earth puppet.
This event was the culmination of our 8 Green Day Festivals this spring in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Our 80’ long picnic blanket was created with the artistic talent of over 400 children and adults. If you would like to see more photos become a fan of StoneLion Puppet Theatre on http://www.facebook.com.
Special thanks go to our sponsors! Plans are underway to create next year’s event. Send us an email to join the planning group this fall!
We are pleased to partner with the following organizations to have made these events possible: Chameleon Arts & Youth Development, Kansas City Parks and Recreation, Francis Families Foundation, Missouri Arts Council and the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund.
Chameleon received grants from Art Fund KC and Bank of America!
This will help with fall arts and youth development programs with Rose Brooks Domestic Shelter, Chameleon Youth Arts Internships, collaborations with our arts partners, Parks and Recreation community center events and programming for homeless youth from KCKS public schools. We thank you and our kids thank you.
Chameleon in Kenya Africa
Hugh Merrill and Emmett Merrill spent four weeks in Kenya working with children and artists in Cape Victoria and Nairobi. Emmett has produced a wonderful series of portraits of Kenyans that can be seen on his Facebook page (www.http://facebook.com) and will soon be up on the Chameleon website later this fall.
Divergent Consistencies Pre-Opening
The Studio and Community Art of Hugh Merrill, 1969-2009
Presented by Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, September 4–October 30, 2009
2012 Baltimore Street Kansas City, MO 64108, 816-474-1919
We invite you to a special pre-opening celebration for Hugh Merrill’s retrospectiv eat the Leedy Voulkos Art Center, Thursday, September 3, 6-9pm.
Our City Ourselves Recreation Project
In 1996 Christian Boltanksi and Hugh Merrill collaborated on the city-wide arts action Our City Ourselves at the Kemper Museum. Please join in the recreation of this project by bringing your family photographs to the celebration so that they can be copied and pinned to the walls of the Leedy Voulkos Art Center as part of Divergent Consistencies.
Music by Gospilunifics, tasty treats, libations, puppets and other surprises.
We are asking you to consider making a donation to the Chameleon Arts and Youth Development Homeless Youth Arts Program.
(Chameleon board members: Please consider adding your personal note to invite your friends to the celebration/fundraiser.)