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July 2006 News
Over the past five years Chameleon has seen fundamental growth, changing from a small children’s theater company to become one of Kansas City’s most exciting and successful interdisciplinary youth development through the arts agencies. In 2004 Chameleon successfully initiated a professional arts and cultural residency program to enrich its youth development work and provide cultural events focused on communities east of Troost Avenue. We are excited to announce that to better serve both youth and arts communities Chameleon has formed partnerships with five small arts agencies; Stonelion Puppetry Theater, Egypt Source Youth Theater, U-Literation (spoken word poetry group), New Incentives (African drumming and dance) and members of Light In the Other Room (Kansas City’s African American Professional visual arts organization). These five excellent arts groups have become Chameleon Arts Agencies in Residence and are partnering to facilitate Chameleon’s youth and arts development programming; Youth Arts Internship YAI and Chameleon Arts Caravan for 2006 and 2007.
Chameleon will provide these five arts groups with a home base, administrative, studio and technical support for their programs. Working together Chameleon and the five arts groups form a unique interdisciplinary arts community that will enrich each other’s creative work and add value to Chameleon’s cultural and youth programs. Chameleon and the resident agencies will provide Kansas City Parks and Recreations with vital arts and youth development workshops, performances and exhibitions for community centers and Parks events.
The Arts residency and chameleon cultural arts programming would not be possible with out the support and concern of the Francis Families, H&R Block and Linda Lighton Foundations and the support of Parks and Recreation. With their help over the past years Chameleon has developed its Parks and Recreation facility at 2025 Tracy Avenue into an arts and educational laboratory with a dance studio, the Block Community Print Studio, Lighton Ceramics Studio, the aAlice Gallery, a small black box theater and digital computer imaging studio. Chameleon in conjunction with Kansas City Parks and Recreation has turned the 2 acres of wooded ground surrounding the facility into Habitat a sculptural and environmental park with vegetable, rain and nature gardens. Spring 2006 saw the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Board name the area surrounding the Chameleon facility as Tracy Arts Park in recognition of the valuable work Chameleon has provided Kansas City over the past 5 years.
To manage these changes Chameleon Board of Directors has successfully reorganized and made more efficient Chameleon’s administration.
Bruce Apple, President of Chameleon’s Board of Directors, long-time educator and counselor for the Metropolitan Community Colleges will be Chameleon’s new Director of Administration. He will work with Chameleon’s administrative staff, artist/educators and partnering resident agencies to guide the organization, insure the quality of programming and the effectiveness of management.
Former Executive Director, Professor Hugh Merrill of the Kansas City Arts Institute, will assist as Director of Community and Professional Arts to oversee the Chameleon Residency programs and the aAlice Gallery.
Adelia Ganson of the Belger Art Center and former director of the Morgan Gallery will take on the volunteer position helping direct the aAlice Gallery and consulting on chameleon’s entrepreneurial programs and internships.
If you would like to tour our facility and see Chameleon and meet the Chameleon youth interns and mentoring artist/educators in action please call 816-221-7529 to set up a visit.
Other July News
Chameleon hosted two wonderful performance events in July: New Incentive African Drumming Festival and The Teen Fringe Festival.
New Incentive African Drumming Festival brought African Drummers from the mid west to Chameleon for a weekend of dance, music and drum making workshops. The drum conference was so exciting and successful we are planning a drumming festival for October 20-22. More to come on this great event soon.
Egypt Source, Chameleon’s theater company in residence, preformed Living the Dream at the Teen Fringe Festival, Heath and Wellness Festival and for Chameleon’s end of summer Youth Arts Internship programming. Egypt Source was joined by the Coterie Theater Youth Players and an encore performance by Damon Patterson. Over 200 mixed aged audience members enjoyed these great performances.
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