KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 38th Brookside Art Annual is this weekend and features art from all over the country and beyond.
“We don’t have bands or music. What our deal is, is to focus on art,” said show director Donna Potts. “We have artists that come as far as Canada to the show. Over 800 artists applied to get into the show, and we have 170 artists here.”
The art exhibition runs through Sunday. Even with the threat of rain on Saturday, Potts says there’s nothing that can stop the show from rolling on.
“Well, be open. Bring your umbrella. I don’t think it’s going to last that long,” Pott said. “It’s a lot better this weekend than it was last weekend, which could be tornadoes or whatever. So, we’ll be open come rain or shine.”
Of those artists, there’s only a handful that are from the Kansas City area. One of those is screen printer, Michael Cherepak.
“It’s a great to be a local artist and a part of this fair,” he said.
He specializes in floral prints, because “they’re playful and joyful. The shapes give me a lot of opportunity to experiment. I think they offer opportunities to be expressive in a personal way, yet they’re images that everybody can relate to.”
Another hometown artist on display is Genevieve Flynn, who creates intricate metalwork using ancient techniques.
“I manipulate it either with hammers or chasing tools,” she explained. “Which is an ancient metals technique, chasing and repoussé. I take other tools to detail the front of it to push back materials, so you do get your details in the piece.”
While the focus of the weekend is on the art and artists, Potts says the event provides an experience that the community doesn’t see a lot anymore.
“People like to walk here, they bring their dogs, their strollers,” Potts said. “It’s just a family community and we’re kind of in the city. So, it’s nice to have a neighborhood that’s still like this because there aren’t that many left.”
The Annual is open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 11a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday.
