"Marking 20 years 1994-2014"

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014

We started our day with brunch at "Country Pride", near our campsite. Do you notice a KC staple on the menu? 

Then, we visited the Bruce R. Watkins Center. We were warmly greeted by each person we met: the security guard, the centre director, and folks attending the Legends Luncheon.  The Facebook events page describes the luncheon: "Great fun and good food will be on hand as this popular baseball talk show series returns for 2014.  The Legends Luncheon Series will be held at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center (Special guests to be determined)." We were invited to purchase a ticket, but we were still full from our breakfast!

Essex Gardner, a professor of Visual and Performing
Arts at Lincoln University, painted images of Buffalo
Soliders on display at the center.

Dale Maginness, Teacher at Valley View High School, Blue Springs

We watched a Missouri State Parks documentary "Battle of Island Mound". It told the story  of the first time African-American troops were engaged in civil war combat in 1862.
We also watched a documentary by Gary Jenkins: "Negros to Hire: Slave Life and Culture on Antebellum Missouri Farms".

Historical information about York, Pacific Northwest Expedition http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/275#.U937PlZH1FI

Then we visited the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. 

Their current exhibition is entitled "Conversations: Marking 20 Years 1994-2014"

Untitled #827 Petah Coyne

Soap, on a wall!

Dale Chihuly's art piece was displayed over a canal in Venice  before its permanent installation here at Kemper. Chihuly created the stained glass installation at the Maker's Mark Distillery.
The Kemper guard was very knowledgeable about the art collection. He quietly explained details when he noticed us spending time with a particular art piece.

Then, we walked next door to a ceramics studio. We met an instructor who invited us inside to look at displays of the students work over the years, from the Kansas Art Institute. She knows our NSCAD, and has worked with students from the Halifax college.

                                                BBQ time at  B-B's Lawnside BAR-B-Q!

I'm updating on Sunday. Our lunch today was
leftovers from this meal!