The Arts Asylum Opens Satellite Gallery in Crossroads

By Kevin Collison

The Arts Asylum has longed for a presence in the Crossroads, and has finally found its opportunity beginning this First Friday thanks to a financial services business that welcomes creativity.

Premier Financial Partners, an eight-employee firm that opened on the ground level of the Campbell Lofts building four years ago, has agreed to be the satellite gallery for The Arts Asylum.

“We wanted to be part of the arts community and be an ‘anti-College Boulevard’ type of office,” said John Christy of Premier Financial. “We were looking to do more with the arts and the Arts Asylum came to us.”

The first show, which opens Friday at 1535 Walnut, will feature three visual artists associated with The Arts Asylum, a nonprofit visual and performing arts organization located in a historic church at 1000 E. Ninth St.

The Arts Asylum also will be hosting a pop-up holiday shop at its new Crossroads gallery Friday that will feature fabric goods, jewelry and smaller gift items crafted by six of its members.

The 36 works on display at the new Arts Asylum Crossroads gallery are hung throughout the lobby and offices in the building.

“We’ve wanted to be in the Crossroads for awhile, and we’re always looking for more gallery space,” said Evie Craig, executive director of Arts Asylum.

“This seemed like a good opportunity to launch this. It’s a manageable and it gives more exposure to our artists.”

The Arts Asylum also will be hosting a pop-up holiday shop at its new Crossroads gallery Friday that will feature fabric goods, jewelry and smaller gift items crafted by six of its members.

The new Arts Asylum space is not your typical Crossroads gallery.

The 36 works in the first show are hung throughout the lobby of Campbell Lofts and the offices of Premier Financial. The featured artists are Aaron Smith, who does kinetic photographs; painter Dylan Carrol and Jake Schmidt, who does ink and bronze drawings.

This Friday from 5- to 9 p.m. will be the only open house for the show which runs through the end of March. After Friday, people wanting to see the art will have to schedule an appointment with Aaron Smith at the Arts Asylum: aaron@TheArtsAsylum.org.

“It’s kind of a soft launch,” Christy said. “Our goal is to provide a platform for The Arts Asylum that allows them to provide a platform for their artists.”

Plans call for each future quarterly show at the new space to have a similar First Friday open house followed by appointment-only visits. The next exhibition will open in April and will have a Holocaust theme in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Month.

(Editor’s note: Beginning Dec. 2, CityScene KC has become a paid subscription publication)