it’s all yours – a collaborative, event-based exhibition celebrating kc’s westside community – kicks off may 14 at la esquina

It’s All Yours is a collaborative, event-based exhibition that explores the Westside community around la Esquina (1000 West 25th Street KCMO), celebrating a spectrum of creative interests among neighbors and businesses. The exhibition includes artists and neighbors in the programming of the event series, andwill take participants to new places in the area, introduce them to local residents, and highlight a number of interesting things that are happening in the neighborhood. Regular gallery hours are Fridays + Saturdays, 12-5pm, plus the following special events, all free and open to all.

Celebrate Mom! Saturday, May 14, 2-5pm – hosted by Mattie Rhodes Art Center. If Mother’s Day flew by, take the afternoon to spend time with your mom enjoying free snacks and refreshments, making fun take-home crafts for the whole family, and other pampering surprises for mom.

Game & Workshop Night Led by Alta Vista Charter Middle School Students, Friday, May 20, 6-9pm – with students teaching a variety of activities from nail art to video games and soccer moves, plus free snacks and refreshments and maybe a movie. 

Gardening Day at Switzer Neighborhood Farm and Westside Community Garden, Saturday May 28, 12-4pm – Learn the basics of growing edible gardens, raising chickens, and collecting rainwater to use for the garden. Meet at la Esquina at noon; garden is at the corner of 20th and West Pennway, just across from the Public Library. Dress to be outside in the dirt!  

Westside Boulevard Brew Night! Friday, June 3, 5-8pm – Boulevard Brewing has created a beer that is based off one of the brewer’s experience of the Westside neighborhood. Pancho Luna, a homebrewer and volunteer at Boulevard, has created two ‘beer portraits’ of people… (Felix Pacheco and Pat Zamora) who are a part of the Westside neighborhood community. These beers will be unveiled and served for free to gallery visitors for one night only.

Generation Ginger launch, Friday, June 10, 8pm-midnight – Generation Ginger’s launch celebrates the integration of Indian heritage into todays world. Ritu Nanos, a cultural education consultant, explores a question that gets to the root of cultural identity: “Where are you from?” The evening’s journey begins with a brief lecture introducing the topic and further illustrates the beauty of cultural integration by using music, dance and visual imagery in a collaborative story-telling of the Indian mythological story, Prahalad, while also inviting guests to participate in hands-on activities related to Indian culture.

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