July–September 2026
Charlotte Street is pleased to premiere Artboards this fall by artists Aimee Fresia and Jay Malik, to be installed at 125 Southwest Boulevard. The Artboards program captures the creative spirit of the Crossroads neighborhood and serving as an alternative outdoor platform where artists’ work can be viewed during all hours of the day. The current work will remain on view through the end of September 2026.
Aimee Fresia describes her Artboards as:
A realistic-ish landscape inspired by the area, with an overlay of collaged monoprints of things like leaves. This shows movement and visual interest. This work is about both permeance and fleeting moments–that highway you’re always on, but leaves blowing through the air. It’s about the small moments that show the human-ness of us all.
Jay Malik says of his Artboards:
These two images are from the series ‘Black Girl Magic’. The photos show that, despite the negative connotation of how Black Women are viewed as aggressive and deemed immediately strong, Black women have strong, beautiful features and are also vulnerable and delicate at the same time. These photos celebrate the power, diversity, and beauty Black Women and girls bring to the world.
About the Crossroads Artboards
Since 2008, the Crossroads Artboards has featured over 100 commissioned works by Kansas City-area artists. The Artboards capture the creative spirit of the Crossroads neighborhood while serving as an alternative platform for contemporary art. For a complete listing of artists and more information, visit charlottestreet.org/crossroads-artboards.
ABOUT AIMEE FRESIA
Aimee Fresia is a Missouri born artist who currently lives in the Kansas City region. She is a graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute with a fiber emphasis. Her latest work consists of gelatin monoprints on paper, linocuts and collage on panel. Aimee likes to layer luscious colors and textures to create a visually appealing experience for the viewer. She has shown work in various galleries and venues across the United States, winning awards in Los Angeles, Colorado and her home state of Missouri. As a person who’s upbringing straddled the pre-internet era while her adult life is full of 24 hour news cycles and social media, Aimee spends many moments contemplating the political atmosphere as well as the aggressive ramblings of her Facebook friends. Her exploration of the human experience is never ending and often incomplete. She lives a happy life with her spouse, children, way too many chickens and crazy cat.
ABOUT JAY MALIK
Jay Malik was raised in Kansas City, MO, and spent short periods living in California. Both sides of his family are from the West Coast, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Compton. The years spent growing up immersed in black culture and experiences have shaped how he views the world. This has also affected his voice, which led to his media journey at the age of fourteen in his sophomore year of high school. In California, his great-grandmother’s home was filled with vintage furniture that helped grow his taste and vision. The elders, as well as the youth in his family, gave him experiences that shaped how he sees the world, especially as a black man. A lot of his storytelling has a vintage taste to it that continuously excerpts Black culture into his inspiration and creative process. Coming off his first New York gallery show in Brooklyn, he’s looking to grow more and tell more stories through his photos.
