New Community Room Gallery in Pendleton Arts Block

Nikki Lansford
Editorial Assistant


With prime real estate on Independence Avenue, residents of Pendleton Arts Block are taking advantage of the heavy foot traffic in front of their building with a new art gallery. Located in the building’s community room, the gallery faces out onto Independence Avenue with large windows for patrons to peer in and peruse the gallery as they walk by.


“Hopefully as things open back up, and First Fridays starts again, you get the people coming in from Independence Ave who will come right past this,” said Aaron Smith, board member of the Arts Asylum and curator for the gallery.


The Arts Asylum is a nonprofit that provides space and assistance to artists around the Kansas City area, including the Arts Block. Through the nonprofit, Smith was tasked with organizing the gallery in a little over two months.


Smith said the plan is to fit two to three artists’ work into the gallery at one time, which will be cycled out on a quarterly basis for four different shows throughout the year. Although, due to difficulties in finding enough work that was showcase ready, only one artist is currently being displayed for the inaugural exhibition.


“The problem was there just wasn’t enough work that was ready to hang,” Smith said. “We’ve got a system here where all these pieces are hung with a rod… so if you’ve got a beautiful drawing on a piece of paper that’s great, but you can’t put that on this hanging system really well.”


For this first exhibition, five of modern artist Jack Campbell’s biggest and brightest paintings are presently hung in the gallery for all to see. Campbell’s work, Smith said, is to inspire not only thoughts but discussion that center around the idea of healing.


“He considers the brush an extension of his own brain,” Smith said. “He paints his daily thoughts and experiences, but he does so in these really vivid and bright colors.”


The artwork displayed in the gallery is not limited to residents of the Arts Block either, Campbell himself is an artist from Lawrence, Kan., and a nonresident of the building. Smith said while tenants in the building will get first priority to the space, as long as none of them are showing, he would like to see artists from all over the community in the gallery.


As the curator, he is not looking for any particular type of art to show in the space, just as long as it speaks to the community and has a common thread to the theme of the show it is in. For the next showcase, Smith said, the hope is to have a Juneteenth showing after Campbell’s work is taken down in May.


While the gallery is currently filled with paintings, which is often expected in an art gallery, Smith said the plan in the future is to incorporate more three dimensional, sculpture and performance arts into the gallery.


“Supposedly we’re going to get a television down here,” Smith said. “That’s going to help us so that if we have poets or dancers or musicians or any of the performing artists, we can film them, make a video and then play the video on the television.”


Smith said performances are planned to be looped on the television, along with the artists’ information, for the performance artists to be represented in the gallery as well.


Since the gallery doubles as a communal space for the residents of the Arts Block, outsiders are not permitted to physically step into the gallery, but can still see it clearly from the street.


It is a place where Smith imagines group activities for the residents, such as art critiques, can take place. Although it is currently closed due to COVID-19, he said there is hope that it will open up soon for its tenants to use.


As an artist himself, Smith said a gallery like this is such a good opportunity and something he wishes he would have had access to earlier in his career.
“Most people don’t have a gallery that faces a busy street that they do hang their work in, and really represent themselves to a big, broader public,” Smith said.


Those interested in having their art displayed in the Pendleton Arts Block Community Room Gallery can email a proposal to Smith at aaron@theartsasylum.org. It is an open call to artists, and the gallery will be accepting proposals all year round.

Want Northeast News articles sent straight to your inbox each week? Subscribe below!
Enter your email address and click on the Get Instant Access button.
We respect your privacy

Comments are closed.

  • RevED y AIRR se asocian para organizar una sesión informativa sobre la nueva ley 2350 de la Cámara de Representantes de Kansas

    10 hours ago
    by

    By Daisy Garcia Montoya, Education Reporter Más de 50 personas se reunieron en el espacio de RevED en 2203 Lexington […]


    Art project aims to share stories and recognise common humanity

    10 hours ago
    by

    By Grace Kertz, Editorial Assistant Are you an artist rooted in the Historic Northeast community? Do you know someone who […]


    Faces of Northeast: Grace Kertz

    10 hours ago
    by

    By Erin William, Editorial Assistant Northeast News is excited to announce Grace Kertz, a current student studying Business Administration Marketing […]


    A letter from the Editor

    10 hours ago
    by

    This month the Northeast News celebrated its first year at Historic NorthEast Media (HNE Media), a step toward our goal […]


    Celebrate Juneteenth: Our second Independence Day

    10 hours ago
    by

    By Erin William and Grace Kertz Named a federal holiday in 2020, Juneteenth celebrates the formal emancipation of Black enslaved […]


    New Artists at Pendleton Arts Block

    10 hours ago
    by

    By Grace Kertz, Editorial Assistant Three new creative businesses were welcomed this month into the storefronts at Pendleton Arts Block […]


    RevED and AIRR host information session on Kansas House Bill 2350

    10 hours ago
    by

    By Daisy Garcia Montoya, Education Reporter Over 50 individuals gathered at RevED’s space on 2203 Lexington Ave. on Monday, May […]


    Frontier School’s annual Multicultural Festival returns to celebrate culture and diversity

    May 24th, 2023
    by

    Daisy Garcia-MontoyaEducation Reporter After a three year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, families and students gathered on Saturday, May […]


    Affordable units coming to historic Paseo buildings

    May 24th, 2023
    by

    Abby HooverManaging Editor The Twelfth Street Heritage Development Corporation (TSHDC) plans to open the first of 11 Jazz Hill apartment […]


  • Anual Festival Multicultural de Frontier Schools regresar a celebrar culturas y diversidad

    May 24th, 2023
    by

    Daisy Garcia-MontoyaEducation Reporter Después de tres años de no poder albergar el festival debido a la pandemia de COVID-19, familias […]


    KC Media Collective

    May 24th, 2023
    by

    The group of nonprofit news outlets gathered at Independence Boulevard Christian Church on Thursday, May 18, for the first in […]


    PD Listening Session

    May 24th, 2023
    by

    Kansas City, MO Police Chief Stacey Graves sat down with a small group of Historic Northeast community leaders to discuss […]


    KCPD Press Conference:

    May 24th, 2023
    by

    KCPD officers and community partners gather to speak at the press conference. Riyana Parks-Shaw speaks on distributing money to community […]


    Motorcyclist dies in crash near Truman Rd and Indiana

    May 22nd, 2023
    by

    A motorcycle driver is dead following a crash early this morning. Emergency crews responded to Truman Road and Indiana Avenue […]


    All Gussied Up!

    May 20th, 2023
    by

    Volunteers and Trustees of Elmwood Cemetery took advantage of stellar weather Saturday to make sure the 147 year old cemetery […]


    New orchard planted in Maple Park

    May 17th, 2023
    by

    Michael BushnellPublisher “When it’s cherry blossom time in Orange, New Jersey, we’ll make a peach of a pear.” While those […]


    May is Mental Health Awareness Month

    May 17th, 2023
    by

    Sponsored content Sarah Getch, PhD, Program Director/Associate Professor of Health Service Psychology at Kansas City University has a few ideas […]


    Northeast News celebrates reporter’s academic success

    May 17th, 2023
    by

    Abby HooverManaging Editor Northeast News Education Intern Daisy Garcia Montoya completed her Masters in Public Administration – Urban Policy (MPA) […]


  • Want articles sent directly to your inbox each week? Subscribe below!
    We respect your privacy and will not distribute your information.