Community Calendar

ONGOING

“Black Is, Black Ain’t” opened June 27 at the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute, 16 E. 43rd St. The exhibition explores the rhetoric of race and its shift from an emphasis on inclusion to the simultaneous rejection and retention of racial identity.

The exhibition brings together works by 26 artists whose works examine a moment where the cultural production of so-called “blackness” is concurrent with efforts to make race socially and politically irrelevant. The exhibit, on display through Oct. 17, traveled from The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago and is curated by Hamza Walker, associate curator and director of education at the society. For more information, call 561-5563.

JULY 1

The Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., will host a panel of military historians who will discuss the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg at 6:30 p.m. Wilburn E. Meador Jr., an instructor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, will moderate the discussion and present the events that lead up to the Battle of Gettysburg. The three other military historians will discuss the actions of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Army of the Potomac, and the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg. A reception precedes the event. For more information, call 701-3407 or visit kclibrary.org.

Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City, 5700 King St., Shawnee, offers Every Child Ready to Read at 7 p.m. The one-hour workshop, presented by Carrie McDonald and Helma Hawkins from the Kansas City Public Library, is for parents and caregivers of infants, toddlers and preschoolers to learn how to prepare their children for success in reading. For cost information, call (913) 287-8888 or visit www.wonderscope.org.

JULY 2

A Needlework Unlimited event is at 2 p.m. at the Westport Library, 118 Westport Road. Knitting teacher Mary Arney will instruct beginning and advanced knitters. For more information, call 701-3488 or visit kclibrary.org.

An Open Software seminar is at 2 p.m. at Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. Attendees will learn about open software and how it can be useful for small business needs. For more information, call 701-3449 or visit kclibrary.org.

In partnership with the Kansas Repertory Theater’s Kansas City Fringe Festival, Diane Botwin, owner of The Botwin Building, 508 W. 75th St., hosts a fundraiser for the festival from 7 p.m. to midnight. Titled “A Fringe Cocktail: 1 part Longing, 1 part Laughter, 1 part Darkness & 1 part Death: An Evening That Will Leave You Shaken & Stirred,” the event features four productions of original works created by Burlesque Downtown Underground, BOOM! An International Lost & Found Family Marching Band, The Death of Cupid, and Advice from a Spider. The local artists will discuss their upcoming performances, and the event also includes a silent auction, raffle, cake walk and dancing.

The Kansas City Fringe Festival is a week-long festival July 19-26, packed with music, art and theatre performances that showcase Kansas City’s diverse artistic community. This year, four of the top 10 box office hits from last year’s festival have decided to join forces to collaborate under one roof at the Off Center Theatre in Crown Center. For more information, call 235-6487.

JULY 3

A Friday Forum with the American Association of University Women is at 10 a.m. at the Waldo Library, 201 E. 75th St. Topics will be based on attendees’ interest and participation. The forum is geared toward those who want to keep informed about current events. For information, call 701-3486.

JULY 4

The City Market, 400 Grand St., holds a book sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The book sale will take place on the first Saturday of every month through September. Books range in price from 50 cents to $10. For details, visit www.kclibrary.org.

JULY 5

The Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., opens the exhibit “Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery” at 10 a.m. The year 2009 was declared the International Year of Astronomy by the International Astronomical Union, making it a fitting reason for Americans to become more aware of astronomy’s contributions to society and culture. The exhibit focuses on astronomy from its early beginnings to the latest results of the Hubble Telescope. The exhibit will be on display through Aug. 30. For more information, call 701-3407 or visit kclibrary.org.

The Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., opens the exhibit “The Winds and Words of War: Posters and Prints from the San Antonio Public Library Collection” at 10 a.m. The collection includes posters by artists such as Norman Rockwell and Charles Dana Gibson. To coincide with the exhibit, the library also hosts a film series titled “War Reels.” The exhibit will be on display through Aug. 30. For more information, call 701-3407 or visit kclibrary.org.

“Red Desert, Green Prairie, Blue Sky: Photographing the West” opens at 1 p.m. at Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. Photographer George Jerkovich’s photo display documents the landscape of the Great Plains, particularly on the sunflowers and wheat of Central Kansas. The exhibit also features photos of the Red Desert of Wyoming and the Llano Estacado, an expanse of canyon and grass in northwest Texas and eastern New Mexico. The exhibit, on display through Aug. 16, is a part of Exhibits USA, a national division of MidAmerica Arts Alliance with the Missouri Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, call 701-3407 or visit kclibrary.org.

JULY 6

The American Red Cross holds a blood drive honoring “The Frances Gordon Way” from 2 to 6 p.m. at Price Chopper, 6327 Brookside Plaza. The Red Cross thanks the Gordon family for supporting this blood drive as each donation can save up to three lives and makes a difference in the community. To schedule a donation time, call 234-1921.Walk-ins also are welcome.

The Fifth Annual Young Writers Camp sponsored by the Kansas City Writers Group will introduce students in grades four to eight to the creative writing and editing process for poetry, fiction, nonfiction and personal essays. Mary-Lane Kamberg, author of “The I Love To Write Book,” will guide participants as they learn to enhance their creativity and write with color and clarity. Session I meets July 7-10, session II meets July 14-17, and session III meets July 21-24 from 10 a.m. to noon at 6000 Lamar Ave., Mission. For information, call (913) 764-4950, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.kansascitywriters.com.

JULY 7

Astronomer, astrophysicist and astronaut Steven Hawley presents “Galileo, Apollo, and Beyond” at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. Hawley, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas, will discuss Galileo’s first use of the telescope 400 years ago, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon launch, as well as share his own experiences in outer space. As one of only three Kansas-born astronauts, Hawley was a mission specialist on three flights on the shuttle Discovery and two flights on the shuttle Colombia to complement his 30-year career with NASA. A reception will precede the event at 6 p.m. For more information, call 701-3407.

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