"The Xijing Men: Gimhongsok, Tsuyoshi Ozawa, Chen Shaoxiong" opening reception
6 to 8 p.m.
H&R Block Artspace, 16 E. 43 St.

This will be the inaugural North American exhibition of the internationally renowned Xijing Men and is a collaboration between the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas and H&R Block Artspace at Kansas City Art Institute. The group produces video art performances about the imaginary place of Xijing that was conceived as an idealized western capital, meant to complement three other directional capitals of East Asia; Beijing, the northern capital, Nanjing, the southern capital, and Tokyo, the eastern capital. The Collective includes artists Chen Shaoxiong, Tsuyoshi Okazawa and Gimhongsok. The group’s work has been featured at the First Aichi Triennial, the 10th Lyon Biennale, the Fourth Fukuoka Asian Triennial, Tate Liverpool in the U.K., the Artsonje Center in Seoul and Platform, Seoul. The exhibition will be on view through April 2. For more information, call 816-561-5563 or visit www.kcai.edu/artspace.

"Austerity Measures"
6 to 9 p.m.
Cara and Cabezas Contemporary Gallery, 1714 Holmes Road

The office of Academic Advising and Career Services at the Kansas City Art Institute continues Access Alumni Events: Connecting Students to Alumni with an exhibition of student work entitled Austerity Measures, shown at Cara and Cabezas Contemporary Gallery. The alumni curator panel includes Jonah Criswell (’05 painting), Ari Fish (’06 ceramics), Bobby Howsare (’09 printmaking), Marie McInerney (’02 fiber) and Davin Watne (’94 painting). The alumni’s selections were made based on students’ submitted work and the students they wanted to meet in a series of studio visits. The exhibition runs through March 2. For more information, contact gallery@caraandcabezas.com.

The following KCAI faculty members will make presentations: Marty Maxwell Lane, Hugh Merrill, Brett Reif, Phyllis Moore and Alison Heryer.

The presentations will take place in Epperson Auditorium, which is located in Vanderslice Hall on the KCAI campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Contact: 816-802-3426 or info@kcai.edu

Pictured: Alison Heryer's "Picnic Project"

"Line, Pattern, Repeat," showcasing work by recent KCAI alumni, Opens with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 8 in the gallery of The Warehouse, KCAI's new fiber building, 4218 Walnut St. A gallery talk from noon to 1 p.m. Feb. 19 will feature remarks by some of the artists, who will speak about their work, and the exhibition's curators will talk about the show's conception.

Featured artists include Shae Bishop ('12 ceramics), Chris Daharsh ('12 painting), Madeline Gallucci ('12 printmaking), Ben Harle ('12 ceramics), Bobby Howsare ('09 printmaking), Naomi O'Donnell ('11 printmaking), Will Preman ('12 creramics), and Jacyln Senne ('11 painting). Curators for the exhibition were Skye Livingston ('12 fiber and art history) and Maegan Stracy ('12 fiber and art history).

The exhibition will be on view from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, through March 3, or by appointment. To schedule an appointment, contact mstracy@kcai.edu.

Pictured: Hextile by Shae Bishop; photo by E.G. Schempf

ArtSounds: Two Chamber Operas
7:30 p.m.
Epperson Auditorium, Vanderslice Hall

Featuring a performance by collaborators Ryan Oldham and Nihan Yesil. For more information, visit www.kcai.edu/artsounds.

Tonight's presentation by Nathan Fox is sponsored by the KCAI illustration department. Fox is chair of the Master of Fine Arts in Visual Narrative program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Learn more about Fox and his work.

This lecture will take place in Epperson Auditorium, which is located in Vanderslice Hall on the KCAI campus. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 816-802-3426 or email info@kcai.edu.

The Third Annual Kansas City Japanese Film Festival, co-sponsored by KCAI, takes place Feb. 16 and 17, with films to be shown in the Atkins Auditorium at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. In addition to KCAI, co-sponsors include Heartland JET Alumni Association, the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago, the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations and the Heart of America Japan-America Society.

The event is a benefit to help communities in the Tohoku region of Japan continue rebuilding two years after a devastating earthquake and tsunami. Donations will be accepted in lieu of an admission fee.

The schedule for Feb. 16:

10:30 a.m. "Toyo's Camera" (98 minutes)

12:30 p.m. "The Burmese Harp" (115 minutes)

2:45 p.m. "The Cats of Mirikitani" (114 minutes)

Contact: Jan Kennedy, Ph.D., assistant professor, School of Liberal Arts, KCAI, jkennedy@kcai.edu.

A gallery talk is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. in the gallery of The Warehouse, KCAI's new fiber building, 4218 Walnut St., in connection with "Line, Pattern, Repeat," an exhibition showcasing work by recent KCAI alumni.

Some of the artists whose work is in the show will speak, as will the curators, who will talk about the show's conception.

Artists with work in the exhibition include Shae Bishop ('12 ceramics), Chris Daharsh ('12 painting), Madeline Gallucci ('12 printmaking), Ben Harle ('12 ceramics), Bobby Howsare ('09 printmaking), Naomi O'Donnell ('11 printmaking), Will Preman ('12 creramics), and Jacyln Senne ('11 painting).

Curators were Skye Livingston ('12 fiber and art history) and Maegan Stracy ('12 fiber and art history).

The exhibition will be on view from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment, through March 3. To schedule an appointment, contact mstracy@kcai.edu.

Pictured: Hextile by Shae Bishop; photo by E.G. Schempf

Cancelled due to snowstorm

Tonight's lecture by Ross Sawyers is sponsored by the KCAI photography and digital filmmaking department. Sawyer is an assistant professor of photography at Columbia College Chicago. Learn more about Sawyers and his work.

The lecture takes place in Epperson Auditorium, which is located in Vanderslice Hall on the KCAI campus. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 816-802-3426 or email info@kcai.edu.

Matthias Pliessnig creates fluid, skeletal furniture forms by using traditional steam-bending techniques with oak wood. His interest in bending wood developed in 2006 after he created a boat. He studied sculpture at KCAI, earned a B.F.A. degree in furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design and an M.F.A. degree in woodworking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Learn more.

The lecture takes place in Epperson Auditorium, which is located in Vanderslice Hall on the KCAI campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Contact: 816-802-3426