By Kady Weddle
After being rescheduled from spring to the fall in 2021, the Brookside Art Annual is happy to return to its regular schedule in 2022. The 36th Art Annual opens Friday, April 29 and runs through Sunday, May 1.
Hosted by the Brookside Business Association, the show is Kansas City’s first outdoor art show of the year, attracting top artists, and is a favorite for many local buyers and arts enthusiasts. Over the course of the three-day-show Brookside will see around 60,000 people.
“Typically, we see a lot of art enthusiasts come out and they have a lot of pent-up energy from being indoors all winter,” said Ackerson.
The show will welcome around 180 artists, both local and national.
“We’re a full show with artists across the country again this year,” said Ackerson. “We’ve got some great local Kansas City artists that join us each year and then there’s definitely stars from around the country.”
Each year the show selects a ‘featured artist’.
“It’s this artist that does the show artwork for the event,” said Ackerson. “Her work is also featured on the 2022 show poster, shirts and cards.”
This year’s artist is Jennifer Cavan. A returning Art Annual artist and crowd favorite, Cavin is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her oil pastels are bright, vibrant and captivating.
“Relying on photographs, sketches, and memories of places I have found along the back roads of the American West, I use vibrant, saturated colors, bold compositions and slightly altered perspectives,” said Cavin.
After spending the early part of her adult life in the corporate world, Jennifer decided to follow her love of art. She and her husband quit their jobs and moved to the mountains of northern New Mexico.
“I began working with oil pastels,” said Cavan. “Twenty years later, they are still my favorite medium.”
The show is located at 63rd and Brookside Boulevard (one block east of Wornall). The annual show includes children’s activities such as face painting, arts and crafts, balloon animals and more.
Local restaurants will also serve up a variety of food and drink options ranging from savory burgers to bacon wrapped dates, and stuffed artichoke to lobster mac & cheese.
For more information visit brooksideartannual.com.