Arts & Life

Shawnee resident Jordyn Doherty noticed her goat struggled to use his back legs soon after he was born about three months ago. A GoFundMe to buy a wheelchair started with a goal of $300 but quickly topped $8,000.

Screenland Armour Theatre in North Kansas City recently installed film projectors that allow it to show recent releases like "Sinners" and classics like "Vertigo" on 70 mm, making it the only theater in the region to specialize in that format. Owner Adam Roberts hopes the investment will give younger film fans the opportunity to see movies the way they were intended.

The National Museum of Natural History commissioned Missouri artist Gary Staab for a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Staab sculpted three bison on a heroic scale.

Maybe you have a pink Care Bear with a rainbow belly, a blue Smurfette with long blonde hair, or one of those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures in an old box somewhere. A national museum in Kansas City could include it in a future exhibit.

The theatre department at Northwest Missouri State University showcased two productions at the Ron Houston Studio Theatre last weekend. The two shows, Treehouse and Hearts like Fists, had auditions at the start of the semester and have been practicing since then. Remington Carter, director of Treehouse, said the cast put a lot of work into the production.

Heidi Pitre's series merges literature, nostalgia, and history, featuring pen-and-ink drawings on about 160 vintage library checkout cards. Interest in the pieces has expanded, but her supply of old-school, ephemeral cards is dwindling.

Performance venues and cultural organizations are seeing a spike in artists from abroad canceling performances and demonstrations — and rethinking U.S. tours.

Friday afternoons at the Kansas City Bridge Studio in Overland Park, Kansas, bring out all the local stars. For decades, the competition has also turned teammates into longtime friends, and even sparked a marriage or two.

Whether you're looking for a Valentine's Day reservation, trying to impress someone new, or just want a new way to explore Kansas City with a friend or partner, we have plenty of great options for getting out and about.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has proposed deep cuts to art funding across the state as part of an austerity initiative emphasizing smaller government and fiscal discipline. Artists and arts advocates say their cultural contributions help drive economic investment.