Arts & Life

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.

Some of Kansas City's most highly regarded culinary figures are among this year's nominees, including Helen Jo Leach and Johnny Leach at The Town Company. The list also includes several new area restaurants.

Kids in the Kitchen, a yearly event sponsored by Alphapointe, a nonprofit that serves people with vision challenges, focuses on getting young people ready to navigate in the kitchen. The goal is for them to be able to prepare their own meals while living independently.