WaterFire 2016 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS
Cheryl Kimmi
(Kansas City Creates)
(816) 516-4750
Elliott Scott
(WGPR)
(417) 838-1650
WaterFire Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Free Community Art Installation
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - WaterFire, held each year along the banks of Brush Creek by the Country Club Plaza, will be on Saturday, October 1 with live performances from 7 - 10 p.m.
WaterFire has many components, however the focal point is the installation of braziers in Brush Creek. The fragrance of aromatic wood smoke and flickering firelight of each brazier create a unique ambience unlike anything else in Kansas City. This year the installation's footprint will increase from thirty braziers to around fifty.
"People love this annual art event because it allows our community to appreciate a truly distinctive spectacle," says Cheryl Kimmi, Executive Director of Kansas City Creates. "As people walk up and down brush creek admiring the braziers, we want them to be totally engrossed in the experience."
Live vocals, dance and acrobatics will be performed by Quixotic Fusion, StoneLion Puppet Theatre, Rhythmic Flames, Kansas City Drum Tribe, Trio Forte and renowned operatic tenor Ben Gulley. In addition to the entertainment, several Plaza restaurants will have pop-up food and drink stands.
"WaterFire truly showcases the power of art to bring people of different backgrounds together," comments Karen Holland, founder of WaterFire KC. "It's been exciting to see the event grow and evolve each year, and I look forward to another decade of this being a beloved Kansas City tradition."
This is the 10th year WaterFire Kansas City will light Brush Creek on fire. Thousands of people have attended in the past to see KC's interpretation of Barnaby Evans' original installation in Providence, Rhode Island.
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About Kansas City Creates For 10 years KC Fringe has offered diverse, exciting and unique arts experiences, welcoming thousands of patrons and artists at venues throughout Kansas City. It has routinely served as a successful introduction to the Kansas City arts scene for arts audiences from around the nation, helping to advance the arts throughout the Midwest.
Our successful track record brought new opportunities to our door, and we knew it was time to explore what was possible. How could we better serve this community through the arts? Through this, KC Creates was born.
The new production company, KC Creates, offers an opportunity for our arts community to represent itself on a national and international scale. Out of a dynamic arts community comes KC Creates.
About WaterFire
Kansas City WaterFire is an art installation created by artist Barnaby Evans that utilizes braziers mounted above water. In 2007, WaterFire was brought from Providence, Rhode Island to Kansas City, Missouri. In conjunction with local groups like Quixotic and other performers, WaterFire volunteers program an evening of live music and performance art along Brush Creek where spectators can sit and view the braziers while enjoying the ambiance. As a free event that's open to the public, WaterFire celebrates community, art and culture in Kansas City.