by Mary Rupert
The season is just starting for Alcott Arts Center at 180 S. 18th St., which holds its first art show of the year on Saturday, but already this year there have been zombies in the hallways.
The “zombies” were actors making an original horror film recently at the Alcott Arts Center, according to Chris Green, executive director at Alcott.
From TV 25’s show, “Drive-in Movie Maniacs,” the zombie film should be shown in the fall on the television show, Green said. “Drive-in Movie Maniacs” shows old horror movies, for the most part. TV 25 is a small television station from Channels 25.1 to 25.9 serving a three-county area. It is on the airwaves, but not yet on cable.
“It was fun, I enjoyed watching them,” Green said.
Green said TV 25 is expected to be at the Alcott Arts Center for the opening of the season on Saturday, April 9.
Students from the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools will exhibit their artworks that day, she said. They include students from Wyandotte High School, Schlagle High School, Sumner Academy, Rosedale Middle School and Frances Willard Elementary.
The art show, in the Alcott’s Second Saturday series, opens with a reception and entertainment by students at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, she said. Doors open at 6 p.m. to the gallery. Students also will do spoken word and poetry recitations as part of the program, she added.
“They’re so talented,” Green said about the students’ artwork. Some of the students did sculptures out of cardboard and papier mache. Students at Wyandotte did a drawing series using a map.
“There is some really good pencil drawing, some acrylic painting, oil pastels and some photography,” Green said. “I am blown away by the talent.”
Green said she thought it would be appropriate, since the Alcott Arts Center is an old school building, to ask students to come in for the first show of the year. The students are very excited to have this opportunity, she added.
The art show is free and open to the public. The Alcott is not ADA accessible yet, Green said.
After the art show this opening weekend, the Alcott plans a fundraiser on April 30. Students in a National Arts Society honors club from Blue Valley Northwest High School will auction vases they have made in class as a benefit for the Alcott, Green said.
Two years ago, the same group chose the Alcott to be the recipient of a “clocktion,” or a clock auction, she said. The group auctioned clocks it made for the fundraiser.
Arts and crafts classes for children will start on June 7 at the Alcott, and will be held at 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays. The cost will be $5 per session.
The Alcott also is gearing up for its youth theater production and adult theater production, including “Twelfth Night” for the sixth year in September.