By Nancy Pistorius

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. But the arts and culture scene in Kansas City is more vibrant than ever. Exotic ethnic festivals, creative art gallery exhibits and dazzling performances all kick into high gear. The veritable smorgasbord of artistic and cultural “happenings” in Kansas City this summer ensures that there’s something to appeal to everyone, locals and visitors alike.

Visual Arts

Kansas City is home to some of the finest art museums in the world. And these internationally-renowned museums are continually evolving and growing, as they make changes to their exhibits and add to their wealth of collections. So what’s new?

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art offers a rare opportunity to view three panels of an impressive Water Lily triptych, created by Monet between 1915 and 1926. Three museums own each of the triptychs are collaborating to bring the three together for an exhibition at each museum.

Bingham@200 can be viewed at the Nelson-Atkins through October 2. This bicentennial exhibit celebrating George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879), showcases Bingham's drawings, which served as a foundation of his art throughout his career.

Devotion in Print: Masterworks of the German Renaissance is featured now through September 11 at the Nelson-Atkins and features prints and engravings that display a Renaissance devotion to the lives of the saints and the life of Christ.

Visit the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art this summer to view The Abstract Autograph, an exhibit of American abstract expressionist paintings. Featuring work by Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, and Damien Hirst, the exhibit explores the approaches to “reading” abstract forms.

The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park, Kansas, features modern works of international, national and regional artists, including “new media,” such as avant-garde film. Like last year, this summer the museum will present a program of concerts on the lawn, suitable for the whole family.

Theater

Nearly every night this summer, “the show must go on” at many stages across Kansas City. You’ll find a wide variety of performances, from classical Shakespeare to family-themed shows.

Ready for a cornucopia of musical styles? The family-friendly Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is the special attraction this summer at New Theatre Restaurant. Based on the “Coat of Many Colors” story from The Bible’s book of Genesis, this upbeat musical is set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from countrywestern and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock ‘n’ roll.

Celebrating Cultural Diversity

Summertime is Kansas City’s favorite season to party, with an abundance of ethnic festivals, from Festa Italiana (June 3-5 in Zona Rosa, North Kansas City, to the Kansas City Scottish Highland Games (June 10-12 at E.H. Young Park in Riverside, Missouri. “Come be a Scot, even if you’re not!”

Capping off the summer ethnic celebrations, you can “feel the World beat in the Heart of America” at the Ethnic Enrichment Festival (August 19-21 in Swope Park). Enjoy entertainment, costumes, crafts, and food from more than forty different countries. It’s like traveling the world without leaving town.