Back in June, several young artists made their way to Miami to celebrate the opening of Whoop De Doo, a show of works by 22 current or former Kansas Citians organized by Art Institute grads Jaimie Warren and Jon Peck. Their mission was to earn some respect for our arts community. A review in the Miami New Times (a sister paper of the Pitch) by Carlos Suarez de Jesus deemed the show a success, noting standout work by Rebecca Dolan, Michael Converse and Naoko Wowsugi. We were pleased enough to hear of their accomplishments, but then the show came home. The September opening at Greenlease Gallery was packed with a diverse group of participants and spectators, many of whom came in imaginative costumes; the party was taped for a public-access cable show. When even the most bewildered onlookers can appreciate the youthful energy of performances by the dance-heavy Street Jizz and Chicago art-rockers House of T.I.N.A., someone's doing something right. In this case, we have Warren and Peck to thank.
