International Women’s Day!

I know I’m a day late in posting this - but I was out celebrating International Women’s Day yesterday!

Blessed to have so many of these women in my life!

As a tribute to women I had a great day in Kansas City eating lunch at a wonderful restaurant owned by a woman and seeing a fascinating printmaking exhibit by a female artist at the Kemper Museum of Modern Art. First the food. I pride myself on keeping up on the restaurant scene in Kansas City - and it has definitely gotten exciting these last few years. So when my friend Cheryl suggested we go to Ragazza for dinner last Saturday I had to admit I had never heard of it. When I found out it wasn’t new I was pretty disappointed in myself, especially after eating there and loving it. You know a place is great when you are still there and thinking about how quickly you can get back to eat there again - and that’s just what I was thinking. So back I went for lunch. It is located in Westport but east of Broadway and just west of Main so not in the area most people typically think of as Westport. Totally reminded me of a restaurant in New York City. Tiny - maybe 10 tables at most - a small bar and a window counter.

That’s Laura the owner with her mom and brothers.

Saturday I had the fettuccine in red sauce with meatballs and today the orecchiette with Italian sausage and kale in broth. Both fantastic!

I was talking to the owner today and she said they have been there for 4 years - my loss. But business is good so they are moving late summer to a bigger location on Main. I really like the tiny location but hopefully the food will stay the same. Definitely worth checking out!! For dinner I suggest a reservation for sure. Cheryl and I were able to get seats at the window counter last Saturday but if you want a table then make a reservation.

Next up the Kemper Museum. If you haven’t been to the Kemper then you are in for a treat. It’s the perfect place to stop if you have 45 minutes or an hour and you want to see something interesting. The museum is in a beautiful building close to the Nelson-Atkins Museum just off the Plaza. It’s much smaller than The Nelson so the galleries change quite often.

The first thing you can’t help but notice is the huge installation in the atrium that takes up an entire wall. It is by Firelei Baez entitled To Access The Places That Lie Beyond. This painting was specifically commissioned for The Kemper and is set in northern Haiti. It has lots of symbolism from the conflicted history and current political context between Haiti and the US.

Firelei Baez - To Access The Places That Lie Beyond.

The female printmaking artist that drew me to the museum is Cuban artist Belkis Ayon (1967-1999).

Ayon was recognized by the international art world and critics for the technical mastery of her prints and the singularity of her theme. Her consistent theme was about The Abakua Secret Society. I had never heard of this but was fascinated with what I read. This society was brought to Cuba in the early 1900’s by African slaves from Nigeria. It is a brotherhood created by men for men. It stigmatized and segregated women and still exists in Cuba today with over 21,000 members. It is based on a legend that involves a princess finding a sacred fish with supernatural powers, that ends up getting killed and replaced by a goat.

The artist Belkis Ayon commuted suicide for unknown reasons when she was 32.

Her pieces are really dark but I found them so interesting and really haunting. Most of the pieces are quite large - I would say almost life size. And because they are prints they are pieced together to create the total image.

Resurrection, 1998 collagraph in 9 parts.

There is also another exhibit by a female that is much lighter so thought I would post a few of those to lift the somber mood. Patty Carroll is a local photographer that does these beautiful still life digital prints - a mood elevator!

I am spending a few weeks here in Kansas City between trips, and its fun to get out and spend a day seeing the city as if I was visiting it. Like most medium to large cities there is so much to see, eat and do, and it’s easy to get in a rut and just do the same old thing. Don’t do it!! Life is short - get out and enjoy! Happiness is a choice I try and make everyday.

Side note: Did you notice the blog looks a little different? There is now an archive tab that allows you to see all the posts in chronological order. This should make it a lot easier to find a post about a specific place if you are say heading to NYC and want to see what I did when I was there. Check it out!!

Bucket list trip coming soon - check back!