Entertainment

By NewsPress Now A Central High School graduate is back in her hometown, stepping into a leading role with the Saint Joseph Symphony. Nancy Schmidt-Brunson is now the organization’s managing director. She was born and raised in St. Joseph and pursued degrees in vocal performance at the University of Kansas and the College-Conservatory of Music

By Jazmine Knight The new Generation Singers of St. Joseph are ready to embark on their 53rd annual tour. The youth choir consisting of teens from Ashland United Methodist Church and Wyatt Christian Church, will be traveling across the U.S. for just over two weeks. The tour kicks off on July 20th in Ogallala, NE

By Kendra Simpson The Albrecht-Kemper Museum features two new exhibits highlighting the golden age of St. Joseph architecture and the art of the camera. “The Architecture of St. Joseph: The Golden Age Revisited” exhibit puts a new spin on an exhibit originally mounted in 1974. This latest version features the original 85 photographs supplemented with

By Jazmine Knight Teresa Fankhauser and other art aficionados will soon be honored at the 2024 Mayor’s Awards for the Arts ceremony. Fankhauser will be receiving the Extraordinary Lifetime Achievement Award on July 18 for her selfless work maintaining and preserving the art scene in St. Joseph. Fankhauser’s art journey began when she was only

By Cameron Montemayor From archaeology to paleontology and early museum history, the St. Joseph Museums’ new and diverse set of exhibits is setting the table for its fully renovated south wing this summer. The museum cut the ribbon on four new large exhibits in June for paleontology, archaeology, world cultures and “A Cabinet of Curiosities,”

By Kendra Simpson The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art unveiled the Bradley-DeShon Education Center on Thursday afternoon to welcome a new era of learning and creating art in St. Joseph. In its opening in 1913, the founders of the museum sought to increase public awareness and understanding of the arts in our community. 100 years later,

By Chris Fortune A local museum is digging up the past and introducing new artifacts to visitors. The St. Joseph Museums is giving visitors the opportunity to learn about prehistoric St. Joseph after opening a new gallery this month focused on archaeology and paleontology across the world. “We have things from ancient Peru, we have

By Ashley Luthans The Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph is the latest location to offer free admission to military families this summer as part of the Blue Star Museum Program. The program provides free museum access to active-duty military personnel and their families from Armed Forces Day, May 18, 2024, to Labor Day, Sept.

By Ashley Luthans A long-time advocate of the arts is stepping into a leadership role with the Performing Arts Association of St. Joseph. Paul Storiale, new executive director, has been involved in the arts for most of his life. Storiale began performing in middle school. After growing up outside of Chicago, he went on to

By Leah Rainwater After new sculptures made their debut in Downtown last week, several are getting a little extra recognition. “Lean on Me” by Gedion Nyanhongo, who is from Fostoria, Ohio, won first place in the 2024-25 Sculpture Walk. His African Opal stone sculpture is located at the corner of Eighth and Felix streets. Nyanhongo

By Leah Rainwater The Pony Express Trail will be active once again Monday for its annual Re-Ride. The Re-Ride is a 10-day, 24-hour event honoring the 164th Anniversary of the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, which carried letters and telegrams from April 1860 to November 1861. This year, 600 riders from the

By Ashley Luthans The new executive director of the Allied Arts Council is already looking ahead to the future and how to foster growth in the art scene in St. Joseph. Jessica Agnew has been involved in the local arts community for years, from serving as the administrative assistant to the Theatre, Cinema and Dance

By Leah Rainwater The Allied Arts Council welcomed community members to the official “First Walk” of Downtown sculptures on Wednesday. A crowd gathered for the guided tour, learning about all 15 new artworks in St. Joseph. Artists from all over the country have pieces in this year’s Sculpture Walk. One featured artist, Gedion Nyanhongo, is

By Ashley Luthans The Allied Arts Council has a new leader, and she’s no stranger to the St. Joseph art scene. Jessica Agnew, newly appointed executive director, has been involved in the arts in St. Joseph for many years, from serving as the administrative assistant for Missouri Western’s Theatre, Cinema and Dance Department to working

By Kendra Simpson St. Joseph has a rich history with Jazz music and legends and its celebrating those legends with multiple jazz centered events this week. For over two decades, the Jazz Society has hosted Hawkfest in honor of Coleman Hawkins, the renowned jazz musician. It was on 2nd Street in St. Joseph where Hawkins

By Ashley Luthans The 33rd annual Mayor’s Awards for the Arts is approaching, and nominations are open to recognize those who contribute to the arts scene in St. Joseph. Mayor John Josendale, art leaders and community members will come together July 18 for the Allied Arts Council event. Nominees will be recognized among six categories:

By Chris Fortune As warmer weather arrives, museums tend to see more foot traffic, with schools closing and families going on vacation, but Robidoux Row Museum is looking to kick it up a notch. Robidoux Row begins to see more people, especially out-of-town visitors, in May, but the museum is looking to capture the attention

By Kendra Simpson While many spent their spring break heading to the beach to relax, a local dance instructor went to the beach, too, but not to get a tan. She was busy choreographing a promotional video for a resort across the country. Marla Heeler, an instructor at the Dance Arts Center, left for Myrtle

By Kendra Simpson For Downtown St. Joseph, spring not only brings flowers but several new sculptures as well with the 11th annual Allied Arts Council Sculpture Walk. In partnership with the Downtown Community Improvement District, the Sculpture Walk features an eclectic mix of 15 new sculptures created by artists across the state and country. This

By Kendra Simpson Teen thespians from Central High School have something to brag about after earning 13 nominations and winning two prizes in the Kansas City Blue Star Awards. The Blue Star Awards are modeled after the Tonys and recognize achievement and excellence in musical theater among Kansas City area high school students. Central’s fall

By Jazmine Knight Community members have a little extra time to help the Allied Arts Council meet its $300,000 fundraising goal. The 42nd annual Arts Fund campaign is now set to end June 30. The council plans to announce the progress of the campaign on July 18 at its annual Allied Arts Council meeting. The

By Chris Fortune Insurance costs, retirement program expenses and wage increases have contributed to a six-figure budget deficit at the St. Joseph Museums. A Museum Oversight Board meeting report stated that the price of admission to the facilities will increase due to the rising costs. “Our group tours for students, that price is seven and

By NewsPress Now Nominations are now open for the Allied Arts Council’s 2024 Mayor’s Awards for the Arts. The Mayor’s Awards for the Arts are designed to honor and celebrate people and organizations that contribute to the vibrancy of the arts and/or increase access to arts experiences in St. Joseph. Nominations are being accepted for

By Chris Fortune A drive or stroll down Frederick Avenue is going to get more colorful. The Allied Arts Council reached an agreement with the St. Joseph City Council to expand its traffic signal box artwork program. It adds a third art district to allow traffic signal boxes to be painted along Frederick Avenue from

By Riley Funk The St. Joseph Museums is rolling toward completing a renovation project after water damage impacted exhibits there almost a year ago. Flooding at the museum at 3406 Fredrick Avenue caused a whole wing to be shut down last May for repairs. Sara Wilson, executive director of St. Joseph Museums, said the burst

By Jenna Wilson The Allied Arts Council is seeking community help for its 42nd annual Arts Fund campaign to raise money for local arts agencies. The campaign goal for 2024 is $300,000 and the campaign theme is Art-Ventures Connect Community. “We have seven funded agencies this year that all have arts programming,” said Teresa Fankhauser,

By Charles Christian Teens with dreams of being in a rock band can jam together at the Rock Academy at Lanham Music in St. Joseph. Instructor Tom Keller is a Lanham employee and longtime musician. He said that the idea of a weekly academy sprang from the success of the summer School of Rock program,

By NewsPress Now The work of several local students has been honored at the 2024 Regional High School Exhibition at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. Local students receiving awards include: Drawing Multi-Color: honorable mention, Zoey Taylor, Lafayette High School, and Brooklyn Zeman, Savannah High School. 2-D Mixed Media: Second place, Ayla Coats, Central High School.

By Kendra Simpson The Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art hosted an open house for its Regional High School Exhibition Sunday afternoon. Over 20 schools from Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas participated in the exhibition. The work was separated into nine categories and judged by three anonymous judges over the span of a few hours. Awards