Alter is a hybrid gallery space, music venue, and event space created by Bo Hubbard and Boi Boy. Their primary objective is to encourage creative opportunities and experiences for both artist and audience. Alter will host a series of monthly experiences giving makers and performers the space and resources to share their creative passions.

Local artists will receive honoraria for working in the space, and funding to support their projects. Priority will be given to individuals working in installation, performance, and new media with an emphasis on collaboration. Alter will offer a continuous open call, and will also curate artists into the space. Each month will have a broad ‘theme’ to provide a starting point for finding artists to bring together. After the monthly programming is established, participants will collaborate in the conceptual evolution of the final product. Alter will act as mediator and curator for each event; however, Bo and Boi Boy hope to foster an environment where different artistic interests and disciplines can come together to create a space that is unexpected.

This programming model allows Alter to host a variety of events and cater to a wide range of audiences. Bo and Boi Boy will work with other arts organizations, while also seeking out individuals who are not part of an organized institution. They want to represent the diversity of the Kansas City art community, whether formal or not. Alter is committed to creating an environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and continues to bring together local art communities. In this current political climate, it is important now more than ever to come together and support one another culturally and creatively.

On the final weekend of each month, Alter will host a three-day event. The events begin with a Friday evening opening, followed by a Saturday night ‘party’, and then closing with a Sunday morning reflection. The opening on Friday will be focused on introducing the artists and inviting the audience into that month’s immersive environment. On Saturday night, Alter will stage a dance party, encouraging costumes and giving the audience a chance to become a part of the setting. Much like a night-club, Alter will have a cover charge on Saturday which will go towards funding the space and monthly expenses. This source of income allows Alter to focus all grant funding towards supporting local artists. The final event of the weekend, on Sunday morning, will contrast the previous two days of celebration and emphasize reflection, contemplation, and discussion.

Alter is inspired by organizations such as Meow Wolf and by the history of Kansas City D.I.Y. spaces. Over the last few years, Kansas City has lost many of these D.I.Y spaces including Whoop Dee Doo, Negative Space, Vacant Farm, and Hidden Temple. Bo and Boi Boy hope to recapture the collaborative energy of Kansas City creatives and invite them to work together to create experiences that are larger than any single studio practice.

Boi Boy is a Kansas City native who got their start in the KC art community while working with MYARTS (Metropolitan Youth Art and Technology for Students). They recently graduated from the KCAI Fiber Department where they received the Mentorship Award. While in school, they have interned with Peggy Noland, MYARTS, and Plug Projects. Since graduating, they have worked on Electrosexual and Soft Leather events, as well as installations for J. Ashley Miller’s Echosis opera, Plug Pong (a fundraiser for Plug Projects), and The Kemper Gala After Party. They are currently a Charlotte Street Foundation studio resident.

Bo Hubbard was born and raised in Oklahoma City and moved to Kansas City in 2012 to attend KCAI; Bo completed his BFA from the Painting Department in 2016. During school, he interned at the Reading Reptile and assisted with the store’s transition into the Rabbit Hole. Bo was the Drawing & Painting Liaison at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute in 2015. He received the Ox-Bow School of Art Fellowship on behalf of KCAI in the summer of 2016. Bo recently completed the fall concentration at Penland School of Crafts where he was a teaching assistant for printmaking and papermaking.

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