Hot on the heels of last weekend’s Old Capitol Art Fair comes another Springfield art show. And this one couldn’t be more different.
Local artists, loosely banded together under the banner of Manifest Destiny Art Troupe, will host their second annual Extravaganza Cabaret for Starving Artists. The all-day and all-night (so they say) festival includes art by Mike Mayosky, the Wasmer Brothers, R-Two, and between 20 and 30 other participating artists. Far from the invitation-only, juried exhibits of the Old Capitol whoop-te-do, this show is fed by anarchy and drenched in DIY mentality. “It’s not an official art show,” says Mayosky, who lives with other artists at the event location. “The only paperwork here will be sketches and drawings.” Prices range from a few dollars to the low hundreds, mostly in the $20 to $30 bracket, with one exception. “I priced one piece at $10,000,” says Mayosky. “You never know. Last year we had a couple from Chicago just driving by, saw the scene, and stopped. They bought several paintings.”
Along with the various art media represented, several area bands on the cutting edge of experimental music will add their flavors to the melting pot of artistry. Resident Genius, Stash Riders, The Locked Sound, Eric Welch and the Disputes, Untoward Quartet, 95 Mental, The Black Ops, and Xperimental Orchestra, are all scheduled to appear sometime on Saturday and Sunday with a big open jam tucked in there somewhere. DJs and freestyle rappers will fill the holes between bands, plus an occasional bit of performance or interactive art might pop up if the mood arises.
The Manifest Destiny Art Troupe presents the “Extravaganza
Cabaret for Starving Artists, Part II” on Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23
at 231 S. MacArthur Blvd., all day, each day. Call 726-6947 or go online to
www.manifestdestiny.info for more information.
This article appears in May 20-26, 2004.
