SYNOPSIS

Art on the Block is a 20:00 documentary that puts a human face on art as agent of urban renewal. Through the parallel voices of artists, average citizens and a commissioning corporation, Art on the Block connects Midwest talent, civic pride and for-profit philanthropy..

Art on the Block documents the work of ten Midwest artists creating site-specific art for H&R Block's new headquarters in Kansas City. The film follows artists Vernon Brejcha, Brent Collins, Lisa Grossman, Matt Kirby, William Lobdell, Lonnie Powell, Leslie Reuther, David Spear, Stretch and Dierk Van Keppel to draw attention to art as grease for the wheels of progress and art as authentic self-expression.

DIRECTORS STATEMENT

Art on the Block is the result of our year-long collaboration with ten artists, Kansas City musicians, H&R Block, and Leopold Gallery.

Making Art on the Block was a chance for us to explore a myriad of issues in the dramatic reinvention of Kansas City. As artists in our own right the film was a chance to connect with other regional artists. To make the film we drove more than 1,000 miles and clocked in more than 2,000 hours planning, shooting and editing.

Art on the Block is being distributed to organizations, film festivals, public television and government entities across the U.S. Our aim is to inspire community conversations about the relationship between art and community development.

PHOTOS:http://cas.umkc.edu/comm

BIOS

Abozar Ardavani is a filmmaker and 2007 graduate of the University of Missouri Kansas City. He is currently working on the feature film Last Breath and he works with CTV-7, a government access television channel in Blue Springs, MO.

Andrew Cangelose is a filmmaker and graduate student at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. He is currently working on a mocumentary about a self-appointed park-ranger/film critic named Shane Falco and is writing a feature screenplay about feuding brother-in-laws.

Daven Gee is a filmmaker and Assistant Professor of Film & Media Arts at the University of Missouri Kansas City. His past films have shown around the world at festivals including Sundance and Rotterdam and been broadcast on PBS. He is finishing the one-hour documentary Our Mall with public television partner KPTS, Wichita.

Jordan Kerfeld is a filmmaker and artist from Blue Springs, Missouri. He is a senior writer and illustrator for the University News at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kerfeld is creating a documentary about the internationally-renowned Marr Sound Archives.

John Anthony Moroso is a filmmaker with a B.A. in Film & Media Arts from the University of Missouri Kansas City. His short film, "Moustache Moustache" won Best Student Film at the 2006 Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee and has been featured on several popular websites. He plays bass in a local band named Mach Rocket 3000 and is currently a Production Assistant at KSHB 41 .

Jeremiah Wedding , soon to be graduate of the Film & Media Arts program at the University of Missouri Kansas City, is a multimedia artist interested in all aspects of intellectual creation. He will soon release a third album with his band The Screaming Banshees and a solo effort.

Cathy Woolsey is a soon-to-be graduate from the University of Missouri Kansas City with a degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Film and Media Arts. She has been involved in several student productions as director, producer and editor.

CREDITS

Producer-Director Daven GEE

Directors Abozar ARDAVANI, Andrew CANGELOSE, Jordan KERFELD, John MOROSO, Jeremiah WEDDING & Cathy WOOLSEY

Sound Mixer Jithendria Kumar ARAVAMUDHAN

Music: Monta Music & Art On The Block Orchestra

Assistants: Jovan SAGE & Jessica CAMPBELL

Formats: mini-DV, DVD and others on request.