Flier designed by Kenneth Kupfer of Fag Cop

Wanna be part of Lawrence’s printmaking Cobra gang? Gotta stick your hand in acid for 5 seconds. Wanna spare your hand and just see some of the Cobra’s art? Go to the opening of their show titled Shank You Very Much this Friday, June 19th from 6-9pm at Love Garden Sounds (936 1/2 Massachusetts in Lawrence, KS).

The Cobras started working together in early 2009. As a gang they of course have gang names (which they take very seriously), but for those of you on the outs I’ll go ahead and give you their real names:

Kristi Arnold
Jason Barr
Shawn Bitters
Erin Bratzler
Thayer Bray
Andy Burkitt
George DeMoura
Tim Dwyer
Andrew Jilka
Kelly Kearns
Alicia Kelly
Michael Krueger
Mari LaCure
Erin McColey
Yoonmi Nam
Sam Owen
Clint Ricketts

Shank You Very Much will be a salon style show with t-shirts on sale and lots of goodies around every corner. Fag Cop will also be playing at 8pm.

posted by: Tricia Rock

CHOMP WOMP SODA FEST JUNE 19TH
@ THE PISTOL & FOUNDATION (1219 UNION and 1221 UNION, WEST BOTTOMS KCMO)

The Chomp Womp Soda Fest will be an over-caffeinated celebration of all things rad. Fourteen bands, ranging in style from shoegazey indie pop to punky bluegrass, will alternate twenty minute sets on stages housed at The Pistol and Foundation. All the while Scott Starrett (Rathaus contributor/graphic designer), Scott Stewart (Artstew Magazine), Jouvelt, and b. d. eek will try to make art among the rock and roll induced insanity. Plus there will be free cake, soda and freedom for all. That’s right, you heard me, free freedom. (Suck on that Toby Keith, you ass.) The show starts at 8:30pm and if you can’t make it, check back with The Rathaus for a recap.

Soda Fest Lineup:
HIGH DIVING PONIES
BURGER KINGDOM
ROOFTOP VIGILANTES
BOO AND BOO TOO
FORTUNING
BLEACHBLOODZ
GOODWILLIES
WRONG CROWD!
THE CALAMITY CUBES
SPELL MASTER
THE FACTORY WORKERS
DEMON HORSE
ECHO OF THE ELMS
NONRETURNER

posted by: Harold Johns III

Boo and Boo Too guitarist, Lawrencian and emerging photographer Barrett Emke has recently updated his site with his new work. We’re passing the link on to our readers so you can view Emke’s small but nonetheless awesome collection of photographs.

posted by: Brent Carter

If you’re trying to explain the medium of light painting to someone these days, the easiest way is to bring up “those Sprint commercials.” Not to take away from the incredible work done by the Brickyard VFX team that created the ad spots, but Sprint’s advertisement agencies did not invent light painting. Although I couldn’t discover the origins of the process, Pablo Picasso made light paintings as early as 1949 and the medium has been utilized ever since.

Pablo Picasso Light Painting

A few weeks ago some of us from The Rathaus, and Rathaus friends, collaborated on some light paintings of our own (the angel and devil above). We decided to focus on human models and use the light as adornment. A fire provided us with our primary light source and the rest was left up to the models and the painters.

If you’re looking for a way to create art outdoors after dark, try the light painting medium. And if you get any keepers send ‘em in to The Rathaus (info@therathaus.com), we’d love to see what you all come up with. If we get enough images we might just have a follow up post to work with.

For some amazing examples and variations on the theme of light painting check out this site and these videos:

Fiveprime.org

posted by: Scott Starrett

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the West 18th Street Fashion Show. Metallic accents, sheer fabrics, geometric angles, and even utilitarian pieces transforming right before our eyes took the stage in this year’s Summer in Space. As day became night on the outdoor runway we didn’t see Captain Kirk, but a much less literal, and more modern, interpretation of space by eighteen emerging designers.

Throughout the night, The Rathaus found three standout collections. These designers brought us cohesive collections with avant-garde pieces capable of catching my eye even after hours of high-end fashion internet browsing.

Katie Coble
Katie Coble is a Kansas City native but is currently a BFA Fibers candidate for 2010 at Maryland Institute College of Art with concentrations in experimental fashion and environmental design. Flux, instability, and the use of an object are what most interest her. She experiments mostly with material manipulation to transform garments and objects into different orientations. The wearer creates a performance using an object that does so many things that it can’t do one thing specific. Infinite possibilities do not equal one solution, but may just pose more questions and exploration. What drives Katie’s work is constraining the variables between these possibilities. Much of her fashion changes volumes and silhouettes and mixes very delicate feminine forms with heavier more massive ones.

Katie Coble

Katie Coble

Katie Coble

Katie Coble

Glib Engrish by Sovannra Yos
Sovannra has a BFA in Fiber from the Kansas City Art Institute, and is planning to continue her studies with a degree in fashion marketing. She describes her design style as a combination of luxury fabrics and the recycling of existing garments.

Glib Engrish by Sovannra Yos

Glib Engrish by Sovannra Yos

Swimming in the Galaxies by Rachel Rolon
Based in Kansas City, Rachel has attended college at the Kansas City Art Institute. She is planning a collection that will draw inspiration from galaxies, nebula, goddesses and art nouveau. She is planning to create sculptural, transformative garments for the runway.

Swimming in the Galaxies by Rachel Rolon

Swimming in the Galaxies by Rachel Rolon

Continue reading for photos from all designers.

Lacey Doherty

smilla by Shannon Bailey

Farrell Clothing Design by Andrew Hansen

spool*

spool*

spool*

Spacey by Julie Potratz & Rebecca Taylor

Spacey by Julie Potratz & Rebecca Taylor

Smart Couture by Georgianna Londre Buchanan

Glib Engrish by Sovannra Yos

Jessy Bergmann

Supernova for Frock Designs by Abigail Herbert

Sara Enami

Oblivion Clothing by Nataliya Meyer

Remote Controle by Lindsay Rae Miller

Remote Controle by Lindsay Rae Miller

Joscelyn Himes

Joscelyn Himes

By Birth by Ari Fish & Peggy Noland

By Birth by Ari Fish & Peggy Noland

By Birth by Ari Fish & Peggy Noland

Electric Odyssey by Jovana Mirabile, Jewelry by Rachael Marie

birdies, Jewelry by Coki Bijou, Fascinators by Erica Voetsch

posted by: Tricia Rock
photos by: Sara Rock and Tricia Rock
video by: Scott Stewart

I’ll admit it, I watch Fox News’ Fox & Friends in the morning. But like others (and by others I mean mostly fellow hipsters) I only tune in because it’s hilarious entertainment, more side show than news show. Case in point, while watching Gretchen, Steve and Brian this morning, right after their weekly Hooters cross-promotion which includes a waitress (skin-tight shorts and all) named Sara Hoots serving wings to the anchors, I had the displeasure of hearing what The Young Cons consider music.

And at first I laughed as I normally do, until I got really embarrassed. Because emcees Stitlz and Serious C were so bad at rapping, moving, and dressing that The Young Cons quickly became unwatchable. Between their cringe-worthy ad libs and off-beat movements they seemed like a pair of drunk Baby Boomers trying to plow through some hip-hop together at the local karaoke bar.

Except these are students from Dartmouth, an Ivy League university that should be the academic home to some of the brightest minds in America instead of these two immature nerds. But I guess a private university with a $34,000 a year tuition rate like Dartmouth doesn’t offer music appreciation courses, or a class in African-American culture or even poetry writing.

Granted, The Young Cons say they’re not really pursuing a career in hip-hop and claim to be on a “devout mission to spread the love and logic surrounding true conservatism.” And supposedly through awful lyrics about Jesus and Ronald Reagan these two will clear up the tainted perception of conservatives everywhere.

Yet The Yong Cons have a website with lyrics, a Fox News appearance, a Twitter account, a Myspace and Facebook. So call me cynical but I think they may actually enjoy fame. What’s worse is that by picking up their mics both Stiltz and Serious C are actually reinforcing many of the same stereotypes they are on a quest to erase. Say for example, the stereotype that the Republican Party is the party of white America or that Conservatives are culturally insensitive or that some Neo-Cons (see Micheal Steele) think embracing hip-hop is the key to gaining the minority vote. Messages that only play to the ever-shrinking base of the Republican Party and do little to educate others outside the party on their viewpoints.

My suggestion to The Young Cons, to stop rapping publicly until they find the time to become at least listenable and to quit taking fashion cues from The Office’s Andy Bernard before they catch an ass kicking from a real emcee.

posted by: Harold Johns III