Although it isn’t directly located in Southtown, there is a new place you need to visit- the Robert Frazier Gallery of Contemporary Art, 3120 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64109. Sonie Ruffin manages the gallery and is a fabric artist and quilter extraordinaire who has lectured and held workshops for the Smithsonian (and others) on African quilts.
According to the www.robertfrazierart.com website, “The Robert Frazier Gallery of Contemporary Art is housed in the historical F. W. Woolworth Building on Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. The Woolworth Company developed a policy of placing "suburban" stores at transfer points along streetcar lines to take advantage of heavy pedestrian traffic. Woolworth's had three stores outside the central business district but this is the only pre-WWII suburban Woolworth's building extant in the city. Constructed in 1927, the building housed the company's store through the 1950s.”
The building has been beautifully renovated, the window treatment is elegant and the gallery spotlights a variety of artists. It is a true jewel in our community. Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10:30am-5:30pm, Saturdays 11am to 3pm, and closed Sundays and Mondays. Call 816-531-7111 for more information.