By Melaney Mitchell

Saturday February 11^th, Subterranean Gallery hosted the first of three Hot Tub Dialogue Lecturesfeaturing Hesse McGraw with moderator Josh Shelton. McGraw founded the Paragraph Gallery in 2004 and acted as a forerunner in revitalizing KC’s downtown through the arts. The space looked to transform the city, and the way in which art worked towards revitalization. He now works in a similar fashion as the Chief Curator of the Bemis Art Center in Omaha, Nebraska which focuses on works with a community impact. The evenings moderator, Josh Shelton is chair of the Steering Committee with Art Thru Architecture, a principal member of the architecture firm, El Dorado, and is on the board for the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS. McGraw and Shelton connect through their interest in the community, with Shelton’s teaching and studio practice at the University of Kansas School of Architecture, Design, and Planning. Shelton and his students work to develop architectural projects that have a direct engagement with the current urban context specific to each project. This is the same direction McGraw was heading in when he opened Paragraph Gallery. Continue reading →