ALTER ART SPACE
ALTER Art Space was a collaborative, multidisciplinary artist-run space that sought to connect a variety of creative disciplines through interactive, immersive environments and unexpected programming. The objective was to provide a space where installation, performance, and painting can join forces with musicians, actors, and dancers. ALTER maintained a warehouse event space from August 2017 - July 2018, hosting twelve events in our West Bottoms location. Over this year, Alter collaborated with over 100 musicians and performers, 60 visual artists, and a variety of local organizations and establishments. After a year of monthly events, the collective gave up its physical location and now focuses on nomadic programming.
Alter Art Space has now transitioned into the House of Alter, a drag/queer family. We are passionate about promoting one another and supporting other DIY and LGBTQIA events.
Alter Art Space was founded by Bo Hubbard and Boi Boy. For more information about the past or present of ALTER or to request a full CV, please email us at alterartspace@gmail.com. Follow Alter on Facebook & Instagram!
Video by Lost Thought Productions. The team at LTP continue to support ALTER and have been an exceptional collaborator.
“Late one night this summer, at a warehouse in the city’s industrial district, Kansas City’s queer youth gathered for a funeral. But the costumed guests filing through a loading dock weren’t there to mourn someone who’s passed. They’d turned out in their morbid finest for the very last Alter party, a monthly event thrown by two young local artists, Boi Boy and Bo Hubbard, aimed at creating safe spaces for inclusive revelry. The first party was dubbed “Birth;” it seemed only natural to go out, a year later, with “Death.””
““Calling it a party is a way of tricking people into looking at art,” admitted Boi Boy. He and Hubbard consider Alter’s events, which are queer-friendly, gender-inclusive and not centered on alcohol, to be a healthy form of escapism. “We’re not telling anybody what to think,” added Bo. Alter’s existence alone speaks for their politics. They’ve drawn inspiration from the trans and drag communities, and embraced club culture as a kind of social art practice.”