Opening with record-breaking crowds (they stopped counting at 750) this exhibit has been named one of the “10 to watch for” this year by Kansas City Star art critic Alice Thorson. There are over 160 pieces of outsider, folk and visionary art currently on display, making it quite possibly one of the largest, if not the largest exhibit, of this genre of art west of the Mississippi.

After a snow just 5 days earlier, the 65+ evening brought everyone out.  The night couldn’t have been more perfect.  On the first floor of the old brick building, Erika Nelson brought the “World’s Largest…” out of retirement and handed out hundreds of wooden nickels, despite those old warnings.   Ed Root sculptures that had been saved by the folks at KGAA and now cared for at The Grassroots Art Center were on pedestals.  Masks by Jerry Coker, a flag by Ab the Flagman and sculpture by John Woods also greeted guests.  Good friend, Narrow Larry Harris made the trek from Houston for the opening and shared his Orange Show “Eyeopener” tour stories.

As the freight elevator reached the 3rd floor, you could chose to go first to the “Midwest” Gallery or the “Rest of the Country”…but you had to walk through the rest of the country to get to “Hell”  a gallery filled with devil imagery.