Think about the ways we can experience magic-- sometimes the best route is through touch and play, rather than rigid rule systems-- sometimes we are the most surprised by what’s right in front of us.

On Friday, April 5th, Miranda Pratt and the artists at Imagine That!invite you to form stories out of light and shapes, roll some plushy dice, and help build the longest ladder in the history of Kansas City (in this building, in particular.)

Lizards and Ladders tinkers with the idea that a quilt can be a single collaboration or many moments of interaction. Combining fiber-based processes with materials that remind us of schools and gameplay, we tinker with structures to piece together our collaborative narratives.  Players are invited to enter an immersive installation where we create our own rules together. Touching, cutting, sticking, feeling, building, dancing and twirling are not required, but highly encouraged.

Miranda Pratt is a multidisciplinary bookworm living in Kansas City, Missouri. Their work moves between diagrammatic drawings and playful learning tools in order to quilt/craft environments for conversation and collaborative making. They are inspired by alternative forms of education like Waldorf and Montessori, that attempt to level the ground between students and teachers, as well as bell hooks’ writing on intersectional pedagogies and generating excitement through empathy in classrooms. Pratt is a senior in Fiber and Creative Writing at the Kansas City Art Institute, graduating in August of 2019. Lizards and Ladders is a part of their thesis project, which focuses on collaboration and community engagement. After they graduate, they are excited to listen, read, and learn any instrument under the sun.

Many artists at Imagine That! participated in the making of this exhibition. Special thanks goes to Emily, Marcus, Jacob, Justin, Ellen, Alesha, Sean, LeShon, and Lesley for being wonderful collaborators and participating in multiple workshops. Extra special shout-out to Emily for her attention to detail and enthusiastic commitment.

https://open.spotify.com/user/mirandapratt12/playlist/1UeYBzl6FbUWtQZOfXtomM?si=_RRDCx8TRF6Frh4QD-OVzw