Mafia memoirs, photography exhibition highlight September Final Friday

Jon D’Amore, who was intimately connected with the New Jersey mafia (though not directly involved), will speak about life in the mob Friday night at Murillo Studios, 119 N. Mead, as part of Final Friday.

D’Amore wrote the novel, “The Boss Always Sits in the Back,” which is based on true stories of what he witnessed his relatives do as part of the mob. The book was published in 2012, nearly 40 years after D’Amore’s first experience with the mob (and after most of its real-life characters had died).

D’Amore will read from the book and sign copies.

He is also bringing contemporary blues artist Bobby Messano to perform an acoustic show at Driftwood Bar, 1204 E. MacArthur, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

If you can’t make it out Friday, both D’Amore and Messano are coming to Moxie Grill, 1420 Old Main Street in Newton, on Saturday. D’Amore will read from his memoir starting at 5 p.m. and Messano will perform an acoustic set starting at 7 p.m.

It may not be a traditional gallery show, but in Kansas, how often do you get to hear about the mafia?

City Arts

Dale Strattman, a longtime photography instructor in Wichita, is opening a new and intriguing exhibition this Final Friday at CityArts, “A Show of Children: An Affirmation of Childhood.”

Strattman’s photography exhibit is comprised of 70 color and black and white photos of children from around the world – from Wichita to Guatemala, Russia, and back.

The photos come from Strattman and his wife’s extensive travels around the globe; some of their trips included doing volunteer work in small villages of indigenous people and orphanages in inner cities.

Though the children photographed in Strattman’s exhibition come from wildly differing socioeconomic backgrounds, Strattman succeeds in portraying the common humanity they all share.

“This compelling oneness of the human spirit is the essence of this exhibit,” Strattman writes in a statement.

Also unique to Strattman’s exhibit: a majority of the portraits are archival, silver gelatin prints. Those black-and-white photos are displayed alongside color, digital photographs, creating a unique juxtaposition of style and process.

Final Friday at CityArts, 334 N. Mead, also includes the openings of “Chapter 1: A Collaborative Ceramics Exhibition,” “Home Movies,” and “Root Bound,” which feature artwork by Kristen Phipps, Kevin Kelly, Emily Chamberlain, Garet Reynek, Joseph Rincones, Scott Steder, Tyler Stonestreet and Katie White.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 22.

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Mafia memoirs, photography exhibition highlight September Final Friday."