Pinch & Zoom at Smalter Gallery: Recap, Review, and Images | "It feels like art before the Internet…"

Pinch & Zoom Recap & A Word of Gratitude from the Smalter Gallery Team

Before we get into anything else, let’s get the most important thing out of the way… THANK YOU to everyone who attended the opening of Pinch & Zoom on June 14, 2025. Thank you to our regular patrons who keep coming back to enjoy and support the gallery. Thank you to all of the newcomers who came out to Smalter Gallery for the very first time. We hope you’ll come back and hang out with us again in the future, and maybe even become regular faces around here. Thank you to everyone who purchased some cool art. And of course, thank you to our artists, Aaron Howell and Justin Canja.

For us at the gallery, this show felt like everything we love about the Kansas City arts community. It was vibrant, supportive, innovative, and fun. It was our community at its best. We’re so proud to have been the home for this exhibition.

Review of Pinch & Zoom Opening Night

But enough of our gushing - you don’t need to take our word for it. Check out this excerpt from a review by Harold D Smith Jr, taken from his Substack post, ‘It feels like art before the Internet’ : On Pinch & Zoom at Smalter Art.

There is an expected sophisticated rawness to the work. I guess you can say its usage of found materials speaks to rawness but the usage itself is sophisticated in execution. Nothing here is thrown together. The intentionality is evident in the aesthetic flow of the work. You can walk around the entire exhibition, from work to work, and not feel as if you have missed a connection…

…While I was there, Justin stood on a table and recited a moving poem to Ryan. The last time I saw an impromptu poetry reading or anything impromptu and intimate like that at an art opening was 1995 or maybe 96. If I recall, many were drinking, a few folks were blazing out, and someone stood on a table and read poems to their lover.

Read the full review here. Big thanks to Harold for coming and for the review. Go subscribe to his Substack!

Photos of Pinch & Zoom at Smalter Gallery in KCMO

Whew, even more thank-yous to shout out. Jerry Trapp (you know Jerry - everybody loves Jerry) took some amazing photos that really captured the vibe of the opening reception of Pinch & Zoom. He also got some incredible shots of Aaron Howell and Justin Canja during the impromptu poetry reading (Oh man, that poetry reading. I’m not crying; you’re crying. Shut up.). Below are just a few samples, but you can see the full gallery here.

Pinch & Zoom - Closing Thoughts

The exhibition lasts until July 6, 2025, when we’ll be having a closing reception and artist talk. The art will be beautiful, the wine will be flowing, and you will very likely feel all of the feelings.

Come <3 art with us.

Sincerely,

The Smalter Gallery Team

Smalter Gallery crew, artists, friends and family. June 14, 2025.