Urban art styles will be celebrated in Cape this weekend

Art is for everyone.

And as the old cliche goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Part of what makes art great is that certain people enjoy certain types of art over others.

This weekend in Cape Girardeau, there will be an opportunity for people to enjoy art with a little more urban flare, with a Cape Be You Urban Festival on June 29 for those who love culture and hip-hop. And on Sunday, artist Malcolm McCrae, a.k.a. the airbrush assassin, will unveil his traveling art bus "Pollination Station" to Ranney Park to spread the love of art on Sunday to Cape Girardeau's south side.

The highlight of the Cape Be You Urban Festival will be the Battlez of Originality, an all-styles one-on-one dance batle for a trophy and $1,000. The dance allows youth to embrace the challenge, creativity and creative outlet that dance provides.

As for McCrae, he's involved in some innovative ways to not only get kids to embrace art, but also use it as a teaching tool to learn more about local African American history. He's been working on projects creating vibrant murals showcasing elements of history, that when scanned with an app points to a video or information about the painting. On Sunday, he's hosting a Community Art Day, and Cape Girrdeau is the first stop on a tour. The idea is to pull up his bus into neighborhoods and teach kids how to do art. He calls it a portable community center. The bus, dubbed Pollination Station, will be making its debut on Sunday. The event will also include a community drum circle, a DJ and a film highlighting McCrae's black history documentary. The event will take place from 3 to 8 p.m. at Ranney Park.