Shanna Sloyer| Special to The Capital-Journal
Get ready to party like it’s 1999 and support a community organization dedicated to assisting individuals with disabilities.
Rogue Event Studio, 917 N. Kansas Ave. in the NOTO Arts and Entertainment District, will continue its Icon Event series with a party from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday during the First Friday Artwalk. The event will celebrate the late artist Prince.
Owner Ariel Unselt said June 7 was Prince’s birth date, and his party will feature his iconic sounds and vibrant style. Guests can enjoy live musical performances, karaoke, a Prince costume contest and more.
All proceeds raised during the event benefit the Lois Curtis Center in Topeka, which seeks to empower individuals with disabilities through advocacy, education and community support.
Organizers say Prince's humanity fits Lois Curtis Center goals
“Prince is just so iconic,” said Unselt. “You can see the color purple or one specific symbol, and you think of Prince. I read an article, and the author wrote, ‘Prince’s cause was humanity.’ He didn’t just help these people or these people. His cause was empowering and uplifting everyone, and that didn’t stop when he walked off of the stage or out of the recording studio.
The Lois Curtis Center doesn’t just serve one type of person. They help people who might fall through the cracks otherwise. Everything the Lois Curtis Center shares about who they want to impact; their cause is humanity.”
Lois Curtis was an artist and Black woman with multiple disabilities. She spent nearly 20 years incarcerated and institutionalized as a result of her disabilities before she successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to pass the Olmstead decision in 1999. The decision affirmed the rights of people with disabilities to live independently and access resources in their own communities. June is the anniversary of that decision.
“Miss Curtis used art to keep herself engaged and occupied, and to tell her story and communicate with people,” said Ami Hyten, director and co-founder of the Lois Curtis Center.
Despite successes that included having her art displayed in the White House and speaking internationally about her experiences as a disabled woman of color, it took Curtis an additional decade after the Olmstead decision to access the support she would need to find her own housing.
Lois Curtis Center opened in fall 2023 in Topeka
The Lois Curtis Center opened last fall to provide services, support and guidance for individuals with disabilities who may experience marginalization within the disability community. Hyten said this could be due to being a person of color, finding themselves unhoused or being caught up in the foster care or prison systems.
“Our vision was to create a space in the community for people who experience barriers to services or have trouble accessing resources they need to live and thrive,” said Hyten.
The Lois Curtis Campus, 1921 S.E. Indiana, houses a standing food pantry for those facing food insecurity, as well as an ADA-accessible commercial kitchen, which is available free of charge to those looking to open a business or spend time cooking.
In keeping with Miss Curtis’ art background, the center has developed maker spaces where artists can access materials to create, including a recording studio with instruments and sound equipment.
“We are a community center,” said Hyten. “It’s about taking the resources available and creating opportunities for people to use those resources. Look at the struggle folks are experiencing in our community right now with not being housed, living in spaces that are unnecessarily risky or dangerous.
"These things have a cumulative effect. If one member of a family struggles to find resources, it affects the entire family and makes us less safe.”
Hyten points out that incarcerated individuals have access to instruction and supplies to develop their hobbies and skills while they’re in prison. However, once they leave the system, those opportunities may be lost due to lack of finances and other resources.
“They bring people into the Topeka Women’s Correctional Facility to teach the residents to crochet, but what happens when you leave the environment? Where do you find crochet hooks and a community to share that with?” asked Hyten.
Lois Curtis Center is expanding with several missions
Other efforts by the Lois Curtis Center include the Highland Park Community Garden, opened this spring, and Lois Curtis Elementary School, which provides support for children with disabilities. Hyten said the nonprofit organization Topeka Independent Living Resource Center is currently being rebranded as part of the Lois Curtis Center as well.
Proceeds from the Prince Icon Event at Rogue will be used to purchase supplies and equipment to outfit the Lois Curtis Campus and to fund future initiatives, including accessible laundry facilities, multiuse and collaborative spaces, athletic fields, and training and technical assistance. Hyten said funding is what ensures the long-term sustainability of the Lois Curtis Center, which will celebrate its grand opening on June 22.
“Financial support from the community continues to take down barriers people experience in trying to access the most basic things like food, snacks, and hygiene,” said Hyten. “Donations will go directly toward supporting individuals in the use of the space.”
Hyten believes that the vision behind the Lois Curtis Center is in line with how Prince lived his life.
“Look at the things that Prince was involved in,” she said. “He saw the value of art and investing in communities, addressing environmental strains for Black and brown people, and societal justice issues.”
Event features Purple Rain and Raspberry Beret co*cktails and live music
Along with Prince-themed co*cktails with names like Purple Rain and Raspberry Beret, guests on Friday can enjoy food sold by Fiesta queen candidate Gabriela Gutierrez. Additionally, the Lois Curtis Center’s artist in residence, JQuory Guest, is scheduled to provide live music, and award-winning poet Annette Billings will share her works of poetry.
Admission to the event is free, but donations to the Lois Curtis Center are appreciated. Staff will be on hand with information about the center’s mission and to collect donations. Participants may also contribute to a raffle that evening.
"Prince: The Icon" is part of the Icon Event series, which celebrates iconic figures while raising funds for charitable organizations. Unselt sponsored the last Icon Event in October 2023 with a celebration featuring singer Dolly Parton and said she plans to continue supporting local and national charities through such events at Rogue Event Studio.
“Rogue is about being bold, and uplifting and empowering people,” said Unselt. “I feel like the Lois Curtis Center is going to make bold moves to empower and uplift people who wouldn’t otherwise have that support.”
