The Basics | The Long Version | Exec Board | Press | Links
The Basics
The Aquadome is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-operated venue dedicated to music, art, and community in Kirksville, Missouri. We primarily host concerts but are by no means limited solely to music. We also host potlucks, craft nights, workshops, art exhibits, poetry slams & readings, and plenty other events! In addition to this, we also rent out our space for privately organized events and as a practice space for bands.
We’re open from mid August to early December and mid January to early May.
All events are all ages!
Visit/Say Hello!
Address: 120 S. Main St., Kirksville, MO 63501
Email: theaquadome@gmail.com
(for booking inquiries or rental applications go here)
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
Volunteering
Interested in volunteering? That’s awesome! Go to this form.
The Long Version
Who runs it?
We have an Executive Board that is elected each Fall and Spring. They get to handle all the administrative work like paying bills, filing out business forms, and organizing the calendar. But they also get to do rad things like book bands and decorate and meet a lot of interesting people. But by no means do they run The Aquadome alone. The countless volunteers that help at our events are immeasurably important. They keep they place operational and the board members from having panic attacks.
How is it funded?
Admission from shows, fundraising, donations, and (if necessary) scrounging from the board member’s pockets. We need around $700 each month for rent and utilities, and there are licenses we have to pay for on occasion. Anytime you come to one of our events, donate, or tell your friends about us, you truly are helping us keep our doors open!
What’s the history behind it?
The Aquadome has actually existed in two separate generations. The venue was first opened sometime in 2000 by a small group of people invested in DIY culture, free thought, consensus-based decisions, art, and music. The founders had close ties with the Campus Music Collective, a Truman State student organization that booked small shows on campus. The Aquadome later became home to some of the group’s events.
During The Aquadome’s first generation, the venue was home to shows, a haunted house, a carnival, bookbinding workshops, karate lessons, breakdancing parties, weekly vegan dinners, vegan potlucks on Sundays, figure drawing classes, screen-printing lessons, political organizing, film screenings, and art shows (including the Tom Thumb, a traveling art show). The building was also used as practice space for bands, studio space for artists, a rental space for various groups, and a meetings place for clubs and organizations such as Anti-Racist Action and the Lonely Minds Club.
After nearly a four-year run, the venue closed early in 2004 due to financial problems.
The second generation of The Aquadome began in the summer of 2011, when Brie Vuagniaux rented out a dirty, old storefront. Having heard stories about the old venue from former volunteers, she was inspired and began fixing the place up. When the fall semester arrived, Brie and new volunteers started throwing shows and the venue as it exists today started taking shape.
If you would like more information about The Aquadome’s history, our press page is a good place to start.
In the spring of 2014, the physical location of The Aquadome collapsed due to what news reports refereed to as a “land hurricane.” Since then, The Aquadome has kept on trucking, throwing shows, poetry slams, and open mics at local shops and unrented buildings.
Press
Oct 18, 2012 – “Aquadome Sound System” (News36) – A video about our quest to buy a PA system!
Feb 23, 2012 – “All eyes on: Brie Vuagniaux” (The Index) – An article about the Aquadome’s former president, Brie Vuagniaux, who reopened the space.
Aug 31, 2011 – “Unexpected harmonies” (The Index) – An article about the Friday, Aug. 26, 2011 show at The Aquadome.
Sep 8, 2011 – “Aquadome Venue Reopens in Kirksville” (News36) – A video about the re-opening of The Aquadome.
Mar 30, 2011 – “Student plans to re-open venue” (The Index) – An early article from The Index about the re-opening of The Aquadome
Old Aquadome Press
Mar 09, 2005 – “Professor brings rock bands to ‘ville” (The Index) – Article about TSU professor who “took notice” when The Aquadome closed
Jan 19, 2005 – “The Janky” (The Index) – Article about house venue started by members of the original Aquadome
Jan 28, 2004 – “Aquadome Closed” (The Index)
Mar 06, 2003 – “Artists’ haven in financial peril” (The Index)
2001 – “Community of Music” (Echo, Vol. 100) – An early article about the Campus Music Collective, a TSU student organization with close ties to The Aquadome.
Links
Tom Thumb Art Festival
Tom Thumb Annual Floating Art Exhibition (known as Tom Thumb for short) is an annual, non-juried art festival in Kirksville, MO organized by the community and funded entirely through donations.
DoDIY.org
An amazing resource for people interested in DIY venues and culture. Operated and payed for by one dude. Donate if you can!
the aquadome 