Kansas City is home to a wide array of public art thatâs easily accessible but often overlooked. Perhaps youâre preoccupied while driving, riding the KC Streetcar or zooming down the street on a scooter. Maybe you donât spend much time in that neighborhood or part of the city.
Whether you were unaware of these public works of art or simply considered them a backdrop, let's remedy the situation. Touring public art is an opportunity to break up your daily routine, experience artistic gems located throughout the city and enrich life when you feel cooped up. Here's where you can start. đ¨
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You donât have to be a jazz fanatic to appreciate this magnificent sculpture in the historic 18th and Vine District. Bird Lives is a tribute to Charlie Parker, Kansas Cityâs legendary jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. Known as âYardbirdâ or âBirdâ for short, Parker was a key architect of bebop that distinguished Kansas Cityâs jazz scene and sound. đˇ
The massive sculpture features the face of Parker, eyes downcast, atop a base with the inscription âBird Lives.â Head to the nearby American Jazz Museum, pay a modest admission fee and view Parkerâs Grafton saxophone, jazz artifacts and graphics on exhibit.
đ E. 18th Street and Vine, Kansas City, Missouri.
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The iconic Liberty Memorial, a tribute to the soldiers who died in World War I, rises 268 feet above the north lawn of Memorial Hill in Penn Valley Park. While youâve likely driven past the structure en route to Union Station or Crown Center, it's worth visiting to walk around the cylindrical tower and behold its scale and architectural features.
Unlike many examples of Art Deco architecture throughout Kansas City, the memorial was fashioned in a related style known as Egyptian Revival. Architectural elements to explore include two guardian Assyrian sphinxes, 40-foot tall guardian spirits carved by Robert Aitken and The Great Frieze sculpted by Great War veteran Edmond Amateis.
The memorial is on the grounds of the National WWI Museum, which is worth exploring while youâre there. In addition to on-site exhibits such as âSnapshotsâ and free online exhibits, the museum hosts numerous free events this week in honor of Veteranâs Day on Nov. 11th.
đ 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, Missouri.
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Located on the southern edge of the Country Club Plaza, Heartland Harvest is a 60-foot tall patinated copper sculpture installed in 1999 on the north face of the former Kansas City Board of Trade building. An outline of hard red winter wheat cut into copper panels symbolizes the cropâs importance to the past, present and future of the local economy. đž
Designer Joel Marquardt of Gastinger Walker Harden Architects collaborated with A. Zahner Company, a local custom metal fabricator known for its distinctive work across the U.S. and in Mexico, Korea and Canada.
đ 4800 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri.
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North Kansas City is home to âThis Is Us,â a mural created by artist Spaceship Zulu. The mural pays homage to the bygone Missouri riverfront town of Harlem, a âriverboat ferry drop off location for many of the 5,000 to 9,000 African American cowboys that headed west during that time.â The muralâs imagery also references urban development that includes arts and industrialization as part of modern North Kansas Cityâs growth.
Not too far away, you'll find another piece of public artwork. Artist Sijia Chen created Bloom, a stainless steel sculpture of colorful flower petals located in Richards Park at Iron Street and Armour Road across the street from the North Kansas City YMCA. đ
And another recently installed mural at 2005 Swift Ave., home of the McCrummen Immigration Law Group, celebrates diversity in North Kansas City.
đ This Is Us: 1443 Swift St., North Kansas City, Missouri.
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The three historic figures depicted in this bronze sculpture were key to the development of Westport. Once an independent town and gateway to the West, Westport was annexed in 1897 to Kansas City.
Alexander Majors is most often remembered as a co-owner of the Pony Express. You can learn more about his life at the Alexander Majors House Museum or online. John Calvin McCoy was the founder of Westport and co-founder of the Town of Kansas that became Kansas City. And mountain man James Bridger purchased Chouteauâs Store at 504 Westport Road, one of Westportâs oldest buildings located next to Kellyâs Westport Inn.
đ Pioneer Park, 4059 Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri.
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This controversial life-size bronze statue created by Terry Allen is off the beaten path unless you happen to have business near the Kansas City Police Department and Municipal Court.
The statue's appearance is thought-provoking: A businessman stands on a briefcase with a shoe stuffed in his mouth, his fingers plugged into his ears and his tie wrapped across his eyes. The work inspires contemplation about how communication is sent, received and blocked. â
Modern Communication was originally installed in 1995 in front of the City Communications Center and then reinstalled in 2015Â following construction to the building. In contrast to modern communication via text and social media on mobile phones, the statue is a sly reminder to stop, remove those technological blinders, look around and pay attention to the world around us. Message received.
đ Locust Street between 11th and 12th Streets, Kansas City, Missouri.
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Of course, numerous other displays of public art are easy to spot all over Kansas City. These include the Bartle Sky Stations, the iconic Shuttlecocks on the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, The Scout in Penn Valley Park and the Crying Giant and Spider at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. đˇď¸
You can see dozens of street murals across the Crossroads Arts District and Alexander Austinâs Isis Theatre mural at 31st and Troost. There's the walkable tour of public art at Crown Center that includes Alexander Calderâs Shiva. And the sculptural installation Confluence uses reclaimed materials to bring life to the West Bottoms.
Stretch your legs and see how many pieces of public art you can spot in downtown Kansas City using this handy printable map. đşď¸
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Today's Creative Adventure email was written by Pete Dulin.
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| Â More Adventures in Kansas City
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|  | Luminary Night
Head to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for an enchanting stroll around the Sculpture Park on Friday, Nov. 12 at 5-9 p.m. Warm up by a fire pit and enjoy some s'mores before you begin your celestial viewing organized by the Astronomical Society of Kansas City Stargazing Society. Learn more about this free event here. | |  Kansas City Ballet at Festival of Lights
Powell Gardens' Festival of Lights begins this weekend with special performances from the Kansas City Ballet's Second Company. Friday-Sunday at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., local dancers will perform a medley of traditional and seasonal favorites. Learn more and purchase tickets here.
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