Public Art In North Kansas City

North Kansas City has had the opportunity recently to install three pieces of public art. These projects are the result of the Tim C. Crummett Family Charitable Fund, established in 1991 for beautification projects in North Kansas City. The Tim C. Crummett Family Charitable Fund Projects Committee was established in 2018 to identify projects that enhance North Kansas City’s quality of life and create a culturally rich community.

Public Art Mural Program

Murals create a tangible sense of place, adding color, vibrancy and character to urban environments. Public art offers accessibility to art without the cost and barriers associated with museums and galleries. This mural program aims to commission a new, original public art mural on a building with a project budget of up to $8,000. Two murals have been installed in NKC through this program.

“This is Us” by Spaceship Zulu, Artist North wall of The Brewkery, 1443 Swift St, Artist Statement: The mural “This Is Us” hopes to represent the past, present and future of the area known today as North Kansas City.

Imagine it is 1849 and just north of what today is Kansas City resides a little unincorporated town called Harlem. Most do not know that this town even existed nor its cultural significance as one of the starting points for many

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cowboys, trappers, and frontiersmen headed west. It sits right at the point where the Kaw River meets The Mighty Missouri. Without a bridge to connect the two cities in those days, Harlem was one of the main riverboat ferry drop off location for many of the 5,000 to 9,000 African American cowboys that headed west during that time. This little-known town once matched Westport in size and prominence. This portion of the City’s history is represented in the mural as the cowboy peering west.

Fast-forwarding our timeline to the early 1900s, the area known as Harlem had dramatically changed from the rough-and-tumble saloons and horse stall rentals of the late 1800s. New and exciting industrialization and urban development came to the area, due to city developers like William E. Macken. This is represented in the mural by the young woman from the era (Urbanization).

Today the present is represented in the mural by the design elements of the brushstroke, benday dots and the fade of color to show that North Kansas City has a wonderful and thriving arts community. Now we look toward the future, that is represented in the mural as the words “North Kansas City” displayed directly in the center of the piece to provide a glimpse of what lies just ahead on the horizon for the City.

“The Wave” by eye cough, Artist South wall of the FDF Wealth Strategies building, 1609 Swift Street.

Artist Statement: There is an African proverb that goes, “Smooth waters do not make skillful sailors.” When a community is faced with a challenge, it is given an opportunity to grow. This

community has certainly been tested this year, but like the lotus flower that rises from the bottom of the pond and reaches out of the water toward the sun, North Kansas City still blooms.

It used to be very difficult to cross the Missouri River, until people came together and built a bridge that allowed for more connection.

The past several months have been turbulent, but this City has ridden the waves of change and is becoming more adaptive and responsive to every new obstacle.

This mural is designed to celebrate community, inspire hope, and to encourage the continued growth and transformation of consciousness in the City.

Public Art Sculpture

In 2018, the Committee conducted a national Call to Artists for a site-specific public art sculpture in Richards Park, located near the heart of North Kansas City across the street from the North Kansas City YMCA. Out of 87 proposals, the Committee selected Artist Sijia Chen’s design. “Bloom” by Sijia Chen, Artist

“Bloom” features North Kansas City imagery on colorful petals. Chen met with several NKC stakeholders to develop the imagery incorporated on the petals. The sculpture signifies the City's past, growth and future and is a prime example of community-based, public art sculpture.

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