Though the parking garage is still scheduled to open in May, Reunion, a 20 x 28-foot banner by Michael Toombs, will remain in place until the winning entry is completed this summer.
Jazz district project spurs a revised call following pushback over lack of proposals from local artists and artists of color
Since 1986, Kansas City’s One Percent for Art Program has lived up to its name — ensuring that any city project that’s built, rebuilt or restored with public funds applies one percent of the total cost to “acquisition and installation of works and other aesthetic adornments.”
The best example in recent years is the Kansas City International Airport, where dozens of sculptures, paintings and mixed-media pieces were chosen to adorn the new facility.
One Percent for Art also funded the Sky Stations atop Bartle Hall and highly visible pieces along Brush Creek, outside the T-Mobile Center and at the Kansas City Zoo.
Early this year, Kansas City’s Municipal Art Commission (which oversees the program) found itself making headlines over art that hadn’t even been created yet. In summer 2025, the commission put out a call for proposals — offering up to $185,000 toward a piece of public art for a new parking garage at 18th and Lydia Streets. When news broke in January that none of the three semifinalists chosen for the project were locally based or artists of color, displeasure quickly followed.
Artists and administrators, including Deaunte Thomas, artistic director of the 18th & Vine Arts Festival, lamented the lack of sensitivity to the neighborhood’s unique history. Melissa Patterson Hazley, Third District Councilwoman-at-Large, took calls from a number of area residents. She said their comments echoed similar complaints about development projects overall.
“We hear from the community that ‘the whole team is from out of town. The city is really giving up a lot of tax dollars for this project, but local workers aren’t a priority. Well, we could say the same thing for artists.”
In February, a meeting of the Municipal Art Commission was attended by more than 40 people. James Martin, the city’s public art administrator, called it a “very significant” turnout that showed “people felt like they weren’t being heard. Like they were left out of the process. And given the importance of the 18th & Vine neighborhood to the city as a whole, that (the proposal) should really focus on local artists.”
Afterward, the commission decided for the first time in Martin’s six-year tenure to issue a revised call for proposals. This one stipulated that the artist, or lead artist on a team, must reside in Kansas City or one of 22 counties in the vicinity.
Though Martin didn’t relish explaining the change to nearly 200 non-Kansas Citians who’d applied the first time, he hailed the commission’s pivot as “a municipality paying attention and listening to its constituents.”
Aside from the residency requirements, the process of submitting the revised request for proposals remained much the same. Renderings or details about the proposed artwork weren’t required — only internet access, a resume, examples of previous work and a letter of intent.
Critics have contended that such a system effectively keeps artists with little or no public art experience from ever getting their foot in the door. But this time around, the commission tweaked the selection criteria to make prior experience less important.
“The web portal that we use to judge portfolios has a seven-point scoring system,” Martin explained. “And we’ve come up with selection criteria that correspond to the seven points. So it’ll be more of a one-to-one correlation. And perhaps less subjective.”
The commission also teamed with the 18th & Vine Arts Festival for a workshop to demystify the application process and encourage local participation. ArtsKC hosted one for interested parties as well. And in mid-March, Martin led two virtual Q&A’s that touched on such concerns as how much weight the wall could support — 2,000 pounds . . . whether VR and AR installations would be considered for the site — yes, it doesn’t have to be a mural … and if the two to five semi-finalists chosen will need to sign a contract — of course, the city loves its paperwork.
Khyneesha Edwards, a Kansas City graphics designer, chose not to apply for this particular public art opportunity. But three years ago, on her first attempt, she snagged an Art In the Loop commission for a piece called Black Boy Joy. That process, she said, taught her the importance of “attending different events and connecting with other artists.” And looking for different ways that art can “engage with people in public spaces.”
Edwards feels certain that local artists, especially those with firsthand knowledge of the Jazz District, are ready to meet the challenge presented by this particular installation. “It’s really just awareness … getting the right people in front of an opportunity. The talent is definitely here,” she added.
By the time you read this, the revised entry deadline (April 6) will have passed. Though the parking garage is still scheduled to open in May, Reunion, a temporary piece by Michael Toombs, will remain in place until the winning entry is completed this summer. Despite some tense and troubled moments along the way, Patterson Hazley believes that in the end, the Municipal Art Commission did the right thing.
“I think sometimes city staff may not have a cultural connection to the area,” she said. “But they are following a process which, from their perspective, is correct. So adding in the community perspective can help us all uncover where we could do better. And that’s essentially what happened.”
