Host Michael Mackie sits down with Dr. Peggy Shannon, The Nerman Family President of the Kansas City Art Institute, to explore the school’s evolving strategic vision. They discuss Marble & Canvas, the new on‑campus retail store showcasing student and alumni work, and how the Streetcar extension is already boosting foot traffic along The Arterie—Kansas City’s emerging cultural corridor. The upcoming Selfie Love Scavenger Hunt will allow residents and World Cup visitors to experience the entire cultural corridor, take pictures and win prizes throughout the summer.
Michael Mackie:
Hi everyone, it’s Michael Mackie here, coming to you from KC Studio. KC Studio and KC studio.org is the only regional magazine and website entirely devoted to covering all arts all the time. I’m excited to work with KC Studio on this special podcast that will provide valuable insights into how public transit and the World Cup are shaping cultural expression and events in the heart of our city. So thanks for joining us on this month’s stop of KC Studio’s Artful Connections Along the Streetcar podcast presented by Arvest Bank and sponsored by TIVOL. We’ll be featuring some of Kansas City’s finest cultural arts and civic organizations each month that are along the recently extended Kansas City Streetcar route that now goes from the Riverfront to the Country Club Plaza and UMKC. Streetcar riders are now able to hop on the streetcar at any of the stops and ride to and from their favorite exhibits and events throughout the year. So please take a ride with us.
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from Arvest Bank. Arvest Bank believes that financial confidence should be within reach for everyone. Whether you’re just getting started planning for your future or starting a new chapter, we are here to help you plan and meet your goals every step of the way. Because everyone deserves a financial partner who cares. Arvest Bank. We Believe. For more information, visit arvest.com or visit one of our 20 locations throughout Kansas City.
Hi everyone. I’m here today with Dr. Peggy Shannon, the Nerman family President of the Kansas City Art Institute. The Kansas City Art Institute was founded in 1885 and is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected colleges of art and design. A premier, private, fully accredited four-year institution. KCAI offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in 13 majors. The vision of KCAI is to be a nationally acclaimed leader, known for preparing artists and designers to creatively transform the world through art and design. Dr. Shannon has served as a tenured professor of theater and as a university administrator at several esteemed colleges, including San Diego State University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. And that’s all before joining the Kansas City Art Institute in May of 2025. Doc, we want to welcome you. Thanks for being here today. You’ve been everything everywhere, all at once. You are from California? Yes?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes.
Michael Mackie:
And then I just literally rambled all the places you’ve been. Okay. So you’ve been in Kansas City about a year. Let’s talk about the local regional art scene and more importantly, what do you think of our fair city?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Well, I love it. I love the city, and I think the art scene is vibrant, rich, exciting. It’s cool because there are emerging artists, there are mid-career artists and designers, and then there are really renowned artists, designers, industries, galleries. It’s a wonderful place.
Michael Mackie:
You’ve been here a year. What has surprised you the most?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Actually, what has surprised me the most is how much culture there is. There’s theater, there’s art, there’s dance, there’s design, there’s opera. I mean, there’s everything large and small. And I was surprised by that.
Michael Mackie:
We’re not just a flyover state.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
No, I have to say we now.
Michael Mackie:
We.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
We. Because I live here now too.
Michael Mackie:
That’s awesome. Tell me a little bit about KCAI’s scope, how many students are from around the region, how many are from around the country and so forth and so on.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Well, we currently have 775 students, and we really range from about 750 to 820 in our scope of students. But today we’re at 750… Seven, what did I say?
Michael Mackie:
- See, I listened.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I think I lied.
Michael Mackie:
Oh!
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I think we’re at 755. But you know what, let me just double check.
Michael Mackie:
Okay.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Because I’ll get confused.
Michael Mackie:
It’s somewhere between 700 and 8,000.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s 755 today.
Michael Mackie:
Look at you right on the dot. Okay.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Today. 755 today. So we range between 750 and 820, and the majority of our students come from Missouri, with Kansas as a runner-up. But we have, and no surprise, we have students from all of the neighboring states. And then actually when I looked at the map, we have students coming from literally almost every state in the country.
Michael Mackie:
Wow.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Not entirely, but almost. Yeah.
Michael Mackie:
And what about foreign exchange students?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Right. We only have six. Currently.
Michael Mackie:
Oh, okay.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
So some universities have struggled a little bit because of the change in international recruitment. It didn’t really hurt us because we would love to have international students. We just don’t have that many.
Michael Mackie:
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from TIVOL. For more than a century, TIVOL has helped Kansas City mark treasured moments and create cherished memories with fine jewelry of the highest quality. Visit us at our Country Club Plaza or Hawthorne Plaza locations or online at tivol.com. TIVOL is proud to be a sponsor of this special podcast and to celebrate our city’s vibrant arts community.
Did you have any first impressions when you were walking around the campus? Because for a lot of people it is just
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes, yes. I had that exact same feeling. It was jaw dropping. It’s beautiful. It’s thoughtful. It’s sort of not what you would expect at that… How can I put it? It’s in a beautiful neighborhood, a historic neighborhood, and one of the former presidents, Tony Jones, used to describe it, and I think it’s a perfect description. We are a factory between two showrooms. So we’ve got the Nelson-Atkins on one side, 200 yards away, and we have the Kemper Contemporary Museum on the other side, 200 yards away. So it is this incredibly rich, beautiful culture district. It’s beautiful.
Michael Mackie:
My very first apartment was on Warwick, which backs up to you guys. You guys were in my backyard and it was so fun to just walk around and get lost and yeah.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Right. It’s peaceful. It’s fun to be on the campus because you see incredibly creative students walking around.
Michael Mackie:
Facts.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
And they don’t look, they’re not cookie cutter, they’re all unique, they’re all different. They’re expressing their creativity and their identity and I just think it’s fabulous.
Michael Mackie:
You started your tenure sort of at the very beginning of a five-year strategic plan.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I did.
Michael Mackie:
So good timing. So let’s talk a little bit about, can you share KCAI’s upcoming vision for the next four or five years?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s a perfect time to have landed as a new president. I actually landed at the end of the first year of the strategic plan. So I started the beginning of year two. And we have been very faithfully, I would say, following the strategic plan. But what’s come out of it for the future is a really exciting framework for rethinking how we offer some of our curriculum. We’re redesigning actually the school itself. We’ve hired Ayers Saint Gross to do a revision of the buildings and landscape architect, Michael Ferguson landscape architects who have designed this incredibly beautiful rethinking of our outdoor spaces. It’s stunning.
And welcoming. It’s incredibly welcoming.
Yes. Yes. So these next five to 10 years and really beyond are going to be hugely impactful, I think, for KCAI.
Michael Mackie:
I’ve noticed that your curriculum keeps evolving. As the students keep evolving. So let’s talk a little bit about how the marketplace is changing with things like AI podcasts, like this, video. Talk to me about the ever evolving curriculum.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Okay, curriculum. So we offer, you said it at the beginning, we have 13 studio programs that we offer. I can name them if you want or not, but we offer what you would imagine being offered in an art and design college. We have everything from animation and illustration and ceramics and sculpture and painting to the design areas of graphic design, illustration, product design, and many things in between. We have minors, we have all of those things. The question of AI gets asked a lot to me right now, and I want to remind everybody that there was a time when computers were not really a thing and Adobe Suite was not really a thing.
Michael Mackie:
It was the ’90s, it was a different time.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It was a different time. But fax machines were a sort of weird new invention. And we look back now and we think, well, I mean, why were people so worried? AI is what I would refer to as a tool. And so our students, no surprise, want to create things. So they don’t want AI to create things for them, but in the evolution of tools, it’s another tool. And so we need to train. We need to learn how to use it. We need to make it work for us in our classrooms, in our studios, in the art that’s made, in the design that’s made. That’s what I’d say.
Michael Mackie:
I feel like AI has changed literally just in the time we’ve been talking. It’s evolved in the last 35 seconds. So yeah.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s so quick. And technology has always had this, it iterates so, so quickly and AI, I don’t know, it’s funny. It doesn’t scare me. It intrigues me, and I look forward. It’s not scary, it’s just how do we use it? How do we make it work for us?
Michael Mackie:
I know it seems like a good majority, at least half of the artists that we feature in KC Studio Magazine are alumni of KCAI.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes.
Michael Mackie:
So including Walt Disney. Hello. So let’s talk a little bit. Can you talk about the scope, the impact of your alumni and how you tap into those resources to leverage future growth?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I love this question so much. You have no idea. I think, I walked in the door and one of the first things I asked was how many of our alumni are in our database? What’s our number? And what are we doing? How are we in front of them? How are we engaging them? And fast forward a year, and we have a wonderful woman named Cory Imig, who is overseeing pretty much all of our alumni engagement and activities, but suddenly we’re having alumni receptions in Detroit, in Chicago, in Los Angeles. And she and her team put together our first ever alumni weekend. We had over 400 alumni at that weekend. We have another one coming up.
Michael Mackie:
I feel like your alumni are omnipresent.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
They’re everywhere.
Michael Mackie:
They’re everywhere.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Everywhere. Every industry that I’ve gone to, every business I’ve gone to, large, small, mid-size. The first thing I ask is, do you have any alumni of KCAI working here? And I’m introduced to them. I’ve not yet. Do you have any alumni working here?
Michael Mackie:
It’s weird. Crazy talk. Two of my besties that I graduated high school with are both alums and they’re both, one’s an artist and one’s a photographer here in town.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Okay. So you’re right. Our alumni work, they’re very intentional about their degrees, about what they want out of the Art Institute. Very intentional.
Michael Mackie:
Very proud. Very proud to say they’re an alum.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yeah, we have an amazing faculty. We’ve got beautiful facilities and studios and incredible staff and technicians, but the students are amazing when we get them. They’re just amazing.
Michael Mackie:
Can we talk about your new KCAI Gallery? You were hyping that literally as you were walking in the door. And also, I want to make sure I get this right, the Emily & Todd Voth Artspace, and I don’t think people are quite aware that you’ve sort of upgraded.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes, we have. So I’m going to just slightly correct the pronunciation. It’s Emily & Todd Voth.
Michael Mackie:
Voth. That’s on me.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
No, no. Why would you know if you don’t know? So the Emily & Todd Voth Artspace. Artspace is something that we’ve had since 1999. But you’re right, the upgrade is the naming that’s happened with Emily & Todd Voth. It’s an exciting gallery that really focuses as a bridge between KCAI and the community. And the community writ large.
Michael Mackie:
It’s very public facing.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s public facing gallery, so they’re rotating exhibitions. We do have our BFA shows in there at the end of the year, but really it is to showcase, welcome, present, the broader community. And so it’s exciting. And Emily and Todd Voth really, it’s the first thing they’ve ever put their name on.
Michael Mackie:
Wow.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
So it’s quite a big deal to us to have them. The KCAI Gallery, not to be confused with the Artspace, is more, I would say internal. It’s more programmed with students, faculty, alumni. There’s a more of an educational component to it. So that’s the gallery that’s on campus.
Michael Mackie:
I also like that there’s buzz around the new gallery. I’m a fan, so
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Oh, you are?
Michael Mackie:
Yeah.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
That’s awesome.
Michael Mackie:
I genuinely like that area. So yeah.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s wonderful.
Michael Mackie:
It’s
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s just wonderful.
Michael Mackie:
Ever changing.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
And ever changing. Yes. We’re working on signage and digital kinds of signage things on the exterior of the Emily & Todd Voth Artspace building. So we currently have more static but beautiful signage on the outside, but we’re trying to up our game there too.
Michael Mackie:
Let’s talk about sponsored studios where you can literally hire KCAI to produce a mural or create a project. Let’s talk about what that entails.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
So that’s actually been really a very cool and fun thing for me to learn more about and to see it all over town. So you’re right. A business, let’s say a business like the Folly Theater wants to have new posters for a season of performances. They contact usually Cory Imig and her team, and Cory and Audrey Kesler, who works with her, will kind of take the call first and determine which program or faculty member is a good fit. And then they do an arranged marriage. They have the marriage, and then the business says, we would like new posters. We would like a mural. We would like signage.
Michael Mackie:
Fill in the blank.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
We would fill in the blank. That’s right. And then we have students that do the work, and they get credit for it. It’s just a win-win. It really is. We’ve been at the zoo, we’ve been at Zehner, at Populous, I mean, you name it, we’re there. And everything’s small and large and in between.
Michael Mackie:
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from Arvest Bank. Arvest Bank believes that financial confidence should be within reach for everyone. Whether you’re just getting started planning for your future or starting a new chapter, we are here to help you plan and meet your goals every step of the way. Because everyone deserves a financial partner who cares. Arvest Bank. We Believe. For more information, visit arvest.com or visit one of our 20 locations throughout Kansas City.
And just in time for World Cup, you’ve got a new retail space called Marble and Canvas. What was the evolution of that? And more importantly, is it open now?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
We are open. You asked about our strategic plan. In the strategic plan, before I arrived, there was a suggestion that we not rely so heavily on tuition, that that is in fact
an important revenue stream for us, but that we have to diversify. We have to think like a business. And when I walked in the door, there was a desire for, and a budget for, opening a new store, but there really wasn’t a blueprint for that. So I will say that I wanted a name for the store that had a sense of legacy for us. And Marble and Canvas was something that was said to us in the donation of the Vanderslice building. Mr. Vanderslice said, I am giving you this building to see generations of young students who work in marble and canvas. And I thought, that’s a beautiful name.
Michael Mackie:
That just gave me goosebumps.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s a beautiful name.
Michael Mackie:
It’s very intentional.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Very intentional. So I thought, well, that has legacy. That would be a good name. So we spent the year, we hired a consultant, a design consultant, Gabe York. He did a beautiful job of designing the space. We’ve hired a director of retail, Shelly Cascio, and she is running the store. It opened two weeks ago and we had 600 people show up for the opening. But it’s really a retail gallery store is how I think I would describe it.
Michael Mackie:
I was just going to say, what can the public expect to find? What can the public expect to buy?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
If you are somebody who’s interested in art or design, if you are somebody who’s always thought about starting a collection, but you’re not uber, uber rich, but you love, you’d love some nice things in your home, this is the store. It’s perfect. It’s alumni predominantly, but we have a broader KCAI community work in there. But it’s everything from wall furnishings to home furnishings, to jewelry, to ceramics, to books, to furniture. It’s like a range. And it’s just so beautiful. Speaking of Emily Voth, she is a very well-known fragrance designer. She’s quite renowned for it. And she designs signature fragrances for the store. One fragrance is Marble and one fragrance is Canvas.
Michael Mackie:
So on brand.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Do you love that?
Michael Mackie:
So on brand. I love it.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes. So, the store is open. We’ve had some big parties of people come through. We’ve already begun selling quite a bit. There’s a turnover of course, of inventory as things are purchased. That’s what I would say.
Michael Mackie:
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from TIVOL. For more than a century, TIVOL has helped Kansas City mark treasured moments and create cherished memories with fine jewelry of the highest quality. Visit us at our Country Club Plaza or Hawthorne Plaza locations or online at tivol.com. TIVOL is proud to be a sponsor of this special podcast and to celebrate our city’s vibrant arts community.
And you’re right in the heart of The Arterie.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
We are.
Michael Mackie:
I love that name. And I know that we touched on it briefly, but let’s go back. So there’s a whole evolution of landscape and let’s talk a little bit about that, and how are you guys incorporating that with the surrounding galleries that are nearby?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Okay. The Arterie. We’ll start with that. And then we can move into public art. How about that?
Michael Mackie:
In case people aren’t familiar with what The Arterie is.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Exactly. So again, it was one of those, I walked in the door and there had been probably a year, maybe even longer, of discussions about creating something called The Arterie. And it really is in tandem with the streetcar. So the streetcar coming up Main has a stop right in what I would call the heart of this culture district. So up Main and Warwick and 45th, we’re right in there. There’s a streetcar stop. So The Arterie starts at that stop. People get off the streetcar and they walk over to the the Kemper. They enjoy the Kemper. They walk across the street in very visibly marked Arterie signage, wayfinding, onto our campus. They can go into the coffee shop, the Cafe Nerman. They can go into Marble and Canvas. They can continue a beautiful path right on over to the Nelson-Atkins. That’s The Arterie. And really, World Cup, Arterie, public, people coming and going. This is what we’re hoping to showcase.
Michael Mackie:
So convenient too. So convenient.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It is! And it’s right near the Plaza. We’re right near Loose Park. We’re in this amazing area that we want to showcase and encourage the public to just come and visit.
Michael Mackie:
It’s right there.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It’s right here.
Michael Mackie:
And it’s 1, 2, 3, boom, boom, boom.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
And again, the Plaza, let’s just not forget, is walking distance from all of this as well. It’s just, it is wonderful.
Michael Mackie:
And speaking of the streetcar, now that it goes from the Country Club Plaza all the way to the Riverfront, have you guys been anticipating an uptick? Have you seen an uptick in visitors? And do the students, do you find the students are riding it more often?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
So that’s such a good question. We haven’t personally had the time or the luxury just yet to collect data on that. I definitely see more foot traffic on our campus. So that’s just me with my eyeballs looking out there. I definitely see more, the students are very focused on graduation and end of semester and doing all of that. So I can’t answer you. Are they aware of it? Do they . . . I don’t know. I think they’re very focused on their school, their schoolwork. But I’ve talked with my colleagues, Julian and Jessica, on either side, and we all are experiencing more foot traffic, so that’s good.
Michael Mackie:
That is good.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yeah, it’s a good thing.
Michael Mackie:
Ooh, that streetcar. There are about to be 600,000 people
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I know.
Michael Mackie:
In our city for FIFA World Cup. No pressure.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Are you ready?
Michael Mackie:
I’m ready. I think the question is, are you ready?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
We’re ready.
Michael Mackie:
Okay. The next three months, what do you have planned? What’s up your sleeve?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Well, the next three months really for us is exactly doing what we do, cuz we’re in the business of educating. So it is, we have our largest event of the year is called Art Pop, and that comes around May 7.
Michael Mackie:
That is a fun event.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It is a fun event.
Michael Mackie:
That is a fun event.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Anywhere from 600 to a thousand people come through and see art, see our studios, meet our students. They can buy things. There are food trucks.
Michael Mackie:
Complete sidebar. Have you picked out, have you chosen what you’re wearing yet?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I haven’t yet because I had to really focus on the opening of Marble and Canvas. It was themed. So then I had to, it was French Quarter themed, so I had to figure out what that meant and then figure out how that translated
Michael Mackie:
An ensemble.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
An ensemble. So I don’t know yet on Art Pop, but I think this weekend will be my time to decide that.
Yes.
Michael Mackie:
Okay, deal.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
We’re really for the World Cup and for people. We have a dining hall. We have a coffee shop. We’ve got our new Marble and Canvas. We have the Emily & Todd Voth Artspace, which is open free to the public. So we really want to just showcase who we are and welcome people in.
Michael Mackie:
Is it going to be all hands on deck for the next three months?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
All hands on deck. Yes.
Michael Mackie:
And you’re ready?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes. I think we’re ready. Fingers crossed. We’re ready. Yes, we are.
Michael Mackie:
Are there any highlights that people should know about or visitors that are perhaps watching this podcast should narrow in on? What are the nuances that we need to know about?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Well, I definitely would check out Marble and Canvas. It’s unlike any other retail, it’s not a gift shop. You don’t just drop in and buy a little tchotchke. It’s not that kind of store. But it is beautiful and very unique and very KCAI. So I would encourage people to check that out. Check out Art Pop on May 7. .You haven’t left anything out.
Michael Mackie:
No.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I think we’ve covered
Michael Mackie:
I’m very thorough.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Everything. You are.
Michael Mackie:
I am putting you on the spot. Do you have a favorite piece of artwork? I know they’re all like your babies. Do you have a favorite piece of artwork on the campus or in the galleries or something that really catches your eye?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Well, there is not one thing. I mean that sincerely. It’s not because I don’t want to name anything. I think what I would say to answer that question is I am so surprised every time I walk into one of our studios, just when I think I’ve seen it all or I’ve seen the most amazing work, I’ll walk into a ceramic studio or into sculpture or into design, and I’ll think, that’s amazing! So there isn’t one thing, there just isn’t. It’s the size of the creativity that’s on display that I am touched by.
Michael Mackie:
What in the last year have you done from an artistic standpoint or going to a show or whatever, that has just blown you away? That has just really, do you have a highlighting moment from the last year?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
In Kansas City?
Michael Mackie:
In Kansas City. Yes, ma’am.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
So not just just KCAI?
Michael Mackie:
No. In the city proper.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I’ve been to the opera. So I want to say that Porgy and Bess was amazing. It was incredible. I have been to various concerts and the quality of the music has been incredible. I’ve been to galleries, a lot. And again,
Michael Mackie:
First Friday for the win.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Okay, First Friday. My first First Friday, I just remember standing still and going, oh my God. Oh my God. A lot of cities have First Friday or First Saturday or First Tuesday, they have variations. And I’ve been to many, I’ve participated in many, but this was off the chain. Seriously.
Michael Mackie:
And also, all the visitors need to be aware that there’s a selfie art trail, which I’m not that familiar with, but it sounds pretty cool between the multiple museums and galleries and all the things.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes. Yes. I want to encourage everybody to participate in this. It’s going to be really fun.
Michael Mackie:
Who doesn’t like a good selfie?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Who doesn’t like a good selfie? And oh, by the way, prizes. So come out and along the way you take selfies, you post them, you can win awards or win prizes. And it’s just a very interactive, fun way to A. Be outside. It’s for visitors, it’s for people who live in the neighborhood. It’s for everybody, just to be out in a beautiful culture district and taking pictures and enjoying the outdoors.
Michael Mackie:
And to post and to show off.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Yes.
Michael Mackie:
And remember, if it doesn’t happen on social media, it doesn’t happen.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
It doesn’t. Right!
Michael Mackie:
Right? What else have we not talked about? What else is in the forefront of what we need to talk about at KCAI and what you guys are bringing to the table?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
I would say, I want to reiterate a couple of things that you actually mentioned at the very beginning, but it’s really a point of pride for us. We are the oldest cultural institution. We take what we do very seriously, which is almost an oxymoron when you think it’s creative, but we take it so seriously. We’re great stewards of our resources, our assets, our money, our students, A lot of people don’t know this, but it’s again, pride point per capita. So for our size, we have the strongest endowment of any art and design college in the country. So that’s a big deal for us. We have donors and supporters and alumni that really see the value in creativity and in the kind of education that we offer Pride Point. So I just want to reiterate that we are known throughout the country. I think we’re going to be known much more throughout the world as our alumni spread their wings and we engage them and celebrate them. But that’s what I’d say. It’s so cool.
Michael Mackie:
It is so cool. You have one year under your belt. Have you exhaled? Are you
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Oh no. Gosh. If only! If only I could exhale at this moment. No, no. I’m trying to just keep it going and at least get through my first full year. That’s what
Michael Mackie:
I just want you to get through World Cup. Let’s just get through World Cup and then the rest of the year can happen on its own. Okay?
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Right. Yeah.
Michael Mackie:
Well, I want to thank you for being here today. Thank you so much. You’ve been an excellent guest.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Thank you.
Michael Mackie:
And it’s your first Artful Connections Along the Streetcar podcast. So there you go.
Dr. Peggy Shannon:
Thank you so much for inviting me, and really, thank you for celebrating what I think is an amazing institution. Kansas City Art Institute.
Michael Mackie:
Thank you for being here today. Appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us today on our monthly stop of the Artful Connections Along the Streetcar podcast presented by Arvest Bank and sponsored by TIVOL. You can find this podcast and our future stops wherever you find your favorite podcasts. As a reminder, this is Michael Mackie for KC Studio, Kansas City’s only full-time magazine, website, and e-newsletter with professional journalists covering the cultural arts region. Go to kcstudio.org to check out all our upcoming arts events, our latest podcast, and to sign up now to receive your free, yes, just like the streetcar, your free magazine, six times a year in your mailbox, or to receive our weekly newsletters at kcstudio.org/subscribe. Thanks for riding with us during this month’s episode.
