Snowy Owl, Stephen T. Landis 2025-26 Collection
Drive through almost any corner of town and you’ll be greeted by color, shape and imagination — the quiet ambassadors of public art. Whether statues or murals or painted sidewalks, they brighten the community and the experience of living here.
Our region is blessed with many of them: From the Avenue of the Murals in KCK to the fountains of Ward Parkway, from the giant bookshelf on the downtown Kansas City, Missouri, Library garage to the Parade of Hearts scattered across the metro … our region is rich with them.
They don’t just pop up overnight, like mushrooms after a rain. Each piece — whether expansive or modest — is the result of a decision by a local art council after a lot of consideration, arguing and bureaucratic surfing. I sit on one of those: the Olathe Public Art Committee.
We’re the group that helps decide what beauty looks like in Olathe. Volunteers all, we’re appointed by the mayor and rely on public funds, private partnerships and a deep well of enthusiasm. It’s an important task, considering Olathe is the Shawnee word for beautiful.
Every year we rotate seven or so large outdoor sculptures — chiefly downtown or in parks. They come to us from applicants throughout the country and go through a multi-layered winnowing. We also select permanent works in many media for the city’s growing collection.
I’ll be candid. Not all of the options tickle me. Some I just don’t understand. I’m not a big fan of painted I-beams, for instance, but that seems to be a trend these days. And sure enough, the committee selected one. Art’s like that — one person’s masterpiece is another person’s “Why is there an orange Erector Set on my commute?”
Nonetheless, every early spring we dive in, looking at more than 100 submissions. Some stand out immediately; others stew a bit before they rise or fall. We judge. We cut. We judge again. We argue. We judge some more. We choose. We sigh … and wait to start again.
It’s so rewarding, to be honest. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. But I can still help make art happen.
Just recently, in fact, I saw one of the pieces I championed for the first time. It’s a large, smooth white owl sitting near City Hall. It made me smile — not just because it’s a beauty, but because I had some very small part in finding it a new, if temporary, home.
The little things do mean a lot. But the committee doesn’t just think in “owl-sized” increments.
There are the big things. And it doesn’t get much bigger than the dramatic piece we selected for a new roundabout at 119th and Northgate when that major roadway expansion is finished. Nearly 50 feet tall, this rainbowed beauty is going to be a defining gateway once it’s up in early 2028. More than 200 artists from around the world applied. We’re thrilled with the winner we chose.
It doesn’t stop there. Our committee facilitates a festival that celebrates all the arts every fall. We are expanding the city’s collection of murals, anticipating a public gallery to showcase local artists, enhancing common spaces and more.
Why? Because a beautiful city deserves beautiful things. We’ll stake our name on that one.
Wherever you live, take a moment to look around you. You’ll be pleased with what you see — because art matters to you, your neighbors and the community you call home.
–Ron Fredman
