With Millions Of Dollars On The Line, Stakes Are High For Kansas City’s Art World In 2020

Photo caption:  James Martin, Kansas City, Missouri’s new public art administrator, measures a wall at the KC Pet Project’s new shelter. The city’s One Percent for Art Program has funded several new animal-themed paintings by Westwood-based artist Michael Savage.

Kansas City’s art world is at a turning point.

A brand new public art administrator has stepped into office at Kansas City, Missouri’s City Hall — the position had been vacant for more than a year — just in time to oversee the city’s largest public-art investment in the city’s history at the new terminal under construction at Kansas City International Airport. […]

Why you should care – Besides the fact that art makes our hometown interesting and nourishes humanity, it’s also big business. “The arts are also our area’s third largest employer, with almost 9,000 people, so talking about the impact of the arts is a cultural, economic, and workforce discussion,” says Branden Haralson of ArtsKC-Regional Arts Council. According to ArtsKC’s latest figures, spending by metro audiences totaled $96.6 million in 2015, and the industry’s total economic impact was more than $276 million. […]

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