Kansas City International Airport (Tour) - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. Fountain by Leo Villarel

Leo Villareal’s sculpture pays homage to Kansas City’s legacy as The City of Fountains with the programmed illumination of thousands of LEDs. Today, visitors will find more than 200 fountains scattered throughout the metro area. From small and simple to sprawling and majestic, these features can be found in parks, courtyards, and tree-lined boulevards. Forty of these fountains are operated and maintained by the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department. See below for a guided tour of Kansas City fountains.

2. Made of KC by Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez

One of several murals by Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez, this work at the entrance to Made of KC Food Hall includes many of the symbols of Kansas City, from the fountain in the center to the jazz musician in front of Union Station. Four of the city's professional sports teams, the Royals, Chiefs, Sporting KC, and the KC Current, have their logos on the four pylons of the city's downtown convention center.Alvarez and Tapia work together as muralists under the name IT-RA Icons, and were asked to represent iconic Kansas City landmarks for this piece. The duo’s creativity also extends inside the Made of KC Food Hall, where a second large mural, “KC Icons,” encompasses an even greater variety of important local sites.Walking through the two concourses of Kansas City International Airport, one notices that many restaurants, lounges, and shops are named after famed Kansas City neighborhoods and musicians. Across from the Made of KC Food Hall is Jay "Hootie" McShann's Blues Bar, named in honor of one of the icons of Kansas City jazz and blues.

3. Cone Worship by John W. Hans

One of the recurring themes within the concourse artwork at Kansas City International is the connection between art and aviation design. This work by photographer John Hans depicts a field of yellow cones with a pyramid-shaped indicator similar to a wind cone that provides information to pilots to help them know wind direction and speed during takeoffs and landings.

4. Ode to the Tallgrass Prairie by Linda Lighton

Local artist Linda Lighton used a combination of paint, ceramic tile, wood, and metal to create this work, which pays homage to the largest remaining tallgrass prairie on the planet. Located in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is the only national park unit dedicated to the tallgrass prairie and is just a two-hour drive from the airport. The artist explains that she was inspired both by the beauty of the prairie and its flora and fauna, which once covered 170 million acres of North America, as well as its loss as less than 4% of that prairie remains intact owing to farming and ranching. Most of the remaining tallgrass prairies are in two reserves, one in Oklahoma and the other in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

5. Rays by Laura Crehuet Berman

This three-paneled work by Laura Berman depicts tufts of prairie grass on the landscape, or from the perspective of some travelers, the colorful designs mirror the sun's rays over the midwestern prairies. The artist, who teaches printmaking at Kansas City Art Institute, explains that she is a nervous traveler and so she hoped to create something that presented a sense of calm. Whatever passengers see in her design, Berman explained that she hopes that it will help to calm them as they wait for their flights.

6. Diaspora by Israel Garcia

Located next to gate A16, this multimedia collage by Israel Garvia centers on the diverse experiences of people who have become immigrants, whether forced, voluntary, or somewhere in between. In this work, the artist brings in a diverse assortment of photographs and items of cultural heritage. Panels with white Xs represent the missing narratives of people of color that have been excluded or erased from history.

7. Soiree: Food, Music, and Culture from 18th and Vine

Area residents and frequent travelers to Kansas City will notice that many of the restaurants in the new terminal are smaller versions of neighborhood establishments. Soiree, for example, is an anchor of the 18th and Vine Neighborhood and is located at the site of the historic Street Hotel, an establishment that served Black travelers in the early 20th century. The original restaurant is located near the American Jazz Museum and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the art and photographs located within the airport version of the restaurant reflect life and history in the 18th and Vine District.Kansas City muralists Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez were chosen to bring this unique location to life in their 3-panel series, “Soiree.” Tapia and Alvarez have been collaborating as the artist team IT-RA Icons since 2017, and have painted over forty murals in the Kansas City area, plus other pieces nationwide. Both artists moved to Kansas City at a young age from outside the U.S.—Rodrigo from Uruguay and Isaac from Mexico City—and honor local communities as well as their unique identities in their art.

8. Cloud Gazing: Concourse Connector Ceiling

The airport's two concourses are connected through an elevated walkway that includes ten colorful "clouds" created using aluminum, printed acoustic tiles, and nylon straps. Travelers are surrounded by natural light on both sides thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows while the artwork on the ceiling creates an appearance of moving through the sky as they walk along the open concourse or utilize the moving walkways on both sides. In the middle of the connector, visitors are invited to explore the history of Kansas City and the history of aviation with four sets of panels that include media, historic photographs, and text. While most of the artwork in the airport was created by local artists, the commission for this piece went to SOFTlab of New York City.

9. History of Aviation in Kansas City

These four panels in the center of the concourse connecter share both the history of aviation in Kansas City and the history of the city itself. Each of the four panels incorporated historic photographs and media with text that offers a detailed introduction to each topic while being mindful of the traveler's time. Highlights of the exhibit on aviation include information about the indigenous and enslaved peoples who first inhabited this land, and the various airports and terminals that have served the city, along with historic airlines such as the iconic Trans World Airlines that was once headquartered in Kansas City.

10. City Market

This airport market pays homage to Kansas City's original center of commerce along the Missouri River, which dates back to 1857. Visitors to the airport who are familiar with downtown Kansas City's City Market will recognize the simple roof design, which mirrors the open spaces and vendor stalls of the venerable Kansas City institution that continues to offer farmer's markets and a variety of year-round vendors and restaurants.

11. Ornithology by Willie Cole

In tribute to Kansas City Jazz legend Charlie “Bird” Parker and his 1946 tune titled “Ornithology,” New Jersey artist Willie Cole assembled a flock of twelve saxophone birds that fly over retail atrium B. The birds of Ornithology, defined as the science of birds, were assembled using hundreds of Alto Saxophones, Parker’s instrument of choice, and re-contextualizes the iconic bebop sound. The saxophones were manufactured by Mike Corrigan of the local business BAC Music and constructed by Cole inside the Boone Theatre in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.

12. Prairie Confluence by Mona Cliff

Composed of three geometric cross-sectional slices of cherry wood, Prairie Confluence spans 17 feet. Each plank features exposed knots and rings and appears to be encased by raw bark, however, a closer look exposes a rich texture of intricately and beautifully arranged beadwork. The texture is created from beeswax, copal resin, and pine rosin and adorned with colorful seed beads, inspired by local artist Mona Cliff’s Native American heritage and organic influences of the region’s landscape, including skyscapes, waterways, and rolling hills.

13. Midwestern Meanderings by JT Daniels

Kansas City muralist J.T. Daniels weaves characters and phrases together in his work. His piece “Midwestern Meanderings” reflects this commitment to combination: driving thirty minutes in any direction from Kansas City allows you to experience vastly different environments and people. Urban, rural, and suburban areas mix seamlessly in Daniels’s work, along with vibrant people who reflect the diversity of the Kansas City metro.

14. Separate and Complex Bodies, Sophisticated Interactions, and Unfathomable Lives by Santiago Cucullu

Argentina native, Milwaukee resident, and visiting professor at the Kansas City Art Institute Santiago Cucullu created this panoramic piece using the flora in surrounding wooded areas as inspiration. He photographed flora in areas like Swope Park and Kaw Point at the emergence of spring, then composed and recolored the images in a way that provokes the audience to view these familiar forms in a new light; a common theme through Cucullu’s work. Separate and Complex Bodies, Sophisticated Interactions, and Unfathomable Lives is an archival print on aluminum.

15. Kansas City: A Quilted History by Rachel Hubbard Kline

Located near gate B46, this ceramic tile installation features quilt patterns featured in the Kansas City Star between 1928 and 1961. The artist transferred laser engravings of historic news stories from the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times onto the clay tiles that are home to the colorful patterns, creating a layered work where patterns of quilts live alongside events (and perhaps patterns) from history. For example, looking closely at the red and blue blazing star quilt pattern, one can see news clippings that pay tribute to Kansas City sports teams and stadiums. "Archeologists dig up pottery shards from ancient civilizations, which offer insight into the culture," says Rachel Hubbard Kline, whose work is based on historical connections to place, ancestry, and women’s work." I hope Kansas City residents see something in my piece that reminds them of their relationship with the city and that visitors are inspired to learn more about Kansas City’s rich history."

16. Kansas City Reciprocity by Sean Nash

Artist Sean Nash’s connection to Kansas City's food network informs his piece, “Kansas City Reciprocity.” Drawing on his ties to underrecognized agricultural workers and regenerative agriculture practices, Nash created a landscape of vibrant foods to symbolize colorful forms like a rainbow, waves, and a sun, but also the ingenuity of local farms who are reclaiming agricultural knowledge.

17. I Spy Carry-On by Kati Toivanen

Taking inspiration from the visual riddles from the popular I Spy book series, local artist Kati Toivanen composed I Spy Carry-On which is located by Gate B52 by using items that could be found in a family’s carry-on luggage. Implementing a shadow-show approach, she placed the individual objects on vellum paper. She photographed them from underneath a light table before digitally arranging them into three collages. The intriguing visual compilations showcase everyday items, children's toys, and more, with additional objects paying homage to local culture. By creating three separate pieces, Toivanen alludes to the universal process by travelers and the continuous nature of carry-on luggage being X-rayed at an airport's security checkpoint.After coming to the United States from Finland, Kati Toivanen earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Art Institute of Chicago. As an active artist and educator, Toivanen has been the recipient of multiple grants, awards, and fellowships, has been featured in solo and group exhibits internationally, is the author of multiple publications, and is currently a Professor of Studio Art at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

18. Kansas City Stockyards; Stockyards Brewing

This airport restaurant operated by the iconic West Bottoms establishment Stockyards Brewing pays tribute to Kansas City's history as the central hub of beef production in the Great Plains and includes several works by area artists. Kansas City's West Bottoms was home to the second-largest stockyard in the United States, trailing only behind the Union Stock Yards in Chicago. Founded in 1870 and operating until it closed in 1991, the Kansas City stockyards included all aspects of the business, including finance, at the historic Live Stock Exchange Building, which is home to the Golden Ox Restaurant- a Kansas City landmark that continues to attract visitors to the West Bottoms. Beginning in 1899, the stockyards began what is known today as the American Royal Livestock and Horse Show. At the height of its operations, between 1911 and the devastating flood of 1951, the stockyards sold millions of cattle, including cows, hogs, sheep, horses, and many other animals.

19. Fly-Over Country: The Wild Side by Rachelle Gardner-Roe

Using hand-dyed wool from Shetland sheep and alpaca raised on her family farm, Meadowtree Farm, local artist Rachelle Gardner-Roe brings a variety of fauna and flora of the Midwest to life in Fly-over Country: The Wild Side. Composed of three, 40-inch by 60-inch textile panels, this framed textile piece was crafted by sewing the design over colorful layers of wool. The immense detail created by “drawing” with the thread creates a three dimensional effect and is a technique Gardner-Roe commonly applies to her fiber work.

20. People of KC by Kwanza Humphrey

Five individual oil paintings of three women and two men comprise the People of KC by local artist Kwanza Humphrey, who believes that, “A city isn’t about the objects, buildings or what there is to do, but it’s about the people.” In his vivid paintings, Humphrey strives to make the invisible, visible; convert the ordinary into extraordinary; and seeks to reveal a greater truth in our existence by uncovering the true nature of others through the power of observation beyond the surface. Each portrait depicts a real Kansas Citian - Necia, Harold, Andrea, Jose, and Jana - and represents the essence of humanity and our shared longing of truth and love.

21. Sight Lines, Flight Lines

Artist John Louder’s fascination with maps led him to a unique approach: depicting a traditional ground-level landscape, along with an overhead map view of the same area. Color-coded lines on the satellite perspective denote the field of view, and an airplane’s shadow points in the direction of the KCI airport. Louder hopes this double view will inspire visitors with the richness of the Kansas City landscape, and that the two perspectives enlarge travelers’ understanding of representational space.

Glass artist Hasna Sal’s ten-panel artwork “Nostalgia” transforms her memories of Kansas City environments into impressive lighted murals made with the sgraffito technique. This process involves multiple layers of pigment, which are scraped away to create the pictures: horseback riding, a father and son playing soccer, and snow skiing in Weston, MO. Sal travels frequently and is always excited to share memories of her hometown with those she meets. She says the inspiration for her pieces sometimes takes time, but this artwork “just came from the heart, pure and simple.”

23. Hello and Goodbye by Kathy Liao

Hello and Goodbye was created using a 16-foot by 4-foot birch wood panel and is adorned with ceramic insets and gold leaf. Featuring painted figures depicting artist Kathy Liao’s grandmother, the piece reflects layers of memories from Liao’s personal experiences with family and travel, and symbolizes the rituals of arrival, departure, and connections.

24. Woven Landscape

Debbie Barrett-Jones is an artist who takes inspiration from the seasonal rhythms and changes of the prairies and landscapes of the Midwest. Her work, “Woven Landscape,” is created from photographs of hand-woven yarn on a 16-harness loom. Her curiosity about multiple perspectives caused Barrett-Jones to sculpt her weavings and then capture them as photographs, creating a rich representation of quiet moments like a long walk or a drive through the country.

25. Taking Flight by Stephen Proski

Stephen Proski’s triptych artwork “Taking Flight” represents the three stages of air travel: liftoff, cruising altitude, and final approach. Proski, a blind/disabled artist, was interested in the opposite reactions passengers often have to an impending flight: excitement and fear, and wanted to depict them during air travel, both conversing and observing. The last panel shows Kaw Point, the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers not far from the Kansas City International Airport.

26. Dreaming of The Beautiful Places You Will Go by Bernadette Esperanza Torres

Flowers are central to Bernadette Esperanza Torres’s work as a ceramic artist. Torres grew up as the daughter of a florist, so she has always been surrounded by flowers and inspired by their fragility, beauty, and life cycles. Torres’s piece “Dreaming of the Beautiful Places You Will Go” is a large plexiglass sculpture formed of digital images of her ceramic works. It includes a self-portrait, which is dreaming while awake of bigger artistic horizons, and a universe as positive, loving, and beautiful as the flowers that inspired it.

27. Kansas Braids and Grass Style by Hong Chun Zhang

Embracing her Chinese identity, world-renowned local artist Hong Chun Zhang uses her long, black hair as inspiration for drawings that depict her cross-cultural experiences. After moving to Lawrence, Kansas in 2004, Zhang fell in love with the topography. Using a Chinese technique of fine-style painting with charcoal on paper, Zhang illustrates the native regional landscape of wheat with braids in Kansas Braids and tall-grass with wispy strands of hair in Grass Style.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Kansas City International Airport

Created by David J. Trowbridge on July 18th 2023, 1:23:03 am.

Get a QR Code for this tour

Description

When Kansas City International Airport opened in 1972 at the former location of Mid-Continent Airport, it featured three curved terminals with gates that were only 75 feet from the roadway. With three runways and dozens of gates, along with the growth of Kansas City-based airlines like Braniff and TWA, residents were optimistic that their city would become one of the nation's largest airline hubs. Instead, the jet age made midwestern stopovers a thing of the past, and the airport's three terminals never reached their designed passenger capacity. With increased security measures, the once-convenient and car-centric three-terminal design proved untenable as it required multiple security checkpoints and passenger waiting areas. A new single terminal design was constructed between 2019 and 2023. The single terminal design eliminated the ability to "drive to your gate," a central selling point of the 1972 design. However, the new terminal makes it possible for travelers to move throughout the entire airport after passing through a central security checkpoint. The new terminal is also filled with work from local artists under the city's One Percent for Art program.

Share