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."

When Kansas City decided to upgrade its airport, the plan included the largest public art project in the city's history. Missouri's "One Percent for Art" program asks that one percent of public construction costs be earmarked for public art. This provides a means for aesthetic enhancements in community spaces while enabling artists to flourish.

The criteria for art in the arrival and departure gate area at KCI included the requirement that artists live in the greater Kansas City metro area or have significant ties to Kansas City. Rachel Hubbard Kline is both a Kansas City resident and closely allied with the city's storied aviation history: her grandfather and uncle were TWA pilots; a third uncle was a Delta pilot; and three of her aunts were or are flight attendants (two flew for TWA, and one is still flying with Delta, where she has been a flight attendant for over 50 years) "I am proud that my artwork is in the Delta section of the airport," Kline says.

"Kansas City: A Quilted History" includes twenty separate combinations of news topics and heirloom quilt patterns, which were then arranged in 3 larger panels to disrupt the design. The fragmented quilt pieces are reminders of how separate parts connect to the whole, symbolizing unity. Kline paired each pattern to a unique Kansas City institution or event, such as "Four-Leaf Clover" for gambling, "Charm" for cultural institutions, "Raindrop" for river floods, "Four Crowns" for the Chiefs Super Bowl and Royals World Series, "Flying Colors” for the American Royal, "Many Roads to the White House" for President Truman's election, "Tumbling Blocks" for the Hyatt hotel skywalk disaster, and "Friendship Name Chain" for mayoral elections.

Look closely at each panel to see the laser-engraved news articles embedded in each design, or see the pictures in this Clio entry below for detailed images.

Rachel Hubbard Kline - Artist Website. Accessed July 17th, 2024. https://www.rachelvhubbard.com/.

Rachel Hubbard Kline - Kansas City: A Quilted History, KCI Public Art. Accessed July 17th, 2024. https://flykc.com/public-art.