FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 14, 2006

Art exhibition highlights Kansas City public art

Kansas Citians will celebrate the city's rich public art heritage Dec. 15 with the grand opening of "Art City: Twenty Years of Public Art in Kansas City."

The photo exhibition of art in the City's One Percent for Art Program started its run Nov. 17 and it will show through Jan. 6, 2007 at the Urban Culture Project Space, 21 E. 12th St. The grand opening will be held Dec. 15 from 4:30-8 p.m. to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the City Council's adoption of the One Percent for Art ordinance. Mayor Kay Barnes is scheduled to speak at the grand opening. The City Council will recognize the anniversary during its Dec. 14 legislative session.

The City of Kansas City, Mo., One Percent for Art Program, one of more than 300 public art programs in the country, allots 1 percent of the budget for new building construction and renovation to the creation of unique artwork associated with the site. This program has created a variety of work ranging from "Pulse," a light sculpture by Kansas City's own Jim Woodfill and el dorado inc., to R.M. Fischer's iconic "Sky Stations," which has graced the downtown skyline for more than a decade.

"We've got an amazing public art collection in Kansas City," said Porter Arneill, director of the Municipal Art Commission. "Artists from across the metropolitan area and around the world have left their mark on Kansas City thanks to the One Percent for Art Program, and this show gives us a unique opportunity to look back over their contribution to our city."

"Art City: Twenty Years of Public Art in Kansas City" is being presented in conjunction with the Urban Culture Project.

For more information about the exhibition, call Sean Demory, Capital Improvements Management Office, (816) 513-0059.