2026 Art In the Loop Project: Visual & Performing Artists Announced

By Ann Holliday, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Downtown Council of Kansas City

The Art in the Loop Foundation is pleased to announce the 2026 Art in the Loop performing and visual artists.

The Art in the Loop Project is a curated outdoor exhibition of temporary artworks and performance series presented in partnership with the KC Streetcar. This year marks the thirteenth year for the Art in the Loop Project and includes visual artwork based on paintings and digitized illustrations, and performance artwork based in dance, experimental jazz, hip hop, spoken word, and more.

This year, we asked artists to respond to our theme, Home and explore the places, people, and dreams that bring us back to ourselves. We encouraged artists to reflect on the various emotions associated with the idea of home—the catalyst for the ways in which we experience life and evolve over time.

Artists are selected for the annual program through an online application process open to artists in the greater Kansas City area. A selection panel consisting of local artists, curators, educators, and community members reviewed over 135 applications and selected 26 visual and performing artists.

The following visual artists’ works will be displayed at KC Streetcar shelters,on one KC Streetcar vehicle, and within Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park between the end of May and November 2026:

Visual Artists and Art Installations:

• Anjola Ayodele, Carried By Sound
• Cheryl Gail, Small Works Art Gallery
• Christine Cookson, Wandering Dreams
• Deanna Dikeman, Patio Barbecues
• DINKC, We Are Home
• Kai Johnson, Home is Imagination
• Kevin VanEmburgh, Seasons of Home
• Michelle Briggs, Blossoming Origins
• Ramona Cliff, Evening Flights
• Taylar Sanders, A Modern Belonging
• Vania Soto, Abuelita’s Kitchen is Home

The following performing artists will present an incredible summer revue of free performances. For fans of music, dance, and spoken word, we are certain that there will be something engaging for everyone.

Performance Artists & Schedule:

• Kick-Off Event | June 3, 5:30 p.m. at Kansas City Public Library – Central Library
  • Ryan Marquez Trio
  • Hood Dude Food Review
  • Beatrice C. Henry

• Oppenstein Park Performances | June 18, 5:30 p.m., Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park
  • City in Motion Dance Theater
  • The Royal Chief
  • MissConception
  • Gypsy Soul Work

• Art Walk | July 21, 6:00 p.m., Location TBD
  • All visual artists

• 816 Day Performances | August 16, 6:00 p.m., City Market
  • The DynamitExperience
  • BodaciousThang
  • FK MENACE

• Art Ride | September 23, 6:00 p.m.
  • Beth Watts Nelson
  • HeadHunterz

• Closing Reception | October 29, 5:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library – Central Library
  • Ernest Melton and Friends
  • Socorro Reyes Ramirez

Art in the Loop will also feature special social practice engagements and installations by “A Girl &” throughout the season!

The Art in the Loop Foundation will hold a Kick-Off event for the 2026 Art in the Loop Project: Home, on Wednesday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library: Central Library. Guests will enjoy an evening of art and music as they are invited to meet the 2026 performing and visual artists. The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with musical performances by the Ryan Marquez Trio, Social Practice storytelling by Beatrice C. Henry and the lyrical stylings of Hood Dude Food Review. Guests are invited to meet with performing and visual artists for a chance to learn about the work the artists are creating for this year’s project. Please join us for this event, which is free and open to the public. Click here to RSVP.

The 2026 Art in the Loop Project is provided visual artistic guidance by Khyneesha Edwards, who is serving in her second year as the Visual Arts Director for Art in the Loop. Edwards is an award-winning graphic designer and entrepreneur with 10 years of experience in brand development, community organizing, and collaborative leadership. Edwards has been a member of AIGA Kansas City since 2019, serving multiple roles and leading the organization as President in 2023-2024. She takes pride in using her lifelong passion for creativity to fuel and support clients, creatives, and organizations who make a lasting impact on society by giving voice to the voiceless and empowering marginalized communities.

The 2026 Art in the Loop Project is provided performance artistic guidance by Jade Osborne, who is serving in her fourth year as Performing Arts Director for Art in the Loop. Jade Osborne is an international performance artist, arts activist, facilitator, mentor, and speaker. She has worked in non-profit education, served in AmeriCorps, and has been a Poet and Artist in Residence (Capoeira & Aerial Acrobatics). She was the first female Capoeira performer in the U.S. and in Hong Kong and helped pioneer aerial acrobatics in Kansas City with Voler – Thieves of Flight Performance Ensemble.

Community, Sponsors & Supporters

Artists have played a key role in the revitalization of Downtown Kansas City over the past few decades, and through programs like Art in the Loop, this will continue. In the words of renowned local artist Michael Toombs,  “Through projects like Art in the Loop, Downtown KC is becoming part of a highly visible cultural landscape that reminds us of who we are, as well as inspires us in who we are yet to become.” We have unique opportunities for your organization to connect with the community and support local artists through sponsorships and charitable donations.

We appreciate the generous support of the KC Streetcar Authority, Henderson Engineers, Stinson LLP, Copaken Brooks, and the Kansas City Art Institute. This project is funded in part by the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation, and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, with public support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, as well as other corporate sponsorships and philanthropic contributions.

For more information, contact Ann Holliday, ann@downtownkc.org, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Downtown Council and Executive Director of the Art in the Loop Foundation.

We appreciate the support and participation of all our project partners including the Downtown Council, Downtown Community Improvement Districts, KC Streetcar, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City Art Institute, City Market and Union Station.

For more information about the project and the artists, visit www.artintheloop.com, www.facebook.com/artintheloop, or https://www.instagram.com/artintheloop.

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Contacts:

Art in the Loop
Ann Holliday, Program Director, ann@downtownkc.org, (c) 816-718-1355

Khyneesha Edwards, Visual Arts Director, neeshaedwards26@gmail.com

Jade Osborne, Performing Arts Director, jadeosborneart@gmail.com

KC Streetcar

Donna Mandelbaum, Communications & Marketing Director, dmandelbaum@kcstreetcar.org,  (c) 816-877-3219