Celebrating 13 Years of Art, Artists and Downtown Kansas City

Celebrating 13 Years of Art, Artists and Downtown Kansas City

What happens when you take art out of the gallery and put it where people live, work, walk, ride, and gather? Downtown Kansas City comes alive. For 13 years, Art in the Loop has been doing just that—bringing the creativity of local artists into the everyday experience of Downtown Kansas City. Each year from May through October, temporary visual artwork and live performances transform spaces along and near the KC Streetcar route and throughout Downtown into places of discovery, conversation, and connection.
The Beehive Health and Housing Collaborative: 18 Years of Serving Those In Need

The Beehive Health and Housing Collaborative: 18 Years of Serving Those In Need

It began eighteen years ago. That is when the Downtown Council (DTC) teamed up with human service providers to address the issue of homelessness in Downtown Kansas City.  The goal was to provide all of the basic services a person would need to create a healthy lifestyle and obtain permanent housing. In 2008, the DTC established the Downtown Kansas City Civic Ventures (DKCCV), a 501c3 corporation focused on assisting those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The goal was to purchase a building and provide services in close proximity to existing overnight shelters. And that is when The Beehive was created!
Community Collaboration: Roy Blunt Luminary Park Partnership Continues

Community Collaboration: Roy Blunt Luminary Park Partnership Continues

Last month was huge for the Roy Blunt Luminary Park Project. The City Council passed Ordinance No. 260718, locking in an extra $55 million so we can start building later this year. It's an incredible step forward for both the park and Downtown Kansas City's future!
Mark Rowlands recaps IDA's 72nd Annual Conference in Toronto, sharing takeaways on downtown trends, place management, and CID partnerships.

1,300 Leaders, One Big City: Notes from IDA’s 72nd Annual Conference

Mark Rowlands recaps IDA's 72nd Annual Conference in Toronto, sharing takeaways on downtown trends, place management, and CID partnerships.

All Aboard for Art: Live Performances Take Over the KC Streetcar

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All are welcome to hop on board as the KC Streetcar transforms into a moving stage on Wednesday, September 23. From 6 to 7 p.m., riders can experience live performances, music, poetry and interactive art aboard KC Streetcar 805, the Art…
Downtown Council Internships: Investing in our Future

Downtown Council Internships: Investing in our Future

Each year, the Downtown Council (DTC) offers a series of internships. Whereas some are designed towards arts and programming, some are targeted towards blight remediation and economic development. This year, the Downtown Council was fortunate to bring in Andrew Bui. Andrew is a 4th-year Architecture student at Kansas State University. Additionally, Andrew was enrolled with the Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) and worked on projects for the Downtown Council.  With his eye toward architecture, Andrew worked with staff to look at Kansas City through a design lens and to bring new ideas to the streets.
How EB Systems Helps Downtown KC Track What Works

How EB Systems Helps Downtown KC Track What Works

You've probably seen the Downtown Community Improvement District's (DCID) ambassadors out on the sidewalks of Downtown Kansas City. They pick up litter, give directions, check on merchants and help visitors find their way around. Most people don't see what happens next. Since 2015, the DCID has used Electronic Beacons Systems’ (EB Systems) mobile workforce app to log that work as it gets done. An ambassador finishes a task and taps it into the phone in their pocket. That becomes a record with a time and a place on it. Eleven years and many thousands of activities later, the DCID has a detailed picture of what its teams do downtown, block by block and hour by hour.
Downtown Garden Club Grows Community From the Ground Up

Downtown Garden Club Grows Community From the Ground Up

The creation of the Downtown Garden Club serves as a natural extension of the vibrant success and community-driven model established by the River Market Garden Club.  Seeing the positive impact that collaborative beautification efforts - such as tree planting, regular maintenance, and community workdays - have had on the River Market neighborhood, the Downtown Community Improvement District (DCID) and residents across downtown were inspired to foster a similar spirit of stewardship in the Central Business District.  By tapping into a growing base of engaged downtown resident volunteers, this new initiative aims to replicate that “green thumb” culture, organizing neighbors who are passionate about transforming urban spaces into more inviting, living environments.

Downtown Council Celebrates Historic Step Toward Bringing the Royals to Downtown Kansas City

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Today marks a historic milestone for Downtown Kansas City and for the future of our entire region. The Downtown Council of Kansas City congratulates the Kansas City Royals and applauds the many business, civic, and community leaders whose…
From Houdini to Public Space: The Story of 10th and Main 

From Houdini to Public Space: The Story of 10th and Main 

10th and Main, located in the heart of Downtown Kansas City, has always been an important destination. As a matter of fact, it was at that very intersection in 1915 that a young Harry Houdini performed his very first straightjacket escape. To add to the excitement, Houdini was hanging upside down suspended in the air. Today, it is actually 10th and Main that is suspended. Previously, the roughly 22,000 square feet located on the Southwest corner of 10th and Main was the Metroplex for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. Hundreds of City buses would traverse the property, making connections to multiple routes. With changes in use patterns, it was decided to close the Metroplex and relocate the major connection hub.
Downtown Kansas City: A New Era of Growth and Connection

Downtown Kansas City: A New Era of Growth and Connection

Downtown Kansas City is undergoing the next phase in its historic transformation which has been fueled by more than $10.8 billion since 2000. Today there is ongoing investment of an additional $2.6 billion and over $8 billion in planned projects in the next 5 years. This surge of growth is rooted in the philosophy that "Downtown is for People," focusing on the creation of a dense, walkable, mixed-use environment that attracts a diverse tapestry of users and fosters human connection.
Art in the Loop Launches 'Art Talk' Podcast — Meet the Artists Behind the Public Art

Art in the Loop Launches ‘Art Talk’ Podcast — Meet the Artists Behind the Public Art

Every year, the Art in the Loop Foundation invites its interns to come up with unique and creative ways to collaborate with the artists involved in the project in a way that allows the artists to share more about themselves and how Art in the Loop has shaped their visibility and creative practices. This year's interns, Frances Story and Jack Warner, along with James Carter (Video Artist and Storyteller), partnered with YesWay Live to produce a new video podcast titled "Art Talk." In this upcoming series, many of the visual and performing artists from this year's project will sit down with Jack and Frances to talk about how Art in the Loop gave them a fresh platform for their art, how it feels to have their work displayed to a large public audience, and what their creative processes look like.