How can art installations catalyze DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT?

2015-16 | Art in the loop Vision Study

Art in the Loop, a charitable non-profit organization charged with engaging artists in the revitalization of Downtown Kansas City, has made significant and demonstrable difference in bringing arts closer to the urban dwellers in the downtown area and changing the quality of everyday life experience in the city, as well as improving the quality of the inhabitable urban space. However, given the ongoing dynamics and complexity of the redevelopment in the downtown there is a need for a more comprehensive approach to designating and defining art installation sites, and organizing them into system of related places that can enhance identity and order of urban space in the entire loop area. 

The purpose of the Art in the Loop Vision Study is to assess the viability of all potential sites, develop criteria for their selection, make account of all relevant contextual factors that need to be taken into consideration when making the site available to artists, and provide a reference for artists’ concept development.

This project has been generously supported by Art in the Loop Foundation and a National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America Grant.

For more information on this project, please see our publication listed below.

November 2017 Update - The Art in the Loop Foundation, in partnership with the Kansas City Design Center and the Downtown Council, has released of an interactive, three-dimensional, model of Downtown Kansas City which features 21 sites identified by the Kansas City Design Center as strategic locations for future enhancement of Art in the Loop public art sites system. Viewers of the digital model (which is available on the Art in the Loop website as a free web application) are invited to explore the site locations by flying through, zooming in and out of, and clicking on the sites which contain downloadable reference manuals designed to aid future artists in their proposals development.

To access the digital model, visit: http://www.artintheloop.com/digital-model/