We’re hiring an Executive Director for the Kansas City Design Center (KCDC)

The Kansas City Design Center is an interdisciplinary, teaching, research, and outreach center focused on the Kansas City Metropolitan Region. KCDC strives to advance the application of design by addressing the most important issues affecting our urban environments.

The KCDC is entering the next phase of its strategic growth and development. In order to facilitate this forward momentum, KCDC has redefined the role of the Executive Director and is seeking qualified candidates to fill this critical leadership position. The current Executive Director, Vladimir Krstic, will transition to Director of Academic Programs to focus on academic program leadership of KCDC.

The Executive Director is a contract position and a key management leader of KCDC, a non-profit organization, and is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plans of the organization. Other key duties include fundraising, marketing and community outreach. Please see the full job description here.

To refer any candidate or to ask any questions about the position, please contact the search firm: Jane Walton Consulting, LLC, Jane Walton President, jane@janewaltonconsulting.com, 816.898.6929

Prospect Avenue Nodal Study is wrapping up this week! Monday was the final studio review for the project and Thursday is our Open House for the final project. Click here for more information on the Open House, we’d love to see you there!

In reflecting on the project, as a class we have learned new skills and a new perspective that will help guide us in the future.

We learned to push one another towards stronger designs.
We understand that research is never finished
We refined our ability to express our ideas both verbally and graphically
We know to always edit, and then re-edit, and then edit one more time
We recognize how to communicate with our peers as teammates
We have the ability to take charge and lead when necessary
We realize the importance of understanding the views of people who live in the places our project touch
We made progress in connecting with community members and people shaping the future of Kansas City
Lastly, we learned how to listen

This project was most importantly an academic study of the Prospect Avenue Corridor, but it was also much larger than that. Throughout the process it became an invitation to be excited about the future of the corridor and an opportunity to look at Prospect Avenue as a place with boundless potential.

And with that, congratulations to all of the students on finishing the third phase of the project and congratulations to all of our seniors who will be graduating on Saturday! We wish you all the best.

The final leg of the studio project comes this summer— two KCDC students will compile the comprehensive project publication about the Prospect Ave research, process, and outcomes from the 2018-2019 year. Look out for the hard copies and digital copies in the Fall!

From the Dream The Combine artist lecture to our second community engagement meeting, KCDC students have had a busy start to spring.

We welcomed Jennifer Newsom and Tom Carruthers of Dream The Combine to the KCDC on April 2nd for a guest lecture. They termed themselves ‘makers’ that are ‘partners in work and life, [they] create site specific installations exploring metaphor, imaginary environments, and perceptual uncertainties that cast doubt on our own understanding of the world’. Jennifer and Tom presented a number of projects and discussed the overlap in art, architecture, and cultural theory that their work exemplifies. They attempt to disrupt assumed dichotomies and manipulate the boundary between real and illusory space through this process. You can visit their website to check out more of their work.

With the design development phase of the Prospect Avenue Nodal Study nearing completion, students are striving to bring a level of detail to the project that can make the study both feasible and friendly on a more human scale. The KCDC students were joined by several design professionals for a review of their work last Monday. It was helpful to receive feedback from designers and professionals that had an outside perspective, and from this experience each group heard suggestions on what they were doing well and what needed to be pushed further or edited. The positive comments from the reviewers were encouraging as the students continue working on their designs.

Riding on the success of Monday’s review, the KCDC students prepared for the second community engagement meeting at the Gregg/Klice Community Center on Thursday. There was a great turnout of community members that were excited to learn about the student’s efforts. Many were concerned about the future of their neighborhoods, and the students were able to engage them in our design process. They shared their vision for the revitalization of the corridor and were passionate about seeing their community grow and prosper. This transparent communication was a great step in continuing to foster a partnership between the city and the local community as The KCDC strives to shape a positive future for Prospect Avenue.