The Arts Walking Tour #1

The Arts First Stop:  The Kansas City Sculpture Park at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - Rick Howell, ASLA

The Kansas City Sculpture Park opened in 1989 as the Henry Moore Sculpture Garden.  The original garden, designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley and architect Jaquelin Robertson, included 12 monumental bronze sculptures by renowned English sculptor Henry Moore.  Beginning in 1994, works by other artists were added, and in 1996 the garden was renamed the Kansas City Sculpture Park to reflect the growing and diverse collection of outdoor sculpture.  The Bloch Building expansion opened in 2007.  Designed by architect Steven Holl, this addition created new and dramatic sites for outdoor sculpture.

The Kansas City Sculpture Park has evolved into a beautiful place exhibiting a world-class collection of outdoor sculpture.  It has become a Kansas City icon and an important example of modern landscape architecture in the United States.  Rick Howell, ASLA, PLA, LEEDap, served as the local landscape architect for the original design team, and has provided landscape architectural services to the museum on a continual basis since.  For this tour, Rick will discuss the original sculpture park design, subsequent improvements, and anything else that comes to mind!

Rick established Rick Howell Landscape Architecture in 2010.  His prior experience includes 30 years of work with outstanding Kansas City-based multidisciplinary design firms, where his studios produced many successful and award-winning projects.  Rick’s portfolio includes institutional, corporate, mixed-use, urban and recreation projects – each of which emphasizes a high level of design, user comfort, site sensitivity, and sustainability.

Rick is currently serving as Trustee for the Prairie Gateway Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.  He received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University in 1979, where he developed his passions for modern art, progressive music, conspiracy theories, Dutch beer, and his spouse Karen Houston Howell.

The Arts Second Stop:  Kansas City Art Institute – Scott Bingham, ASLA

Residing on a former 12-acre estate that George Kessler designed, the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) has long been seen as the future of art in Kansas City. The campus, with its eclectic mix of historic and modern buildings, serves as an outdoor laboratory for budding young artists to express their individual creativity within its various environs.  Discussions with students and faculty about enhancing these gateways, open spaces, and intimate gathering areas and organizing them into a functional, legible arrangement culminated in KCAI’s campus master plan.

A key component to this plan, the East Gate, replaced the barrier between the campus and the Nelson-Atkins Museum with a unique walkway composed of programmable LED pavers.  These pavers display a symphony of color in an array of color sequences that project the unique image of this distinctive institution.

Paul J. Novick was born in Kansas City and educated at Kansas State University (B. L. Arch, 1984), and the University of Kansas (M. Arch. Mgmt., 1993).  He has directed the landscape architectural practice of BBN since 1992.  Paul is known for his expertise in park and recreation planning, having designed over 50 public parks throughout the Midwest. A talented designer and accomplished project manager, his work has been recognized by the American Institute of Landscape Architects and the Kansas City Metropolitan Arts Commission.   

The Legacy Walking Tour #2

The Legacy First  Stop:  The Stowers Institute - P. J. Novick, ASLA

The Stowers Institute for Medical Research occupies a prominent location in Kansas City’s Midtown, adjacent to the UMKC Campus and the Brush Creek Cultural Corridor that includes the Kaufmann Foundation and Missouri Department of Conservation, and the residential neighborhoods east of Troost Avenue. The landscape design created by Bowman Bowman Novick responds to this prominent setting and the programmatic desires of facility users.

The comprehensive design includes a heavily landscaped auto-court and fountain plaza at the building entry, which welcomes visitors to the Institute, landscape treatments on the east edge to compliment the existing streetscape and adjacent neighborhood, and a three-story water wall along the Volker Boulevard edge.

A formal garden along the western edge of the property was designed to provide a place for relaxation and recreation for employees and the general public and provides commanding views to the Brush Creek Corridor and the historic Country Club Plaza to the West. Native limestone edged pathways traverse the hillside, tracing the perimeter of three reflecting pools. The incorporation of site furnishings, fountains, waterfalls, and sculpture entice visitors to pause and enjoy the sounds and seasonal colors of the lush plantings.

Educated at Kansas State University (B.L. Arch. 1996), and the University of Kansas (M. Arch. Mgmt 2001), Scott Bingham is a lifelong resident of Kansas City.  Scott is an Associate with BBN where he has designed and managed a wide variety of project types.  His work demonstrates a love of horticulture and strong design sense that has led to the success of many of the firm’s landscape architectural projects. 

The Legacy Second Stop:  The Kauffman Foundation - Jeffrey Bruce, FASLA

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a nationally recognized private foundation that works toward the vision of self-sufficient people in healthy communities. This mission inspired the character of the design for the 20 acres of reclaimed urban land that would surround their newly constructed headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri.  The Landscape Architect saw this commission as a vehicle to model a corporate environment that serves to further the vision of healthy communities. Design inspiration was realized in the historic park legacy of Kansas City.  “A Building in a Park” concept would connect the urban fabric on a human scale and encourage diversity of community use.  The overall project goals were to develop a facility that was sustainable, diverse, inclusive, healthy, and accessible to all. It would serve as yet another gift from a visionary leader of the community, who has given Kansas City so much.

Jeffrey L. Bruce, FASLA, ASIC, LEED, GRP  is Owner of Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company (JBC) a national landscape architectural firm. Founded 1986, JBC provides highly specialized technical support to many of the nation’s leading Architectural and Landscape Architectural firms on a wide variety of project profiles including engineered soils, green roof technologies, urban agronomy, green infrastructure, performance sports turf, water harvesting, and irrigation engineering.

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