Hart of Art in Kansas City

“Silent Night . . . . Oh Holy Night!” Under the beautiful Beaux arts ceiling, the children’s voices waft over the Christmas tree, the people gathered around to listen, and me—- on an ancient wooden bench, “We sing for the children who have no voice…” echoes out into Union Station.

I’ve been living away from home for twenty-four years, but in August my family swept me back to Kansas City. I am home for Christmas to stay. The children's' voices prove to me what I believe more every day: Kansas City is on the cutting edge of the Arts in America. This little Christmas card perfect moment captures one snapshot of the enormous variety of art and music this season. Art matters to Kansas City. 

Here’s what I’ve experienced musically in only four months in Kansas City: 

• I’ve introduced two family members to opera at the Kauffman
• Bell Prairie’s elementary choir perform two pieces of music in October then grow their performance into a 30 minute repertoire at Union Station
• Parkville South’s high school concert choir honor veterans with a stellar musical tribute—probably just a part of their school day…but musically superb kids!
• A saxophone player on the Plaza setting the mood
• Paseo Academy for the Arts Chorale perform two stunningly beautiful works as a community service for a local church
• Performed a cantata with the Central United Methodist Church Choir and Bell Ringers 

I turned down more musical invitations than there were weekends. Excellent. These are folks I just run into because they are doing their job sharing their art with the community. I wanted a place to play the handbells. I played in Atlanta before I came home and loved it. I found a church near the plaza: Central United Methodist. It boasts handbells and a choir and a combined ministry with an African congregation. That means, I can hear young voices sing and worship in Swahili every week—and that connects me to the students I used to have in Arlington Virginia that I miss so much.

When I went to rehearse the cantata at Central UMC, I looked up at the ceiling and there was an 80 foot silk angel! A beautiful installation worthy of any fine gallery. Designed by volunteers and installed by art students from UMKC, it represented to me how much the church members love the arts in Kansas City. 

Why would people go to so much trouble? Because art matters to people in Kansas City.

What am I doing about it? Since August, I helped to found The New Thing Art Studio and watched it morph very capably into a boutique gallery at Paper Birch Landing in Midtown. It’s a studio and gallery to serve new and emerging artists. The combined efforts with three terrific women: Heather Fiona, Polly Alice, & Tessa Elwood. I attended Tessa’s incredible book launch for her YA novel “Inherit the Stars.” It was complete with food and art by members of Paper Birch Landing Gallery. I’ve watched three young women who love the arts come together and begin a nascent art gallery. I believe it will serve artists, writers and thinkers in Kansas City in a new and exciting way. And every time they start a new project, I am more and more convinced their cutting edge thinking will have a positive effect on other artists and on those who don’t really yet understand the powerful and necessary work of the arts in their lives.

So where does that lead us? On Tuesday, I took three generations of Benton relatives to see the Thomas Hart Benton exhibit. My mother was Eleanor Benton, granddaughter of John Benton (who was not the famous senator but a cousin). So all my life, I’ve known the work of THB and known I was a part of his family. You may know him as, “that guy who painted the murals in the Capitol building.” When I was a kid, he was just a question on the Civics test. So imagine my surprise, when we could not even get into the parking garage at the Nelson-Atkins. People were swarming toward the ticket line like it was the K for the Royals opening game. We did get in. And surprisingly everyone was there to see Thomas Hart Benton. The exhibit was packed.

We waited in line behind fifty other people and waded through the crowd to see his paintings up close. I did it because  I wanted to show the next generation that this person is part of our heritage. However,  the crowd taught me that everyone in Kansas City cares about our local Thomas Hart Benton and everybody cares about his art because it belongs to all of us. 

Like I said—Kansas City knows its art. Kansas City is on the cutting edge. Kansas City loves and supports the arts from the tiniest child’s play to the church musician to their own long lost son, visual artist, Thomas Hart Benton. 

And just like that night at the Union Station, I saw the Kansas City I always wanted to come home to. I feel like George at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life," or Dorothy after Aunty Em looked in her eyes and she was home. 

Good old Union Station. Good old Kansas City skyline. Good old Nelson-Atkins Museum. I’ve put my ruby red slippers in the closet and I am home sweet home.