Kansas City made her a metalworker. Now her art is sprouting across the country

The 12-foot tall glass and metal sunflower archway that visitors can walk through in Prairie Village’s Meadowbrook Park is Amie Jacobsen’s favorite sculpture she’s ever made.

Now, her flowers with massive metal stems and petals of deep greens and vibrant oranges are sprouting up on the other side of the country, too.

Jacobsen is one of three artists featured in the new “Van Gogh’s Flowers” exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden — on view until Oct. 26 — showcasing pieces that bring Vincent Van Gogh’s famous paintings to life.

It’s a milestone that would have seemed impossible to her a decade ago — before she learned to work with metal in Kansas City’s Crossroads District, and well before she opened up her studio in Independence.

Jacobsen translated four of Van Gogh’s floral paintings into three-dimensional metalwork creations depicting irises, roses, oleanders and imperial fritillaries.

She created each vase of flowers by welding and painting the finished product to match Van Gogh’s original works. Even the pedestals on which the sculptures rest are detailed to reflect those in the paintings.

“I wanted to capture the structure of his paintings so that it was recognizable as his paintings, but I also wanted the flowers to be recognizable for the species that they are themselves,” Jacobsen said.

It was important she also maintained the “expressionistic quality of Van Gogh,” Jacobsen said. To do so, she avoided making the flowers hyperrealistic and ensured her brush strokes resembled his.

When creating the exhibit, the question of how to incorporate flowers with short blooms into a six month-long exhibition posed a challenge, NYBG director of exhibition content and interpretation Micheala Wright explained. Jacobsen’s sculptures provided an “important” solution.

“We’ve just gotten amazing feedback,” Wright said. “The visitors are just so taken with Amie’s work.”

Pivoting to public art

Jacobsen’s metalworking skills were forged in Kansas City about 10 years ago. An illustrator and illustrations teacher at the time, Jacobsen learned of Machine Head, a metal fabrication shop in the Crossroads, through Arts Upload, a PBS show featuring local art.

She reached out to Machine Head’s owner and began learning metalwork, propelling a career change at 40 years old.

“It was a turn I was never expecting,” Jacobsen said.

That turn brought her into the world of public art, which she now describes as her passion.

Throughout the metro, Jacobsen has art on display that’s accessible to the public, four of which fall within Johnson County parks.

Susan Mong, superintendent of culture for the county parks and recreation department, said Jacobsen and her work “struck a chord with our community.”

“Amy just has that gift to envision projects and what’s going to resonate with the community,” Mong said.

“Gateway,” Jacobsen’s personal favorite installation, has sat in Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village since Oct. of 2022 as the county parks’ first public art piece. Mong described the piece as “breathtaking” and said many park goers agree.

The metal sculpture, a sunflower with vibrant yellow and orange petals and a brown center, creates an arch for visitors to walk through. On the inside of the arch are panels created by other artists that detail the history of the land and the people on it.

For Jacobsen, public art like “Gateway” tells people, “We care about this community.” It can communicate joy and add “a touch of whimsy” or even make a political statement or serve as a memorial, Jacobsen said.

Regardless of public art’s purpose, Jacobsen says each piece is “far more meaningful than anything else (she has) ever created.”

“It’s not just for one person, or it’s not just for me because I want to make something,” Jacobsen said. “It communicates values. It communicates stories. It communicates community pride. And it’s meant for everyone.”

This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM.