Kansas City’s Parade of Hearts returns in 2026. Here’s whose art you will see
In 2026, weeks before FIFA World Cup games arrive in Kansas City, 150 hearts by local artists will deploy across the region, using a shape that’s new for this year’s Parade of Hearts. Now the city knows which artists are responsible for the designs.
Jenn Nussbeck, the executive director of Parade of Hearts, previously said the World Cup coming to Kansas City made it the right time to change the look of the heart-shaped sculpture.
Parade of Hearts, the biannual event within Kansas City that sees hundreds of hearts placed around the metro with artwork created by locals, announced the 150 artists chosen to decorate the sculptures. This year, the event drew nearly 500 total submissions, which were reviewed by a blind jury process.
The jury was composed of an independent panel of artists, community leaders, curators and industry professionals, according to a press release. They evaluated each submission based on the following:
- Originality
- Visual impact
- Regional storytelling
- Alignment with Parade of Hearts values
The “Heartists” are hoping to unite Kansas City through art, culture and philanthropy when their one-of-a-kind heart sculptures begin showing up across the community beginning April 2026.
“The designs show extraordinary diversity, and each unique creation chosen by our independent jury reflects how open our hearts are to one another and to all who visit our region,” Nussbeck said in a press release. “These sculptures are declarations of identity and pride, powerful symbols of unity and belonging that showcase the spirit of our region to the world. This Spring, people will not just see art, they will feel the heart of a community.”
Which artists were selected for the Parade of Hearts?
Nussbeck said in June that she doesn’t see 2026 having more than 150 hearts, and she was correct. Exactly 150 artists were chosen for 2026’s edition. Each “Heartist” will receive a stipend of $2,500, a $500 increase from previous years, she said.
You can find the full list of artists on the art display’s website, but here’s a sample of whose artwork you can see scattered around Kansas City from April to August 2026:
- Evan Brown: The “Doodle Dood” is a Spring Hill-based painter who has worked with Hallmark, Facebook and Anheuser-Busch.
- Rahele Jomepour Bell is an assistant professor at Kansas City Art Institute. She’s joined by photographer Reza Jomepour.
- Lindsay Frack, an art teacher at Prairie Center Elementary School in Olathe, will create the heart with her students.
- Larry Jones, aka “Punch Jones,” a tattoo artist and painter from Kansas City.
- Melissa Kozakiewicz, an artist and ex-assistant city manager.
- Natalia Loubriel, a graphic designer from Kansas City, Kansas, who works under the name “Cybernatic.”
- James, Patrick and Susan McGinnis. James McGinnis was previously selected in 2022, and now his parents, Patrick and Susan, join him. Each person will have their own heart.
- Chico Sierra, whose work was shown at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park.
