How vibrant sculptures helped bring new Lee’s Summit development to life
From a nearly 14-foot tall gateway sculpture to eye-catching murals to a digitally integrated space designed to create works of art with light, Lee’s Summit’s Green Street development has successfully incorporated public art into the recently opened $44 million downtown mixed-use project.
“Public art has been a foundational element of the project from the very beginning,” said Ryan Elam, Lee’s Summit assistant city manager. “We looked at the project and tried to find ways to incorporate art so it would be interesting and unique.”
The city’s Cultural Arts Division and Cultural Commission oversaw the integration of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art with the help of a community selection team. Additional opportunities for public input was also built into the selection process.
For the project’s signature sculpture, the city requested artist qualifications in early 2024, receiving 111 applications. Five were named finalists and asked to submit concept proposals with the public weighing in on each concept. The winner was Heath Satow’s sculpture, Everything Changes With a Dream.
“We put this out for public voting and comments,” cultural arts specialist Silvia Arellano Fernandez said. “We received so many wonderful comments (for Satow’s sculpture) about people’s memories of living in the Midwest and this helicopter seed design.”
She added that the sculpture — located near Third and Green streets — was inspired by a samara, the familiar spinning seed from the Missouri sugar maple tree. Featuring a stainless steel frame and semi-translucent color panels, the three-dimensional piece can be illuminated from within the sculpture.
Green Street’s impressive large white arches — referred to as wickets and reaching 25 feet in height — also incorporate design elements of Everything Changes with a Dream with maple-leaf patterns similar to the large sculpture. Both pieces have programmable lighting, a visual feature found all around the new development.
“The lighting on the site is all integrated and tied together,” Elam added. “It can have its own unique light shows that can go throughout the site with more movement by using the lighting.”
Two murals installed in time for Green Street’s Aug. 15 grand opening focus on the Lee’s Summit story. These are the Days, an illustration by local artist Donald “Scribe” Ross, is just outside the Green Street Market and includes four digital vinyl banners depicting Lee’s Summit’s past, present and future.
The Lee’s Summit in Color multi-part mural, located in the city’s parking garage stairwell, greets visitors as they walk toward the new development. Created by Doodle Dood LLC, the vibrant piece artistically portrays aspects of Lee’s Summit.
“The more you look at the murals, the more you start to notice little details in each one of them that are tied back to our history.” Elam said.
In addition to the new works of art, Green Street has seen the return of two popular pieces.
Emergence, a steel sculpture that doubles as a time capsule for the city, was re-installed at the Green Street Grove after a brief vacation from the public eye. Created by Lee’s Summit artist Dave Eames and Fossil Forge Design, the capsule was established in 2015 with its opening planned for 2065.
The Raptor, a fierce-looking dinosaur sculpture measuring 10 feet from tooth to tail, had been moved from its location in front of City Hall during the construction of the new development. The piece, from artist Vince Houston, received some TLC and has taken up residence near Green Street’s inclusive playground.
“The Raptor is back and better than ever,” Fernandez said. “It is right in front of the playground, and it’s really special to watch the kids come up to it and have a different view of it than when it was in front of City Hall.”
Plans call for the Green Street project to expand with additional components such as a restaurant building, boutique hotel and apartments along with more works of art.
“An area on the east side of the wickets will be an art walk area, and there’s a lot of opportunity there for traveling art or more permanent art as we make those accommodations in the future,” Elam said.
Both Elam and Fernandez agreed that public art is not only aesthetically pleasing, it also helps define a space and create a welcoming environment.
“This was a beautiful opportunity for us to show what we’re able to do as a city, especially in the public art realm,” Fernandez added. “It gives back to our community in a way where we thought about the people who have lived here, who do live here, who will live here”
Green Street includes a streetscaped pavilion, an indoor/outdoor farmer’s market doubling as an event space and an outdoor performance area. It is located at 209 SE Green St.