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Public Art Approved for the Zoo

courtesy of Municipal Art Commission

By Laura Spencer

Kansas City, MO – City officials recently approved a new $170,000 public art project for the entry plaza of the Kansas City Zoo. KCUR's Laura Spencer reports.

The proposed design by Denver based artist Andy Dufford includes a mythological beast with an 8 foot long carved stone head and a series of boulders.

Municipal Art Commission director Porter Arneill says Dufford will also sandblast a poem into the surrounding concrete leading the children on an exploration.

Arneill says, "What Andy picked up on, which I really appreciate is the whole educational aspect. And that's what he's really worked hard on is including through his poetry and the imagery that he's used a method to inspire children to ask questions about how animals adapt to their environment - on top of just having a neat place to play."

The public art installation is expected to be completed when the zoo opens its new entry plaza in the spring.

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