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Temporary Artwork Generates Discussion about Economic Policy

Artist John Salvest looks at the diagram for "IOU/USA" in Memorial Hill/Penn Valley Park.
photo: Laura Spencer/KCUR
Artist John Salvest looks at the diagram for "IOU/USA" in Memorial Hill/Penn Valley Park.

On the grassy lawn near the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City, trucks are hauling cargo shipping containers to be unloaded and stacked into a towering, temporary sculpture. One hundred and five containers, piled almost seven stories high, will spell out IOU on one side and USA on the other. It's a nod to this country's increasing federal budget and foreign trade deficits.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-983644.mp3

Kansas City, Mo. – The work was commissioned by Grand Arts, a non-profit art project space. During the installation this week, KCUR's Laura Spencer stopped by to talk to sculptor John Salvest for an occasional series we call "Artists in Their Own Words."

John Salvest
"IOU/USA" (temporary public monument)
Memorial Hill Park

"New Cornucopia" (sculpture)
Grand Arts, 1819 Grand Blvd., KCMO
September 2 - October 16, 2011
Opening: Friday, September 2, 6-9 pm

photos: Laura Spencer/KCUR

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Funding for arts coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency .

Kansas City is known for its style of jazz, influenced by the blues, as the home of Walt Disney’s first animation studio and the headquarters of Hallmark Cards. As one of KCUR’s arts reporters, I want people here to know a wide range of arts and culture stories from across the metropolitan area. I take listeners behind the scenes and introduce them to emerging artists and organizations, as well as keep up with established institutions. Send me an email at lauras@kcur.org or follow me on Twitter @lauraspencer.
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