public art

A dispute over a mural outside a hamburger restaurant in Salina, Kansas, could go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Plus: Three massive bronze bison sculpted by a Missouri artist are joining the collection at the largest natural history museum in the world.

A mural depicting hamburger-like UFOs at the Cozy Inn in Salina, Kansas, is at the center of a dispute that could end up going before the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue: Is it a work of art protected by the First Amendment? Or is it an advertisement subject to the city’s sign code?

A new exhibit at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art through August 9 highlights the global roots of artists with ties to Kansas City, and the worldwide connections that have shaped the city's artistic community and culture.

The community will get a special sneak peek of the 150 hearts in the 2026 installation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at the Overland Park Convention Center.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is moving closer to a major expansion, with renovations underway and plans to break ground on a new wing in 2028. Director and CEO Julian Zugazagoitia breaks down the construction timeline and discusses how the museum aims to become more transparent, accessible and community-centered ahead of its 100th anniversary.

Queen's Gate 66 is designed by Kansas City-based artists. It will serve as a "gateway" for visitors coming to Springfield for the Route 66 centennial, which kicks off in April.

More than 200 times a month, graffiti appears on downtown walls, buildings and signs. City officials say they scrub the surfaces clean, only to see them tagged again the next day. But businesses and hotels are fighting back, sending the message that downtown Kansas City is a welcoming, thriving and safe place.

El artista español Luis Quintanilla huyó de la Guerra Civil Española para escapar de la persecución, pero la mayor parte de su obra fue destruida. Hoy en día, uno de los dos únicos murales que quedan, se encuentra en un rincón de la Universidad de Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Recién restaurada, la extraña y fascinante obra maestra de Quintanilla es un testimonio de los inmigrantes y del peligro del autoritarismo.

Artist Luis Quintanilla fled the Spanish Civil War to escape persecution, but most of his work was destroyed. Today, one of his two remaining murals sits in an otherwise ordinary corner of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Newly restored, Quintanilla’s bizarre and enthralling masterpiece stands as a testament to immigrants and the danger of authoritarianism.

Only months after paid sick leave went into effect in Missouri, it ended. A workers' group wants to put the benefit before voters again as a constitutional amendment, which Republican lawmakers have vowed to fight. We hear from workers in their own words. Plus, in the early 1900s, three Wyandot Nation sisters barricaded themselves in a tribal burial ground in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, to save it from destruction. We'll hear about the new art installation that tells the story of the Conley sisters.

As part of Kansas City's efforts to explore how to reconnect the predominantly Black neighborhoods that were split by the construction of Highway 71, local artists are using their talents to visualize people's ideas.

The Heritage Park installation, and another in Antioch Park, heralds a renaissance of public art in the region.