Public Art

Merriam offers imaginative and inspirational art around every corner. Merriam City Council first established a five-year placemaking initiative in 2014. This public art program was designed to enhance public spaces around Merriam. Years later, Merriam is now home to many beautiful sculptures that visitors and residents can enjoy. 

Public Art Master Plan

The new Public Art and Placemaking Master Plan contains a series of guidelines and recommendations that will assist the City in implementing a successful public art program. The goals of the plan are to foster place-based pride, rejuvenate and enliven public spaces, and create a more engaged community through public art. 

To achieve the goals, the plan recommends all future projects be linked to specific placemaking outcomes, and defines public art in a more expansive way, inclusive of literature, performance, events, and experimental works in addition to visual arts. Public art is self-expression in any media that is created for the benefit of the general public. 

These outcomes fall into three categories: creative placemaking, or outcomes relating to geographical locations and their qualities; community development, or outcomes relating to people and their needs; and economic development, or outcomes relating to financial growth and prosperity. 

The plan also sets priorities for implementation, includes preferences on what type of art the community would like to see, where future art project could go, and recommends guidelines for the process of future art procurement. 

Merriam Public Art and Placemaking Master Plan(PDF, 21MB)

Master Plan - At a Glance(PDF, 583KB)

Public Art in Merriam

Bask

2020
Artist: Blessing Hancock              
Merriam Community Center, 6040 Slater Street            

The newest of Merriam's public art pieces, Bask is located in the courtyard of the Merriam Community Center. Using the sun and pools as inspiration, the artist created this series as it relates to the surrounding environment and community activities. The sculptures incorporate words collected from Merriam residents describing their community. The sculpture comes alive with color-changing lighting at night.

Downtown Merriam Mural

2000
Artist: Michael Young  
Merriam Community Center, 6040 Slater Street            

This mural by Michael Young shows a replica of downtown Merriam, circa 1940. The stylized image was painted from a photo taken by Dr. Fawks who had family ties to Merriam for over 50 years. The mural was commissioned by the Merriam Community Center Foundation and funded by a grant from the Kansas City 150th Anniversary Legacy Fund. 

Hmmm... 

2019
Artist: Joshua Weiner  
Waterfall Park, 5191 Merriam Drive        

This sculpture features a nine-foot tall caterpillar standing next to a 12-foot cairn (stack of river boulders) with a butterfly perched on top. This fun art piece was created to playfully explore placemaking and identity and is located at Merriam's beautiful Waterfall Park.

Motherhood

2006
Artist: Kwan Wu
Merriam Historic Plaza, 6304 E. Frontage Road   

This bronze sculpture and water fountain was dedicated in 2006 at the Merriam Historic Plaza & Visitors Bureau. The mother bear with her cubs celebrate one of the most popular features of historic Merriam Park, a 40-acre amusement park greeting thousands of visitors daily in the late 1800s.

Planting the Seeds

2017
Artist: Christopher Weed
Merriam Marketplace, 5740 Merriam Drive

This stunning sculpture was inspired by nature. Each sphere's brilliant mirror finish with organic variations suggests a large, sprouting seed. The piece transforms the viewer to another realm – muting the outside distractions while providing an opportunity of reflection. 

1986
Artist: Charles Goslin    
Merriam City Hall, 9001 W. 62nd Street

This mural hangs in the Community Training Room at Merriam City Hall. It depicts people and events that shaped the early community of Campbelltown/Merriam. Native American tribes settled in the Turkey Creek basin when territories and reservations were established by the federal government. Covered wagons traveled the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon Trails through the area.

David Gee Campbell and former slave Cornelius Jackson are depicted with a bushel of apples. Campbell planted orchards through the area. On October 17, 1862, Quantrill sacked Shawnee Town in retaliation of atrocities by General Lane. Shortly after, Mr. Campbell constructed a home just west of Johnson Driec and Merriam Drive. It burned in 1881, one year after Campbell's untimely death in a railroad accident. It ws reconstructed on the same native stone foundation and still stands today. Merriam Park and the surrounding residential plats matured in the late 19th century. By 1907 the  new Rosedale-Hocker Trolley line advertised service "just 35 minutes from Union Station by electric railroad." Service lasted until 1934.

Still Time

2016
Artist: Dan Maginn, DRAW Architecture + Urban Design
Northwest corner of Johnson & Merriam Drives

This sculpture features an 8-foot limestone and steel tower with a large wind chime inside. The wind chime sounds counterpoint the busy intersection with a sense of calm. The work celebrates the timeless presence of wind on the site, tying into the memory of the original settlers of the region, the Kanza Tribe, which were known as the “People of the South Wind.” The artist team worked closely with UMKC composer Paul Rudy on the sound component of the piece. Once the tower was in place, the team performed an analysis of the resonance of the chamber, which allowed Paul to suggest the five exact notes that would resonate the most, and provide the richest sound experience.