Art through Architecture (AtA)
Art through Architecture (AtA), a parnership of the Charlotte Street Foundation and the American Institute of Architects-Kansas City (AiA-KC), is designed to promote and support the work of Kansas City area artists through architectural practice. AtA provides incentives and tools to encourage and empower architects and their clients to incorporate art and artists from the Kansas City area into their new projects.
New architectural projects may qualify for various levels of AtA “Art Achievement,” by dedicating certain percentages of the total construction budget to collecting artwork, commissioning temporary or permanent artworks and/or including artists on design teams. Projects accomplishing Gold, Silver and Bronze levels of Art Achievement will be recognized with an AtA Art Achievement plaque for public display as well as a digital Art Achievement logo/stamp for promotional use. In addition, projects will be promoted to the media via press releases, featured on a new AtA website (ArtArch.org) and considered for inclusion in an annual or biennial AtA exhibition and annual AIA-KC Awards publication.
Both Kansas City Artist LINC and the Visual Arts Consortium (VAC)—two important artist-focused planning efforts undertaken over the past several years drawing broad input from a cross-section of artists and grassroots arts leaders in Kansas City— identified the need to increase market demand for the work of KC-based artists as an area of greatest need. In its “26 Big Ideas” document, VAC specifically identified a partnership between the art and architecture communities to foster collecting/commissioning of work by Kansas City artists as a top initiative to pursue. This locally-developed Art through Architecture program aims to educate and encourage broader community appreciation for and commitment to quality art and design, and to serve as an innovative, progressive model of art-architecture collaboration that may be promoted to other AIA chapters, arts communities and organizations nationally.
A Steering Committee, comprised of architects, and an Art Task Force, comprised of leading area arts professionals, are working together to oversee the development, implementation and management of this program. Artists in the Greater Kansas City Metro are annually invited to submit materials to be reviewed by a curatorial team for potential inclusion in the program’s artist database. Housed on the new AtA website, this artist database serves as a tool for architects and their clients to identify artists of interest for specific projects. The website also provides information about the program as a whole, including step-by-step instructions for participation and profiles of completed Art Achievement projects. AtA representatives provide hands-on support to architects and their clients pursuing Art Achievement for their projects.
AIA Steering Committee:
- Josh Shelton, Chair, el dorado inc.
- Dominique Davison, Davison Architecture and Urban Design
- Bryan Gross, Helix Architecture + Design
- Marsha Hoffman, SFS Architects
- Steve McDowell, BNIM Architects
- Peter Sloan, 360 Architecture
Art Task Force/Curatorial Committee:
- Kate Hackman, Administrator (non-voting), Charlotte Street Foundation
- Porter Arneill, Director/ Public Art Administrator, Municipal Arts Commission
- Chris Cook, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
- Raechell Smith, H&R Block Artspace at Kansas City Art Institute
2008 Guest Curators:
- Sylvia Rose Augustus, Regional Fine Arts Officer, General Services Administration
- Jeff Fleming, Director, Des Moines Art Center
Partner Organization Directors:
- Dawn Kirkwood, Director, AIA Kansas City Chapter
- David Hughes, Director, Charlotte Street Foundation
