(As recent Acting Chairman of the Municipal Art Commission, I was asked to write an article to be included in Art City 2024, a special magazine and public art catalogue for the City of Kansas City, Missouri published by KC Studio. I received minor edits back in January, made all suggested changes, and was told to expect publication in May. I received notice today that the City Manager’s office pulled my article as well as an article written by Kathryn Shields, long-serving Councilwoman, public servant and founder of the 1% for Public Art Program from inclusion in this publication. I was given no reason but instead “just a heads up.” Anyway, this is what I wrote.)
Arts & Culture are cornerstones of the identity on which Kansas City was built. Kansas City is a cultural wellspring, bearing and inspiring the talents of the many artists that have been nurtured here. Our city’s artistic contributions, innovations, and celebrities are acknowledged worldwide.
Here in the heartbeat of the country grows vital contemporary art, music, film and maker scenes where artists choose to live, work, and create a livelihood. In the five-county metro area, the arts and creative industries generate nearly 9,000 jobs and over $615 million in local economic impact annually and are only growing.
Art reflects and reveals the character, cultures, experiences, and values of a community. Art helps us to find our way, to make meaning, to honor histories, to share visions, to cultivate hope, and to shape change.
Arts and culture (and the artists and the subcultures who create them) are an economic boon to any community providing value, identity, positive social change, and prosperity. Art and Culture are critical to a healthy democracy and shape cultural and civic policy.
Art does not only exist in a frame, museum, stage, or sculpture outside a building. Art is an ecosystem. Arts are alive, vital, and artists are essential. Kansas City is a place where the history of great art and culture is not only to be celebrated but also to be sustained by pride, vision, leadership and perennial investment.
It is as critical to invest in the present and future of this ecosystem as it is to revere its history.
Art is an integral part of our infrastructure, as demonstrated by the 37-year history of the One Percent for Public Art program. This public art program and collection boasts many cultural assets that serve as a visual reminder of a point of civic and aesthetic pride as seen in the artworks at the new airport terminal, in sculptures and popular community programs across the city. Our public art is for all — diverse, inclusive, and accessible.
I hope that this program continues to expand (to 2% to include performing arts!), and that art and artists are included in the conversations and are at the decision-making tables that center art in our city’s infrastructure. Art must be a foundational part of our expectations for and our aspirations for our communities. Artists must no longer be utilized as the unwitting earthworms of gentrification. Cities must ensure that artists be able to sustain affordable livelihoods in our cities and not suffer displacement from the places they helped to create.
We must regard art and artists as a perennial crop, not as boutonnieres. Let’s advocate and raise our voices on behalf of art and artists as a critical part of the city and the ecosystem. Like most ecosystems, there is the omnipresent threat of endangerment, and the need for conservation and protection is vital to all of us as a habitat, as a city, and as a world-class destination.
UPDATE: I posted this on my blog and social media and then received the following email from the Assistant City Manager/Communications Director.
Good morning Mr Reed
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my sincerest apologies for the unintended circumstances that led to your letter being removed from the Art City Magazine prior to printing. Your contribution as the chair of the Municipal Arts Commission is highly valued.
I understand the disappointment and frustration you must have felt upon learning that your letter was omitted. Your passion for the arts and dedication to our community do not go unnoticed, and I deeply regret any hurt feelings this situation may have caused you.
In an effort to make amends and show our sincere appreciation for your valuable input, we have taken the liberty to print your letter and include it in every copy of the magazine we have access to. We have ideas on how to make this design intentional and celebratory to the reader, and are very open to collaborating with you on the final solution. We will also be including your letter in the online archive. Your words will be much appreciated by all who share your passion for the arts, and we hope that this gesture will convey our genuine respect for your contributions.
Please know that we greatly value your perspective and the important role you play in promoting arts and culture in our city.
Once again, I offer my heartfelt apologies for the oversight that occurred, and I hope that this gesture of printing your letter will serve as a token of our appreciation and a sign of our regret for any unintended harm caused.
Thank you for your understanding, Mr Reed. Your passion for the arts is inspiring, and we are grateful to have you as a valuable member of our community. I am also quite happy to sit down and chat with you about any other ways we may be able to rectify this, if that’s of interest to you.
With warm regards and sincere apologies - Melissa
Melissa Kozakiewicz
Asst. City Manager
City of Kansas City, MO
414 E. 12th Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
Phone: 816-914-3303
UPDATE: Then I replied.
Thank you for your flowery email, Melissa. Happy May Day!
I'm interested in knowing more about the "unintended circumstances" you mentioned that led to the letter being removed prior to printing. It's difficult to believe that there was no intention as a proof that was sent to MAC members back in March shows here. Articles don't just remove themselves from print. There was an intention and a person/people who made a decision. How and why was that decision to omit made and by whom?
You assume to know my "feelings of disappointment and frustration" however this has been read by many more folks now than might have read otherwise in print. It's so empowering and uplifting to see the swell of support from the arts community in Kansas City in response to the letter that I posted on my website and social media upon learning that it had been pulled by the City Manager's office (which perhaps prompted your email).
Please do not take any "liberty to print" my letter and include it in every copy of the magazine you have access to. Save the paper and your gesture. I'm curious how many magazines you would have access to anyway now that it has gone to the printer? With regard to your offer of including it in the archive, where would you plan to post this online and how would it be accessed? Would there be a note of correction to indicate that it had been omitted from publication in Art City? If so, who would write that?
Thank you for acknowledging the contributions I've made in our community. I'm a proud citizen, artist, and advocate. I am aware of your poetry and know that you value the role of arts for yourself as well as for the community that you serve. I appreciate your offer to sit down and chat about how you may rectify this. I have several ideas for how we can envision together to serve and honor not only the arts and artists but all of us that call Kansas City home.
Let me know when you'd like to discuss them more at length. I look forward to your response.
David Wayne Reed (he/him/his)
Update: Wednesday, May 6, 2024 - I just received my copy of the magazine/public art catalog today in the mail. Even though my article was pulled, my words were plagiarized on page 6 without any context, credit or consent.