FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2006

Artists nominated for Power and Light District

Kansas City artists Rie Egawa and Burgess Zbryk were nominated, along with Cambridge, Mass., artists Mags Harries and Lajos Heder, to create art installations for downtown's Power and Light Entertainment District.

The two teams were among dozens of artists who submitted work for the project's $450,000 One Percent for Art allotment. Under City ordinance, 1 percent of the construction costs of any municipal building's budget must be set aside for public art. Harries and Heder will receive a $350,000 budget for their project, while Egawa and Zbryk will work with $100,000.

"These artists bring unique and powerful artistic vision to this project," said Porter Arneill, director of the Municipal Art Commission. "Harries and Heder have a wonderful tactile, human sensibility that spoke to our panelists, and we appreciated Egawa and Zybryk's design sensibilities and playful use of space. These artists will create welcome additions to the city’s public art collection."

A selection panel reviewed proposals from artists across the nation, narrowing the field to seven proposals before the two finalists were selected Wednesday. The panel's proposal will be submitted to the Municipal Art Commission for review and with its approval, the artist's contracts will be submitted for approval by the City Council. Construction on the artwork is anticipated to begin in fall 2006.

The Power and Light District will be a dynamic, mixed-use retail, entertainment, office and residential area in the heart of downtown Kansas City. The nine-block district is bordered by Grand Avenue on the east, Truman Road (Interstate 70/670) on the south, Baltimore Avenue on the west, and 12th Street on the north.

For this project, the City's Capital Improvements Management Office is responsible for purchasing all property; performing all demolition and environmental abatement of buildings and parking lots; replacing all public utilities including water, sanitary sewer, telecommunications ductbank system and storm sewer; replacing streets; managing traffic flow issues; and overall project management.

For more information about the One Percent for Art Program and the Municipal Art Commission, call Sean Demory, Capital Improvements Management Office, (816) 513-0059, or visit www.kcmo.org/cimo.