Central Library
This print is essentially three squared sections within one another. The outermost section is made up of a fine blue and red checkerboard pattern, drawing into the middle section which has the same pattern enlarged four times. At the center is a solid red square, many times larger than those around it, that offers a quietness in the center of the dizzying commotion. Color theory and Optical Illusion Art psychology account for this effect and give substance to the work's title, "Into Chaos".
The marble chair was dedicated to James M. Greenwood (1836-1914) by his wife. The original Kansas City Public Library building was constructed under Greenwood's direction and he was committed to making its services available to the public for the rest of his life. He served on the Kansas City Public School board as a superintendent for nearly four decades. Through his progressive programs and vision, Greenwood became highly regarded in educational spheres. Engraved in the back of the chair are the words: "A memorial to James M.
Promotional poster of Columbia’s 1944 film "Kansas City Kitty". The plot of this film centers around Polly Jasper (Joan Davis) a charming wisecracking piano teacher. Polly gets involved with some shady music publishers named Latham & Clark. The publishers sell their business to Polly and her friend Eileen Hasbrook (Jane Frazee). One hour before the sale, the company was sued for the legitimacy of the song “Kansas City Kitty”. Polly happens to be obsessed with her music loving dentist Dr. Henry Talbot (Erik Rolph) who is not quite as romantically inclined.
The American Library Association (ALA) started an "Read" poster initiative in 1985, featuring a celebrity posing with their favorite book or books. The celebrities were chosen because of their popularity, appeal, and visibility to a general audience, and the ALA worked to feature a range of diverse talent who would be great spokesmodels for reading to both adults and children. In this poster, Award-winning Colombian performer John Leguizamo is seated on a wooden staircase wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
Kansas City Confidential tells the tale of Timothy Foster, a corrupt ex-policeman. In blackmailing three criminals to complete a robbery, he incidentally implicates a man unrelated to his scheme who gets mistaken for Foster by the authorities. The man, Joe Rolfe, eventually gets the charges against him dropped but goes to track down Foster and the original criminals in a fit of anger. This poster captures a film still of Rolfe getting stopped by the police in the same van implicated in the crime. He sticks his head out of the van window with an incredulous look on his face.
This film, set in 1930s Kansas City, features Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the wife of a petty thief named Johnny who gets abducted by a major KC mobster, Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte). In order to save her husband, Blondie abducts the wife of a prominent politician who is connected to the mob as leverage to free him. Conditions complicate as Blondie and the politician's wife, Carolyn Stilton (Miranda Richardson), befriend each other along the way.
This film, set in 1930s Kansas City, features Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the wife of a petty thief named Johnny who gets abducted by a major KC mobster, Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte). In order to save her husband, Blondie abducts the wife of a prominent politician who is connected to the mob as leverage to free him. Conditions complicate as Blondie and the politician's wife, Carolyn Stilton (Miranda Richardson), befriend each other along the way.
This print depicts a grid of various industries in Kansas City in 1883 as printed on the lower border of the matting. The print offers exterior and interior in-use accounts of many of the industries. Of those featured are the S. E. Scott & Co. Real Estate Office; the Journal Building with views of the composing room, press room, office, and editorial room; The Deere Mansur & Co. Farm Machinery building; the McCord & Nave Merchantile Co.; the Union Depot; The Geo. Y. Smith & Co.
The Kansas City Art Deco Society was founded by Bill McDevitt in 1996. McDevitt's goal was to "preserve the bold geometric patterns and streamlined designs that comprised the area's signature architecture in the years between the World Wars" (-Kansas City Business Journal). This poster serves as a graphic token of those designs. A black san serif font overlays a gold border. At the center, a female figure stands in a presentation stance in front of a highly stylized Art Deco structure. This central image is most likely a still from a film.
This poster features a larger-than-life Raquel Welch in her role as K.C. Carr in the 1972 film "Kansas City Bomber". This film was a drama about the merciless social dynamics behind the scenes in the sport of Roller Derby. Raquel Welch, or K.C. Carr, plays a single mother and derby star who leaves her team in Kansas City to play for the Portland Loggers in Oregon. Work, romance, and deceit plague her experience with her new team until K.C. Carr realizes her fierce independence is the key to her success on and off the track.
This poster features a larger-than-life Raquel Welch in her role as K.C. Carr in the 1972 film "Kansas City Bomber". This film was a drama about the merciless social dynamics behind the scenes in the sport of Roller Derby. Raquel Welch, or K.C. Carr, plays a single mother and derby star who leaves her team in Kansas City to play for the Portland Loggers in Oregon. Work, romance, and deceit plague her experience with her new team until K.C. Carr realizes her fierce independence is the key to her success on and off the track.
Kansas City Confidential tells the tale of Timothy Foster, a corrupt ex-policeman who, in blackmailing three criminals to complete a robbery, incidentally implicates a man unrelated to his scheme but gets mistaken for Foster by the authorities. The man, Joe Rolfe, eventually gets the charges against him dropped but goes to track down Foster and the original criminals in a fit of anger. What happens thereafter incites the curiosity lead on by the text on the poster, which reads: "The true solution to this shocking crime still hasn't been entered on police records!!".
Kansas City Confidential tells the tale of Timothy Foster, a corrupt ex-policeman who, in blackmailing three criminals to complete a robbery, incidentally implicates a man unrelated to his scheme but gets mistaken for Foster by the authorities. The man, Joe Rolfe, eventually gets the charges against him dropped but goes to track down Foster and the original criminals in a fit of anger. What happens thereafter incites the curiosity lead on by the text on the poster, which reads: "The true solution to this shocking crime still hasn't been entered on police records!!".
The Convention Hall was a convention center located in Kansas City, Missouri. The original Convention Hall was designed by Frederick E. Hill, and opened on February 22, 1899. This center was destroyed by a fire on April 4th, 1900. The center was redesigned by Hill, and re-opened within a 90 days after construction began. This concentrated effort was labeled the "Kansas City Spirit". The Hall hosted the 1900 Democratic National Convention and the 1928 Republican National Convention.
This is an ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) photograph of Kansas City taken in July of 2006. NASA created the ASTER to take "high-resolution (15 to 90 square meters per pixel) images of the Earth in 14 different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from visible to thermal infrared light." Scientists use ASTER data to create detailed maps of land surface temperature, emissivity, reflectance, and elevation. The images produced are scientifically engaged and visually captivating.
Published by the Lanward Specialty Publishing Co., Chicago, this print highlights several of the more prominent buildings and neighborhoods of Kansas City as it appeared in 1855. The bird's-eye views include a centrally positioned an image of the Missouri River with buildings on one bank and a Native American settlement on the other bank, between the two move the riverboats. The buildings identified in this piece include the Warder Grand Opera House, Kansas City Times Building, National Agricultural Exposition Building, Board of Trade, Independence Avenue M.E.
This drawing focuses on the architectural detail surrounding the building's title, First National Bank, which is engraved in stone. The building, now the Central Branch of the Kansas City Public Library, is known for its ionic order columns emphasized in this drawing. The columns support the entablature, which includes the architrave, the frieze, and the cornice. Most of the detail in the drawing fades with distance, but not the American flag mounted on the rooftop.
Ariel view of the Kansas City skyline. The sepia toned print of the skyline shows a unique view of developing downtown Kansas City. This metropolitan view contains many iconic structures including the Jackson County Courthouse, Kansas City City Hall, Oak Tower, also called the Bell Telephone Building, Kansas City Power and Light Building , and the AT&T building amid the urban downtown landscape. The downtown area experienced a revival in the early 2000s and the success of the development can still be seen today.
This photograph offers a view of the Kansas City, Missouri skyline at sunset. Recognizable are the Oak Tower, City Hall, and Kansas City Power and Light buildings which are integral to the famed skyline. However, some of the more modern buildings included in the contemporary skyline known today are missing, suggesting this photograph is older and was perhaps taken between the 1960s through the 1990s. The railways of the West Bottoms cross the lower portion of the photograph and overpasses follow suit above them. The city itself lies beyond and beneath a beautiful expanse of clouds.
This is a poster that reads "Kansas City / Paris of the Plains / 1928-1938" across an almost water-marked image of a woman dressed in popular flapper attire. Her striking pose seems to suggest the appeal that the rising urban area had despite the economic depression ravaging the rest of the country. Due to looser laws surrounding prohibition, the city's nightlife boomed and was spared economically as well. Kansas City has long been called the "Paris of the Plains" due to its system of boulevards, many water fountains, and strong cultural engagement.