Project Description

Based on the Kansas sunflower, “Gateway” is designed to be not only a striking and dynamic form, but also engaging and interactive. Standing nearly 12 feet tall, multiple brightly colored and shaped petals made of cast glass and steel will glow in the sunlight as well as with lighting at night. The center of the flower creates an archway that beckons visitors to walk under the arch. Inside the arch, illustrated panels (details here Project Description Project Description Project Description Project Description Project Description Project Description) stretch from the floor up the interior sides, creating a tapestry that represents the history of the area of Meadowbrook Park and Prairie Village as a whole. Behind and above the illustrated panels, the rest of the archway will be covered with mirror polished stainless steel that will reflect the visitors below. This represents the present and future of the community, reflecting back at the viewer.

Gateway - Artist Statement by Amie Jacobsen

About the Artist

Amie J. Jacobsen is a designer, sculptor, and public artist living and working in the Kansas City area.  A lifelong creator, she produced work in painting, illustration, and graphic design before transitioning to 3D design and metalworking in 2015. Amie's studio is located in Independence, where she employees three assistants. Together, they produce sculptures, artisan furniture, and public art pieces throughout the US.

Project Overview

In 2021, Johnson County Park and Recreation District released a nation-wide call to artists for this project and received 146 applications. An Art Selection Committee made up of artists and community members selected three artists to develop a design for an iconic public artwork at Meadowbrook Park; their final proposals can be found below. This inaugural public art project will be a large scale, permanent piece that helps to celebrate place, cultivate community, and support creativity. 

By recommendation of the Art Selection Committee, the JCPRD Board provided final approval for "Gateway" by Amie Jacobsen Art & Design to be installed at Meadowbrook Park.

The goals for the Meadowbrook Park public art project are to:

• Support the overarching goals for the public art program by creating an artwork that inspires a deeper connection to place and creates an interactive, immersive, and inclusive experience.
• Complement the park design and relate to the ecology, history, or culture of the park or surrounding community.
• Contribute to the overall identity of Meadowbrook Park as a place to experience art, play, and nature.
• Complement park uses and not impede on the use of open space.
• Appeal to a broad audience of users, including people of all ages, through a work that is accessible and inviting.
• Work at a human scale – appeal to people who are on-foot in the park.

Tentative timeline for the project:

• 1st Quarter 2022: Design documents finalized and fabrication of the public art 
• 2nd Quarter 2022: Installation of Public Art and Community Engagement

Thank you to the Art Selection Committee for their work on this project!

Pictured on left: Meadowbrook Park Art Selection Committee members - Susan Mong, Jessamyn Cartwright, Kim Whitman, Martin Pyle, Mark Allen, Mike Dizney, Justin Duff. Not Pictured: Shelly Trewolla. Pictured on right: Site visit tour with three art finalists.