Area artists are painting Kansas City’s iconic fountains this summer to help raise $3,200,000 for nine aging fountains that need immediate and critical repair. Artists will offer their fountain artwork to the non-profit City of Fountains Foundation for an exhibit and on-line auction that begins Sept. 5.
The paintings will be featured at Buttonwood Art Space, 3013 Main, for the month of September. A First Friday reception will open on Sept. 5, from 5-9, showing interested buyers the actual paintings up close and personal and offer the public a chance to meet the artist and begin the auction. A bus will transport visitors from the Crossroads district to the Buttonwood Art Space from 5-8 p.m. to view the paintings by local artists.
On-line bidding for the paintings begins Sept. 5 at kcfountains.org. The bidding will continue until midnight Sept 25. Winning bidders can pick up their purchases at Buttonwood on Sept 29 & 30. Half of the proceeds from the auction will go to the participating artists whose framed creations were sold on-line, and half to the foundation’s Wish Upon a Fountain campaign.
Kansas City fountains with the most pressing restoration needs include:
• Seville Light Fountain/Country Club Plaza
• J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain/Country Club Plaza
• Westside Fountain/ Summit and Southwest Blvd
• William Volker Memorial Fountain/Volker Blvd & Oak St.
• Delbert Haff Memorial Fountain/Meyer Blvd at Swope Parkway
• Spirit of Freedom Fountain/ Cleaver II Blvd & Cleveland
• Children’s Fountain/North Oak at Highway 9 in NKC
• Seahorse Fountain (Meyer Circle Fountain)/Meyer Blvd & Ward Parkway
• Firefighters Fountain/ 31st Street between Broadway & SW Trafficway
