Dowtown Kansas City: Where bad art and poor planning intersect

From Country Club Kay's Administration to Mayor Funky's fanatical regime it's clear that Kansas City just can't stop spending money in order to subsidize the Crossroads.

A recent combination of "art and infrastructure" (ugh) is the latest example of KC's futile hope that 3rd rate artists can convince people that they won't be robbed, shot, raped or killed when venturing into KC's downtown.

With the help of a $500,000 grant from the Gary Dickinson Family Charitable Foundation, James Woodfill has been chosen to collaborate on a project that will transform four dull downtown bridges spanning Interstate 670 into something memorable, and provide a whimsical transition between the new Power & Light District and the Crossroads Arts District.

“The idea is to utilize infrastructure elements as a site for something more profound to happen,” Woodfill said. “Nobody expects an experience like that. It sets up a condition where art can be more meaningful.”

Woodfill’s commission, which totals $828,500, was decided recently by a host of community organizations, including the city of Kansas City, Downtown Council, the Crossroads Community Association, the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Dickinson foundation.

The thing that's insulting about this so-called artwork is that it falls for the hype that Crossroads hipsters have helped to cultivate. Sure, First Fridays are great for a few businesses and white gallery owners in the area but by and large they're overall economic impact is minuscule - Show me the numbers that say otherwise . . . All I see is the same old phony stat that fakes a thousand or so people into a crowd of 10k or more.

Anyway, while the rest of KC is hurting for attention Downtown KC continues to hog this city's resources and share of mind . . . So far the results have been nothing more than a tenuous and speculative condo market coupled with pervasive crime that cripples any threat of a real urban renaissance . . . Thing is, the folks behind this downtown cheerleading could care less about the interests of downtown residents who don't dwell in luxury condos . . . They're simply out to promote their own angle and sell an image of downtown living that is so far from the truth it might as well be a soap opera in which South KC and the Eastside are nothing more than minor players. Additionally, this beautification I-670 bridges is completely misguided given that Broadway near Bartle Hall exiting onto highway in question is nothing but a minefield of potholes that is a complete embarrassment to this city and clearly demonstrates that all of this downtown hype and fanboy zeal for Mayor Funky is nothing but fake sentimentality.

Still, reality has a strange way of circumventing these grand downtown schemes and I only hope all of the filthy homeless bums that are so commonplace in downtown KC appreciate the pricey artwork that might be beautiful but ignores the real state of Kansas City streets.