You may have noticed a 16-foot limestone and steel tower at the northeast corner of Merriam and Johnson drives at the entrance to downtown Merriam.
The tower is actually a sculpture, “Still Time” by Dan Maginn. Through a wind chime, “Still Time” honors the lasting wind at the site as well as the original inhabitants of the land, the Kanza, also known as the People of the South Wind.
“Still Time” is one of 14 pieces of public art that the city of Merriam hopes you’ll visit through the city’s self-guided public art tour — which was released about a year after the city embarked on a public art master plan to be more strategic and intentional about adding to its collection.
“Every piece of public art we have tells a story and has a deeper meaning or connection to the community,” Lauren Krivoshia, assistant to the city administrator, told the Post via email on Friday.
“You may not always realize that by only looking at it, but the bears aren’t random, and there’s a great story behind the wind chime (“Still Time”) downtown,” Krivoshia added, referencing a statue of a mother bear and her cub that stands just off Shawnee Mission Parkway and I-35.
Other cities like Shawnee and Prairie Village have similar self-guided tours, for history and art, respectively.
The public art tour is years in the making
- Krivoshia, who is the city’s staff liaison to the public art committee, said that the self-guided public art tour dates back to 2019 when the city launched a self-guided historic tour.
- Back in 2019, Krivoshia said, the city knew it wanted to add a public art tour, but the city wanted to build up its public art offerings first.
- “With murals and more art popping up around Merriam in recent years, the time was right to build the art tour,” Krivoshia said, adding that the city council’s commitment to public art in 2023 also played a role.
- Krivoshia said Otocast offers an audio background narrated by the artist, as well as photos, directions and additional information.
- The city did a soft launch of the public art tour in fall 2024, but is starting to encourage people to take the tour now that spring is here.
There are 14 public art pieces in Merriam
The self-guided public art tour, available through the Otocast smart phone application, features the city’s 14 pieces of public art like “Still Time.”
The tour only features publicly funded art, unlike the well-known rolling dice sculpture along eastbound Shawnee Mission Parkway near Merriam’s western city limits. The rolling dice is a piece of street art, city staff told the Post.
Here is a look at the 14 pieces included in the tour, which includes the Tim Murphy Art Gallery at the Merriam Community Center that features rotating exhibits.
- “Still Time” by Dan Maginn, the 16-foot limestone and steel tower at Johnson and Merriam Drives.
- “Hmmm…” by Joshua Weiner, the caterpillar and butterfly sculpture at Waterfall Park, 5191 Merriam Drive.
- “Planting the Seeds” by Christopher Weed, a multi-piece mirrored sculpture outside the pavilion at the Merriam Marketplace, 5740 Merriam Drive.
- “My Heart Resides in Strawberry Hill” by Kate Burke, the city’s Parade of Hearts purchase at the Merriam Marketplace, 5740 Merriam Drive.
- “Celebration” by Michael Walsh, a mural inspired by the city’s Flags 4 Freedom event located inside the Merriam Community Center.
- “Trinity” by Dierk Van Keppel, a glass sculpture suspended in the atrium of AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, 9100 W. 74th St.
- “Motherhood” by Kwan Woo, a sculpture and water fountain of a mother bear and her cubs at the Merriam Historic Plaza, 6304 E. Frontage Road.
- “Prairie Wildflowers” by Sage Vaughn, the metal sculpture wildflowers on the side of the Merriam Plaza Library.
- “Merriam Roots” by Emily Alvarez, the 360-degree mural inside the Merriam Plaza Library honoring the Webb Family.
- “Kansas City Mural” by Mike Elder, representing all of Kansas City’s sports teams like the Kansas City Chiefs at 5541 Merriam Drive.
- “Downtown Merriam Mural” by Michael Young, a mural of downtown Merriam around 1940 inside the Merriam Community Center.
- “Bask” by Blessing Hancock, a sculpture that lights up at night and is located outside of the Merriam Community Center.
- “Seasons of Merriam Mural” by Shawnee artist Charles Goslin, a mural of the city’s history that is located on the second floor of city hall at 9001 W. 62nd St.
- “Slater St. Antiques” by Melissa Feris, murals at the antique shop near the community center at 5905 Slater St.
There is more in store for Merriam’s public art
- Currently, the city is working with Merriam resident and artist Dierk Van Keppel as part of the city’s 75th anniversary celebration.
- Each month, the city hides some of Van Keppel’s handblown glass hearts around the city for the public to find and keep.
- An artist is also working on a custom mural for the community center that the community can help color in at the city’s 75th birthday party in October.
- Learn more about the city’s public art efforts online here.
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