Devan’s Dozen: Part 2 Hearts
The Simply Scintillating and Superb Submissions of the Celebrated Sequel
Published April 17, 2023
Updated May 7, 2023 to reflect Phase II locations of hearts.
In 2022, Charlie Hustle and Dimensional Innovations took Kansas City by storm with the Parade of Hearts. The local art installation initially featured 154 five-foot by five-foot fiberglass “Charlie Hustle” hearts with designs from various local artists that were placed throughout the metro on both sides of Stateline. The concept was seen as a way to spur local tourism, celebrate the city, and to ultimately raise funds for those locally who were most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission was definitely accomplished as thousands rushed around the metro doing their best Ash Ketchum impressions, hoping to “catch ‘em all”. To help those who could not quite get around to seeing them all, I did the legwork last year to give those in the city a Top 12 of the ones I felt were the most must-see.
The Parade was so successful that two more installations were added bringing the total to 156 (one to show support for Ukraine and another to honor the Kansas Jayhawks’ Men’s Basketball National Championship win) after it had begun. The installation was also extended by about three weeks due to the popularity. And most importantly, over $2.5 million dollars was raised for charity when they were auctioned off. Nearly a year later, I have found it is still fun to occasionally bump into a parade heart and discover the place that became that heart’s new home.
Beginning this week, there will be a new crop to get out and discover.
The Parade of Hearts was such an unbelievable success on so many fronts, that it was announced last fall the installation would return in 2023 and 2024. In the inaugural year, the initial 154 was based on the number of submissions and sponsors. This year? The stakes were much higher. Only 40 hearts were chosen, from nearly 526 local artist submissions.
Unlike the 2022 edition, no artist could have multiple entrants in this year’s parade. In fact, only 8 of this year’s entrants were from artists who participated in last year’s parade. Another change this year, is that with the NFL Draft coming to town, all of the hearts will initially placed in “high-traffic” areas. They will be concentrated around areas like downtown and the Country Club Plaza so that visitors may enjoy them.
On Saturday, I attended the Parade of Hearts Reveal at Hale Arena in the West Bottoms. This gave people in the city a chance to see every single heart in one location, prior to them being placed. It also gave me a chance to chat with multiple “Heartists” about their winning submissions.
There were a handful of recurring themes. The whole “Kansas City having a pretty decent NFL team” thing seemed to inspire a number of the artists. While there were some repeated themes from last year, every single heart chosen this year was fresh and new.
As the Parade of Hearts prepares to run back their concept, I figured that I might as well run back my rankings.
That said, while the list is much more manageable this year - these are the 12 that I believe you should prioritize as you go heart-hunting this year.
DD’s Pro Tip: Be sure to download the Parade of Hearts App to fully experience everything this exhibit has to offer. However, be aware that between the GPS, the scanning, and taking photos - a day of heart-hunting can eat a lot of phone battery. Plan ahead, and even bring a mobile charger, if necessary.
12. A City United
Artist: Katheryn Krouse | @kkrouseart
Phase I Location: 19th & Main - NW Corner
Phase II Location: The University of Kansas Health System Clinic (T-Mobile Entrance)
For Katheryn Krouse, being selected to participate in the inaugural Parade of Hearts was a privilege in itself. To get selected a second time was “such an unbelievable honor!”. As a local artist, Krouse takes pride in celebrating Kansas City in her work. There are a lot of pieces that highlight the iconic Union Station view but there is a metallic element to Krouse’s work that really brought this one to life for me. As a downtown resident who has now lived there for three of the biggest celebrations in the city’s history, Krouse saw an opportunity to celebrate the city by celebrating its celebrations. “I am a lifelong Chiefs fan and there were a lot of hard years. My dad had Season Tickets. So then to all of a sudden be celebrating like this is so awesome.” At the time that she submitted her proposal, the Chiefs had not yet won the most recent Super Bowl but the win did give her a chance to pivot the design from Super Bowl LIV to LVII. We both agreed that, “It was a much bigger crowd than the first one!” There have been few occasions that have captured excitement about Kansas City much like the recent success of our sports teams.
Since 2012, this city has enjoyed an unparalleled golden age of Kansas City sports. With this unprecedented level of success, in a sports-crazed city, Krouse perfectly immortalized the two largest celebrations in the city’s history. What better way to accomplish her own desire to celebrate KC?
11. Charlie
Artist: Scott Manley | @scottmanleydesign
Phase I Location: Power & Light District - Main Street Alley
Phase II Location: Kauffman Stadium
Recently, I was talking with a former employee of the American Jazz Museum who stated that recently there has been a recent push to refer to Kansas City as the “Home of Jazz”. She told me, “We all agree that New Orleans is where it was born but jazz really grew up here.” There is nobody who really had a greater role in that locally than Charlie “Bird” Parker.
Born in Kansas City, Kansas but raised in a neighborhood near 18th & Vine, Charlie Parker grew up right alongside jazz in Kansas City. A key contributor to Kansas City’s famed “jam session sound” and the inventor of bebop, Charlie Parker is considered by most to be the greatest saxophonist who ever lived. And still, in his own time especially but even now, there are many who feel this city has not given Parker his adequate due. So for artist and music-lover Scott Manley, it was important to not only celebrate jazz but to specifically highlight Parker. “I wanted Charlie to be the main focus on this heart design,” he explained. He elaborated that, “When you think of KC, jazz and its history come to mind. Charlie was a leader of that for me. He represents 18th & Vine and what you think of [when you think of] old school jazz.” Manley’s heart captures the magic, neon, and the vibe of an era. Wanting to be certain that his piece would be all about Charlie, he even made the decision to include generic caricatures of jazz musicians alongside Parker as opposed to highlighting other Kansas City greats. The focus of this piece should be lost on no one.
Scott Manley is a first-time entrant in the Parade of Hearts and beyond feeling fortunate to be accepted, could not be more thrilled about the entire process. He told me, “The organization that runs the Parade of Hearts, and how they treat their artists, is next level!”
10. A PATHWAY FORWARD - WHEATLEY PROVIDENCE
Artist: Keisha Jordan | @a.yo.keeeeesh
Phase I Location: Winsteads / Massasoit Suite
Phase II Location: Vine Street Brewing Co.
In 1902, Dr. J. Edward Perry founded a small hospital and training school for nurses. Over time that practice grew into Wheatley-Provident Hospital. It was one of the first hospitals in the nation to be entirely staffed by African-American nurses and administrators. For seventy years, it served Kansas City’s Eastside and our city’s black community. When Keisha Jordan first moved to Kansas City from Chicago a few years back and heard the story of this place, she was moved. “I had a friend who told me this amazing story … I’m not originally from here but I realized there’s so many people from here who don’t know about it.” She found herself asking, “How do I tell this story in a way that’s creative and inspiring?” In drawing attention to the hospital, and its founding physicians, Jordan does exactly that.
The Wheatley-Provident Hospital building is still standing at 1826 Forest Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, just east of the Crossroads. When I asked Jordan if there was any chance that the Parade of Hearts would place her heart out there to really raise awareness for this part of history she just smiled and said, “Wouldn’t that be something?”
9. The Kansas City Time Capsule
Artist: Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown | @doodledoodart
Phase I Location: City Market - North
Phase II Location: Linden Square - Gladstone
You may recall Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown from the inaugural Parade of Hearts where his “Kansas City in Color” was an absolute hit! Once again, Brown combines his own signature illustration style with traditional methods to create a hand-painted masterpiece that blurs the lines between contemporary animation and classic art. In Brown’s “The Kansas City Time Capsule”, you will find a collection of this city’s past, present, future, and even the far-fetched distant future as only Brown could envision it. Brown sees his heart as, “a three-dimensional photo album that celebrates all of the incredible people, places, and events that have made KC what it is today while also highlighting the promising events of tomorrow.”
Whimsical, yet deep, Brown celebrates the past of this region such as the greatest baseball team to every play, our status as a trail head, or the triumphs in aviation of Amelia Earhart. The simple pleasures of enjoying a flight in Brewers’ Alley and the sports and Hollywood personalities we have recently produced highlight our present. The promise of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the first purpose-built women’s sports stadium in the world point to the coming years. And even, a future where the most iconic Kansas City barbeque brands are served on Mars gives this a fun twist of science fiction. Kansas City as it was, as it is, as it will be, and as it may be, as only the “Doodle Dood” can imagine.
8. Bloom Where You Are Planted
Artist: Mary Grace Maschler | @mgmstudioskc
Phase I Location: Made in KC, Betty Rae’s Ice Cream
Phase II Location: Power & Light District - Main Street Alley
When Mary Grace Maschler first applied for the Parade of Hearts, she envisioned herself doing a map of the entire metro that would highlight places like Worlds of Fun, Union Station, Liberty Memorial, and others at their precise locations. While the idea of the map stuck with her, she abandoned the initial notion. “Artistically, that idea just wasn’t working for me,” she explained. So, she went with what she knew and what she knows is flowers. In Bloom Where You Are Planted, Maschler takes a map showing the counties that comprise the metro and covers them with a collection of wildflowers native to Kansas and / or Missouri.
The three-dimensional blossoms leap off the map to give this piece a wonderful three-dimensional feel. To create that effect, Maschler piped on a really thick acrylic paint that she enjoys working with. “Really, I treat it a lot like cake frosting,” she quipped. Aside from the beautiful flowers, there are a number of touches that must be enjoyed. The small blue bird perched on top of the heart, on the Missouri side of the map, is the state bird of Missouri. Among the flowers, honeybees, and other insects, can be found. Honeybees have the distinction of being the official state insect for both Missouri and Kansas. What Maschler’s piece does is celebrate nature and bring attention to all the beauty that Kansas Citians can find in our own backyards.
7. The Heart of the City
Artist: Taylar Sanders | @taylarstake
Phase I Location: SE Corner of 14th & Walnut
Phase II Location: Jay Wolfe Honda
Rightly called The Heart of the City, Taylar Sanders captured two views of downtown Kansas City. The first view is of the KC Streetcar zooming past Power & Light District and into the Crossroads. A first time entrant into the Parade of Hearts, Sanders chose to showcase the beauty of downtown Kansas City. I asked Sanders the question of “Why downtown?” “I love Kansas City! There’s just so many great areas,” she began. “It was hard to pick just one but I feel like downtown just really shows how we’re growing.”
In that regard, she is not wrong. Kansas City has catapulted forward over the past 15 years and a large part of that has been the development and resurgence of downtown. In recent years, the beauty and growth of downtown has been on display for all to see. The success of our sports teams and major events, such as the coming NFL Draft, have really elevated our city’s profile on the national stage. In future years, we will hopefully continue that progress on a global one. Looking to downtown from another angle on the back of the heart, Sanders confessed that, “The Scout is absolutely my favorite view of the city.” Sanders’ version turned masterpiece for us all to enjoy, her perspective perfectly captures the beauty of downtown in this wondrous era of growth.
6. The Seven Magic Animals
Artist: Socorro Reyes Ramirez | @socosocodrilo
Phase I Location: Uptown Theatre
Phase II Location: Mimi’s 4Kids Pantry - Gladstone
“Long ago, seven magical animals came to the Land of Kansas and built a society full of colors called KC.
They became THE CITY’S GUARDIANS.”
From the time that Socorro Reyes Ramirez first moved to Kansas City, she fell in love with it. In 2018, she came up with The Seven Magic Animals. Each one with their own personalities, strengths, and responsibilities. For Ramirez, these characters, each named for a color of the rainbow, and their story speak to the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Since this is where the story came to her, and these animals represent KC, she relished the opportunity to incorporate them into images of the city. Ramirez told me that it took her three months to paint her heart.
Laying out each character, Ramirez wrote, “Indigo is the grumpy one. He is in charge of the city’s finances and resources.” “Red [and his signature hairdo and #15 headband] is the guardian of fun and sports.” “Orange is the guardian of creativity and all the arts in the city.” “Blue is the guardian of security and peace.” “Purple and Yellow feel that they are one color. They are inseparable. They are the guardians of the city’s magic.” “Green is the sentimental. He is in charge of protecting KC’s nature, parks, and fountains.”
Overall, Ramirez’s piece super-imposes a fairy tale into this city. The style and the story gave me flashbacks of reading Richard Scarry and Eric Carle as a child, so I immediately loved it.
5. Tiles & Tales
Artist: Mark Peterson | @markpetersonart
Phase I Location: Arthur Bryant’s BBQ
Phase II Location: Price Chopper - Overland Park
For Mark Peterson, the concept of a heart inspired by the classic boardgame Scrabble really came down to one thing - the letters KC. “I thought about ‘how can I use those letters to my advantage?” Peterson explained. He went on to talk about how some designs paint over the letters or paint them separate from the design but he wanted a concept that really incorporated the indention of the letters. When he thought about playing Scrabble and remembered the engraved letters on the tiles, he knew he had his concept.
On the back of the heart is a crossword of sorts depicting words that describe the various parts of Kansas City. On the outer edges are 132 multicolored tiles. To create these, Peterson cut plexiglass with a miter saw and then sanded down the pieces. On the edges he wanted to highlight “the places that my son and I like to visit.” The amount of detail shown down to the gameboard and the actual letter score on each tile is truly remarkable. In fact when I pointed out to Mark that the thing I liked most about the piece was that he added the numbers five and three on to the KC tiles, he had no idea of the significance as those are the ACTUAL letter scores. Kansas City, Missouri was incorporated as a city in 1853. So the KC ‘53 on the front is as the great Bob Ross would call it, “a happy accident”.
4. Stitched Together
Artist: Molly Burd | @mollyburd55
Phase I Location: Sister Cities Bridge (North End)
Phase II Location: Rotary Plaza - Liberty
When I approached this heart, the first thing Molly Burd let me know was, “I’m a rule breaker” as she encouraged people to run their hands over the nearly 7000 buttons incorporated into the design. Famously, the first run of hearts (and even a sign as I entered the exhibit) told people, “DO NOT TOUCH” but Burd was not concerned. In fact, she specifically planned for it. Burd, and her husband Josh, used a boat-grade epoxy to seal the design so that it would be protected from the elements but touch was always part of the plan. “We left it where you still feel the texture of the buttons,” she explained.
Burd’s grandmother was a seamstress and inspired her to become one as well. She told me, “I really wanted to make a heart that represented the fashion industry.” Using a two foot long curved needle that she fashioned, they drilled holes and then stitched paracord into the outer edges, while looking through the holes on the opposite side of the heart. Wanting a “larger than life spool”, Josh built that. As for the buttons? While Burd had a large collection to use, she needed some help. Luckily, as she tells it, “Facebook came to the rescue!” and the result is a piece of art pleasing to the eyes, and touch.
3. Heart Aflutter
Artist: Sara Dean | @saradoesartstuff
Phase I Location: Mill Creek Park Fountain
Phase II Location: Mill Creek Park Fountain / Parking Garage Mural
This piece returns to a theme that was readily present in the inaugural parade - monarch butterflies. Past pieces mostly incorporated the butterfly as a symbol of Kansas City’s Negro Leagues dynasty, the Monarchs. (Fun Fact: The team was actually named for a printing company, not an insect or any royal family). In the case of Heart Aflutter, artist Sara Dean wanted to bring awareness to the creature itself.
“Kansas City is in the migration path of the monarch butterfly,” Dean began. “They are endangered but not protected so I wanted to bring awareness to that.” In order to create her masterpiece, Dean fashioned a body out of fiberglass that she attached to the heart. The heart, of course, represents the wings. The insect’s legs are made of copper pipe. The antennae are made of wire. “You can boing ‘em!” Dean exclaimed. “I have kids and so I figure someone was going to want a heart they could touch.” Speaking of those children, the base (which is covered in painted-on flowers and plants that monarchs traditionally feed off of) is wrapped in a poem written by her nine year old daughter Savannah:
When you lose someone, they are not gone forever,
they are a butterfly
and they come to visit you
once in awhile!
2. Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Artist: Gwynevere Buie | @_gwuie
Phase I Location: Moonliner II View Point
Phase II Location: Parkville Pocket Park
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Ever since Judy Garland first spoke those words in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, there has been a felt connection between this magical story and Kansas City. Of course, it’s important to note that Gwynevere Buie’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow, while it borrows from the movie’s lead song, details the events of L. Frank Baum’s original book over the movie. The most tell-tale sign is Dorothy’s pair of slippers which, while ruby red in the movie, are silver in both the book and on Buie’s heart. The front of the heart depicts Dorothy’s life in Kansas and the rear depicts the Land of Oz, with The Emerald City in the distance. A treacherous field of poppies surrounds the base.
Dressed as the famed Dorothy Gale for the event, artist Gwynevere Buie told me about how she and her mother had sought out the hearts together last year. “I felt like last year there were touches of the story but no one did The Wizard of Oz in its entirety.” She then revealed, “I sketched out the entire idea in an algebra class.” This took me by surprise so when I asked how old she was, she mentioned that she is a junior in high school. Being sixteen at the time she was selected, Gwynevere Buie is the youngest artist ever selected to participate in the Parade of Hearts.
1. All Walks of Life
Artist: Dani Romay | @dani.roma.art
Phase I Location: Muse of the Missouri Fountain
Phase II Location: Price Chopper - Roeland Park
Dani Romay has a special distinction. Not only is she one of eight returning artists to this year’s Parade of Hearts. Not only was she someone who had multiple entrants in last year’s parade. She has the distinction of being the only artist to make both editions of the Parade of Hearts’ Devan’s Dozen. I had already made my selections when I realized Romay’s KC’s Best Friend made my list in 2022.
This was such a markedly different piece than the one I loved so much last year. It has a real three-dimensional feel. Romay’s piece features a Dogwood tree, representative of Missouri, with various pairs and types of shoes hanging from it. Below, a field of sunflowers represents Kansas.
To construct the tree, Romay used bondo, wire, and a lot of spray foam. The shoes were all thrifted, with the exception of the ballet slippers which she was forced to buy new. The different shoes and sizes represent All Walks of Life. “My heart represents every Kansas City citizen. Regardless of our difference, backgrounds, lifestyles, and stories, we are all part of this beautiful city,” Romay told me. Her piece is packed with a number of Easter eggs (seriously, see if you can spot them all) but perhaps my favorite is that in the lefthand roots are carved Romay’s initials, as well as the initials of her father (who helped her cut the shoes) and her two close friends who aided in the construction of the tree.
HONORABLE MENTION - Beautiful Bessie
Artist: Renee Howard | @reneeehoward
Phase I Location: American Royal
Phase II Location: McCarthy Honda
Going into this, I promised myself that with only 40 hearts to choose from, there was no way that I was going to shoehorn in a 13th selection. I even questioned if 12 was too many to rank, but I’m rather beholden to the concept. However, this submission is not my pick. It’s Brinley’s pick! Brinley is my 14 month old niece and as we wandered through the great hall of hearts, Beautiful Bessie caught her eye. Even when we were a good 10 - 15 hearts away from it, Brinley could not stop pointing. She wanted to make sure we could all see the beautiful Hereford cow. Once we did get there, she was SO happy! She was dying to touch it and wasn’t quite ready to leave it when the rest of us were.
My niece wasn’t the only one drawn to Herefords. Clearly, Renee Howard was too. “Kansas City’s a ‘Cowtown’ right?”, she asked me. She sees the down-to-earth “Bessie” as representing all who call KC home. For Howard, who had a desire to celebrate that specific nickname with this specific breed of cattle. Howard shared that she always felt a connection to Herefords because her dad raised them when growing up. “Howard Herefords” was once a farm brand but now, it’s also Brinley’s favorite KC heart.
For the first time in history, someone other than me made a Devan’s Dozen pick. My niece Brinley (SHOWN IN CENTER) clearly thinks Beautiful Bessie is the heart that everyone needs to see. PHOTO CREDIT - Stephanie Dignan
Spring is here! It’s been, mostly, beautiful in Kansas City and so what better time to get out and see these hearts?! This year there is only one-quarter of last year’s haul and the event is going to last a little longer so there should be plenty of opportunity to see them all.
Remember to download the app, scan in, and take advantage of the offers! Support the local businesses and learn about the local landmarks where these hearts will be placed! The inaugural Parade of Hearts was very much Kansas City at its best, and so I am thankful that we get to enjoy that for two more seasons.
Last year I wrote about the Parade that, “We are a collection of very different, very diverse people but at the end of the day, these 154 hearts beat as one. We are all Kansas City.” Once again, I fully believe that. Even speaking to so many of the Heartists and watching them interact with those who came out to see them - it was so amazing to just see how many people are passionate about this place we all come home.
It seemed that one very common theme this year was the sheer number of the submissions that incorporated the metro as a whole into their designs, reinforcing the notion that we really are one city that spans two states. Like anyone, Kansas Citians aren’t perfect, but at the end of the day, we are all Kansas Citians.
This is a chance to hear from 40 different voices and celebrate the things that make our city unique and special. In a world where the cost of everything is constantly going up, the ability to have such a meaningful, FREE-OF-CHARGE activity that can be enjoyed with the family, with friends, or on your own, is so rare.
While I was fortunate to see every single heart in a matter of hours, that still won’t stop me from trying to find some of these “in the wild.” For me, the very best aspect of the Parade of Hearts was that it took me to corners of the metro that I would never have otherwise been. The hearts placed in parts of the city that I normally do not get to will once again be of special interest to me. Last year, the Parade of Hearts challenged me to live out the entire mission of this site - to get out there and discover KC.
I once again welcome the challenge. I hope you will embrace it as well. Happy hunting!
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:
Angelica Ahumada (DeJesus) | David Ameryun | Dennis Baughman, Adam Rolf, & Heather Davis | Doug Bennett | Evan "Doodle Dood" Brown | Gwynevere Buie | Molly Burd | Paige Crosswhite | Sara Dean | Anita Easterwood | Nate Evans | Giselle Garza | Julie Heide | Katie Henrichs | Juan Hernandez | Alicia Hoerman | Renee Howard | Ann Johnson | Keisha Jordan | Kansas City Blind All Stars & Lydia Knopp | Fran Kapono-Kuzila | Maliha Khan | Katheryn Krouse | Jacob Luke | Scott Manly | Mary Grace Maschler | Scott McCarthy | James McGinnis | Kathryn Messick | Kobi Nolan | Tayler Peters & Emily Jones | Mark Peterson | Charlie Podrebarac | Socorro Reyes Ramirez | Dani Romay | Taylar Sanders | Mike Savage | Scott Seetin | Chase Wilson & Trey Whitaker | Ivey Zoellers
This article literally does not happen without all of you! Thank you for lending your talents and sharing a part of yourselves with all of Kansas City!
Unless otherwise noticed, all photos in this article were taken by, and are the property of, disKCovery.
Which hearts are you going to make it a point to see? What did I get right? What did I get horribly wrong?
As always, let me hear it in the comments!
