Credit: The City of Lee’s Summit

Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is a lively town with various activities at every corner. Parks, walking trails, and attractions are scattered across the city, allowing tons of outdoor fun! Part of this area’s charm is the art displayed for residents and guests to admire as they head to their next destination. Downtown Lee’s Summit features sculptures, murals, and paintings for all to see, and we at Luther Mazda of Lee’s Summit are here to help get you started on your art exploration! 

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Downtown Sculpture Walk

The Downtown Sculpture Walk is a rotating sculpture exhibit that brings new art pieces from artists nationwide each year. The city uses the Otocast app to provide an audio guide alongside a map to make art more accessible during a downtown walk. Featured artists provide audio descriptions of their pieces and explain their creative process and artistic intentions that you can listen to during the audio tour. During or after your walk, you can even vote for your favorite sculpture directly in the app. If a piece garners enough votes and positive feedback, the city will look into purchasing it for Lee’s Summit’s permanent public art collection. The first sculpture the city purchased from this rotating exhibition was the 10-foot steel sculpture “Raptor” (shown above), created by the artist Vince Houston. This artist is renowned for his large steel sculptures for private and public art collections; this one, in particular, showcases a fierce velociraptor with “razor-sharp” teeth and a smooth chrome exterior.

Credit: Fossil Forge

Public Art Gallery

Lee’s Summit’s Public Art Gallery is a permanent collection featured in the downtown area. Some pieces include metallic designs, sculpted statues, or glass panes. Murals are also part of this group of works, including “Red” by JT Daniels and “Welcome to Lee’s Summit” by Ted W. Stilwell and Community Volunteers. “816 Neon” is a recent creation that used parts from the former Eastglenn 16 Theatre, with the “8” portion assembled by Lee’s Summit’s own Fossil Forge Design. This piece shines bright with its neon lights and showcases the city’s past and present thanks to the artists’ inclusion of vintage material and their modern technique, with “816” representing our town’s area code. Fossil Forge Design is also known for creating sculptures, furniture, exhibits, and awards. 

Lee’s Summit is a great destination to explore if you enjoy admiring art and learning about the artists themselves. The downtown area alone holds an impressive collection. Though these are just two of many exhibits in the area, we at Luther Mazda of Lee’s Summit hope this list kickstarts your art journey in Lee’s Summit, MO! 

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