Call for Heartists: Sprawling sculpture project needs storytellers willing to open portal to KC’s soul
June 10, 2025 | Tommy Felts
When the Parade of Hearts returns in April 2026, as many as 150 pieces of Kansas City’s story will be scattered across the metro — offering a summer-long scavenger hunt of the region’s identity for hometown fans and World Cup revelers alike.
“The Parade of Hearts is more than public art — it’s a catalyst for exploration,” said Jay Currie Campbell, co-chair of the Parade of Hearts Design Selection Adjudication Committee. “Every heart is a story, and every story invites us to see Kansas City in a new way.”
The wildly popular, sprawling public art installation officially opened its 2026 call for artists Monday. As many as 150 “Heartists” are expected to be selected for the program, which sees local creatives turn blank canvas sculptures into expressions of Kansas City’s cultural identity and community pride.
Click here for Parade of Hearts application details. Submissions close Aug. 13.
Jay Currie Campbell, vice president of business development at Multistudio and co-chair of the 2026 Parade of Hearts Design Selection Adjudication Committee, left speaks in March at a Parade of Hearts unveiling event at nbkc bank; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“We’re looking for submissions that push creativity, craft, and story,” said Currie Campbell, who also is vice president of business development for Westport-based Multistudio. “The hearts that resonate most reflect something authentic — a piece of our shared identity, culture, or imagination.”
“Heartists” must live in or have been raised in the Kansas City region, ensuring a deeply rooted connection to the stories told through each heart, organizers said. Parade of Hearts is increasing the artist stipend to $2,500 per heart — a $375,000 investment directly into the artist community.
Organizers unveiled an all-new look for the 2026 Parade of Hearts sculpture in March. The design — now nearly a foot taller and wider than the previous iteration — also notably features a cutout, purposeful keyhole heart that is intended to add opportunity for creative expression.
Artists must keep at least 25 percent of this area visible to preserve its interactive and symbolic intent.
“By creating absence, we’ve actually created a portal,” said Currie Campbell, who helped select the new sculpture canvas, which is fabricated by Dimensional Innovations in Overland Park. “The open-heart design invites deeper creativity — not just on the surface, but through the air, light, and space around it.”
View this post on Instagram
A “design jury” — composed of an independent panel of artists, community leaders, curators, and industry professionals — are expected to review submissions for originality, visual impact, regional storytelling, and alignment with Parade of Hearts values.
Jenn Nussbeck, executive director of Parade of Hearts, right, speaks alongside Lavon Colhour, board chair for Parade of Hearts, during a March reveal event at nbkc bank; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“By using a juried process grounded in diverse perspectives, Parade of Hearts honors both artistic excellence and community representation,” said Jenn Nussbeck, executive director of Parade of Hearts. “The final designs will go beyond aesthetics. They become expressions of our collective story. It’s our moment to show the world who has the biggest hearts on the planet.”
Selected artists and designs are expected to be announced in October, with finished sculptures delivered back to Parade of Hearts between Jan. 21 and Feb. 7, 2026.
Hearts then go on display from April to August across Kansas City, spanning the entirety of the 2026 FIFA World Cup run next summer and elevating the regional initiative to new heights.
“Through community pride, cultural richness, and shared purpose, Parade of Hearts unites cities and counties in a powerful artistic experience that celebrates unity, diversity, and the unmatched generosity of the heartland,” Nussbeck said.
Click here to check out pieces featured in the 2024 Parade of Hearts.
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Made in KC reveals plans for Barrywoods shop in the Northland (and where it’ll open next)
Made in KC is intentionally growing where local demand takes it, said Keith Bradley, detailing the brand’s expansion plans that hinge on customer convenience and include a new store in a prominent Northland shopping center. “We realized that we don’t have a strong presence in the Northland,” said Bradley, a co-owner of Made in KC…
National pain points meet local solutions at C3KC; How ‘energy of the day’ can spark lasting change
Editor’s note: The Junior League of Kansas City — through its C3KC conference — is an advertiser with Startland News. Fostering conversations about the most-pressing concerns facing communities not only helps expose the best of Kansas City innovation, said Becky Haddican, it also serves as a catalyst for even greater collaboration in the future. Now in…
AI-generated bedtime stories are just the first chapter in JQ Sirls epic venture to make the publishing industry more inclusive
Every great children’s story deserves the opportunity to be published, JQ Sirls said, adding his own footnote that more people are qualified than they think to create them. “I could put 1,000 people in one room and tell them all to write a short story about their childhood. While many of them may have a…
‘When puppets talk people listen’: It’s not just storytelling anymore for one of KC’s most beloved children’s theaters
A Kansas City arts institution known for years as the Mesner Puppet Theater is animated with new life, said Meghann Henry, detailing a mission pivot for the freshly sewn and rebranded What If Puppets. Evolution at the nonprofit has taken a turn toward early childhood education since the retirement of Paul Mesner in 2016 —…