Glass
On view in the Marlese Lowe Gourley Island Garden

Tyler Kimball founded Monarch Glass Studio in 2015. Established in the city’s historic 18th and Vine district, Kimball produces sculptural glass objects, installations and artworks that are collected and exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. American Lotus was conceived by Kimball and created at Monarch Glass Studio by Kimball and his expertly choreographed studio team comprised of; Alison Siegel, Joel King, Jake Arnett, Cole Kennedy and Adam Gard.

American Lotus is a blown glass sculpture depicting lotus flowers.

Bronze
On view in the Marlese Lowe Gourley Island Garden

Dan Ostermiller’s thorough knowledge of animals, acquired from years of experience with his father, Roy Ostermiller, a renowned taxidermist, is the foundation for his work. Ostermiller built upon this foundation by careful study of animal habits and instincts. His thorough grounding in taxidermy lends authority to his designs, but the technique that evolved out of his knowledge of anatomy gives his work spontaneity, setting it outside the realm of mere duplication of an animals’ image. Infusing each design is a personality, a combination of the sculptor’s and the subjects. This spirit, the feeling the work imparts to the viewer, is the hallmark of an Ostermiller sculpture.

Blue Sentinel is more than five feet tall and was inspired by a Blue Heron rookery near Ostermiller’s Colorado studio.

Steel
On view in the Heartland Harvest Garden

Eric Tschanz was the Executive Director at Powell Gardens from 1989 to 2016 and is the Celebration Apple artist. He was inspired by a large wooden apple with picnic table-like seats he saw while visiting England.

Tschanz believed Powell Gardens needed a focal piece for the Apple Court but the wooden sculpture he envisioned had an estimated cost of $50,000 to manufacture and ship to the United States. Knowing that our maintenance crew had extraordinary fabrication talents, Tschanz worked with them designing a piece that they could build.

The steel ribs were sent out to be bent into the outer apple-like shape, then all welded together. The stem is fiberglass and anchored into the ground. Tschanz painted the sculpture to keep the look and feel as real as possible. Notice that it is botanically correct with five seed carpels, which Tschanz felt was a great teaching moment for children. This steel sculpture was installed in 2009 once the Heartland Harvest Garden was completed.

Bronze
On view along the Dennis and Annette Young Magnolia Walk

Drawing from his many travels abroad, Dan Ostermiller creates animal figures in context with their natural surroundings. In the tradition of the French 19th century animaliers, Ostermiller’s work is true to the subject. Yet, his work has a realism that is not just an accurate rendering of the subject, but a sophisticated combination of line and composition.

Powell Gardens is fortunate to have three sculptures from artist Dan Ostermiller. Marjorie Powell Allen graciously donated Close Quarters because “they made [her] smile.” Ostermiller is usually given the label “animal sculptor,” however, within that field can be found a wide range of subjects and interpretations. From the barnyard to the vast American Great Plains, from the back porch to the Zambezi Valley, Ostermiller’s animals are studies in elegance and power. They are also depictions of their very essence – the lumbering strength of the grizzly, the feline grace of the cat or the charming vulnerability of the lop-eared rabbit.

Recycled door, wood, paint, plants
On view in the Stumpery Garden

Troy Young is one of the longest tenured staff membes at Powell Garden with over 20 years of service. He enjoys keeping the gardens operating and beautiful for visitors to enjoy.

Door to Spring is inspired by the poem To The Thawing Wind by Robert Frost. The artwork sets the stage for Painted Garden, bringing spring to visitors and the enjoyment we all share of the outdoor world being anew again with color and light.

Steel, wood, fused glass
On view along the Dennis and Annette Young Magnolia Walk

Mike Byrne has been a Kansas City area artist for over 35 years. He works mostly as a sculptor utilizing a variety of materials, often including steel and cement. His work is heavily influenced by the styles of Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller, Arman and Art Deco architecture. Byrne enjoys using found objects to create whimsical art pieces. His focus is on elevating mass-produced objects to celebrate industrial designers who have created artist pieces that are often overlooked. Mike presents objects in unexpected ways but tries not to disguise their original purpose. Mike is an active member of Summit Art as an artist and volunteer.

Iron Butterflies is a mixed media piece depicting the fantasy flight of butterflies.

Welded metal and fused glass
On view on the Visitor Center Terrace 

Rick and Janice Moore have been creating works of art for over 15 years. The couple works as a team on all their pieces, with Rick constructing from metal and Janice from fused glass. They are inspired by nature in their colorful and abstract pieces.

Mosaic Vine shows fused glass leaves set in metal structures.

Steel, glass, and wood
On view along the Dennis and Annette Young Magnolia Walk

Mike Byrne has been a Kansas City area artist for over 35 years. He works mostly as a sculptor utilizing a variety of materials, often including steel and cement. His work is heavily influenced by the styles of Frank Lloyd Wright, Buckminster Fuller, Arman and Art Deco architecture. Byrne enjoys using found objects to create whimsical art pieces. His focus is on elevating mass-produced objects to celebrate industrial designers who have created artist pieces that are often overlooked. Mike presents objects in unexpected ways but tries not to disguise their original purpose. Mike is an active member of Summit Art as an artist and volunteer.

Pinwheel is an abstract piece designed to allow the sun to reflect through the glass, mimicking a swirl of colors and shapes for the viewer.

Bicycle wheels, fabric, and plants
On view on the Visitor Center Terrace

Susan Mertz, Powell Gardens’ Director of Horticulture, imagined incorporating bicycle wheels into a garden art piece. The horticulture team came up with a flowing design of colorful wheels pouring into a bed of white annual blooms. Powell Gardens used this opportunity as a fun team building moment.

Rolling into Spring is a mixed media piece depicting the movement and colors of spring.

Powder coated steel
On view on the Visitor Center Terrace

Metal sculptor, Robert C. Anderson of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, specializes in garden kaleidoscopes, inflated steel pieces, and metal sculptures.

The garden kaleidoscope design Sharing is an original concept that Anderson developed after being introduced to kaleidoscopes by his wife. He started creating these inspired sculptures in 1997.

Anderson’s popular garden kaleidoscopes have a metal frame with a bowl of flowering plants as the focus object for the kaleidoscope. Spin the bowl to change what you see when looking through the eyepiece! Powell Gardens’ kaleidoscope Sharing is powder coated steel and was installed in 2017 on the Visitor Center Terrace. It was generously donated by Dennis and Annette Young.

Brass
Powell Gardens’ front entrance

Jac T. Bowen was an illustrator, sculptor, and painter, who studied with renowned Missouri artist, Thomas Hart Benton, at the Kansas City Art Institute in the 1940s. Bowen also created numerous fiberglass sculptures throughout the Kansas City metro region. The Landing Shopping Center on Troost Avenue had 30 animal sculptures created by Bowen. In 1971, Bowen was commissioned to replace the famous Plaza Bunnies, that were originally made with plaster of Paris in the early 1930s. From 1962 to 1988, a covered wagon, farmer, and oxen were on display at Prairie Village’s Corinth Square, also made by Bowen. In her 2010 book, Jac T Bowen, A Kansas City Artist, author Marybeth Lake wrote that when Bowen “was creating, he felt he was transported into a world of sheer bliss and inspiration. He felt it was the job of the artist to show people how to have beauty in every aspect of their lives.”

Sheaves of Wheat is a 4,000 pound, 17-foot-high sculpture made by artist Jac T. Bowen specifically for the Board of Trade Building, which was located on the Country Club Plaza and closed July 2013. Belger Cartage Service of Kansas City installed Sheaves of Wheat on March 25, 1966 at the Kansas City Board of Trade building. At the time it was considered the “world’s largest hand-wrought brass relief,” due to the half-mile of brass tubing used during its construction. When the Board of Trade closed in Kansas City, the artwork was donated to Powell Gardens facilitated by Wendy Powell & Marty Bicknell. The sculpture was installed in the fall of 2020 with the completion of the new Front Entrance monument and garden.

Visitor Center Terrace Gardens
Inspired by the bright geometric quilts of guest artist Rachel Hayes, gardeners have planted living tapestries of natural beauty. The flower beds surrounding the Visitor Center are bursting with colors of the season. Marvel at early awakening snapdragons arranged in blocks of color. 

Living Succulent Walls
In Garden Galleries, gardeners have hand crafted living walls using succulent plants as a medium. Jade, sedum, aeonium, echeveria and more combine in patterns inspired by featured artist Rachel Hayes, each one unique in its own design.

Peninsula Garden
Inspired by the sun, Donna Covell, Lead Horticulturist (Greenhouse Manager), designed the rays of the sun to feature snapdragons in the spring and celosia, coleus, and ornamental peppers in the summer.

Garden Galleries (Heartland Harvest Garden)
Daily

Stroll to the Garden Galleries to see a whimsical floral installation. The Powell Gardens team drew inspiration from spring rain that brings flowers to life. Experience a fanciful “walk in the park.” Overhead, umbrellas mimic the colors of the sun and sky as mini terrariums filled with begonias and trailing digitalis rain down upon visitors. Along the path, beautiful larkspurs and golden ferns grow in this quaint indoor garden.  

Continue into the adjacent arid greenhouse to enjoy the cacti and succulent collection. Find updated living walls inspired by Painted Garden featured artist Rachel Hayes. A newly installed Crevice Garden brings a natural rocky landscape closer to the viewer.