KCAI Blogs

Imagine the Kansas City of the 1880s.  The city was in the midst of rapid population growth – from 55,785 in 1880 to about 125,000 in 1887. Main Street was unpaved, although sizeable portions had achieved the benefit of electric lighting.  A daily newspaper, The Kansas City Star, had been established in 1881 and was thriving. There was a Chamber of Commerce, and a board of health had been created to deal with sanitation problems. Troost Avenue was experiencing a real estate boom, especially after the Ninth Street Cable Company announced plans to put cable cars on that street.

The Deardorff Building at the southeast corner of 11th and Main housed a group of artists in the “studio quarters” of the city. At the suggestion of Mr. Fred Richardson, who was connected with the Fine Arts Institute of Chicago, the artists in 1885 formed a sketch club, “to consist of laymen and artists, meeting from house to house, to talk over art matters in general, and to judge pictures made by the members in illustration of a subject previously given out.” And the rest is history … specifically, KCAI history.

Seven artists and 24 interested citizens were listed as members in May 1886. An exhibition of the artist members, held in the Deardorff Building in the spring of 1887, was the first of its kind in Kansas City. Enjoying a large attendance, it catalyzed public interest, and served to boost support of the arts in our young city.

The sketch club became the Kansas City Art Association and School of Design, incorporated July 18, 1887, its stated purpose “to conduct a school for instruction in drawing, painting, modeling and designing, and the construction and maintenance of buildings suitable for such purposes.” A maintenance fund had been established by a group of 12 benefactors. A sum of  $2,065 raised for equipment went toward the purchase of a set of models and casts consisting of statuary, reliefs, architectural and anatomical fragments…,” together with “185 fine autotypes and photographs of noted statuary and paintings.”

The School of Fine Arts opened Jan. 2, 1888, in the Bayard Building at 1214 Main Street. Enrollment grew to 114 pupils in 1892, with members of the association numbering 264, and the school enjoying a reputation for providing fine facilities and equipment.

At some point in 1892, the school moved to 1012 – 1014 Walnut Street. This location proved to be disastrous for the fledgling art school. On the night of Jan. 12, 1893, all equipment held by the association was destroyed by fire.

In December of 1893, the Kansas City Times and Star reported “The Kansas City Art School, without a home the last few months owing to the disastrous Jaccard fire, is now located in the Y.M.C.A. Building.” 1893 was a year of financial depression, and supporters were not able to contribute replacement funds in the aftermath of the fire. The school continued in a limited way for the next 14 years.

In 1906, a movement to revive the art school idea, with the inclusion of a museum, took hold. The Fine Arts Institute of Kansas City was incorporated Feb. 1, 1907, as the successor to the previous association. Joseph C. Ford served as president. The next several years were times of relative stability, with the Kansas City Art Institute serving as both school and gallery.

1908 saw the publication of a work in three volumes: “Kansas City Missouri: Its History and Its People, 1808-1908″ by Carrie Westlake Whitney.  A chapter titled “Art Movements in Kansas City,” authored by Mrs. E. R. Weeks, covers in great detail the origins of what is now the Kansas City Art Institute. This summary is largely drawn from that account.