Kansas City, Missouri, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, offer visitors and locals some of the best art scenes in the country. With nationally recognized museums, unique collections and top-ranked art events, these cities await travelers wanting to embark on their next art-inspired vacation.
© Experience Grand Rapids
A thriving art city since the early 19th century, Grand Rapids held the nickname of the “Furniture City” due to the artistry of fine wood furniture. Grand Rapids features La Grande Vitesse, a massive, 20th-century sculpture by Alexander Calder, located in the plaza surrounding City Hall. Each year, the city hosts ArtPrize, the most-attended public art event celebrating international artists across all mediums.
© Alexander Liberman
Year-round, visitors and locals can visit Grand Rapids’ many museums. Grand Rapids Art Museum features more than 5,000 pieces from America and Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. Also in Grand Rapids, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, one of the top 100 most-visited museums in the world, boasts more than 200 sculptures. This sculpture park also hosts three temporary exhibitions each year.
The Avenue for the Arts, situated throughout downtown Grand Rapids, includes miniature art galleries for visitors to admire small-scale artwork in unconventional settings.
© Visit KC
Kansas City is the hub for art in the New Midwest. The city is home to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a museum displaying more than 42,000 pieces of art spanning more than 5,000 years. This museum also features the large Shuttlecock sculptures. At nearby Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, visitors can stroll through galleries of modern and contemporary art pieces. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art highlights works from both well-known and emerging artists from around the world.
© Visit KC
Downtown, Crossroads Art District houses more than 400 artists. These artists live and work in the area, filling the district with galleries and murals. The first Friday of every month, Crossroads Art District transforms into an art celebration where visitors can stroll through galleries showcasing artists’ works while enjoying street performers, food trucks and other live entertainment.
The Brookside Art Annual, consistently ranked as one of the top 25 shows in the country, features more than 180 artists in more than a dozen mediums. Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City’s longest-running art show, welcomes hundreds of artists working with unique mediums like fibers, photography, ceramics and jewelry.
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