Kansas City is America’s Heartland

Kansas City is known for many things, including its barbecue, jazz heritage, beautiful fountains, the Kansas City Chiefs, and most recently, the construction of the world’s first professional women’s stadium. The Kansas City metro area straddles two states, separated only by the Missouri River. With a population of 2.1 million, Kansas City is a melting pot of cultures and people. There is so much diversity in this Midwestern city, but it is also abundant in heart. 

Over a century ago, the term ‘heartland’ became a common way to refer to the American Midwest. Kansas City has long embraced the heart as a symbol, most notably by the Kansas City Monarchs Negro Leagues baseball team, who featured a heart on their home jerseys in 1942. In 2020, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City partnered with RideKC to wrap the KC Streetcar in a design reminiscent of that historical jersey, celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the Negro National League and the Kansas City Monarchs. 

Today, many local businesses have incorporated this iconic KC heart into their branding and products, including the Parade of Hearts.  

The Parade of Hearts is a public art exhibition of human-sized heart sculptures, designed and decorated by local artists. These giant five-foot hearts are placed throughout the Kansas City metro area and will be on display through mid-August. Afterwards, the hearts will be auctioned off, with the proceeds donated to local non-profits or crafted into grants that benefit various facets of the Kansas City community. 

Now in its third year, the Parade of Hearts beautifully celebrates the diversity, talent and spirit of Kansas City. Pictured here are just two of the 101 hearts spread across the city. 

_{^{COMMUNAL PIÑATA BY ANGELICA AHUMADA DEJESUS, LOCATED IN KANSAS CITY, KS.}}

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Some well-known locations near UMKC’s campus where you can find a heart include the Country Club Plaza, the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, and the City Market. You can find a map to each heart on the Parade of Hearts webpage. 

_{^{BEST OF BOTH WORLDS BY TIM HOGAN, LOCATED IN ROELAND PARK, KS.}}

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We encourage you to venture out into the KC Heartland and see as many of these works of art before they are gone! If you aren’t able to explore Kansas City in person, you can also view all the hearts online here.