West Terrace Park is home to three Art in the Loop installations this summer. Learn more about the artists who created Busy Bead Maze in this article by Rachel Love.
The creators of Busy Bead Maze, a large-scale outdoor installation evoking nostalgia for those recognizable fixtures in pediatrician’s offices, are a trio of current Kansas City Art Institute students: Michael Elwood, Annelise Kinney, and Daniel Rawlings. Annelise is beginning her senior year, Michael and Daniel are juniors, they are all working towards their BFA in sculpture.
Their piece has had a little bit of a rough summer; because of the nature of the piece, and it’s placement in West Terrace Park, people have been climbing on the art and subsequently it has suffered multiple breakages. While frustrating, the artists recognize the learning opportunity this presented and have made the necessary changes to their design. The ironic part of the whole situation, according to the artists, is that while the need for repair is frustrating, the whole reason it broke in the first place is that people were playing on it. It’s hard to be upset with the public for enjoying something you made to the point of destruction, even if there were signs asking y’all not to climb on it.