elevate the arts in Shawnee by fostering a vibrant cultural environment for both artists and
residents,\u201d the organization\u2019s website stated<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The project, whose materials will include acrylic and metal, will be made solely by local students, from the design by Wright to the welding and installation by students at USD 232\u2019s Cedar Trails Exploration Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t just a sculpture, it\u2019s a learning experience. Students are gaining hands-on exposure to design, fabrication and civic engagement,\u201d DeAnn Gould-Lancaster, a member of the board of directors for Shawnee Kansas Arts, told the council last month.<\/p>\n
It will be the second such student-led sculpture installed at a Monticello Road roundabout in recent years, after the work \u201cFlight of Florescence,\u201d a collaboration between The Shawnee Public Arts Task Force and USD 232, went up in July 2024<\/a> near Clear Creek Parkway.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWildflower\u201d was chosen from submissions from two schools<\/p>\n When the roundabout at 75th and Monticello was constructed<\/a> in 2022, footings were installed to accommodate future artwork, like a sculpture.<\/p>\n This past spring, Shawnee Kansas Arts issued a call for submissions.<\/p>\n Students from Shawnee Mission Northwest and Mill Valley responded with concepts and models, and they participated in interviews with the Shawnee Parks and Recreation Department and Shawnee Kansas Arts.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Wright\u2019s submission, which pays tribute to wildflowers in the Johnson County area, like plains coreopsis, American bellflower and bloodroot, was chosen.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I see wildflowers, I see beauty that isn\u2019t really shown or appreciated that much \u2026 and that inspired me,\u201d Wright told the council last month. \u201cI was like, \u2018Hey, they\u2019re beautiful, and they\u2019re everywhere, but they\u2019re not really considered a flower. They\u2019re wild flowers because they\u2019re wild.\u2019 So I thought that maybe there needed to be a little more of that around Shawnee.\u201d<\/p>\n The presentation to the Shawnee City Council last month was part of the third phase of the project.<\/p>\n The next phase will include community engagement opportunities and developing a 3-D model of the sculpture to see what it will look like in the roundabout.<\/p>\n![\"Sculpture](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/project_phases.webp.webp\")
Phases for the Shawnee Kansas Arts sculpture project. Image via Shawnee city documents.
\nThe project will happen in phases<\/p>\n
![\"Sculpture](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sculpture_drawing.webp.webp\")
Diagram of \u201cThe Kansas Wildflower\u201d by AK Wright. Photo courtesy City of Shawnee.