Missouri Bank, BKS Real Estate, And Helix Architecture & Design Awarded For DREAM

Missouri Bank, BKS Real Estate, and Helix Architecture + Design have been awarded highest level "Art Achievement" by Art through Architecture (AtA) for commissioning "DREAM," a new, site-specific art installation by Kansas City based artist Archie Scott Gobber. The project was commissioned as part of the architectural renovation of the historic former Star Motors building at 7 West 62nd Terrace in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, MO.

Gobber's installation animates one long wall of Missouri Bank's new vehicular drive-thru, which runs straight through the center of the building. It features large-scale, hand-painted aluminum letters (each approx 93"x84") spelling "DREAM," which float off of a brightly painted, horizontally-striped background spanning the length of the drive-thru, some 90 feet long.

"DREAM has an appearance of movement from the first viewing of the letters to the powerful stripes that run the length of the wall," said Gobber, who is known for smart text-based artworks that often draw inspiration and meaning from pop culture and current events. "Contained in the work is LED lighting that glows from behind the letters as if spray-painted, a street artist nod that is common to my paintings. A skewed arching perspective within the letters, combined with a painted drop shadow that looks a foot thick, makes for an imposing message - as imposing as one chooses to see it. I see DREAM as a hopeful, humanist, nostalgic and proud statement by a local bank that is committed to people. It says ‘You're in the right place.'"

Missouri Bank, which opens for business February 22, will also occupy approximately 5,000 square feet of interior space, with a glass wall facing the art installation, such that it will be highly visible from the bank's interior. The building, owned by BKS Real Estate, will provide space for several additional tenants, both retail and office.

Reeves Wiedeman, a principal at Helix Architecture + Design, identified the potential for incorporating an art component into the project from an early stage, and contacted Art through Architecture to help facilitate this process.

"Parking being at a premium in Brookside, it was George Gilchrist [of BKS Real Estate] who came up with the idea of bringing the bank's vehicular drive ‘literally' through the middle of the building instead of sticking it out in the parking lot like most banks typically do," he said. "Helix saw potential in the idea of creating a new kind of drive-thru facility where customers could feel (almost) like they're driving right into the bank's lobby when making a transaction. The 90 foot long "blank" wall on one side of the drive-thru presented a unique architectural challenge visually, which is why we decided to collaborate with a local artist."

Through AtA, a partnership of American Institute of Architects-Kansas City and Charlotte Street Foundation, new architectural projects may earn Gold, Silver or Bronze levels of Art Achievement by dedicating a percentage of the total construction budget to collecting artworks, commissioning temporary or permanent artworks, and/or including artists on design teams. AtA facilitates this process by providing a web-based database at www.ArtArch.org, featuring work by some 90 artists selected for the program through a competitive process, and by providing hands-on support for project implementation, from artist selection through completion. This commission has qualified for the highest level, Gold Art Achievement.

Gobber was awarded this commission, funded by Missouri Bank and BKS Real Estate, through a two-phased process. First, the clients and architects reviewed the work of artists featured on AtA's website database, narrowing to a short-list of finalists. These artists were then invited to develop specific proposals for the site, which they presented during studio visits last summer, at which point Gobber was selected. He worked with Helix as well as Harren-Laughlin Construction to integrate his project into the overall building design and construction.

"Gobber took full advantage of The Situation by creating a dazzling and provocative piece that not only complements but enhances the architectural design," said Wiedeman. "The end result completely changes the perception of what drive thru facilities can be. And, Brookside gets a great piece of local, contemporary art."

"DREAM is a spectacular addition to the building," said Grant Burcham, President and CEO of Missouri Bank. "Not only does it make an ordinary drive-through extraordinary, it speaks to our entrepreneurial niche. Entrepreneurs are dreamers by definition!"

"We are very pleased with the public support we have received for participating in the Art through Architecture program for both our Crossroads bank, and our new Brookside bank," he added. "The response has been so overwhelmingly positive, we would not consider another project without participating in the program."

"We are really pleased to be a part of DREAM," said George Gilchrist, BKS Real Estate. "The work of Archie Scott Gobber has enhanced the building so much, and added the final touch to the tremendous work and vision of Helix Architecture + Design and Missouri Bank. We are thankful to everyone involved for their work on this great addition to Brookside."

"This is my largest and most involved work to date," noted Gobber. "I'm really proud to have a permanent work in one of the great neighborhoods of Kansas City, the city in which I choose to live."

About the Artist:
Born in 1965 in Warrensburg, Missouri, Archie Scott Gobber received his BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in 1998. His work has shown locally and nationally, including solo exhibitions at Gallery 210 in St. Louis, Marty Walker Gallery in Dallas (a critic's pick in ArtForum), Review Studio Exhibition Space, Kansas City, and Dolphin Gallery, Kansas City, and group exhibitions at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS, Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Milo Gallery, Los Angeles, and White Flag Projects, St. Louis. He received a Charlotte Street Award in 1998, completed a Project Wall commission for the H&R Block Artspace in 2004, and was commissioned to create two Art through Architecture "Artboards" for Missouri Bank's Crossroads Branch in 2009. Since 2005, Gobber has been an artist in residence at Review Studios. He is represented by Dolphin Gallery in Kansas City. For more information, visit www.archiescottgobber.com.

About the Architect:
Helix / Architecture + Design is a recognized leader in the sustainable practice of re-positioning historic properties for productive, contemporary uses. The firm is architectural masterplanner for properties in the Brookside, Prairie Village and Corinth historic neighborhood shopping centers. For more information, visit www. helixkc.com.

About Art through Architecture:
The mission of Art through Architecture (AtA) is to support artists and the arts community in the Kansas City area and to enrich architectural practices and architect-client relationships by providing architects and clients with incentives and tools to collect, commission, place, and integrate artwork by Kansas City artists into their processes and projects. For more information about the Art program, visit www.ArtArch.org, or contact Kate Hackman, Administrator, Art through Architecture Art Committee/Associate Director, Charlotte Street Foundation, at 816.994.7731 or kate@charlottestreet.org.

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