Zhou B Art Center Celebrates Grand Opening in Kansas City

The Zhou B Art Center recently celebrated its grand opening on June 1, in Kansas City, MO, introducing a vibrant new arts center that establishes an anchor at the east end of Kansas City’s 18th Street Cultural Corridor, linking the Crossroads Arts District to the Historic Jazz District. The project involved the transformative renovation and stabilization of the nationally-listed historic Crispus Attucks School, a formerly segregated school for African American students in Kansas City in the mid 20th century. The school was listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places in 1983 and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, but had since become an endangered building in disrepair over recent decades.

BNIM worked with renowned artists ShanZuo and DaHuang Zhoushi — the Zhou Brothers — to bring new life and purpose to the former Crispus Attucks School building and to reflect on its history and place within the 18th and Vine District, where Kansas City’s African American community developed world-class contributions to jazz, baseball, and barbeque, leading to today’s designation of Kansas City as a UNESCO Creative City of Music. The new Zhou B Art Center aims to be “a vibrant hub where artistic expression flourishes, showcasing a diverse range of artists and exhibitions tailored for individuals of all ages and backgrounds [. . .] The center will serve as a bridge connecting local artists with regional and national art professionals acting as a beacon for artistic discovery and intercultural understanding.”

The Zhou B Arts Center provides expansive art galleries, a restored auditorium, and over 40 studios for working artists. The building’s main entrance is relocated into a new addition facing 18th Street for a stronger connection between the Art Center and the Jazz District, and the former school playgrounds are renovated as a sculpture garden and outdoor event space. Permanent installations by the internationally recognized artists ShanZuo and DaHuang Zhou complement space for rotating exhibitions featuring local, national, and international artists. Gallery spaces also serve as leasable event space, helping to subsidize artist studio rent.

The Zhou Brothers founded the first Zhou B Art Center in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood in 2004, and is now expanded to Kansas City as the first offshoot location for a new center. The project now serves as a home base for artistic exchange between the Zhou B Art Center’s locations in Chicago, Kansas City, and future locations.