Liberty, Missouri, attempts to attract foot traffic with changing art scene

LIBERTY, Mo. — If you visit Liberty, Missouri once a year, then you’ll have a different scene for your next visit.

The Liberty Arts Commission has expanded over time and so has its funding. The commission has put emphasis on making the downtown square a destination by placing unique art around town.

“One of the major purposes of this whole process is to make Liberty a destination. There are lots of reasons people come to Liberty and one of those reasons is public art as our inventory around the city continues to grow and as the downtown artscape keeps changing,” said Greg Duncan, a member of the Liberty Arts Commission.

Every fall, the cycle starts again with new pieces rotated out. In the end, the city takes public comment into consideration and purchases one or two pieces to stay.

“There are things that you plan and you know will happen, and then there are wonderful things that happen that you can’t plan,” Duncan said. “For example, we’ve had numerous pieces that were displayed in this program when it was time for them to leave, private citizens or organizations, or businesses, they have actually opted to purchase that piece. So it has gotten to stay in Liberty somewhere else in addition to the pieces that the city purchases.”

Brenda Toates has owned her floral shop on the square for over 20 years. She has seen the area go from drab to fab.

“That’s what this is all about, the art, bringing this conversation to the city. You know, they’ve tried this beautification and they’ve spent a lot of money on it,” Toates said. “A lot of people who live on the other side of I-35, they forget we’re here. And you know as small businesses, we’re just trying to stay alive and serve the community.”

One piece the city is keeping is the dew drop sculpture on the corner of Main and Franklin streets.