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Kansas City The City of Fountains

John Spoor

August 9 2019

Kansas City Fountains Artist Statement

I chose to photograph various fountains around my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, because we are known as The City of Fountains. Kansas City has over two hundred fountains around its' metro area. The fountains that I have chosen to photograph are as follows:

KCFD Memorial Fountain
KCFD Memorial Fountain

The Firefighters Memorial Fountain: This fountain memorializes the Firefighters of the KCFD that have lost their lives in the line of duty. The fountain was dedicated in 1991 three years after six Firefighters lost their lives in a early morning explosion in South KC at a construction site. This event brought about many changes in how buildings are marked with dangerous chemical warnings. It was updated in 2015 to include other Firefighters who have since lost their lives.

KC Childrens Fountain

The Kansas City Children's Fountain: This fountain brings attention to the children of Kansas City and their ambitions in life. It portrays their carefree and playful nature. The children were inspired by children in Sculpture Tom Corbin's' neighborhood. It was dedicated in 1995.

JC Nichols Memorial Fountain

JC Nichols Memorial Fountain: This fountain was original sculpted in 1910 New York and came to Kansas City in 1951 were it was constructed and dedicated in 1960 from donations from the JC Nichols family. It has four horsemen who represent four of the world's larger rivers.

Jacob L. Loose Park Rose Garden/Adam and Eve Fountain

Adam and Eve Fountain and Rose Garden Fountains: These two fountains reside in Loose Park in Kansas City just south of the Plaza Area. The Rose Garden fountain was made from buff-colored stone from Vicenza, Italy. The present fountain replaced the original which had been in place since 1930, in 2002. The Adam and Eve fountain were the result of an artist's competition in 1941 to commission a fountain in Jacob Loose Park. The winning artist was Jeanette Klein and was dedicated in 1942 during the Rose Day Ceremonies.

Spirit of Freedom Fountain

Spirit of Freedom Fountain: This fountain was first introduced in 1981 and was renovated in 2018. It was originally constructed to commemorate the contributions of African-Americans in Kansas City. The bronze sculpture on the top pays tribute to Kansas City Jazz which is something KC is also known for.

I was inspired to photograph these fountains, because I think Kansas City is unique in how it pays tribute to many of its citizens who have contributed to our city's growth and innovations. Kansas City is rich in its contributions to the Arts such as music and culinary endeavors. I think the fountains play a role in keeping those contributions alive. I tried to capture the essence of these fountains from various points of view using shallow and large depth of field to capture the best detail possible. I hope you enjoy my work and it inspires you to visit and learn more.

Some of the factual information was found at the following website: https://www.kcfountains.com/fountains/details.php?photo=34

Created By
John Spoor
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Credits:

John Spoor Photography

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