3rd of 3: UMKC Conservatory Receives $20M Challenge Gift!

The University of Missouri--Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance has been recently exploring the idea of moving from their current split home to a ‘Campus for the Arts’ in the Crossroads area of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. In the 3rd of 3 exciting recent announcements about arts institutions in the Kansas City area, the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation has announced a $20 million ‘challenge grant’ to help turn this recent dream into reality.

Ms. Julia Irene Kauffman said "We are proud to be a catalyst for progress to help drive the Conservatory to new heights with a new, cutting-edge facility and, at the same time, relieve overcrowding on the congested UMKC Volker Campus." Kauffman added "This project will bring great synergy among existing arts organizations and initiatives, such as KC Creative Crossroads, an unprecedented regional collaboration among the area's civic leadership and arts organizations."

UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton commented that "Much has been said about the impact this project can have on our artistic community, on economic development, on our city's reputation in the world, but, what this is really all about is creating the next generation of world-class artists right here in Kansas City."

This is a very exciting opportunity for the UMKC Conservatory students, the area’s arts organizations, and the KC community in general, with the Conservatory needing to come up with an additional $70 million in the next 3 years to meet the gift’s challenge--READ MORE HERE in The Wall Street Journal Press Release posting, and, cue the lights, music, dance, and…ACTION!