The Lee’s Summit Arts Council, established in 2002, is responsible for promoting cultural vibrancy and serves as the local arts agency for the community. The City and its many community partners annually host a variety of events that offer enriching cultural experiences, including a Fourth Friday Art Walk, Music in the Park, Downtown Sculpture Walk, Downtown Days, farmers’ markets and various seasonal festivals and activities. These public events showcase the City to a broad audience, drawing visitors from across the region. Community organizations also promote arts and culture by providing other unique experiences for residents.
Artists & Performers
Lee’s Summit is also home to many local artists and organizations that provide a sense of community culture. Summit Art is a nonprofit that provides exhibition opportunities, professional development and mentoring to visual artists, and hosts the annual Summit Art Festival. The Performance at The Legacy Park Amphitheater Lee’s Summit Symphony entertains thousands of people each year, including families with school-aged children.
Summit Theatre Group is a community theatre company that produces several small and largescale theatrical productions each year and has recently launched a theatre education program for school-aged students. In 2019, the Lee’s Summit Jazz Orchestra was formed giving musicians interested in Jazz music an opportunity to perform as part of a group. Many members of the jazz orchestra are music teachers within the school district.
Venues & Performance Space
The public library, local high schools and the Metropolitan Community College provide performance venues, but demand for this limited space creates scheduling challenges, forcing local artists and performers to look for new opportunities elsewhere in the region.
In April 2013, Lee’s Summit voters approved a $2,898,000 general obligation bond to construct and rehabilitate public improvements for cultural arts, including enhancements to the Legacy Park Amphitheater, rehabilitating the former city hall building and the creation of a downtown performance and festival space.
The Legacy Park Amphitheater is a major cultural and entertainment amenity in Lee’s Summit. Located in Legacy Park, the amphitheater serves as an indoor and outdoor facility space for a variety of groups such as musicians, actors, actresses and performance artists. The Legacy Park Amphitheater is available to rent for weddings, corporate picnics, family reunions, festivals, movies, and more. The amphitheater also hosts an annual summer concert series to introduce local bands to the community.
The approved bonds and meetings with the City and key stakeholders resulted in the conceptual plan of The Downtown Market Plaza in 2020. The conceptual plan includes several public and private facilities and uses that would greatly add to the cultural vibrancy of the downtown. Most notably for cultural amenities are the addition of an outdoor performance area and farmer’s market.
Planning for Arts & Culture
The Lee’s Summit Cultural Arts Plan, adopted in 2007 and updated in 2016, guides the City’s investments in culture. The City’s 2012 Cultural Facilities Survey indicated that 96 percent of respondents thought there was a need for additional arts and cultural facilities. Respondents identified the top three types of spaces as those with high-quality acoustics (76%), a large stage (66%), and a large lobby or reception area (54%).
In 2018, the City hired a cultural arts manager to coordinate, develop, and implement programs that enhance quality of life and provide diverse learning opportunities for residents.
Lee’s Summit struggles to retain its artists and cultural amenities. The Got Art Gallery on Third, an independent nonprofit gallery managed by Summit Art, permanently closed in 2020. Past cultural plans are now outdated, based on significant changes in public demand for the arts, and facility needs.
Taking a proactive approach to arts and culture planning, rather than a reactive one, is the best way to ensure realistic, effective arts and culture plans that complement the surrounding community and minimize unintended consequences.
"Public art takes many forms in Lee’s Summit. Sculptures and murals are placed throughout the community enhancing the vibrancy of the city."