From Hallmark, Mrs. K's Vision features the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and commemorates the center's achievements over the past 12 years. Learn more about the lasting success of the Kauffman Center and the visionary behind it, Muriel McBrien Kauffman, by tuning in to the documentary on Kansas City PBS Channel 19.1 on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m.
Muriel McBrien Kauffman and her husband, Ewing M. Kauffman, were civic leaders who worked to give back to Kansas City and promote progress through their respective foundations, The Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Muriel, affectionately known as Mrs. K, dreamed of establishing a world-class performing arts center in Kansas City. With the perseverance of her daughter, Julia Irene Dennie-Kauffman, and the community’s tremendous support, Mrs. K’s ambitious dream became a reality in 2011.
“Mrs. K had the dream of having a world-class performing arts center here in Kansas City. Unfortunately, she left us way too early. So, it was left to Julia to determine whether that dream [could] be translated into reality,” Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Board Member Lou Smith said in the documentary.
Mrs. K’s Vision includes interviews with board members, community members and world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. Plus, the documentary breaks down the intricate design behind each performing hall, including the custom-built 32-foot-tall Julia Irene Kauffman Casavant Organ in Helzberg Hall.
In 12 years, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has been an emblem of artistic excellence in Kansas City. From its stunning architecture to its unifying force as an artistic hub, the Kauffman Center has enriched the lives of everyone who walks through its doors.
“It has become what I like to call ‘a special place,’” Smith said. “There’s a sense of ceremony and pleasure and joy in the act of coming to the performance.”
The documentary is a gift to the Kauffman Center from Hallmark to commemorate the Kauffman Center’s achievements in its young 12-year history. Kansas City PBS will air the documentary on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m.