Art in the Loop

KC Streetcar Stop Wraps as Community Art

Commitment To Quality

Art in the Loop is a non-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the visual identity, enrichment, and revitalization of downtown Kansas City through the creation of new opportunities for artistic development and expanding public interaction with this new art. The group accomplishes this through permanent and temporary art installations along the KC Streetcar route in and around Streetcar stop enclosures. From statues, to live music, to video performances, and even visual artist wraps on actual KC Streetcar stop enclosures, the breadth of art alone is spectacular.

For the KC Streetcar stop enclosure art, originally, when an artist’s work was selected to be exhibited through annual submission competitions, the artist themself would need to find and contract a wrap company to install their work on the enclosures. The process was slow, inconsistent, and the installation quality of the wraps varied tremendously.

At about that time, the KC Streetcar Authority introduced Art in the Loop to Signco, their preferred professional wrap company – a company whose track record for quality and fair pricing led them to be the exclusive wrap provider for the KC Streetcars during the previous year. For the Streetcar Authority, after witnessing the expertise of Signco’s designers and installers, they were hooked.

Signco had been converting incredible artworks designed by local artists into a format that could be placed on the streetcars, which was no easy feat. So, the logistical, safety, and visibility requirements for the Art in the Loop Streetcar Stop Enclosure wraps would be somewhat familiar to Signco. The Streetcar Stop Enclosure wraps had many additional restrictions and schedules Signco would need to work around during fabrication and installation while absolutely maintaining the integrity of each of the artist’s work.

According to Ann Holiday, Director of the Art in the Loop Foundation, the overall professionalism and ease of collaboration with Signco was exactly what Art in the Loop was looking for. And, Signco’s commitment to quality, flexibility in timing, and creativity in design and fabrication in producing the many material-diverse wraps exceeded Art in the Loop’s expectations.

According to Holiday, as the Art in the Loop program evolved, Signco was invited to the initial installation meeting with each artist Art in the Loop chose to feature for the upcoming display period. Signco was there from start to finish, helping to accurately plan out the best installation solution for each project and collaborating with the artist on how to make the art look its absolute best once installed.

From their designers to their installers, the overall experience of working with the Signco team was exceptional. Each and every one of them are responsive and extremely helpful. They are all perfectionists! Any concern or issue they came across was brought to our attention immediately, along with great solutions for overcoming them. Every one of their team members are a great joy to work with and the speed at which they complete these projects is amazing – sometimes completing every wrap we needed downtown in one full day!

And the quality of the wraps they install is astounding. These streetcars and streetcar stops are exposed to all types of weather conditions – and we have never had an issue with peeling or fading. This means a great deal to us because these art installations are representing the amazing artists we get to work with – and we want their art to look absolutely pristine from the moment they are installed until it is time for removal – which Signco also assists us in doing! We could not recommend the Signco professionals enough for whatever wrap job you need done!

Ann HolidayDirector of the Art in the Loop Foundation

Art In The Loop Gallery