Nathan Neufeld | Studio Coordinator

Photo: Nathan Neufeld/ Courtesy of KCAI

When you enter the dazzling new speakeasy The Monarch Bar on the Country Club Plaza (at 4808 Roanoke) in Kansas City, a shimmering chandelier of over 1,000 acrylic ‘Monarch butterflies’ will be one of the first things to catch your eye. This marvelous installation was designed and built by Studio Coordinator Nathan Neufeld (’15 Ceramics) and a team of students in our very own David T. Beals III Studios for Art & Technology.

When our friend and world-famous architect David Manica, the Monarch Bar owner, wanted to create a cocktail bar reminiscent of the great ones in London and Moscow, he turned to KCAI. He knew that the extraordinary creative talent of our students and the high-tech 3-D printing capabilities of the Beals Studios were the perfect combination to realize his vision of the chandelier. The translucent acrylic butterflies were laser cut, then heated in a kiln and melted to give them shape, then sand-blasted and etched to catch the light. They were hung in columns on a grid to give the illusion of butterflies in flight.  Specially-designed lighting changes the colors of the butterflies. The result is an exquisite, unique chandelier. This collaborative project is just one of many that our students are doing with the Kansas City business community through our Sponsored Studio program, a program that creates partnerships with local businesses to provide unique educational experiences for students while also assisting business partners with a fresh approach to their research and development, creative communications, and business challenges.

The Monarch Bar opens in late August. Be sure to get a seat at the large marble bar, order a craft cocktail and then gaze at the ceiling to see the brilliant chandelier made by KCAI — cheers!