“You Can Have It All” by Dani Roma, Artist
West wall of Summit Heating & Cooling, 1455 Iron Street, North Kansas City, MO 64116

Artist Statement:   

Imagine a place where you can always have the best of both worlds. A place where you can live
in a quiet neighborhood while also enjoying the beauty of the Kansas City skyline. A place
where you ride your bike down to the park, but also drive only minutes into the city for a night on
the town. A place where you can enjoy your favorite family owned restaurants, but be minutes
from every major event the city has to offer. Picture a city reminiscent of an America in the days
of old: a place where industry is strong and families thrive. A place where you can be a part of
the small town and the big city.

North Kansas City began as a single post office just north of the river in 1891, but began to grow
as a city when a levee in 1902 protected the land from being flooded by the Missouri River. To
this day the city continues to grow and flourish. Commemorating North Kansas City’s start there
is the mailbox sitting on the riverbend. A symbol of the city’s tagline “virtually urban, supremely
suburban”, there is a young girl swinging blissfully while looking out to the city skyline. The fun
and childlike colors represent the storybook dreaminess that is North Kansas City: a place
where you can have it all.

Future explanation:
My personal favorite city skyline view is the one you can see as you enter the city from North
Kansas City. NKC is one of my favorite suburbs of Kansas City because it truly is what I have
always wanted. I grew up in a small town, dreaming of the big city. I once thought I wanted to
live in the concrete jungle, but quickly discovered that I love the simplicity and quiet a small town
has to offer. In my mind, North Kansas City truly is the best of both worlds. This painting is for
that little girl inside me that loves the big city, but will never leave the small town.