Join us as we celebrate the closing of The Mother and… Project with a special evening honoring Stephanie Leedy — neon artist, director of the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, and “Mother of the Crossroads.”

Stephanie’s lifelong dedication to the Kansas City arts community continues the legacy of her father, Jim Leedy — the “Grandfather of the Crossroads.” Through her artistry and leadership, she has nurtured generations of artists, fostered creative collaboration, and brought light to Kansas City in countless ways. As both an artist, a mother, and a grandmother, Stephanie embodies the balance of creation, care, and vision that defines the heart of The Mother and… Project.

The Mother and… Project celebrates motherhood as a source of expansive creative potential and alternative modes of being. Centered on the lived experiences of women who are both artists and mothers, the exhibition highlights the fluid, relational, and intuitive intersections of caregiving and creative practice.

This closing celebration honors not only the artist-mothers featured in the exhibition but also the enduring matriarchal spirit of Leedyville and the broader Crossroads community that sustains and inspires Kansas City’s arts scene.