Handprints on a white wall are rarely a positive sight, but at the Kauffman Center’s PNC Grow Up Great Gallery, they are a vision of the future. PNC Bank created the gallery in partnership with the Kauffman Center to inspire local children by exposing them to the performing arts and encouraging creativity.

The Grow Up Great Gallery currently features nearly 300 colorful handprints created by pre-K students  from Kansas City child development centers. By June, the wall will blossom with 160 new handprints made by students at EarlystART centers, El Centro Academy for Children and Growing Futures Child Development Center.

“We know that education is a powerful means for economic and social mobility and children who participate in high-quality preschool are far more likely to achieve, and to contribute to society in their adult lives,” said Kyle Myers, PNC regional president for Kansas City. “That is why PNC is so firmly committed to early education initiatives like this with the PNC Grow Up Great Gallery at the Kauffman Center. Investing and advocating for high-quality early education is a logical extension of our commitment as a national main street bank to supporting the communities where we live and work.”

Photos by Sarah Milosevich. PNC volunteers help students at EarlystART Metro Center prepare their handprints for the PNC Grow Up Great Gallery Wall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

The new handprints, which feature each child’s name and age, will debut at the Kauffman Center’s Future Stages Festival. The students will be invited to attend the festival and witness their marks on the Grow Up Great Gallery wall.

This year, Future Stages Festival celebrates its 10^th anniversary on Sunday, June 11 from 12 – 5 p.m. This free community event features hundreds of youth performers on the Kauffman Center stages throughout the day and spotlights diversity in the performing arts. The event also includes family-friendly activities and exciting arts experiences for all ages.

The PNC Grow Up Great Gallery will be a prominent feature of the PNC PlaySpace located on the Plaza level to the east of the Ticket Office and will offer an area full of engaging activities for festival attendees.

Located on Level 2 of the Kauffman Center, the PNC Grow Up Great Gallery is also open to the public during Ticket Office hours, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday and 90 minutes prior to any performance.

Learn more about our 2023 Future Stages Festival at kauffmancenter.org/open-doors/future-stages-festival