Lansing High School Student Gwynevere Buie Selected for 2023 KC Parade of HeARTs
Congratulations to Lansing High School student Gwynevere Buie who has been selected as one of only 40 artists to participate in the 2023 KC Parade of HeARTs, a prestigious competition that draws talented artists from across the region. Of approximately 560 entries, Gwyne's heart, titled "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," was chosen to be featured in the parade. The heart can be found near the TWA Headquarters Rocket on 17th and Baltimore in KC and will be moved to two other locations throughout Kansas City until August.
Velociti, a swanky engineering company in Riverside, MO, is sponsoring Gwyne. She will receive an honorarium of $2000, with the first half paid upon pick-up and the second half upon drop-off. When asked how she learned about the competition, Gwyne said, "Last year, my family and I ventured to see all the different hearts! I was curious about how they were chosen, so I did just a bit of research. It turned out the application process was pretty simple. I just had to submit a design and sign a contract!"
Gwyne picked up her heart as early as possible during Winter Break with the help of some friends, and despite a busy schedule that includes scouts, band, school, STUCO, swim, and prom planning, she worked on the KC side off and on for three months. As the deadline approached, Gwyne said she took a week to frantically paint and construct the rest of it.
Gwyne attended the kickoff event on April 15th, where she sold prints, took photos, and made connections with other artists. "Apparently, I'm the youngest artist they've ever had since they began the Parade of Hearts," she said.
Gwyne was in her Art Portfolio class at Lansing High School when she received the email that she had been selected. "It was really exciting, and I immediately forwarded the email to and called my parents! We had to figure out where it was going to go while I worked on it. It ended up in our tiny living room!"
Gwyne has previously been recognized for her artistic talent when she was selected as the Kansas Doodle for Google Winner in 2019. We are proud to have such a talented and accomplished artist among our students at Lansing High School, and we look forward to seeing her heart on display in the KC Parade of HeARTs.