Centennial celebration highlights renowned local artist
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The City of St. Joseph is honoring the local artist responsible for two buildings that soon will be celebrating 100 years.
Both City Hall and the Missouri Theater will mark their centennials in 2027. Last week, stakeholders got a sneak preview of the art of Waylande Gregory. Gregory (1905-1971), a native of Baxter Springs, Kansas, has been called one of the foremost ceramics artists of the 20th century. His work is on display at the Missouri Theater and City Hall, two buildings he contributed his talent to in 1927, when he was not quite 22 years old, according to collector and Centennial Committee chair Lori McAllister.
"There is so much to discover and know about these two buildings and about artist Waylande Gregory," McAllister said. "Since Gregory ornamented both of them, we thought it would be good to get a head start to give people a chance to be thinking and learning about these buildings in a new way."
McAllister, along with Frank Polleck, Karl Wellenkoetter and Wally Bloss, will contribute to the artwork by Gregory that will be featured in two exhibits at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. Exhibitions manager Megan Benitz said the museum is excited to be part of the celebration.
"We felt the strongest way we could help with the centennial celebration is by celebrating Waylande Gregory as an artist," Benitz said. "Most people probably haven't heard of him, even though they have seen his work often, so this will be a good re-introduction."
A former director of the Allied Arts Council, Bloss oversaw updates to the Missouri Theater during his tenure. He said artwork in the theater led him to want to know more about the artist.
"I took some interest in Waylande Gregory because of the work that he had done," Bloss said. "So, I started collecting some of his pieces back when you could afford to collect them."
Bloss said it is easy to forget the time and creativity that goes into the work seen at the Missouri Theater and City Hall.
"People are used to thinking of these things just 'being there,'" Bloss said. "These things were created, and there is nothing here that just came from a factory. These were all done by a real person."
The Waylande Gregory exhibits at the museum will be on display from June to September and Nov. 15, 2026, to Jan. 11, 2027.
According to the Centennial Celebration Committee, organized by the Friends of the Missouri Theater, other events will help the city celebrate the 100th anniversary of the two St. Joseph landmarks. They include:
May 3: The Apple Blossom Parade
June 13: The Waylande Gregory 120th Birthday Celebration
July: Celebration of the architect of the buildings (Max Guenther) at the Public Library
Spring 2026: Two-day bus tour to Boler Brothers and Waylande Gregory sites in Kansas City, Lawrence and Manhattan
June 25 to July 7, 2027: Centennial anniversary party
For more information, contact the planning committee at CelebrationSeries2027@gmail.com.
