Jacob posing with his work. Photo: Courtesy of Sherae Honeycutt
This week's Parade of Hearts spotlight comes via reader tip (keep 'em coming): "The Heart of Bellefontaine" by Jacob Luke, tucked near Rockhurst University at E. 53rd Street and Troost Avenue.
The black-and-white sculpture is all-in on Steamboat Willie, the 1928 Mickey Mouse short that entered the public domain in 2024.
💌 It's also a love letter to Walt Disney's KC years, with nods to his old home on Bellefontaine and his first studio on Troost.
What he's saying: Luke says he wanted to spotlight Ub Iwerks, too, the KC-born animator and Walt's longtime collaborator who shaped Mickey into the character we know.
"Ub essentially took Walt's idea of an animated short film and brought it to life," he tells Axios. "He was a major reason Mickey Mouse looks the way it does today."
