photo by: Lawrence Arts Center contributed photo

Children observe the Kitty City exhibit, a collaboration between the Lawrence Arts Center and the Lawrence Humane Society.

No matter what’s going on in the world around it, the sky is always blue and the sun is always out in Kitty City.

The funky neon cityscape in the Lawrence Arts Center’s window has now served as the temporary home of multiple litters of kittens as they wait to be adopted. Its skyscrapers are decorated with feathers and connected by plastic tubes and catwalks, and passersby on the New Hampshire Street sidewalk can watch the city’s residents play — and even consider taking one of them home.

It’s a collaborative effort between the Arts Center and the Lawrence Humane Society, and so far it’s helped the Humane Society find homes for several litters of kittens. Arts Center Exhibition Program Director Ben Ahlvers said the reception has been great, and that there is typically someone looking in on the exhibit whenever he stops by the Arts Center.

“I was just there yesterday afternoon, and there were 10 people outside looking in the windows,” Ahlvers said Friday.

photo by: Lawrence Humane Society contributed photo

A kitten sits in one of the plastic tubes connecting the buildings in the Kitty City exhibit, a collaboration between the Lawrence Arts Center and the Lawrence Humane Society.

photo by: Lawrence Humane Society contributed photo

A kitten sits on one of the catwalks in the Kitty City exhibit, a collaboration between the Lawrence Arts Center and the Lawrence Humane Society.

The exhibit has been open about a month and takes up the entirety of the Arts Center’s front gallery space, which has a picture window looking out onto the street. Ahlvers said it took about a week for him and local artist and Exhibitions Assistant Jeremy Rockwell to create the colorful cityscape play area, which is full of cartoonish touches like the puffy clouds hanging from the ceiling. The buildings are made out of the pedestals the center typically uses to display artwork. Usually they’re just white, but Ahlvers said he and Rockwell painted them neon orange, yellow and pink to go with what he called the “psychedelic” vibe of the city.

Sydney Martin, content creator for the Lawrence Humane Society, said that the exhibit gives the kittens a lot of room to romp around and makes them more visible for people who might be interested in adopting. As litters of kittens come up for adoption, one litter at a time moves into Kitty City. Those interested in adopting a kitten go through the process at the Humane Society, 1805 E. 19th St., and then can pick up their new pet from the Arts Center. Martin said a new litter of three kittens was just placed at Kitty City on Friday, and 22 kittens have been adopted through the program so far.

“I think it’s a lovely testament to the community of Lawrence that two nonprofits are able to collaborate and come up with such a fun and engaging idea,” Martin said. “And that’s what people need right now, is just a little bit of fun.”

Lawrence resident Shawn Franklin and his two young daughters, Chloe and Sydney, were looking at the exhibit Friday evening. Though the kittens were napping on one of the catwalks at the time, Sydney described some of the more playful moments that she’d seen on her past visits. Shawn Franklin said they live in the area and stop by the exhibit a couple of times a week.

“We are fans,” he said as his daughters peered through the window trying to locate all the kittens.

There are also ways to view the exhibit from home. The Humane Society has done some short video streams of the kittens on its Facebook page, and the Arts Center has a Kitty Cam that has been providing a continuous live feed. Ahlvers said the Kitty Cam was having some glitches Friday but would be back once the issues were resolved. The exhibit and the Kitty Cam were even featured on a “virtual cat camp” program by cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy, who called Kitty City “a beautiful public art exhibit,” according to the Arts Center’s website.

Though Ahlvers said some of the Arts Center’s more serious exhibits — such as the recent “Or, The Whale” exhibit about American capitalism — have been popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kitty City offers people a bit of a break. He said these more lighthearted projects certainly have a place in the art world.

“As a whole, we’re doing a lot on different fronts that hopefully connects with a variety of people,” Ahlvers said. “I know there are people who aren’t cat people, but I think there are more people who are.”

The Kitty City exhibit can only be viewed from the sidewalk outside the Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St. It will take a break for the holidays beginning on Dec. 22, but the kittens will return on Jan. 4, and the exhibit will continue until Feb. 27.

photo by: Lawrence Arts Center contributed photo

Kittens play in the Kitty City exhibit, a collaboration between the Lawrence Arts Center and the Lawrence Humane Society.

photo by: Lawrence Arts Center contributed photo

A kitten sits on top of one of the buildings at the Kitty City exhibit, a collaboration between the Lawrence Arts Center and the Lawrence Humane Society.

photo by: Rochelle Valverde

The Kitty City exhibit is pictured on Dec. 18, 20202.