photo by: Contributed

Handcrafted products created by Douglas County artists are displayed for sale at Kansas City's Union Station. They will be there at a special pop-up market throughout the World Cup.

Eleven artists and craftspeople from Douglas County will be among those selling their handmade goods at a special pop-up market in Kansas City’s Union Station for the 2026 World Cup.

The artists are part of an Ottawa-based art collective called The Collective Heart Creative, which was chosen to take part in the “City of Entrepreneurs Marketplace” at Union Station. The market is organized by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and its economic development group, and its goal is to help local artists, businesses, food vendors and organizations benefit from the excitement and added tourism of World Cup matches in KC, according to press release from Kansas City, Missouri.

Dawnua Dawson, a founding member of The Collective Heart Creative, told the Journal-World that after the collective was chosen to feature its works at the market, it was a goal to “bring as many artists as possible.” Dawson said she was especially proud of the diversity of the participants, who span multiple generations and range in age from 9 to 77.

The 11 Douglas County creators who will be featured are: Aimee Omohundro, of The Clever Bat; Evan Johnson, of Fred Paper Co.; Buck Bradley, of Buck’s Honey Bee Company; Ruth Hawkins, of Little Hawk Farm; Wendell Pohl, of 8 Mile Creek Designs; Cody Bonham, of Block and Knife Crafts; Liz Bonny, of Harvestry by Hand; Roxie Lytle, of Not Quite Wild Creations; Mary Walthall, of Paintings by Mary; Jessie Kessler, of Shady Street Sunglasses; and Deja Mackey of the Yarn Barn.

A release from the collective says the craftspeople work in a “wide variety of artistic disciplines,” such as handmade paper goods, found-object art, handmade jewelry and hand-painted accessories.

The collective began in January 2026 and has worked to support artists and entrepreneurs with classes, mentorship opportunities and community programming, and it hopes this event will create new opportunities for local artists by putting their work in front of all the visitors coming to the region. Omohundro said in the release she was “thrilled” for the opportunity and hoped it would represent Lawrence’s artistic talents well.

“The World Cup provides an extraordinary platform for local artists to reach new audiences and demonstrate the incredible talent that exists in Lawrence,” Omohundro said.

In addition to participating in the market, the collective brought a community art installation to Union Station called “What Fills Your Heart?” Participants are asked to write responses on colorful ribbons about what “fills their hearts” and place them on a 6-foot-tall steel heart sculpture.

photo by: Contributed

An installation put together by The Collective Heart Creative, an art collective featuring artists from Douglas County, sits at Kansas City’s Union Station.