REDLINED: Cities, Suburbs and Segregation, the Johnson County Museum’s newest special exhibition, has opened to the public throughout
2022.

The exhibit explores the history of redlining and how it both shaped and was shaped by Johnson County and the Kansas City region. Redlining refers to the systematic disinvestment of some neighborhoods and populations when private industry and later the federal government funded and supported home purchases for some people and neighborhoods over others.

Redlining was integral to the build-up of the nation’s suburban communities to the detriment of urban neighborhoods and communities of color. Although the policy was outlawed with the passage of the 1968 Civil Rights Act, the legacies of the system continue to have their impact today.

Johnson County Museum, located in the Arts and Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Access to the special exhibit is included in general museum admission: $6 adults, $5 seniors (60-plus), $4 children (1-17). Children under 1 year of age and Johnson County Museum Foundation members are admitted free.

The REDLINED exhibition has more than 120 images, ten display cases with original objects and artifacts, and covers more than 2,000 square feet of wall space. It features large-scale visualizations of redlining, restrictive covenants by neighborhood and media coverage.

A video produced for the exhibit highlights voices from inside previously redlined communities. A custom interactive allows visitors to compare present-day mapping data to redlining boundaries created nearly a century ago.

A mini exhibit, featuring works from the African American Artists Collective, offers opportunities to learn about the history of redlining from the artists’ perspective and to reflect on the historical content provided in the exhibit.

Programming at the Arts and Heritage Center and at more than a dozen partner sites around the metro will complement the exhibit in the months ahead. To learn more, visit jcprd.com/Redlined.

The REDLINED exhibition closes Jan. 7, 2023