Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:00):
Hey guys, it's Mindy here with the Kansas City Bucket List Podcast. I am really excited because I have somebody in the studio with me today. I have Paul Dorell, who is the founder and art consultant at Leopold Gallery in Brookside, and we are gonna talk all things art today. Thanks for coming in today.
Paul Dorrell (00:00:25):
Right on. Uh, Mindy, thanks so much for having me on board.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:27):
Yeah, of course. So we have been working together for, what does it seem like, three, four years, maybe
Paul Dorrell (00:00:34):
5, 3, 4 years ago. I asked, one of my assistants found me the coolest influencer in the city.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:39):
Oh,
Paul Dorrell (00:00:39):
Flattered. And within 30 seconds of a search, she came up with you. And it's been wonderful ever since.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:44):
Well, thanks. And by the way, totally forgot to mention that we have our dogs here today.
Paul Dorrell (00:00:48):
Yeah, we do.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:48):
So, uh, the studio is dog friendly, so I've got my pup mac here short for mac and cheese. And you brought your dog, Sierra?
Paul Dorrell (00:00:56):
Uh, Stella. Stella.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:57):
Sorry.
Paul Dorrell (00:00:57):
Sorry. She's a German Shepherd rescue. We love rescuing, abandoned or abused German shepherds.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:02):
Yeah. Which we're definitely gonna talk about that today. So when I had reached out to you to be on the podcast, I thought for sure you need to have, um, your dog here because
Paul Dorrell (00:01:09):
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She would agree with that
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:09):
Very on brand, right? Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:01:10):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:11):
Well, good. Well, um, I'm really excited to dive into Leopold Gallery, which has been around for how many decades
Paul Dorrell (00:01:18):
Now? We, we turned 35 in February
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:21):
35. Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:01:22):
I do not know where the time went.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:24):
I bet, I bet. Well, congratulations on that. That's huge.
Paul Dorrell (00:01:26):
Thank you.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:27):
Um, I have to say, you know, a big reason that I wanted to have you on is I wanted to dive into your love of art. Um, but also thank you because as I've been working with you over the last couple of years, I have learned a ton about art and you work with a lot of local and regional artists, which we'll get into. Um, but we have worked together for a while. I have a couple pieces that I have put into my house and I, in, in all sincerity, I get so many comments, so many compliments on it.
Paul Dorrell (00:01:56):
People are attacking your art already.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:57):
I know. Isn't it crazy?
Paul Dorrell (00:01:58):
Well, it's nice to be controversial sometimes. Yeah, exactly. As long as there's a positive outcome. Mindy Hargesheimer (00:02:02):
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Yeah. Well what's really great about it is, um, first of all, so it's kind of an ongoing joke. I love the color black, usually in the form of clothes. But, um, we recently did our front area of our house and we actually painted several walls black. Oh,
Paul Dorrell (00:02:15):
I take
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:02:15):
It. Which is a little, I absolutely love it. But we've got art that kind of like counteracts sort of like the dark kind of. We have a concrete wall that we did, and we have a piece that's bright orange and pink and purple. It's the New Mexico movie scene.
Paul Dorrell (00:02:29):
Oh, sure. Nick gwa. Well, contrast is often the name of the game in the arts. Yep.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:02:33):
I get more compliments on that, that piece. And truly it gives me, um, this like, amazing reaction. Personally, every time I walk by it, it actually brings me a lot of joy. And then I have the other one, which is like the blue kind of like landscape. That's
Paul Dorrell (00:02:45):
Michael Dwain. Yep.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:02:46):
Michael
Paul Dorrell (00:02:46):
Dwain. He does these wonderful stylized interpretations of the Flint Hills Yeah. And of Central New Mexico.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:02:52):
Yeah. So they're really amazing. And, um, you know, I featured you for a long time now for people to go into the gallery. Sure. You've got two stories and a slide. Sure. Let's talk about that, how that concept came to be <laugh>. Um, by far you were the first one to ever put a slide in inside anywhere, I think in kc right? Probably before er we worked
Paul Dorrell (00:03:10):
The first, uh, Reger, uh, distillery. Yeah. They've got in the East Bottoms, put a slide in a long time ago. Okay. Maybe seven, eight years ago. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:19):
Maybe they beat you to it, <laugh>.
Paul Dorrell (00:03:20):
Uh, they did. We got the idea from them.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:23):
Okay, got it.
Paul Dorrell (00:03:23):
But actually, I've been to reader to do it for 20 years, and then after they did it, I realized there was nothing left to wait for. Let's just do it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:29):
Perfect. Love it. Um, but yeah. So you have this incredible gallery that you've had in Brookside now for several years. You've got your dogs that are typically in gallery, in the gallery every day when you come and visit's every day. Um, and of course, you know, we'll get into like where people can find you online to check out art and everything. But, um, I wanted to get into a little bit. So first of all, you're a Jayhawk, right?
Paul Dorrell (00:03:48):
I am
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:49):
Rock chalk. Um, how did you get into the art world? Is that something that you studied, that you wanted to do? How did you, what's the background for you both, you know, coming out of school or getting into the world of
Paul Dorrell (00:04:02):
I got professionalism into the back door. And here's the story in a nutshell. Okay. It was never intended. Yeah. But a lot of happy accidents constitute a life. Yeah. A shoe. Puppy dogs <laugh>, um,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:14):
Playing under the table. Hear Bud.
Paul Dorrell (00:04:16):
I, I grew up in Old Leewood near 97th and Lee Boulevard. Okay. And very lucky 'cause Beautiful. My, my father was a successful contractor Yeah. And did well, and I had opportunities that most people in the world would never get. Yeah. The schools I went to and everything else, by the time I, and man, I was a hell raiser dirt bikes and hot rods. Really? Led Zeppelin concerts. Pink Floyd concerts, like
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:38):
As a teen.
Paul Dorrell (00:04:39):
Uh, yeah. A bunch of us always going someplace. Yeah. And raising hell. And the leewood cops always chasing us. 'cause you're not supposed to have unlicensed dirt bikes on the street when you're 15. You know, you're Yeah. Even when you're 16. And, but we didn't break any serious laws, just not to have fun. We built a, a racetrack that a hundred third and state line before that was all developed. Okay. We were always down there racing. Yeah. And it was, I just had too much fun. I'm here to tell you it was a blast. Yeah. Uh, but when it was time to grow up a little bit and have a little more discipline, I went to KU finally mm-hmm <affirmative>. And by that stage of the game business had changed for my folks. And
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they couldn't really help me much with college. And it wasn't their fault. Big recession in the seventies, and they worked so hard. My dad especially. Yeah. So I had to put myself through, for the most part, working as a mechanic. And that was fine.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:25):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:05:26):
My first passion in the world was writing fiction novels. Okay. So I studied creative writing and art history at ku.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:33):
Got it.
Paul Dorrell (00:05:34):
Intending to be a bestselling novelist by the time I was 25.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:38):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:05:39):
So I began writing. My first novel was awful. My second one was awful. But while I was writing, I traveled the world. I worked on a fishing boat, a halibut boat, what we call a long liner in Alaska for a season.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:51):
Okay. Worked
Paul Dorrell (00:05:52):
On a horse ranch in Santa Barbara, attended bar in Key West, often riding around by, by Harley.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:58):
Oh my gosh.
Paul Dorrell (00:05:58):
And then, uh,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:59):
Total wanderlust,
Paul Dorrell (00:06:00):
Pretty much. Yeah. And it hasn't changed. Yeah. All my life has been that way. Yeah. I just had to calm it down a little bit when my, when I met my wonderful wife and we had kids. Yeah. But I didn't calm it down a lot. Anyway, <laugh>,
(00:06:12):
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I eventually went to New York, made a lot of great friends there, lived in Chelsea a while, and then I heard about a job opportunity at a museum of French Impressionism in Connecticut. Okay. Near Hartford. It's called Stead Museum. It's outta this world. In fact, Mandy Potemkin is filming a musical there this month. Oh, wow. Okay. I think the filming is done and it's might be out already. Okay. Um, that's a different story. But yeah, this is a museum of, uh, Monet, Monet, Dega, Cassat, Whistler, all kinds of decorative arts. It was a mansion in an estate at one time that was willed to be left as a museum Okay. With the collection intact. And it was an incredible world class collection. People from all over the world come to go to this museum. Well, this kid from Leewood mm-hmm <affirmative>. Lands the gig as assistant director, actually assistant to the director. But I, how do you
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:06:59):
Land that? Just, just your charm?
Paul Dorrell (00:07:02):
I don't know about charm <laugh>. I just, I I was there at the right time. Sure. A friend of mine knew the director. Knew the director, needed a new assistant, said, go up and apply now.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:07:10):
Yeah. And
Paul Dorrell (00:07:11):
I went up on a Sunday and applied, you know, took the train and everything from New York. I landed the gig and I was there several years mm-hmm <affirmative>. But eventually in the late eighties, I began to miss Kansas City. So I came home. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Still writing novels the whole time. And then got incrementally better. But I had a long way to go to learn my craft. Yeah. And, uh, met this wonderful woman, Annie, at a party when I came back. And I knew she was it. And she knew I was it. God help her. And, uh, <laugh>, we married. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:07:39):
Love it.
Paul Dorrell (00:07:40):
And I'm still writing novels and I realized if I was gonna have a day job, I'd rather be self-employed mm hmm <affirmative>. Than work in a corporation that might, I might write good copy for them, but it would suck dry my ability to write fiction. Yeah. So I opened Leopold Gallery in 91 so I could have my own environment in which to write. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:07:59):
Little
Paul Dorrell (00:08:00):
Realizing what a financial nightmare opening a gallery was. <laugh> like, like a lot of things that we do a Ted talk
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:05):
On that for people who wanna start gallery.
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Paul Dorrell (00:08:07):
I probably should have worked in a gallery first before opening one. Okay. Let's put it that way. Got
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:11):
It.
Paul Dorrell (00:08:11):
I think our naive VD sometimes can be a blessing. It gets us into jams that we otherwise wouldn't get into. Yeah. That if we had all the information, we wouldn't move forward. Right. So, uh, I opened the gallery in 91 representing primarily Missouri and Kansas artists. And it hasn't changed in 35 years. That's mostly the same
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:29):
Location? Or was it a different location
Paul Dorrell (00:08:30):
Between, the first location was the hotel Savoy downtown.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:33):
Oh, okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:08:33):
Which was a 21 C up until recently.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:36):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:08:36):
We had a big space at Faced ninth Street. Okay. It's a former barbershop. Yeah. And it was magnificent. 'cause in those days, everybody in Kansas said he went to eat at the Savoy Grill Sooner or later. Yeah. As the year would pass. And I met all the movers and shakers. Yeah. Who were many of them still clients today, or their children. Yeah. So I started there and then later moved to Brookside.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:57):
Okay. Got it.
Paul Dorrell (00:08:58):
I've been in Brookside about 20 years. Yeah. And it's, it's been a heck of a ride with a lot of ups and downs, like any small business. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Not just an art gallery. Yeah. We've seen all the challenges, but man, we've had so much fun. And the whole, the whole way down the line, our job is, I've seen it and my staff sees it, is to make an impact on regional culture.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:19):
Yeah.
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Paul Dorrell (00:09:19):
And I can talk about that all day. But go ahead and hit me with another question, please.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:22):
Well, I was gonna say to that point, so you do focus primarily on local and regional artists. That's right. Is that correct? How do you go about finding them? Do they find you, how do you go about selecting what you carry in the gallery?
Paul Dorrell (00:09:35):
In the beginning I had to find them because we were unknown.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:39):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:09:40):
But I was lucky that a handful decided to go with us in the beginning.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:43):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:09:44):
Some of whom are now deceased to Arley gear. Wonderful. Contemporary sculptors, stainless steel works. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Scrap stainless steel. I placed his work in collections all over the world, including the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And Warner Brothers and on and on. Yeah. Um, Phil App, a renowned Kansas painter now world renowned. He with the time, he wasn't very well known. Louis k he passed away a year ago. Yeah. Famous painter at Prairie Fire and of Abstracted Barns.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:10:11):
Yeah. I had a piece that I wanted by him that sold out pretty quickly. It was the like white barn with the blue.
Paul Dorrell (00:10:15):
That's right. Vibrant
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:10:16):
Blue background.
Paul Dorrell (00:10:17):
I was
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:10:17):
Bummed when it was gone, but
Paul Dorrell (00:10:18):
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When he passed in May, we had a huge run on his work. Yeah. And it was all gone pretty quickly. Yeah. And, uh, he and I used to joke that if he just passed away, we'd saw all of his work and then, you know, we'd fake his death and then he'd come back and we'd do it again. <laugh>. But this time it was for real.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:10:32):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:10:32):
Yeah. And Louis being Louie, it was cancer. He, he was cracking jokes with me up until the end. Yeah. He had a good life and went out with that and he regrets. And that's the way I planned to go. Also in my time comes. Yeah. Sweet guy. Full of love. Love it. And we all adored him. Yeah. And, uh, a host of other artists as well. Uh, men, women. It took time for me to find an audience for black and Hispanic artists, but I finally did mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I always make sure they go into corporate collections, Uhhuh, <affirmative>. Uh, so when I decided to do the best way to make an impact, because so many people in Kansas City or Dallas or Minneapolis or St. Louis mm-hmm <affirmative>. Were not buying art by regional artists. Mm. They were buying art from the two coasts, particularly New York and LA and Santa Fe. Did it
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:11:20):
Just seem sexier to do that? Sure. Or
Paul Dorrell (00:11:22):
Why were
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:11:22):
That okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:11:23):
Uh, out of town, people are always the geniuses, never the people in your own backyard. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:11:28):
Go figure.
Paul Dorrell (00:11:29):
That's human nature. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I just felt that we could overcome that by inspiring people to embrace regional pride. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:11:38):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:11:38):
The point was you couldn't do amateurish work. Yeah. You had to excel mm-hmm <affirmative>. And do as well as what they were bringing in from the two coasts. And sometimes better. We didn't hit the high number every time. Tried to. Sure. But overall, with all the thousands and thousands of work sold and installed or site specific over the last 35 years, I'm very, very pleased. Yeah. And I could, if I was the kick
Page 9 of 57
tomorrow, I'd look back on it and think that we did it right. Yeah. And on top of it, I learned how to become a pretty damn good novelist. Yeah. So it all, it all worked out fortunately. Which we'll
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:11):
Definitely have to talk about your book too, right.
Paul Dorrell (00:12:13):
We'll talk about that later. Sure. Yeah. So I just wanted to make that dent so that when people open an, a new office mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:19):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:12:20):
Hospital mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:21):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:12:22):
Uh, office building, they move their corporation, they move their law firm, they move their accounting firm before they look at any art anywhere. Look at regional artists. Yeah. And that isn't just with my gallery. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:34):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:12:34):
That's also with Blue Gallery, that's also with Sherry Leety Fine Art, that's also with Hog Gallery. Yeah. Those are probably considered the top four galleries in the city. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. You know, along with mine now. But newer galleries are always coming up. Yeah. And there's plenty of business. Yeah. So I welcome 'em to the fold and I welcome 'em to the party. It's a lot of work. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And the rewards are profound. Yeah. So that was what we set out to establish. Yeah. And 35 years later, I can honestly say that when a new office opens in Kansas City or a hospital wing or a corporate structure, frequently if they acquire art is by regional artists most of the time. Yeah. Whereas 35 years ago, almost never.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:12):
Yeah. What an impact. I mean, what a change. That's huge.
Paul Dorrell (00:13:15):
And then my mind
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:16):
Is going to, like, if a stadium moves, would that be something that
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Paul Dorrell (00:13:19):
Oh, you bet
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:20):
Is gonna be incorporated.
Paul Dorrell (00:13:20):
I mean, I did the art for Arrowhead Stadium, where it is. Yeah. So talk
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:23):
About that, because a lot of people would absolutely know exactly the pieces that you're talking about there without knowing maybe that it came from you and Leopold. So
Paul Dorrell (00:13:30):
Yeah. It's very contemporary collection. Yeah. Once again, mostly Kansas and Missouri artists. One or two from Iowa, uh, one from Oklahoma, I think one from Arkansas there, the area, other fan base. Mm hmm <affirmative>. And there's not a single painting of a guy throwing a bomb, you know, or a guy running for a touchdown.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:47):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:13:47):
Uhuh. There
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:48):
You go.
Paul Dorrell (00:13:48):
Everything is is interpretive. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:50):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:13:51):
Or deconstructed or abstracted. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:54):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:13:54):
There's nothing literal referring to the game. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:57):
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There
Paul Dorrell (00:13:57):
Are some contemporary landscapes that are literal unto themselves, but they're not traditional.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:02):
Sure.
Paul Dorrell (00:14:03):
Uh, and I explained to the Hunt family and everyone else that we weren't gonna have a painting of a guy throwing a bomb. And everybody was a little shocked at first.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:10):
Did they want that? Were they thinking that? Just
Paul Dorrell (00:14:12):
Not thinking outside the box. They were what they wanted, they just wanted to do a cool collection like what Jerry Jones did for the Cowboy Stadium. Got it. And, uh, which I toured with the Hunt family and with chief's executives before we launched our program. Okay. Quite a collection, I must tell you. Yeah.
And only one artist from Texas, Charlotte Jones gave us a tour. And I kept asking her, why only one Texas artist? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And finally she got the point because Paul, we were just told to go for these other artists. Yeah. And I di I disagreed with that. You're
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:42):
Just told.
Paul Dorrell (00:14:42):
Yeah. I think everything should have come from Texas or most of it. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And they went for these blue chip artists from, from Europe and the two coasts. But that was the Jones family approach.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:50):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:14:51):
It was not our approach.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:52):
So with Arrowhead, you kind of went into, you went into consultant mode, I guess. Right? Exactly. I mean, where you were like, let me explain to you the vision. Like how do you approach consulting, whether it's residential or commercial, how do you go about that and who are maybe some ideal, uh, 'cause you've worked with so many people. We haven't even, we haven't even scratched the surface with other places in Casey where you have consulted and you've got work.
Paul Dorrell (00:15:14):
We've got about 10,000 clients coast to coast.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:16):
Yeah. Yeah. Huge.
Paul Dorrell (00:15:17):
Right now. Recently we landed Apple TV as a new client. Ooh. Nothing major. Just some congratulations though. Thank you. Some pieces for a set. Yeah. And we've done some, some stuff for sets for, um, Marvel Studios.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:29):
Marvel Studios, and
Paul Dorrell (00:15:31):
Warner. Kind of a big deal.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:32):
Mm-hmm
Paul Dorrell (00:15:32):
<affirmative>. Yeah. <laugh>. I didn't get any credits. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:34):
And
Paul Dorrell (00:15:34):
Not into the artists. We worked hard to get a credit, but they said no, here's the check. Yeah. That's what you get. Take it or leave it. We're not gonna turn it down. I guess they said you can make the most of it on social media. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:44):
I'm
Paul Dorrell (00:15:45):
Not gonna turn that down. The money, the money was good. And the check didn't bounce. There
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:48):
You go.
Paul Dorrell (00:15:48):
So the, the chiefs doing the art for Arrowhead was a great adventure. And I explained to the Hunts and everybody else that it was probably gonna lean in the contemporary direction. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. They may not love every piece that's going in. And if, if one person loves every piece for going in, probably I did something wrong. You want serve a variety of tastes. Yeah. You want to, you want to go for the high bar and especially you want work in that's gonna endure with the taste that with the passing of time. Yeah. That will pass the test of time. Yeah. And some pieces are gonna be so abstracted that they're just hard to figure out. And I like it when a piece is hard to decipher. Yeah. Do I necessarily love
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every piece that went in? No, I don't. I don't necessarily love every piece that went in. Sure. But I approved along with our committee, which, uh, our art committee had members from the Nelson, from the Keer, from the art institute and execs and hunts. Yeah. Um, I'm cool with it all. Yeah. And if I love every piece that went in, probably I did something wrong.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:44):
Yeah. That's an interesting take on it.
Paul Dorrell (00:16:46):
That's how I view most consulting.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:48):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:16:48):
Approving of them passionately is one thing. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:51):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:16:51):
Loving everything. That's not necessary. We're, we're not talking about my taste, which is pretty varied. Yeah. We're never talking about one person's taste when I'm doing a collection is complex as that. Yeah. Or a skyscraper like h and r block mm-hmm <affirmative>. Or different hospital wings at Ku Med and so forth.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:08):
I was gonna say yeah. Drop a few more places where your work is because you've done some incredible things. So I've got, you've got chiefs, we talked about marble. Um, and you, you've done other cities too, but where else?
Paul Dorrell (00:17:18):
Oh, convention center.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:20):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:17:20):
St Luke's. There
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:22):
You go.
Paul Dorrell (00:17:22):
Wide variety of law firms. Yeah.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:24):
The beautiful one, beautiful one over in Miriam. That shopping center.
Paul Dorrell (00:17:28):
Uh, yeah. Miriam Grand Station opened last spring and we did a gigantic Yeah. Contemporary blown glass sculpture there. 16 feet gorgeous feet tall.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:36):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:17:37):
And it's, it's conceptual Somewhat. Yeah. And, uh, that the glass artist is Tyler Kimble. He and I designed it together and Okay. I handled the steel and how we're gonna really complex stainless steel armature. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And Tyler handled the, the glass and he has a great crew for installing his studios down the east Crossroads. Okay. We've done a lot of art for the city of Olathe, um, their libraries, uh, the city hall area, the new downtown library is really incredible. And we have a 16 foot blue and glass sculpture out front that's gotten a lot of praise nationwide. I bet. Again, that was Tyler Campbell and myself working together on the design. And I work out, it's my job to work out the engineering Yeah. And the steel that's on his problem. Yeah. But I love, that's why I love working with him. 'cause he does the glass so brilliantly.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:20):
Shout out to Tyler. I don't think I've ever met Tyler before.
Paul Dorrell (00:18:23):
Uh, yeah. He's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:24):
Still
Paul Dorrell (00:18:24):
Here. He said he people are welcome to his studio to watch them blow on certain days, I believe every couple of months. Oh, that's fun.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:31):
I'll have
Paul Dorrell (00:18:31):
To look into that. And it makes it clear on the website when that's open.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:34):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:18:35):
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It's not real frequent. 'cause they're busy and they're always doing something. Sure. He's, right now he's getting ready to blow a, a very contemporary styled chandelier for one of my clients in Los Angeles. Mm.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:44):
And
Paul Dorrell (00:18:45):
It's not a gigantic piece. It's probably three by three feet. We'll hang down about five feet. Yeah. But it, it fits the stairway where we're gonna hang it and it's gonna be a blast. That's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:53):
Awesome.
Paul Dorrell (00:18:54):
I'll ship it out and then I'll either fly out or drive out to install. I'd rather drive. 'cause that way I can take my mountain bike and do a lot more biking on the way there. Yeah. And a lot more biking on the way back.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:04):
So is that our, our segue into your biking background that ties into your wanderlust and your, uh, so you, do you still have a motorcycle to this day?
Paul Dorrell (00:19:12):
I sold my last Harley five years ago.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:14):
Okay. But you have a long, you have a history of that being, were you doing cross country all
Paul Dorrell (00:19:18):
The time? What were you doing all the time?
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:19):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:19:19):
All the time. You name the bike, Beamers speed triples. That's a, that's a, uh, a, a triumph. Yeah. Um, in the early days Yamaha's and then later Harley's, uh, I, when I turned 63, I just didn't feel the magic anymore. Got it.
(00:19:35):
And I didn't feel the sixth sense any longer. The one that hopefully keeps you alive at intersections mm hmm <affirmative>. And other places like that where you can sense something that's gonna go wrong before it does, and you get out of the way. And a lot of bankers know what I'm talking about. Yeah. Either you have that or you or you don't. And if you don't feel you have it and nothing can prove that you got it. Yeah. But it's worked for me all my life. Um, yeah. That if you don't think you have it, you should be very careful about riding in the city.
Page 16 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:59):
Well, I, I would imagine so. Yeah. Um, did your wife go with you? Did your, you have two sons, right? Two
Paul Dorrell (00:20:04):
Grand. Did they ever go with you? Two grand sons, one lives in Denver and one lives here. Both Marion. Okay. To wonderful young women. We're all very close. Love it. And no, they're not into bikes. Okay. And I'm glad
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:12):
Yeah,
Paul Dorrell (00:20:13):
Sure. Because it would kill me if something were to happen to one of them. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:16):
Like
Paul Dorrell (00:20:17):
Anybody, I'm not gonna
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:18):
Lie, I'm a little scared off by them. So Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:20:19):
I could, I get nervous
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:20):
About the thought
Paul Dorrell (00:20:20):
Of that. It wasn't my wife's thing at all. Yeah. She would go for rides once in a while, but it really wasn't her deal.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:25):
Yeah. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:20:26):
She likes to hike. She likes going for walks. Yeah. But motorcycles. It's not her cup of tea. That's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:31):
Fair. That's fair.
Paul Dorrell (00:20:31):
Page 17 of 57
But I, I sold my last bike and got a, my last Harley got a really nice trek mountain bike. <laugh>. There
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:38):
You go.
Paul Dorrell (00:20:38):
That's my trade off. And there you go. It's so quiet and all you hear is the breeze and, and you can hear everything around you.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:44):
It's like your therapy
Paul Dorrell (00:20:45):
And Yeah. I just, I, I don't need the loud noise and motorcycles any longer. I'm getting older, man. It's no longer a fit.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:51):
<laugh>. That's fair. That's fair. Well, okay, so when it comes to art, I think I read something interesting recently, which was, um, more women are investing in art. So shout out to all the women listening here. Um, and that more women and more people in particular are finding more of that emotional reaction or the response to putting this art, Matt, come here, um, into their homes. You be, or into their, their office.
So like I, you know, I kind of started talking about, I've had that, um, and experience with the art that I've gotten from your gallery that's in our house. And I see other people come in and, and comment on it, you know, and I'm obviously here to share with people your gallery and what you're curating for people to come put into their homes. Like what does it mean to you? How do you describe to people what it means to invest in art? And to put it, let's just focus on, in their homes.
Paul Dorrell (00:21:44):
I, I encourage 'em to respond intuitively first.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:21:47):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:21:47):
And most women know exactly what I'm talking about mm-hmm <affirmative>. And if, if it doesn't work, the word intuitively doesn't work, then instinctively Yeah. You have to love it from a gut level mm hmm <affirmative>.
(00:21:58):
And then we'll talk about execution and what makes it special and what the artist's process is mm-hmm <affirmative>. But you have to fall in love with it just by looking at it. Sure. For me, that's where it begins. Now, I have a lot of clients who invest in blue chip artists out of New York as well as regionally. They don't take the regional work as seriously as they do the stuff outta New York and they'll buy stuff they can't stand. But they're buying it as an investment only Yeah. With the intention of flipping it in three to five to 10 years. Okay. When sometimes I'll hear them complain that the dealer in New York didn't advise them of properly according to their lights. And, you know, they paid 50 grand for the piece
Page 18 of 57
and it only it only increased 15 at 10% in, in, in two years or something. And they were hoping for a bigger, that isn't what we do. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:22:43):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:22:43):
Uh, we have a lot of artists that are good investments as regional artists. Phil up in the beginning had 30 by 40 by Phil in the nineties was going for 4,200, maybe mm-hmm <affirmative>. And now that goes for 21,000. Um, that same could be said of, uh, a lot of artists like Gary Bowling. Okay. Arge sculptures, stainless steel again. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. He used to get his work out of the asner scrap yard in KCK. That is Ed Ners brother who ran that. Okay. When they were all alive and Yeah. Ed Asner made his way to the gallery once he was quite a guy. Yeah. Um, so I've got some clients who buy blue chip stuff from New York strictly for the investment. Okay. But when people come to my gallery, I just want them to follow the passion. Yeah. And if it speaks to you now, and I help you select a piece that's well executed and has all the validity behind it, that way I know they're not gonna be tired of it in 10 years or 15. What do you
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:37):
Mean the validity behind it? What does that mean?
Paul Dorrell (00:23:39):
It has to be well executed if it's a painting, everything about it. Let's say it's a figurative painting mm hmm <affirmative>. Everything about it must be well done. And I mean, contemporary figure, I don't mean traditional figure. Um, well, John Singer's sergeant really wasn't quite a traditional figure painter at his time, but he's looked on that way now. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Almost as an impressionistic of figure painter. But the flesh tones, how the hair is rendered, um, proportion. Okay. Pose, uh, drapery mm hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:07):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:24:07):
Um, if it's a landscape and it's a contemporary landscape, is it gonna hold up over time? Or is it gonna look dated and stylized? Yeah. There are some aren't from the eighties that looks like it's from the eighties. Yeah, sure. And the true is same, the same is true some aren't from the nineties or the seventies.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:22):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:24:23):
I don't, I don't, I don't carry art. You try to avoid that. Hmm. We avoid that. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:28):
Yeah.
Page 19 of 57
Paul Dorrell (00:24:28):
I've walked them the buildings that were laid out with art from those decades mm-hmm <affirmative>. And they needed update and they've hired us to do it. And it's so apparent that the artists were influenced by the fashions at the time. Yeah. Uh, designs on clothing, for instance.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:41):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:24:42):
And also by interior design tendencies at the time. The art must stand separate from that. Yeah. The art must be timeless. Especially
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:48):
The eighties. Whew. That
Paul Dorrell (00:24:49):
Size. Yeah. The eighties. Real, real specific. It was, it was Sprint had they, sprint had me out to their campus and I had to look at it. No, not Sprint, KU Med when they purchased the original Sprint campus. Okay. And they needed a, they needed, they wanted to start over and do art that was new for what was at that time, the cancer center. And we gave them a stunning collection, regional art, regional talent mm hmm <affirmative>. But the steal that was in there was so influenced by the design of the eighties becausecause. That's when it was built. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:13):
Yeah. And
Paul Dorrell (00:25:13):
It was so apparent and it kind worked with the, with the wallpaper and the paint colors Yeah. And the carpets and
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:21):
That all went together.
Paul Dorrell (00:25:22):
That isn't what we do. Yeah. The art has a standalone and it has to be distinct. It has to be a window unto itself. Yeah. And it, and it, it should contrast with the interior no matter what the interior is. Sure. And so I take all those things into consideration mm-hmm <affirmative>. When I'm advising a client, but the most important thing is his or her passion. And yes. Women now do make up the majority of our clients. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:43):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:25:43):
Ing interesting. That aligns.
Page 20 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:45):
Yeah. Even
Paul Dorrell (00:25:45):
A woman, and she's married and she's making the art choices, not the husband so much. Yeah. In the nineties and early two thousands, it was the reverse. Mm. And I dig that. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:54):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:25:54):
I don't have the percentage in front of me. My staff could give it to me if I asked them, you know, punch in some numbers and tell me Yep. Paul. Yeah. It is 65% women and Right. <laugh> 35%. I don't know. Yeah. But I just know they make up, I would say it's probably pretty close.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:26:06):
I'm not surprised by that. I mean, even I've just done a lot of like, you know, just random research and stuff that shows that, or, um, being on Instagram alone, you'll see a lot that it's predominantly female and they're making a lot of the decisions of something that comes through their feed That's right. That they decide to, whether it's even making a dinner reservation or, um, something for the home. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty common. So Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:26:26):
I, and I, I dig that. So I yeah. I relate well to them. They, they relate well to us. I understand how to speak that language regardless of a person's taste. But open, being open-minded of course, is essential. Yep.
(00:26:39):
Don't always be shocked by what you don't understand. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. It's important to not understand certain works of art and to try to understand 'em that fosters open-mindedness. Yeah. That's why contemporary art is so important. Yeah. And that's why deconstructed art is so important. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I got some deconstructed pieces at at Arrowhead that just blow people away. And then when I say like a, a gigantic, gigantic piece hanging from a ceiling by, oh, Matt, what's his last name? I'll think of it. I don't have his name in front of me. Anyway, we'll find it. Yeah. It's a gigantic deconstructed football. Okay. We're running in I know what you're talking
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:27:13):
About. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:27:13):
And when, when I tell people when they look at it at first, 'cause it's made out of o Osage, orange hardwood, Uhhuh <affirmative> with some actual raw branches in it and refined woodworking and aluminum fixtures and everything else. But part of it is shaped somewhat like a football mm-hmm <affirmative>. And when I, all I have to say is those two words, deas write the football, and they all go Wow. Yeah. And they get it immediately. Yep. And they understand why that is so much cooler than an interpretation, a gigantic interpretation of a literal football. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so that's when I, I, when I say open art, contemporary art fosters open-mindedness when it's executed Well, that's exactly what I'm talking about.
Page 21 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:27:48):
Okay. You also have, you've got two pieces outside of Arrowhead. Right? What's the, one of the like head
Paul Dorrell (00:27:55):
That's my zko. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:27:56):
Love that one.
Paul Dorrell (00:27:57):
Utterly brilliant ceramic artists of Japanese descent. Mm-hmm. He was born in Japan and later immigrated to America.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:04):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:28:04):
And he's been in Omaha since the seventies. Yeah,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:06):
I was gonna say the zoo. When we went to the zoo many years ago, he had, I dunno if they were like bears or something,
Paul Dorrell (00:28:12):
I remember
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:13):
Something being there. Yeah,
Paul Dorrell (00:28:14):
He does. Yeah, he does. There's gigantic heads. Yeah. Gigantic elongated shapes. Some people call them folic shapes. Why not? And then he calls 'em dongo. Yeah. And he's utterly brilliant. He's wheelchair bound now. Okay. I don't know how things are going with him, but that piece is by Junco. Okay. And then on the southwest side of the, of the, of the stadium, that club entrance Yeah. Is a, a gigantic silver sculpture. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. That is kind of an interpretation of a football swirling out of a series of play patterns.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:47):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:28:48):
Now, when people look at it, they, they don't
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:50):
Necessarily
Page 22 of 57
Paul Dorrell (00:28:51):
Immediately, they don't, they don't think play patterns. Yeah. Yeah. And they will think football a little bit after studying it for a moment. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. There's a lot of negative space in it. Mm hmm <affirmative>. It isn't solid, isn't meant to be. We didn't want it to be. Yeah. Jacob Berman designed it. But I gave him feedback on the design as we went down the line, as we looked at play patterns and stuff provided by the chiefs. Yeah. And, uh, eventually that's what we came up with. Okay. And it's on a black granite pedestal. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. It gives it thrust and hide off the ground. And I think that thing with the pedestal is about 14 feet high. Yeah. And the Conco is about the same height.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:29:21):
Yeah. I love him.
Paul Dorrell (00:29:22):
And he's on a stainless pet and it was a blast in both of them. I love getting in there with a guy on a crane or as I put a redneck on a crane. 'cause I can speak that language in a heartbeat. <laugh>. Alright. Over here now. Okay, here we go. Okay. Back here in slow. Okay. This way, that way, man. I just love that stuff.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:29:35):
Would it be a dream of yours for the royals to move and for you to then consult on some work for a new stadium? Is that something that you would aspire to do?
Paul Dorrell (00:29:45):
Well, we've already done a lot of art for 'em.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:29:47):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:29:47):
And the art that we've done for the Hall of Fame and the main lobby and other areas, Uhhuh, probably all of it is going to move. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:29:55):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:29:55):
But they'll need new site specific pieces. Yeah. So when the time comes, I mean, I'm, I hear from those guys on a regular basis. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:03):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:30:04):
And we did the World Series mural for 'em in 2015.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:06):
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Oh right, right.
Paul Dorrell (00:30:07):
And sold reproductions of that for years. We still sell reproductions of that mm-hmm <affirmative>. And hopefully, we'll again, someday soon. Yep.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:13):
Uh,
Paul Dorrell (00:30:14):
I'll hear from them when the time is right. Yeah. And, but they know I'm watching. Yep. And I know they know I'm watching
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:20):
Got 'em on speed
Paul Dorrell (00:30:21):
Dial. So we'll just see what happens.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:22):
Yeah. So, and you do reproduction speaking of that, so let's talk a little bit about the variety of art that people can, um, find at Leopold to buy, but also those reproduction. So for example, chiefs Sure. You've got a few Super Bowl, super Bowl. Bowl paintings. That's right. You've got ku, you've got
Paul Dorrell (00:30:40):
The big, the big NCAA victory three years ago.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:43):
Yep. Yeah. All
Paul Dorrell (00:30:44):
That stuff. So people
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:45):
Can go on and buy prints. Is that what they are? Or
Paul Dorrell (00:30:48):
Reproduction? Uh, they, we tend to do prints on canvas. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:50):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:30:50):
What's called glee. Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Page 24 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:52):
You know,
Paul Dorrell (00:30:52):
It's a sign limited edition print on canvas, on a gallery wrap stretcher.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:56):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:30:57):
And that's our preference to do, because the truth is most people can't afford original art. I get that. Sure. I mean, when my wife and I are raising our kids No freaking way.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:05):
Yeah. <laugh>,
Paul Dorrell (00:31:05):
You know, I own the gallery. Yeah. All the money we were making was going toward college education someday. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:11):
Was gonna say, we're all, we're all as parents being stretched than paying, um, for sports now mm-hmm <affirmative>. Right. Like the amount you have to pay just to have your kid play volleyball That's right. Or whatever is wild.
Paul Dorrell (00:31:20):
So Yeah. So it's expensive raising kids. Yeah. I think it costs around $900,000 to raise an educated child that today it might be well over a million. Yeah. That was the last study I heard of several years ago. Yeah. So we didn't collect art even though I had a gallery, you know, I could get everything it costs. Yep. Nothing doing mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:36):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:31:36):
We just had whatever we had on the walls, I knew we'd get around to it after the kids were out of college. And then I began collecting more studiously.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:42):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:31:43):
And now we have a great collection. I know.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:45):
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I was gonna say, I would love to see your house. Is it sort of like, there's
Paul Dorrell (00:31:48):
A lot of art in there.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:49):
Perfectly kind of
Paul Dorrell (00:31:50):
Curated
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:51):
Room
Paul Dorrell (00:31:51):
To
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:51):
Room. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:31:51):
And we live modestly, it's not a mansion bunny stretch. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. We're happy with it. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:55):
It's
Paul Dorrell (00:31:55):
A modest four bedroom house. Couple of baths finished basement. But it's, it, it works for us. Yeah. I don't ever plan to change it. Yeah. I'm, I'm happy with the size and I don't need a different hood. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:05):
So,
Paul Dorrell (00:32:06):
So
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:06):
For people that are in this stage of life where you're feeling like, I would love to buy art, but no, I don't have, you know, five grand or 10 grand or something, whatever that might be. Um,
Paul Dorrell (00:32:16):
Or two grand or two grand or 1500.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:18):
Page 26 of 57
What do you guys carry that is within that realm for people to maybe like, get their feet wet with buying art from
Paul Dorrell (00:32:25):
Leopold
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:25):
Without spending 1500?
Paul Dorrell (00:32:26):
The Prince, we've discussed Prince by Philip, prince by Louis Kott. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Now they're, they're contemporary landscape painters. Yeah. We have really wonderful Abstractionists. John, Gary Brown, Linda Nichol, um, Beth Relo, um, cherry Moon. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Uh, next year I'll begin talking to them about reproductions. 'cause then we'll have a whole wing of reproductions that we can offer beginning collectors. Yeah. And they'll be inspired by the work. And they look like paintings Yeah. On Canvas. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. They do look like paintings except on closed inspection. You can see they don't have any texture. Sure. You know, their print, but they're, they're well, they're well produced. It's still
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:06):
A great addition. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:33:07):
Yeah. And the waterproof and all that
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:09):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:33:10):
And, uh, we want for those next year in abstraction. Yeah. Right now it's just easy to start with a small ceramic piece. Uh,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:19):
Like, uh, is it the bison or the buffalo?
Paul Dorrell (00:33:21):
No, bison. Like that's a really popular Brian Horsch or the, the more slightly erotic BS by, uh, Tina Re mm-hmm <affirmative>. Or the small interpretations of handbags by, um, Mac. Come here. Come here. Uh, what's her name? I've got 45 artists and I can't think of a long That's okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:38):
We'll be sure to tag him.
Paul Dorrell (00:33:39):
Um, I'll come up with, it's a beautiful name and she teaches ceramic and art at Shawnee Mission North. It's alluding me for the moment. It'll come back to me later
Page 27 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:47):
Time. You've got some really beautiful, um, like the shuttle Cox
Paul Dorrell (00:33:51):
Glass Shuttle Cox by Tyler Kimball by
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:53):
Tyler. Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:33:54):
For 1200 to 3000, depending on the one you're looking at. Okay. And of course, the Nelson is crazy about his shuttle clocks. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:59):
Bet
Paul Dorrell (00:34:00):
They're beautiful. So they carry a couple of 'em as well.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:34:02):
Yeah. Okay. Cool. Love it.
Paul Dorrell (00:34:03):
So the price ranges in our place are from 75 and up. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:34:07):
Right
Paul Dorrell (00:34:07):
Now we're selling Christmas Orus hand blown by Tyler for 35 each. Yeah. But it is a gallery and it does tend to be at the upper end of prices. Sure.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:34:16):
Yeah. But I think for people who love supporting local in Kansas City, like we all love to do, right. Sometimes we immediately go to I want the t-shirt, I want the hat. That's right. I want the, um, jersey or whatever the case may be. And I think people, you know, this is here to get the word out as we've continued to try to do, to tell people that you can also do that in the form of art, whether it's on a $35 scale or a $3,500 scale. And I think it's getting especially more women in Casey to know, like, you know, with no disrespect to buying things from your home, for your home, from, you know, a a big box store. Um, you literally get a different fulfillment and joy out of buying something lo by a local artist. Um, and you've got photographers that are in Leopold as well, right? Yeah. Like you just spread a new photography, pick a photographer in, you know, he's
Paul Dorrell (00:35:06):
Page 28 of 57
Our best known photographer of the city and of Points West. He studied with Ansel Adams back in the day.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:11):
That's huge. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:35:12):
And the woman who does the porcelain handbags, very contemporary looking. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. The name I, I couldn't think of is Chandra Leston. Okay. Man. She's out of this world. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:22):
And
Paul Dorrell (00:35:22):
We have a brand new photographer. She attended the opening last Friday. Uh, is it
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:27):
Emma?
Paul Dorrell (00:35:29):
Yeah. Something
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:29):
Along
Paul Dorrell (00:35:30):
Lines that Emily Roham. Okay. Rotham and Rothman.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:32):
So
Paul Dorrell (00:35:33):
I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:33):
Had come across her at the, um, the, oh, what is it? The zoo? Um, the
Paul Dorrell (00:35:38):
Arts. The Zoo Arts Center. Thank
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:40):
You. Yeah. I had seen her work there and then immediately had noticed that you brought her in. I was like, this is amazing.
Paul Dorrell (00:35:45):
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Her interpretation, she's really
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:47):
Cool
Paul Dorrell (00:35:47):
Of female form of people of different races Yep. Of the way she abstracts a photo, but it remains that figure.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:54):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:35:55):
And the way she interprets women, none of them look like fashion models, nor should they mm-hmm <affirmative>. They look human. Yeah. And I like that. Yeah. In fact, I prefer that in photography. Mm hmm <affirmative>. Charlie Porter's another great photographer with us. He's also a cardiologist at KU Men. Oh, wow. They're gonna be upset that I keep referring to them as KU men. It's University of Kansas Health System.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:36:15):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:36:15):
I know. Yeah. But everybody calls 'em edd. Right,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:36:17):
Right.
Paul Dorrell (00:36:18):
So for sure the ED is actually supposed to be the educational side of the institution. Yeah. Okay. Then you've got the hospital side. The hospital side is the one that collects so much art. Yeah. Yeah. We're very fortunate. And these days we don't have to really look for artists as much any longer. They find us pretty readily, but
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:36:32):
Do Yeah. From
Paul Dorrell (00:36:32):
All over the country really. Yeah. But we just focus on Kansas and Missouri for the most part.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:36:37):
Awesome. Okay. So let's talk about these dogs that are in here with us, <laugh>. Um, I have no idea what this audio is sounding like, so hopefully it's okay. Yeah. And Mac over here has got some, uh, little whining going on. So
Paul Dorrell (00:36:48):
Page 30 of 57
<laugh> It's all right. It's what they do.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:36:49):
But I think it's fun. Wanted to make sure we got the dogs in. But let's talk about that because you always have your pups in the gallery. Right? Always. How many dogs do you have? Let's talk about your love of dogs and what you do to support them locally here.
Paul Dorrell (00:37:01):
I grew up with hound dogs as a kid. My dad was a sportsman, so we hunted pheasant and quail every winter. Pardon me. Every autumn. Okay. Uh, pheasant was in October, November. Quail was in later in November. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so I grew up with English pointers, but my true love was for either Colie or German Shepherds. Don't ask me why.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:18):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:37:19):
I instinctively was drawn to them. Yeah. So when my wife and I married, our first pup was a collie, and after she passed, we had to put her down when she was 12. Hard on the boys, but all dogs, you know, especially big dog, they don't live much past 12 very often. Yeah. Um, I realized I wanted to get a shepherd. Yeah. And so we rescued a shepherd and that one was a pup. And we were so in love with her and they're so easy to train and they're so obedient and they sell art, you know? Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:47):
If
Paul Dorrell (00:37:48):
You teach 'em to be friendly, they sell art. Best
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:49):
Of all,
Paul Dorrell (00:37:50):
They sell art. It's not hard. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:51):
Because
Paul Dorrell (00:37:51):
They come to work with me every day.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:53):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:37:53):
Page 31 of 57
And they, they sense not just my love, but my staff loves all the dogs. Every, every staff member brings a dog who wishes to mm-hmm <affirmative>. I have three employees. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:02):
Sounds a lot like real media, which is where we are.
Paul Dorrell (00:38:05):
Right.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:06):
And I was just saying earlier, before we started this, that I, um, I've only had a dog for two years, but I've never had a workplace where you could bring your dog in and, um, we're gonna see how this goes with Mac today. Sure. But I was like, all of them here bring their dogs, which I absolutely love. And just the fact that it's even something that, like, you can bring your dog here for this episode. I just want, so as long
Paul Dorrell (00:38:24):
As they're friendly, it's the way it should be. Yeah. At least for me. Yeah. That doesn't work for some businesses. Sure. Beauty salons really can't have dogs running from one end to the other. Right. Yeah. Or a spa mm-hmm <affirmative>. Or certain clothing stores with dog hair getting everywhere. Yep. Yep. But with, in my gallery, as big as space as it is with hardwood floors, it's not a big deal. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:42):
Not a big deal.
Paul Dorrell (00:38:42):
But we began rescuing Shepherds with that second dog. And, and Stella here is our fourth rescue. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:49):
All
Paul Dorrell (00:38:49):
The others we've rescued have been adults either in abusive situations where they'd been abandoned. Okay. So I had been abandoned downtown. I worked with an outfit called Missouri German Shepherd Rescue. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:59):
Anytime
Paul Dorrell (00:39:00):
I need a new rescue, I let 'em know and they gimme a call. Yeah. And I had just put down a really noble dog named Bebe, a big, uh, kind of red and tan shepherd, a little bit of black. And her time was done and I put her down, her hips were going and I, she she was in pain. Yeah. It wasn't worth keeping her alive and putting her in a cart. It wasn't gonna do that. Yeah. She'd lost her mobility. And so I said, I need another shepherd
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:23):
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<laugh>. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:39:23):
And, you know, you're broken hearted, but I move on pretty quickly. Yeah. And you love each dog after they're gone find
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:28):
Your
Paul Dorrell (00:39:28):
New boss. It's always hard.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:29):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:39:30):
And they said, we got this goofball, how about her? And I said, she's just fine. 'cause she's got a goofy grin. Yeah. And, and they brought her out and I knew it was a fit immediately.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:38):
Love it.
Paul Dorrell (00:39:39):
That was that.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:39):
What are the other dogs that you have? Or you just have one other?
Paul Dorrell (00:39:42):
My wife has a beautiful Westie
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:44):
Oh, okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:39:45):
Named Zuzu. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:47):
Who
Paul Dorrell (00:39:47):
I call Peewee. I prefer the name Peewee. Okay. Because she is a peewee <laugh>, but she doesn't go into work very often. She stays at home with Annie.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:54):
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Got it. Okay. Oh, so maybe the other dog is one of your
Paul Dorrell (00:39:56):
Staff members? Well, it, oh, one of my sons Adam, he brings his bulldog every day, Gracie. That's what it's,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:01):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:40:01):
And then, uh, Hillary Gallery director brings her, um, her, uh, not a Bassett, what is it?
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:09):
Uh,
Paul Dorrell (00:40:10):
Long floppy years.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:11):
Oh. Um, uh, yeah, <laugh> totally drawing a blank.
Paul Dorrell (00:40:16):
Hows a lot. Anyway, she brings that wonderful dog in every day. I don't,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:20):
It's not a hound dog. It's not a Bassett. It's, it's a, it don't
Paul Dorrell (00:40:22):
Know. I'll, I'll think of it in a second. Yeah. It's a type of hound. Um,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:25):
And do you, so you'll do things to raise money or partner with? Um,
Paul Dorrell (00:40:29):
I partner with wayside Waves a lot. Wayside.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:31):
Yeah, that's right.
Paul Dorrell (00:40:32):
We raise several thousand a year for them, and we have a big push every fall in whatever day they choose to get at least three dogs adopted, if not more. Okay. So we bring dogs that are up for adoption to the gallery
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:44):
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Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:40:45):
And usually the event is attended by a hundred to 150 people. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. But the main thing is just to raise awareness of all these homeless dogs Yeah. And get people out to the shelters, whether it's Wayside or some other place. Raise money for the shelters so they can keep to make payroll. No easy task for them. Yeah. And get the dogs out the door. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:02):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:41:03):
And, and especially put puppy mills outta business. Yeah. I'm all for putting puppy mills outta business. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Because you got overbred dogs everywhere that are raised by quote unquote breeders who don't know what they're doing. Yeah. And it's unfair to the dogs. And it's, it's a mess also because we already have enough homeless dogs. Yeah. Plenty of dogs for everybody. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And it's a bad reflection on any society that has such a high number now. We don't have nearly a high number that some countries do.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:31):
Sure.
Paul Dorrell (00:41:31):
But, and it is getting better slowly, but we have a long way to go. So Yeah. I very much support that.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:36):
So going back to what you said earlier of being kind of like a rebel hellion as a kid, it's interesting because everything now for you is so giving and thoughtful. So let's talk about what you're doing for, um, inner city kids education funding. Um, it's for Sumner Academy and Poeo Academy Sumner,
Paul Dorrell (00:41:54):
Is that right? Sumner Academy and KCK. Let's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:56):
Talk about all the
Paul Dorrell (00:41:57):
Work you're doing there. That's the College Prep Academy.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:58):
That's huge.
Paul Dorrell (00:41:59):
It's considered the best high school in the state of Kansas. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:42:02):
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<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:42:02):
And they have huge rate of kids going on to college each year who finish mm-hmm <affirmative>. I think it's right around nine 95% of the student body, which is equal or superior to the Shawnee Mason and the Blue Valley schools. Okay. And then on the Missouri Side Pass Academy, which has been around, I think the first Passe Academy was built the high school in the 1920s or thirties mm-hmm <affirmative>. My, my dad graduated from the first Paseo Academy. Okay. Then it was torn down in the nineties. And the, and the current structure was built. Okay. Which is fantastic. Has all the facilities they could possibly need. Yeah. But they're grossly underfunded, both Poeo and Sonder and for that matter all in our city schools. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I just chose two that are kind of art met at schools of a sort. I mean, you can study whatever you want at these two academies mm-hmm <affirmative>. Whether it's visual art or broadcasting or, or film or a theater. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Or if you want to prepare for architecture or engineering, you can do whatever you want at these schools. Yeah. But the focus is on the arts, especially at eo. More so at EO than at, than at Sumner. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:02):
But
Paul Dorrell (00:43:02):
Sumner, they'll both have strong art departments, but they're underfunded. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:06):
And you partner with United Way?
Paul Dorrell (00:43:09):
I partner with United Way. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:10):
They
Paul Dorrell (00:43:11):
Hold the monies and they distribute the monies for us. Right. We're not allowed to touch the money. Mm hmm <affirmative>. All money goes the United Way. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. All donations are tax deductible. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And when I indicate it's time to write a check to each school, we underwrite their art department. So we give each art department 10 grand a year. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So they have pretty much the same art supplies, books, cameras, kilns and everything else that the Shawnee Mission or Blue Valley schools have, or the <inaudible> schools over on the Missouri side, Lee Summit and so forth. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And those schools get around 15,000 a year. Okay. The inner city schools, their art departments are lucky if they get 2,500 a year.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:44):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:43:44):
Well you can't do diddly squat with that mm-hmm
Page 36 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:46):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:43:46):
And it's worse now with inflation. Mm. So we probably need to step up from going into 10 th a year to go into 12, five a year or 15 if I can raise the dough. Yeah. And so to date we've raised about $370,000. I began doing this with the sale when I was six. It was sum or in oh eight.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:44:02):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:44:02):
And I spent a lot of time in the inner city meeting people, um, getting involved in events and so forth. And I just, it wasn't hard for me to recognize Yeah. How easy my road has been compared has been compared to, to a black man my age and Hispanic man my age who would grown, who would've grown up impoverished mm-hmm <affirmative>. And didn't have access to the opportunities that I do and have had and didn't suffer discrimination. Right.
(00:44:28):
'cause I have never suffered discrimination. Yeah. I might suffer discrimination 'cause my jokes are sometimes bad <laugh>, but that's about the only kind I ever had to deal with. Yeah. I never had to deal. And sometimes when, when financial times were hard, we almost went broke in the recession. A lot of galleries did mm-hmm <affirmative>. In this city and all over the country and a lot of 'em did go broke. Yeah. Including in this city. And, uh, when things were bad and were overdrawn at the bank and I'm just not seeing how we're gonna get outta this corner and how are we gonna rebuild? Because so many contracts were canceled and delayed and Yeah. People just quit buying art for two years and it was a nightmare. Yeah,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:45:02):
I bet.
Paul Dorrell (00:45:03):
But if I thought that was a nightmare. Yeah. What's life like for people in Afghanistan? Yeah. Or Vietnam. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Or name your third world country Right. Or recently Gaza, or even Gaza at that time.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:45:13):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:45:14):
And or people on the east side that never had my opportunities that grew up around violence and poverty and overcrowding. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And just don't have access. So I realized from the get go that I needed to get involved and do something. Yeah. So I toured these two schools. Okay. I asked them what their financial situation was. The art teachers were embarrassed to tell me what their situation was. Yeah.
(00:45:35):
And so I began raising money and that's how it started. That's awesome. My clients are very loyal in helping us with that mission. Yeah. And I'm very grateful to them. 'cause without the generosity of my
Page 37 of 57
clients is so many other people Yeah. Who aren't even clients. Right. We wouldn't be able to do it. No. And I work hard for these schools. I, I work hard for these kids to help them get into college. We take them on field trips every year to different universities mm-hmm <affirmative>. To teach them about getting into college. And most of these kids are, are not white. A handful are mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I make them, we help them become comfortable in a campus environment. Nice. Whether it's UMKC, M-U-K-U-K, state Warrensburg, doesn't matter. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And once they're on campus, they realize how welcome they are
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:46:14):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:46:15):
And that nobody cares what their skin color is. Right. And people want 'em there. Nobody cares that they're broke or they come from an impoverished family. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. There is financing available without borrowing a ton of money. And we really hammer that one. I do. Yeah. Stay outta debt at all costs. How do you do it? Primarily with grants and scholarships. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. But there are other ways too.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:46:32):
No, that's huge.
Paul Dorrell (00:46:33):
And it's hard. Yeah. Because college expenses have gone up so dramatically, so quickly. Yeah. And, but still it's the a degree by which you can make a good living. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Is the best way out of the ghetto. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um, now they're also the trades, certain kinds of union skills. We
don't discount any of that. But for those who want to be an architect or an engineer or an attorney or a teacher, yeah. We hammer that. I don't tell any of these kids who are all artists. I don't say, I don't say to any of them. Yeah. I think you should get a fine arts degree.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:47:04):
Sure. <laugh>. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:47:06):
Hell no, man. No way. Let
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:47:08):
Them decide direction.
Paul Dorrell (00:47:08):
Yeah. They're already broke. Yeah. I mean, why make it worse? Yeah. Because most artists, probably only 10 to 15% of artists nationwide make, make a living by their work. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:47:17):
For
Paul Dorrell (00:47:17):
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Everybody else, it's just supplemental and sometimes supplemental in a very minor way. Sure. Most of the time. In a very minor way.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:47:23):
That's good for them to get some mentorship on that.
Paul Dorrell (00:47:25):
Yeah. So I don't, I don't encourage a fine art degree by or, or a studio art degree at all. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:47:31):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:47:31):
Never do. Okay. A parallel degree by all means. Okay. Architecture, interior design. Graphic design. Yeah. I want them to get a paycheck for God's sake. Yeah. So we've taken 1600 kids on these educational field trips over the years, over the last Wow. Almost 20 years. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:47:44):
<affirmative>. And
Paul Dorrell (00:47:45):
I'd say just a little over a thousand have enrolled and gotten through college mm-hmm <affirmative>. At this stage. Okay. And so I'm real happy with, with those. That's amazing. But I don't do it alone. You know, I have teachers helping where parents are involved. I have parents helping or grandparents are involved. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:00):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:48:00):
We, we make sure that there's as much involvement as possible. Yeah. And I get so much help from the schools. Yeah. The counselors. It's, it's a multifaceted effort with a lot of people working at it. But yeah. I'm probably, I'm probably the, the head cheerleader on that run.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:14):
Yeah. Well, I wanna make sure we talked about that because that's, um, super, uh, you know, admirable, obviously
Paul Dorrell (00:48:20):
Everything you're
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:20):
Doing and to hear you talk about it in depth, because you can read about it online and you know everything. But to hear like your genuine, you know, passion for helping these kids and to take what you have and to know where you came from is obviously not something that everybody does. So
Page 39 of 57
Paul Dorrell (00:48:37):
I enjoy it. Yeah. It, it gives back a lot to us. It, it gives back enormously. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:41):
Whether
Paul Dorrell (00:48:42):
We're having a good year financially or a hard year financially, I never have it as prophecies kids. Right. Right. And many of their parents mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:48):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:48:48):
And I'm very mindful of that every day.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:51):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:48:51):
And if ever I forget it, all you have to do is go for a ride in the hood, pick your hood. Yeah. Doesn't matter whether it's up on Quero and KCK or Prospect over on the East side or Indiana mm-hmm <affirmative>. Or any of those places. Yeah. Um, those people have a far record than I ever have or ever will. Yeah. And I, I'm mindful of that all the time. I wish it wasn't that way. Right. So for people who are curious about the foundation, you can learn about it by going on the Leopold Gallery website. Yeah. It's easy to find. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. It's under the About us dropdown. Yeah. And there are pictures and stories right there, and it's easy to donate and Yes. All the money goes directly to the schools. Mm hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:27):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:49:27):
We don't make a red sent off of it. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:29):
And
Paul Dorrell (00:49:29):
You're
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:30):
Very clear about that on the website. I did see that. And I had the link, um, to that in my link tree as well, on my page too,
Page 40 of 57
Paul Dorrell (00:49:35):
To
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:36):
Find it. So yeah. Thank
Paul Dorrell (00:49:37):
You. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:37):
So you also won an award this year, the Governor's
Paul Dorrell (00:49:41):
Arts Patron
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:42):
Of the Year for Kansas. Kansas.
Paul Dorrell (00:49:43):
Yeah. So,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:44):
Congratulations. And tell me more.
Paul Dorrell (00:49:45):
What does that mean?
(00:49:46):
The, the Kansas Arts Commission gives out a series of awards each year. Um, arts Patron, they selected me. It was more for my philanthropy and, and for my advocacy of the arts. Okay. Um, then, um, arts Advocate, I was always CI was puzzled why I was Arts patron. I always thought that went to millionaires and stuff. <laugh>. I was puzzled why I was chosen Arts Patron instead of Arts Advocate. 'cause advocacy is what I really do. Okay. But then again, an advocate is, uh, people who run like, uh, the Smokey Hill Arts Center in Salina. Okay. And that's a different kind of advocacy. Uhhuh <affirmative> from different from what I do, which is mine is done from a business point of view and a retail point of view. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And I think arts advocates typically are people that work in an art center. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And that was probably how they'd made the distinction. Then they choose a a, a Painter of the Year and a ceramic Artist of the year. Okay. Somebody in theater, somebody in music, uh, and Melissa Etheridge won an, an award, I don't remember what her award was.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:50:47):
Interesting.
Paul Dorrell (00:50:47):
Quite a woman. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And, uh,
Page 41 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:50:49):
She's from here, is that right?
Paul Dorrell (00:50:51):
She's from, um, summer
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:50:53):
Leavenworth.
Paul Dorrell (00:50:53):
Leavenworth.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:50:54):
Okay. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:50:55):
And what a gal. Yeah. And we just had a blast, man. Went out to Topeka and I love my state. Yeah. I'm a man of the world or so I would like to believe. Yeah. And, um, I travel a great deal. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. But I live in Kansas. Yeah. A Kansas native Leewood. Yep. And I've been all over the state. I've been in every county of the state. I mean, yeah. I love the Grand Canyon.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:14):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:51:14):
I love surfing in California. So we had
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:16):
Talked about your love of the Southwest too,
Paul Dorrell (00:51:18):
Right? Oh,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:18):
New Mexico. I
Paul Dorrell (00:51:19):
Never get enough of it. Santa
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:20):
Fe. Um,
Paul Dorrell (00:51:21):
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I'll probably move there after I retired. Yeah. But that's a separate subject. But still I'm a Kansan and I'm proud of it. Yeah. And I know the Kansas Arts Commission isn't well funded, like the one in Colorado or California. And you know, they don't have these celebrities bopping in and, and, and showing up for the
ceremonies and I don't care. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. I was so happy for all these people from, from towns like Salina and Oh, this one ceramic artist, gay dude. He was from out west. Where was it? Russell maybe. And, uh, um, Pittsburgh and so forth. Yeah. And some from Kansas City. I just, I love that. Yeah. And that they're, they're Oh, and a woman, uh, uh, maybe she got the arts advocate of the year from a Garden city running an art center in Garden City. Okay. Against all kinds of opposition initially, and then well funded now. Yeah. And well supported by the business committee and Gardens and Esee a lot. Yeah. Because it's not that big a town mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:52:15):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:52:16):
And, uh, I just love it when these people are celebrated from these places. Yeah. And no, it's not, it's not Marin County or Sonoma County or LA County. Sure. Yeah. It doesn't have that panache and I don't give a damn. Yeah. I'm proud that you wanted to be the government that my own state recognizes this. And they saved the Arts Commission, which was almost canceled this year. Oh,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:52:36):
Really?
Paul Dorrell (00:52:37):
They saved it by Harris's breath. Some brilliant people. Pam Curtis being one of them
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:52:41):
Canceled for,
Paul Dorrell (00:52:42):
Um, I don't know why they wanted to cancel it. Okay. But the super majority wanted to get rid of it 'cause they don't believe in the arts.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:52:48):
Oh gosh.
Paul Dorrell (00:52:49):
And that wasn't allowed to happen. Yeah. And, and some people saw reason mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:52:54):
And
Paul Dorrell (00:52:54):
Understood that promoting the arts in these small towns promoting music mm-hmm <affirmative>. Musical instruction, art, instruction, um, a wider breadth of we reading and education in itself and execution. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Is critically important. Yeah. It's how you advance culture. That's the
Page 43 of 57
whole, that that's the principles this state was founded on by the pioneers, for god's sake. Yeah. You don't cancel art. Right.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:16):
And
Paul Dorrell (00:53:16):
Arts Commission doesn't put money in anybody's pocket. Certainly not mine or any art dealer. I know mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:21):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:53:21):
It supports the small towns. Yeah. And without that, they don't really have art programs. Sure. Almost at all.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:27):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:53:28):
And it's so hard for these small towns that are losing opportunity mm-hmm <affirmative>. All the time. Especially in Western Kansas, you know, because corporations are sucking them dry. Yeah. The Walmarts and the Kmarts and the Lowe's lumber yards of the world. Yeah. And, and mom and pop business can't compete and they close mm-hmm <affirmative>. Where's the job opportunity? So it's hard for them to come up for the funds for anything in the arts. Yeah. Yes. The Kansas Arts Commission is vitally important and we can afford it, so let's do it. Yeah. And let's not combat it. There's nothing combat there. There's no no taking sides. It's education. Period. And
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:59):
I was gonna say all this to say is clear why you're an award winner for your advocacy. I mean, because obviously you're so, oh, watch your head. Um, you're so passionate about it. And doing so,
Paul Dorrell (00:54:09):
Life, passion, educated people, I passion life. I can match notes with betting in the state on that. That poses it. Yeah. There, there is no ethical reason in the world. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. To oppose broadening education. Yeah. Unless you want Mont running around the country who don't understand how, how the country is run mm-hmm <affirmative>. And, and what the, what the, what the mechanisms of the constitution and democracy are about. Yeah. And so unless you want that mm-hmm <affirmative>. If you want educated people that are participating in the democracy. Yes. The Kansas Arts Commission and all the universities and everything that goes into that pot could not be more important. Yeah. I place that over material possession any day of the week.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:54:44):
So going back to Leopold Gallery, like when we're, when we're shopping in Leopold, when people are purchasing from you, they're obviously, they're playing a part in all of this that you're talking about
Page 44 of 57
because it's funding you to give more back locally and everything. So let's kind of circle back to Leopold Gallery and what you want people to know about the experience of working with you and your team, working with you as an art consultant, um, buying for their homes. Anything else that you wanna put out there for people? Well,
Paul Dorrell (00:55:10):
You welcome the door. Everybody's made, they feel welcome, whether they can afford art or not mm hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:15):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:55:15):
Regardless of what race, we don't care. Yeah. And take a
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:19):
Ride down the slide.
Paul Dorrell (00:55:19):
Anybody that goes down the slide, we put the slide in a little over three years ago. Yep. 'cause I just thought it would be funny. Yeah. It's an 18 foot slide that spirals from the upper floor down to the basement. Yep. Which is a lower gallery. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:30):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:55:31):
And finish very nicely and well lit. And people just love it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:35):
Oh yeah. How
Paul Dorrell (00:55:35):
Can they not?
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:36):
And
Paul Dorrell (00:55:36):
Kids come in and they'll go down. I mean, I think
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:37):
I almost got stuck in it, but I'm also five 11, so, you know,
Paul Dorrell (00:55:40):
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A little harder for me. It's just hard to get out at the end. <laugh>.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:42):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:55:43):
It's kind of got a long trajectory at the end.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:45):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:55:45):
But we'll have kids come in with their parents and they'll go down five or six times and their parents have to drag 'em away. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:50):
Because
Paul Dorrell (00:55:50):
The interiors kind of dark inside. Except we had it is lit with LEDs. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:54):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:55:55):
That change color.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:56):
Well, that just gives the parents more time to really think about the art and which one they
Paul Dorrell (00:55:59):
Wanna learn. Now, I can't tell you how much art that silly slide is sold
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:01):
<laugh>. I bet. I bet.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:02):
And, and people take videos of themselves going down the slide, then they post it, then we get more website visits, but it's also meant to bring the child out of the adult.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:11):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:12):
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And that's really the intent. I think
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:14):
It's a brilliant addition. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:15):
And it just makes people feel like a kid again, we have people of all ages going down. Yeah. The oldest age I know of is 75. Any
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:22):
Dogs going down it,
Paul Dorrell (00:56:23):
Uh, we don't allow dogs going on it. Okay. I was
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:25):
Like, that could a little, that
Paul Dorrell (00:56:26):
Could be a little tricky. It's, it's too much for the dogs <laugh>. That's probably not a good idea.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:29):
Well, good. Well, we are gonna wrap it up with some rapid fire questions.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:32):
Sure. If
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:33):
You're ready for it.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:33):
Sure.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:33):
So, okay. What is currently on your Kansas City bucket list?
Paul Dorrell (00:56:39):
Something I want to do mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:40):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:40):
In Kansas City. Mm-hmm
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:42):
<affirmative>. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:43):
You mean an art project?
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:44):
Any, you name it. A place you wanna go, something you wanna accomplish, somebody you wanna work with, something somewhere you want to eat.
Paul Dorrell (00:56:51):
Well, anything
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:51):
You want. Well,
Paul Dorrell (00:56:52):
Um, project I'm looking forward to working on is the American Royal when it gets restarted. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:57):
Because
Paul Dorrell (00:56:58):
They've been talking to me about doing the art for quite a while, and I think we're just about there. Okay. And I would love to do that.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:03):
Awesome.
Paul Dorrell (00:57:04):
I love horses. I love an equine environment. Uhhuh,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:06):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:57:07):
I can't say I'm a great horseman to myself. I'm better on a dirt bike. Okay. But, um, <laugh>, I want it to be a cool contemporary collection. Yeah. That fits their budget and just blows people away.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:17):
What is, what's going on? What's the ETA or what are they?
Paul Dorrell (00:57:21):
They're hoping they have some buildings open by next fall. Okay. Got it. I think they're gonna make it.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:25):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:57:26):
And then that's a good one. Another one is, this has nothing to do with ca, Kansas City, but Miami Freedom Park, the new soccer stadium for, uh, inner Miami. Yeah. Uh, they hired me a year ago as their, our consultant
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:37):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:57:37):
And we're now getting to the serious point of the murals and the 3D the outdoor sculpture mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:42):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:57:43):
And, uh, that project's crazy how fast it's moving. And I'm having a blast with it. Does
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:48):
It mean you're working with David Beckham
Paul Dorrell (00:57:50):
<laugh>? I haven't met him yet. Or Messi.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:52):
Uh, can
Paul Dorrell (00:57:52):
I get
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:53):
An introduction? Yeah,
Paul Dorrell (00:57:54):
Sure. <laugh>, the, the stadium opens in February.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:56):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:57:57):
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But I'm not terribly involved with the stadium. I'm involved with what they call Miami Freedom Park, which is the grounds surrounding the stadium. Okay. Yeah. And that's a separate development company. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:06):
Regardless. That's huge. That's
Paul Dorrell (00:58:08):
Really
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:08):
Cool. And
Paul Dorrell (00:58:09):
I only want to use Miami artists for that. Yeah. I'm getting some resistance from leadership. They, they want to use some New York artists and so forth. And I think we should exhaust and here we go again. <laugh>. Yeah. The Miami possibilities first. Yeah. And really make sure that we represent all the races in Miami 'cause mm-hmm <affirmative>. Whites are a minority in, in most of Miami. Yeah. And I wanna make sure we represent the, the Cuban story and the Central American story and the African American story. And we, I mean, I've lined up a lot of great artists, including a lot of great white artists. Yeah. Um, men and women.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:42):
Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:58:43):
And I'm just waiting to pull the trigger on, on making everything fly. That's exciting. We're getting close to that point. Okay. You'll
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:49):
Have to keep me posted. So
Paul Dorrell (00:58:49):
I, it's been a lot of planning. Oh my God. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:51):
I can share. Yeah. Okay. Um, anyone in particular that you would want to hear or see on my podcast? Someone related to Kansas City? Of course.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:01):
Oh, that's a, that's a question I'd have to answer quickly. Um, let's think of, oh, sure. Mike Zeller.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:09):
Okay.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:10):
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Mike XR is the developer of the Rock Island Bridge.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:13):
Uhhuh. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:14):
Which finally opened last month. He was
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:16):
On my list. Yep.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:18):
And
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:18):
It opened
Paul Dorrell (00:59:20):
To a degree. Okay. I mean, he had an opening party.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:22):
Okay. Got it.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:22):
And Mike is a, I didn't know officially generous, visionary, kind soul mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:27):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:27):
And knows this city inside out and Oh, I don't know how he pulled that project off. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:32):
I'm dying to hear more about that.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:34):
The funding, bringing all these different entities together. K-C-K-K-C-M-O.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:39):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:39):
The county's cooperating, everything working together. Yeah. The contractors, the trades. Yeah. I, I couldn't have done it.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:47):
Total puzzle. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (00:59:48):
Yeah. That's not, that's not my bail wick at all. Yeah. Mike Seller is an amazing guy. Please do have him on. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:53):
He's already on my list. I can tell you that. So that's perfect. Um, okay. What do you, do you have a favorite hidden gym in Kansas City that maybe you and your wife like to go to? Maybe you and your buddies like to go to your sons? Or are you just, you alone, hidden
Paul Dorrell (01:00:06):
Gym
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:06):
Of any kinds?
Paul Dorrell (01:00:06):
Hidden gym.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:07):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (01:00:08):
Bike riding the West Bottoms always. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:10):
Perfect. We
Paul Dorrell (01:00:11):
Bike, we bike ride the West Bottoms just kind of
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:13):
Meandering through. Well,
Paul Dorrell (01:00:14):
The West Bottoms stretch all the way to the old airport. That's, yeah. That's part of the bottoms. Yeah. Not really part of the actual West Bottoms. Okay. But that includes the bottoms, the old airport Fairfax, and then all those rail yards down there. We love it all. Okay. And my sons and I are friends and I, in the warm weather or the chilly weather, we bike the east bottoms. And I, I'm a train freak. I catch freight trains once in a while. Oh
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:41):
Yeah, that's right. You mentioned that
Page 52 of 57
Paul Dorrell (01:00:42):
<laugh>. So yeah. I'm 68. I still like to catch a freight train once in a while. Yeah. It's safe. If you know how to do it, it's dangerous if you don't. Yeah, I bet. It's the way to get killed. But I like being around trains and tracks and old railroad bridges, which to me are very sculptural. Yeah. And so we just bike the heck outta the list. I like that all the time. Uh, another favorite is, uh, taking walks anywhere deep in the country. Unity Village is one of my favorite places for a walk with a family. Okay. Or friends. Those are two gyms. I've got scores of them.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:10):
I love it. Um, okay. So you're still in Kansas City despite all the places that you have lived.
Paul Dorrell (01:01:14):
That's right.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:15):
Um, what do you think makes Kansas City so unique? So great.
Paul Dorrell (01:01:18):
It's still a quite livable city. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:20):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (01:01:20):
All these cities. I do business in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, la, San Francisco, New York. The traffic is insane. <affirmative> not just difficult to manage. And
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:30):
You find that really interesting. We moved here from Chicago and it's all about what's relative to you. Right? Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (01:01:35):
Like,
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:36):
Chicago traffic is
Paul Dorrell (01:01:37):
Awful.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:37):
It's
Paul Dorrell (01:01:38):
Insane Here. I'm
Page 53 of 57
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:38):
Like insane. It's nothing.
Paul Dorrell (01:01:39):
It's unmanageable. Yeah. But for people who live there, they learn how to manage it. Right. There's certain times of the day when you simply don't drive. Right.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:45):
Unless
Paul Dorrell (01:01:46):
You don't have any choice. Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:47):
And
Paul Dorrell (01:01:47):
For a lot of people, they don't have any choice. But not Kansas City. The traffic is so manageable that people are, it's a small enough city where the people are compassionate and care about one another. Sure. You have your episodes mm-hmm <affirmative>. Or homicide, right. Raid is an example of that. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:04):
But
Paul Dorrell (01:02:04):
For the most part, people are supportive of one another. Most certainly in my neighborhood. Mm-hmm
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:08):
<affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (01:02:08):
Both Brookside and where we live. Residentially. Yeah. And, uh, it, it has wonderful restaurant and music scene. Yeah. Rest and museum scene.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:16):
Mm-hmm <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (01:02:17):
The art scene, of course for a city its size. Yeah. Um, I know cities much larger than Kansas City that I won't name, that aren't nearly as hip in the arts, visual arts as we are
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:27):
Interesting.
Paul Dorrell (01:02:27):
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Aren't even close. And
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:28):
You have some of the best perspective on that of course.
Paul Dorrell (01:02:30):
So I see 'em all. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:31):
Denver,
Paul Dorrell (01:02:31):
Phoenix, Houston, I see 'em all. Okay. And I get immersed in 'em all 'cause I have so much work to do in each one. Yeah. We just finished a big installation in Dallas and I love spending time in Dallas, but I always avoid the roads or in rush hour. Yeah. But in Dallas, like LA rush hour is off and on all day.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:46):
Yeah. No kidding.
Paul Dorrell (01:02:47):
But it's a fascinating city if you know where to go. Yeah. And if you have friends that can show you great places. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:52):
Those
Paul Dorrell (01:02:52):
Are my thoughts on Kansas City. Perfect.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:54):
And then the last question before these dogs get a little bit restless right?
Paul Dorrell (01:02:57):
They're getting antsy.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:57):
They're getting antsy. Um, okay. So you get to pick your last meal on earth, but you pick it at a restaurant in Kansas City. Where would it be?
Paul Dorrell (01:03:06):
That would be, um, sushi at June's Sushi. Okay. In, in, I think it's old Leewood. June's is in.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:12):
Okay.
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Paul Dorrell (01:03:13):
JUN Perfect. Been around forever.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:15):
Uhhuh <affirmative>.
Paul Dorrell (01:03:16):
And even though Jun the original founder passed away a long time ago mm-hmm <affirmative>. Purchasers were taken over by a different family. I think they still make fantastic sushi.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:25):
Good to know. I haven't been there, so I gotta check that off my bucket list.
Paul Dorrell (01:03:27):
I'm a sushi freak and I, I think I love sushi. I don't want people from San Francisco that would agree, disagree with that choice, but not, I'm a supporter of Joneses and I love the interior.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:35):
It's your pick. Yeah.
Paul Dorrell (01:03:36):
And I love going there. That would be my last meal.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:38):
Okay. Perfect. Awesome. Well thank you so much. This has been awesome. Thanks.
Paul Dorrell (01:03:41):
Been Where do
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:42):
People find you? How do they get in touch with you
Paul Dorrell (01:03:44):
And Oh, just go to the Leopold Gallery website. It's easy to contact us through that. Okay. Email addresses. Are there phone numbers there? Okay. We're 63rd and 63rd. And Warlow Brookside near Homegrown.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:55):
Great location.
Paul Dorrell (01:03:56):
Yeah, it's, I love Brookside. Yeah. Been there 20 years and I'll finished there until I finally sold the gallery and yeah. Decided to go surfing in Tahiti a little more.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:04:04):
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I love it. Awesome. Well thank you so much for coming on. Thanks,
Paul Dorrell (01:04:06):
Man. It was so good
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:04:07):
To actually sit down and talk in depth about everything.
Paul Dorrell (01:04:09):
It's wonderful.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:04:10):
Awesome.
Paul Dorrell (01:04:10):
I've enjoyed it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:04:11):
Great. All right. Thank you guys so much for listening to Paul here on the podcast. Uh, make sure that you guys follow along Kansas City Bucket List podcast. Um, check us out on YouTube, apple, Spotify, and um, be sure to leave us a review and follow along to make sure that we can really spread the word of all these great stories of people doing amazing things here in Kansas City. Thanks. Thank you so much for tuning in and finding inspiration in these incredible stories. If you love what you hear, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Leave a rating and share the show to help these Kansas City voices reach even more listeners.