Today we’d like to introduce you to Izzy Vivas.
Hi Izzy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up I always knew I loved the arts; I couldn’t stay away. In my adolescence, I moved between disciplines from competitive dance to years of playing the oboe to deciding one day I wanted to be a painter. It’s always been challenging for me to land on a specific practice because I’ve had a deep appreciation for them all. From High School to College, focusing on a niche, or just focusing in general had been a consistent struggle for me. I wanted to daydream over solving for x, write stories over essays and create more than memorize.
In High School, I had landed on a practice that would lead me to relocate and truly discover what I was good at. I had fallen in love with painting, and that landed me opportunities to grow in a way I couldn’t of imagined. I led my curiosity guide me, riding this passion to what felt right. I had gotten in various exhibitions like the Crow Museum of Art and Sotheby’s in NYC. I accepted internships and volunteered with museums and galleries; get connected with Young Arts who coordinated studio visits with artists like Mickalene Thomas Sanford Biggers, and Dustin Yellin. This began my turning point. I was introduced to a whole new industry. I was filled with excitement and was ready to take the next steps to becoming a “true” artist. However, like everything else– I was limited to a box. It was the same struggle in a different font. I felt out of place and secluded from a community.
A pivotal project I was fortunate to become apart of was the West 18th Street Fashion Show, under the Artistic Direction of Peregrine Honig. I had gotten the chance to see first hand multiple disciplines coming together for one purpose. Everything became clear and I knew how I needed to build my own future. Though some professors were un-approving of when I said I’m changing my major (again…and again), or even more frustrated with hearing that “Don’t expect me to paint”– I had no choice to make my own cirriculum . Like any artist, we learn the rules to break them; and that’s what I did. I graduated with a BFA, a BA and two Minors in Social Practice and Business Entrepreneurship. What I discovered is that my true calling is connection; bringing people, practices, and ideas together. Being multi-cultural, I’ve always lived in the “third space,” navigating contradictions and in-betweens. Curating and producing events revealed a career path that resisted limitations and celebrated multiplicity.
Today, I carry that forward. I’ve been passed the baton as Artistic Director of the West 18th Street Fashion Show, and I also serve as the Art Director of the new Zhou B Art Center KC. More importantly, I’ve found my community, a group of multi-hyphenates who, like me, refuse to fit into a single box. Together, we create spaces where the arts, culture, and community intersect.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was left undiagnosed for the majority of my life and it wasn’t until I was about to move to Kansas City, where I landed on my first diagnosis that began a path of clarity. Focus was always my biggest hurdle, my mind was constantly pulled in different directions, and emotionally, I often felt unstable or like I didn’t belong. In school especially, I struggled with comparing myself to others who seemed to know exactly what they were meant to do, while I was still questioning everything. That tension often left me doubting myself, but it also gave me a heightened sensitivity to people and environments, which I now see as a strength.
At the same time, I had no choice but to succeed. I learned how to turn what felt like obstacles into tools—channeling my energy, my adaptability, and my emotional intensity into events and curatorial work where many disciplines and voices come together. What once felt like restlessness became the foundation for the career I’ve built. Those challenges ultimately taught me resilience, and they’ve made me deeply committed to creating spaces where others also feel like they belong.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m the Artistic Director of the West 18th Street Fashion Show, an annual Kansas City institution celebrating its 25th anniversary this year (2025). Under my direction, the show blends fashion, visual arts, music, and technology—inviting designers to use non-traditional materials and explore how analog and digital worlds collide. It’s a platform that spotlights regional creatives and connects them to national and international audiences.
Simultaneously, I serve as the Creative Director of the Zhou B Art Center KC, a newly renovated cultural hub located in the historic 18th & Vine district. We provide studio spaces, exhibitions, and programming with an emphasis on inclusivity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and luxury private event space. I’m known for bringing disciplines together like art, fashion, performance, while creating dynamic platforms that elevate Kansas City’s creative talent and bring visibility to underrepresented voices. These platforms have helped launch artists into major fashion weeks, earned features in outlets like Italian Vogue, WWD, and The New York Times.
I’m incredibly proud of how the West 18th Street Fashion Show has thrived. We took a pandemic as an opportunity to lead to an innovative, socially distanced drive-in experience, that still showcased the creativity of our community. In this, we published a multi-award winning movie depsite the world shutting down. (Hindsight 2020). Seasons after, the show continues to have partnered support and brings our legacy to the West 18th block each year. I’m also deeply honored to have played a central role in opening the Zhou B Art Center, a $27 million investment in the arts, anchored in history and designed as a lifelong home for creativity and healing in Kansas City’s jazz district.
I’m a multi-hyphenate arts leader who thrives in intersectional, collaborative environments. I design experiences and spaces that aren’t confined to one medium or model; my work invites participation, dialogue, and transformation across disciplines and communities. At the core, I create spaces of belonging, whether it’s fashion runways, exhibition galleries, or artistic spaces, they each reflect the diversity, resilience, and forward-looking spirit of the creative community.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That I am a HUGE animal lover. When I’m not at work, spending time in my garden and with my animals is my number one way to ground and recharge. My career isn’t something that I just turn off and forget about after 5:00 PM. I’m constantly thinking about ways to grow and improve and how I can better the community each day. As one can imagine, sometimes that takes a toll. So, to cure that and be present I tend to my chickens, hand-make food and baked goods while watching my dogs enjoy the simplicities of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: zhoubartcenterkc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steakfingerz/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-vivas-1097a7131/
