Pieces carefully selected by private collectors and displayed in their homes are like secrets just waiting to be shared. While artwork viewed in museums inspires a multitude of reactions, art in the home is more intimate and endearing — a daily enrichment — as demonstrated by the extensive collections of Kansas City art collectors Joyce and Don Omer and Pam and Mark Johnson.

Since the 1970s, the Omers have woven art collecting into the fabric of their lives. Joyce recalls many stories centering on the works that form a timeline of their life together, such as where the purchase was made, reactions of visitors to specific works, and her relationships with art dealers and artists.

Don finds sharing art with others its greatest benefit. He loves to expose the treasures behind each door of his multi-floor loft. Art, furnishings and room layout reflect the couple’s ideal of comfortable city living. Guests and homeowners alike can sink into a comfy sofa, sip a drink, and gaze at the cityscape, surrounded by an eclectic blend of photography, drawings, paintings, mixed media and sculpture.
 
Interior designer Ben Sundermeier, of Space Planning & Design, was delighted to lay out the floor plan and furnish the Omer loft. Once a hotel built in 1915, the upper floors were partially demolished. Sundermeier was given great leeway while maintaining original hallways and generous room sizes. He chose one-of-a-kind furnishings that worked well with original art:  custom-made cabinets and bed; special-order marble sink and couches; and a 12-seat antique table from a convent.

In white-walled rooms, subtle colors complement the art while in other rooms, warm-colored walls and cool-colored accents enhance the more brilliant pieces. Sundermeier emphasized natural lighting, and room lamps the Omers use are a unique approach, as collectors often highlight works with recessed or track lighting. Indirect illumination allows the art to transform as the window light varies, adapting to the moods of the viewer or the weather.

Pam Johnson’s appreciation for Early American collecting took root while she was growing up in Connecticut. Her love of art flourished while taking art history at Yale University. The Johnson home reflects her father’s influence of Early American furnishings and decorative rugs (pieces she inherited from him) and melds the styles of modern furnishing and a contemporary art collection.

Open to different avenues of collecting, Pam finds antiques on her own or through a dealer, relishes the search for a particular reproduction piece, or commissions furniture and art work. Her home, built in 1915, had seen many changes before the Johnsons purchased it in 1990. Pam and architect Rodger Wilkins, a fellow Yale alum, worked together to restore much of the home’s initial Prairie architecture by using the original house plans. A colonial porch with columns was reverted back to the harmonic horizontal lines, though occasionally original elements (such as a maid’s room) were eliminated to adapt to today’s lifestyle.

Recessed lighting was added to highlight the Johnsons’ artwork and a wall expanded to accommodate a six-foot antique bench. Non-specific lighting allows artwork to be moved and added with ease.

Wilkins finds the Johnson home’s layout ideal for collecting. The first floor has great flow with a circular path from which to view all rooms. Spacious rooms, white walls, original wooden floors and simple, clean lines act as a “neutral container for Pam’s new ideas and her respect for historic styles,” according to Wilkins.

For many collectors, galleries are a key resource. Emily Eddins, gallerist of the Crossroads Arts District’s Dolphin Gallery, has worked with the Omers and Johnsons on many occasions. The range of work in the Johnson and Omer homes reflects that of the Dolphin’s, including nationally-known artists as well as regional and emerging artists, which are affordable. In addition to galleries, Pam has purchased art from fairs, student sales, estate sales and benefit auctions.
 
The Dolphin builds a nurturing relationship with the artists they represent. New to the Kansas City art scene, artist Celeste Marble found that working with an established gallery — and its many ties — has opened new avenues for her. Marble, who does 2-D mixed media, has a piece in the Omer home based on a recommendation by Eddins.

Authenticity and the ability to convey the artist’s creative vitality are two criteria that Joyce Omer requires when searching for new pieces. Advice she received in her early collecting days provides totality to private art collecting: “You cannot own art, you can only take care of it.”