Spring 2026

Home Is Where The Art Is

The living room flows into the dining room fluidly blending great art and furnishings. The mid-century ceiling fixture came from Petti’s parents’ home. An Aero Saarinen table is surrounded by Marcel Breuer leather and chrome chairs and Boho Donghia Klismos chairs. A whimsical pair of mixed media works are by Gavin Benjamin. The white lamp was a Barbara Cosgrove design.
Creative Type

The men behind Heidmann Art Salon boldly balance an array of contemporary art in their Rockhill home.

Words
Susan Cannon
@susancannon1

Photos
Josie Benefield
@josiedell_photo

Collectors
Heidmann Art Salon
@heidmann_art_salon

S

cott Heidmann and Ken Petti, the creators of the Heidmann Art Salon (HAS), coexist in fascinating synchronicity, equally curating their home as they do their work collaborations, which are dialed in with an abundance of creative energy and executed with cleverness and skill. The two are driven by a mutual passion for contemporary art, each artist’s story, and for creating uniquely engaging HAS “art experiences’’ for cultural enthusiasts in Kansas City. Their deep affinity for what drives artists to create is closely tied to how they live in their home, as they surround themselves with visual stories at every turn.

If you’re not familiar with the Heidmann Art Salon, it is a roving art event concept developed by the duo that goes beyond the traditional norm of showing and selling art in a white-walled gallery. Always having surprises up their sleeves, they conceptualize and curate exhibitions of disparate themes that welcome guests into experiential evenings where art, performance, food, drink, and atmosphere merge. The fun is that each salon is strikingly different from the next, with roughly four held each year in various locations, often keeping the art up for further viewing after the opening event.

Heidmann, a former interior designer for several architecture firms since the early ’80s, has been an art collector for as long as he can remember, going back to his early years living in Hong Kong. His interior design process for the hospitality sector included placing original art and smart furnishings in the environments, bringing each project to life with a cultivated eye. Now his art advisory business placing art in clients’ homes runs alongside the HAS events.

In the kitchen’s lounge, Heidmann stands next to a Laetitia Hohenberg stoneware sculpture. A gallery wall behind Petti includes a vintage watercolor from Christopher Filley, a Karl Lagerfeld nude he photographed for Visionaire’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. Others include works by Peregrine Honig, May Tveit, Marcus Cain, Gavin Benjamin, among others.
In the kitchen’s lounge, Heidmann stands next to a Laetitia Hohenberg stoneware sculpture. A gallery wall behind Petti includes a vintage watercolor from Christopher Filley, a Karl Lagerfeld nude he photographed for Visionaire’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. Others include works by Peregrine Honig, May Tveit, Marcus Cain, Gavin Benjamin, among others.

Petti, on the other hand, comes from the fashion industry in New York City and is an advertising, branding, and events veteran whose well of original, witty ideas has never run dry. He worked in-house at Calvin Klein, collaborating on many iconic campaigns, and also ran his own ad agency representing fashion and cultural arts clients. One example of his outside-the-box thinking was putting on a fundraising benefit for the Ballet Hispánico dance company in the early ’90s, where he invited artists and celebrities alike to create their own unique art on ballet pointe slippers, which were then auctioned off to raise funds, while merging the energy of personalities from different artistic fields.

Interestingly, Heidmann and Petti originally connected on Instagram through shared visual interests, which sparked curiosity and ultimately led to bonding. When Petti started traveling to Kansas City to visit, Heidmann was living in the Alameda Condominiums just south of the Plaza. With high ceilings and open spaces, the 3,000-square-foot condo was perfect for his existing art collection. And as creatives often do so well, they began ruminating and, together, brewed up the Heidmann Art Salon concept.

In 2013, they officially launched their first two Heidmann Art Salons in the condo. It immediately sparked interest, and they continued creating HAS events—long distance—until Petti ultimately settled in Kansas City in 2016.

A 1928 Charlotte Perriand LC2 chair for Le Corbusier anchors the art-filled sunroom. An ornate silver Cathedral candelabra is from Christopher Filley Antiques. Below it, rests a Tarot artwork by Jody Morlock. Gabriel Aiello’s chandelier painting hangs under a Susan White bronze cast thorn sculpture and a small Doug Meyer Talisman. In the window hangs a painting by local artist Figwurm.
Laetitia Hohenberg’s ceramic sculpture sits in front of an Anthony Baab pigment inkjet print, and next to a Debra Smith textile collage. The kneeling figure is by Londyn Carter. In the sunroom, a Fortuny silk chandelier is juxtaposed by contemporary works. The impressively large ceramic vessel by Darcy Badiali is from Haw Contemporary. Above it is a painted vintage plate by Figwurm.
On top of a Jhane Barnes marble table is a ceramic vessel by Lauren Mabry. Two works by Haw Contemporary repped artist Del Harrow are the painted and glazed cubist vessel on the floor, and a large, highly-intricate graphite drawing above it. Tawny Chatmon’s mixed media work of two sisters leans at right and an Eileen Lang painting hangs between Kelly Wearstler floor lights, from Relative Lighting. The hanging black jacket was painted during a KCAI Art Pop performance emulating a Keith Haring body-painting 1980s exhibition.
The gallery wall behind the Room and Board desk include works by Archie Scott Gobber, Debra Smith, and Caleb Taylor from Haw Contemporary. Also Roger Shimomura from Sherry Leedy Gallery, Rachael Hayes, Ricky Allman, Russell Shoemaker, and painted textile art by Marcus Cain. On the desk is a bronze Tom Corbin sculpture and a contemporary Outlet Cord from Centro.
The office also serves as a TV room. The wood easel TV stand is by Putorsen. At left, a Mark Cowardin wood and ceramic sculpture is next to Eileen Lang’s framed macrame rope art. Above the sofa are works by Nina Stanley, Paolo Porelli, and Michael Lucero. Magic stick with feathers by Bruce Burstert hangs next to an African head. The antique Persian rug is from Knotty Rugs.
An eclectic vignette is anchored by a Luis González Palma painting from Schneider Gallery. A Richard Chung figurative sculpture is from Sherry Leedy Gallery. A KCAI student’s painted ceramic vessel sits on a ceramic garden stool next to a custom pillow of silk striped fabric by Pollack.
A considered mix of art and furnishings includes an antique French settee from Parrin & Co., rugs from Knotty Rugs, and white porcelain table lamps by Barbara Cosgrove. A Roger Shimomura painting from Sherry Leedy hangs under the window. On the wall are works by Dean Kube, Mary Ann Strandell, Donald Sultan, Mark Westervelt, Jill Downen, Stuart Heidmann photographs, and a portrait by Tom Corbin.
A Julie Blackmon photograph on the mantle is flanked by vintage sconces from Modern Love in KC and floor lamps from Luminaire. Black and white photo of a Richard Serra sculpture by Stuart Heidmann leans next to a Barbara Barry leather chair.
Original woodwork adds warmth to the living room. Art on the shelves are works by Brock DeBoer, Paolo Porelli, and José Sierra. At right, an Akio Takamori cup, Paolo Porrei mounted sculpture, a ceramic head by Kensuke Yamada with Anna Johnson collaboration, Lauren Mabry vessel and a Phillip Mayberry ceramic cup. The large blue urn is by Anna Silver.
Two Akio Takamori original color lithographs anchor the dining room with sinuous beauty. A black woven raffia Konda chief’s hat from Christopher Filley is stunning as a mounted sculpture, its shape mimicking Barbara Cosgrove lamps. The chair is Marcel Breuer.
A white plaster and mirror triptych is by KCAI graduate Greg Thurmond. At left, a dark Jason Pollen painting hangs above a tall black ceramic figure by Paolo Porelli and a green Moroccan ceramic bowl from Sid & Co. The antique African bowl in the foreground is from Christopher Filley, next to an Akio Takamori plate.
A vintage Niedermaier club chair sits in front of a tube light a la Dan Flavin from the MoMA Design Store. The gold pouf is from Asiatica, and the lamp and carved occasional table are from shop Afternoons.

As the two men, with great curiosity and even bigger personalities, continually point their collective radars in all directions to find what is culturally exciting, HAS has thrived. Currently, with around 35 salons under their belt, their roster of local, national, and international artists has grown. And with that, their guest list and art clientele have organically broadened, as well. As supporters of the Kansas City Art Institute and its students, they serve as chairs for the KCAI “Art Pop” progressive events that celebrate the end-of-semester exhibition and sale of student works.

The expansion of HAS also means the two are collecting more for the Rockhill-area mid-century home they moved into in 2022, curating their rooms in a new light, and even giving visitors ideas on how to live with contemporary art.

“What is different is that this house feels more intimate, whereas the condominium was more gallery-like,’’ Heidmann says.

“I also think that being here has allowed the art to take on a more cohesive nature,’’ Petti adds. ‘‘And when we entertain guests, they may not necessarily be thinking about buying art, but may see something they love in our collection. If it’s available from a prior show, we’ll sell it; if not, we can show the artist’s portfolio to gauge interest in other works.”

By living amongst so much art and putting on HAS events, the duo continues to celebrate others’ talents, benefit from human connection, and enjoy art in its many forms.

“In addition to our personal collection, we also have some works by artists that have been in our salons, and some that will be available in future salons,’’ Heidmann says.

Currently included in their home are mixed-media pieces by Gavin Benjamin and Tawny Chatmon; ceramics by Linda Lighton, Laetitia Hohenberg, Paolo Porelli, Lauren Mabry, Akio Takamori, Del Harrow, and Darcy Badiali; photography by Julie Blackmon, Karl Lagerfeld, Ricky Cohete, and Stuart Heidmann; textile art by Debra Smith and Marcus Cain; and paintings, prints, and drawings by Anthony Baab, Peregrine Honig, Eileen Lang, and Figwurm, among many others.

And of course, important furniture design pairs perfectly with the art.

Home for the HAS men is indeed where the art is.

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