Alumni Creativity and Global Reach: KCAI’s Impact on the 2026 FIFA World Cup
07.23.2026
When Kansas City welcomed the globe for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the experience wasn’t just about soccer, it was a massive canvas for local creativity. An incredible roster of Kansas City Art Institute alumni played pivotal roles in Fan Fest Kansas City, local business initiatives, and official FIFA-related events.
What makes this so extraordinary is the heavily art-based nature of their contributions. From custom flash tattoos and interactive textile installations to massive civic celebrations and experiential design, these visionary creators are proving that Kansas City's artistic heartbeat is just as vital as its athletic one. It is wonderful to see our alumni shaping the cultural fabric of a global sporting event, ensuring that visitors leave with a deep appreciation for the city's vibrant art scene.
Laedan “DINKC” Galacia ('13 Illustration)
Laedan "DINKC" Galacia is bringing a permanent mark to the World Cup festivities with Ink the Moment. This one-of-a-kind fan experience transformed the official Sporting Kansas City locker room into a live tattoo studio during Soccer Capital Summer.
Fans received real flash tattoos featuring a curated sheet of soccer and Kansas City inspired designs by DINKC. Appointments were released daily on a first-come, first-served basis, making it one of the most highly sought-after cultural experiences for fans wanting a permanent memento of the historic games.
Working alongside the Sporting KC team, Galacia drew on his illustration background to design four custom pages of flash art that blended the essence of the World Cup with Kansas City staples, Mexican cultural items, and his signature DINKC characters. To make the immersive experience complete, he decked out the space with custom jerseys, artwork, and neon signs, relying on the branding and experiential design skills he first developed during his senior thesis at KCAI, to make the locker room feel like a true mini tattoo shop.
“I absolutely loved tattooing international fans! It was so cool meeting, chatting, and hearing everyone's stories,” Galacia shared. “To be able to give them a permanent piece of art on their skin to take back home to share with their family and friends was super special. It was just such a wholesome experience to share with people I may never see again, but who all had a common love for soccer, tattoos, and art.”
Paige Beltowski ('15 Fiber)
Through the city's Open Doors! initiative, Paige Beltowski has anchored her previously mobile business, Cut & Sew Production KC, right in the heart of the action. Her new storefront at 510 Delaware St. in the River Market provides a home base for her to create custom sewing projects, including commemorative wear specifically for the World Cup.
Known for crafting custom wardrobes for touring musicians like Sabrina Carpenter and Cardi B, Beltowski is now outfitting Kansas City for its biggest global stage yet.
"The Open Doors! program has given me a wonderful opportunity to anchor my work at home," Beltowski shared. "In my first two months of operation, I have been able to draw a community into the storefront. The amount of artists and entrepreneurs who have rallied behind me has been so heartwarming." This new chapter allows her to blend her entertainment industry experience with her love for Kansas City's creative scene, even hosting a mix of Los Angeles and KC-based brands in her retail space.
When deciding how to outfit the massive influx of international soccer fans, Beltowski applied the exact same playbook she uses for stage performers. "I specialize in dressing the divas, and whether it's for the sports arena or the concert arena, the objective is the same," she explained. Anticipating an energetic audience in need of celebratory outfits, her shop introduced highly popular reworked jerseys that redefine the traditionally square, boxy shape of a standard soccer kit.
By offering fans a way to amplify their personal style, she is helping them physically wear their passion. "When people root for a team in the World Cup, they are emotionally invested," Beltowski added. "Whether they are supporting a team because it's their heritage, or because they like cheering on the underdog... When people are going to Fanfest or spending thousands of dollars to attend a game, they want something flattering and unique. They want to look their best and support their team."
Paulina Otero ('20 Fiber)
Paulina Otero is making waves through her involvement with the City of Entrepreneurs, Rep Urs KC. As part of the movement taking over Union Station for the World Cup, this initiative represents the builders, risk-takers, and creators shaping the future of Kansas City businesses.
Otero’s self-named jewelry brand was featured as a part of the Hera Collective Marketplace at Rep Urs KC. Her jewelry business highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of KCAI alumni, blending fine art and handmade goods with commercial momentum to create unforgettable cultural touchpoints for World Cup visitors.
The collaboration came to life when Hera founder Ellie Berland invited Otero to join the curated space for women-owned businesses. While taking on the project felt like a financial risk initially, Otero knew it was an unmissable opportunity to represent Kansas City on a global stage. She custom-designed displays specifically for the marketplace, fully immersing her brand in the incredible energy of Union Station's grand hall. “It was so cool to see so many people interacting with our products in a new way," Otero shared. "People could try things on and spend longer periods of time lingering in our space. I really enjoyed getting to talk to customers from all over.”
Otero credits her time in the KCAI Fiber program for shaping her unique artistic direction. “The focus on texture and material integrity definitely translated into how I approach all the things that I continue to design and fabricate,” she explained. The rigorous program not only pushed her to explore diverse materials but also prepared her for the high standards and fast pace of entrepreneurship, proving that her practice can seamlessly “dabble between the art and design worlds.”
Whitney Manney ('12 Fiber)
Whitney Manney is showcasing her wearable art background on a massive scale. In partnership with KC•House and Populous, Manney designed and constructed eight large-scale textile tapestries celebrating the seven visiting teams and Team USA at the Country Club Plaza.
Working around the clock with her studio team, she used hand-dyed fabrics to resemble landscapes and appliqué work to integrate motifs like national flowers, crests, and mottos.
The monumental project was completed in less than a month, requiring Manney and her studio assistants, Hilari Holt, Bri Miller, and Sydney Wilson, to pull four back-to-back overnight shifts to engineer the massive 8-by-14 and 8-by-18-foot pieces inside the Plaza's former Forever 21 space. Working closely with alumna Kelly Holton and the Populous team to shape the experiential design of KC•House, Manney also ensured the installation was fully immersive by collaborating with creative curator Johnny Hal of Confidential Space on a custom playlist featuring music from each represented nation.
"This has been an exciting era to be an artist in Kansas City, with FIFA here, the energy is on 10!" Manney said. "I took my time to research each country and what makes them special... The experience feels organic and adds a bit of whimsy to the space."
Kelly Holton ('07 Graphic Design)
Kelly Holton, Senior Principal and Kansas City Office Director at Populous, helped shape how fans experience the World Cup on a monumental scale.
Blending human psychology and local culture, Holton was heavily involved in designing the massive, inclusive FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The festival featured watch parties, concerts, and entertainment, acting as a massive, inclusive celebration of KC’s signature charm and hospitality. Additionally, she spearheaded the experiential design of KC•House, a hospitality hub on the Plaza designed to showcase Kansas City's business and innovation to international visitors.
“I've been inspired by the Royals or Chiefs parades; celebrating together has so much power,” Holton said. “Being part of something bigger than yourself, experiencing it together, it’s a celebration of people and culture.”
Sara Garrison Lucas ('16 Graphic Design)
Working alongside Holton, Sara Garrison Lucas, Senior Associate and Graphic Designer at Populous, brought her own KCAI-honed expertise to these monumental projects. Their combined efforts clearly paid off, as Kansas City’s Fan Fest was recently voted the best Fan Fest of the World Cup this year.
Serving as the Populous project manager and designer for KC•House, Lucas played a central role in shaping the hospitality hub. She also supported the firm’s activation at Fan Fest, where they partnered with a local muralist to create a live painting experience that engaged fans throughout the summer.
Rooted in the conceptual and collaborative skills she developed at KCAI, Lucas helped facilitate an open call that commissioned five local artists for KC•House, authentically showcasing the city's creative spirit. “Walking into Fan Fest for the first time felt magical,” Lucas shared. “I was especially blown away by the Heart Monument and how deeply people connected with it. Watching the public embrace it was incredibly moving, and the response was undeniable—people loved it so much they wanted to keep it.”
Kat Dison Nechlebova ('07 Sculpture)
At Fan Fest Kansas City, Kat Dison Nechlebova helped orchestrate KCAI students to reprise POPTRA, a dynamic performance art presentation. Bringing her sculptural expertise into a moving medium, Nechlebova ensured the festival was grounded in theatrical, community-driven art that honors the spirit of KCAI. When conceptualizing the 35-minute performance to represent Kansas City’s distinctive art scene, she leaned heavily into a central theme of punk. “Punk is loud, immediate, and rebellious; it embraces chaos to discover order,” Nechlebova explained. “To me, punk is art. It can also be as simple as kicking a ball around and, through that shared act, bringing people from around the world together.”
For many of the participating students, POPTRA marked their very first foray into wearable art or public performance, all unfolding on a global stage in front of tens of thousands of people. Nechlebova noted that watching the students confidently march down the runway to Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” was an unforgettable, transformative moment. Just as impactful was the supportive, collaborative environment backstage, where students seamlessly collaborated to help sew last-minute fixes and figure out practicalities together. “There’s a kind of confidence you can only build by doing something this big,” she shared, hoping the students walk away with a the memory of owning their moment on an international stage.
Maura Cluthe ('93 Illustration)
Maura Cluthe, Associate Professor, Charlie Sosland Chair of Illustration and alum of KCAI, also contributed her creative expertise to the surrounding World Cup energy, bringing her signature illustrative style to the city's celebrations.
Connected to the opportunity through a partnership between the Kansas City Artists Coalition (KCAC) and Midtown KC Now, Cluthe was tapped to create a vibrant window mural at the Midtown KC Now storefront (3931 Main St). Tasked with capturing the high energy of the global event, she drew on her recent pattern-based work, integrating colorful shapes and simple text to welcome international travelers. "Many moons ago, one of the reasons I stayed in Kansas City after graduation was the incredible, supportive, genuinely friendly, entrepreneurial, colorful community that exists here," Cluthe shared. "Since the mural would be on display during the World Cup, Midtown KC Now wanted something vibrant and playful... I wanted to make it welcoming, too."
As an educator, Cluthe uses real-world, community-based projects like this to inspire the next generation of illustrators to stay adaptable. She encourages her students to embrace diverse creative paths and build meaningful connections. “It's not a matter of doing 'this' or 'that' — it's a matter of doing 'this AND that' and thinking about interacting with individuals from different parts of the community,” Cluthe emphasized. “Much of what I do and where I am today has more to do with being open to possibilities and less to do about what I create or how I create it.”